Attention means being able to focus or concentrate, which may be on a particular task at home, office, school, college, university, or on relationships or persons, and it also may be on your passion and hobbies. Sometimes it becomes hard to pay attention or stay focused, and everyone may face it at times.
Medical science has a name for this attention disorder: ADHD.
ADHD usually starts in childhood and teenage, but for some people, it becomes a problem of adulthood and even a midlife crisis. As life is faster and busier now with high expectations of efficiency in every work, it really gets tough to cope with ADHD. If you are facing similar problems, you need ADHD coping mechanisms.
Coping with ADHD
You may have come across several traditional pieces of advice on how to deal with ADHD. But there are actually more helpful ADHD tips.
Before you know the most exciting and practical essentials of how to control ADHD, let’s have a basic idea of what ADHD is.
What is ADHD?
The complete form of ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which occurs among 4% of adults worldwide.
Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity means being over-active or restless. Your thoughts are always racing, never fixed, and you may move around frequently. In medical terms, difficulty paying attention is Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. When you face the same difficulties of ADD with hyperactivity, it is ADHD.
Problems you face
Hard to pay attention and concentration
Impulsivity
Poor planning and organization
Memory problem
Anxiety, feeling low, worrying more, anger, frustration, difficulty handling mood swings and relationships.
Schoolchildren with ADHD may become underperformers and naughty
Acceptance is Crucial
You must be thinking, is ADHD a disability? No, a person with ADHD should understand and accept the problem first.
Denial or not being prepared to accept is something that can just put you to risk. Accept it as a biological problem, no personality disorder.
There are multiple guides on how to overcome ADHD, and here are the most attractive and thoughtful ADHD coping mechanisms.
- Use notepads and structures and prefer a method of grabbing information that you prefer the most. It may be audio, visual, pictures, diagrams, or written texts.
- Prioritize tasks, make lists and schedules and hang them behind the door to be seen frequently.
- You may use color codes in schedules to make them attractive. Use bright color papers. Try to bring in some fun, and draw a smiling emoticon on your schedule page. For example, colorful wallets are found quickly.
- Set an ideal environment; you may switch your mobile off, play a video or news on the television, and keep doors and windows closed or open. Sit on the bed or chair in front of a desk.
- Some may need a quiet environment to think and concentrate. Others may easily accomplish even a complex task by just wandering around the house. Others prefer music in the background.
- Switching between activities when bored or distracted will be more productive. Stick to one task for a short while, especially when you are getting nowhere. Set a reminder in any form that suits you, and complete the pending task later.
- Spend quality time with yourself and reward yourself after hard work in a way you like.
- Have food or drink of your choice if it makes you focus more.
- Take scheduled breaks, take holidays.
Little things make Significant Impact
Figuring these little things out can really make a huge difference. Try to communicate and get the help of others if needed. Don’t feel guilty or ashamed of your disorder.
Tricks to remember things
- Try to build up habits
- Take names in conversations to remember and stay focused
- Keep the same types of things for daily use together
- Try to stick to daily schedules until and unless you face extreme difficulties
- Set a fixed time for checking emails and messages
- Leave time between different tasks to organize your thoughts.
Fighting you impulse
To cope with impulsiveness, listen to music and dance in the room.
When your impulse says to shout, try to isolate yourself, and lock your mouth with determination. To prevent impulsive buying, think, do you really need it? Would it fit you or look that good on you if it is a cloth?
Listening to radio or audio books is good as it is indirect communication. You won’t feel alone as someone is talking to you, but you can’t show your anger or frustration to the person.
Final Words
To wrap it up, don’t forget the fundamental and known ADHD coping mechanisms. Those are exercise and meditation, focusing on your strengths only, avoiding daytime naps and long hours of complete inactivity, sticking to fixed times for bathing and having food, comforting your body during long working hours, avoiding loud noises, finding one or two strategies and focus on them, and practice a set of skills which suits you most. Using mobile apps to remember and organize things also help.
