ADHD Management During COVID-19- What You Need to do?

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak disrupted the carefully crafted lives of thousands of ADHD patients. Patients are feeling overwhelmed like never before. The impact is so aggressive that ADHD patients are unable to keep up with their daily tasks. Not only that, but even the kids are also feeling too challenged to manage the basics of life. In a nutshell, ADHD patients are unable to maintain their emotional well-being. Due to this their healthy routines have crumbled without any idea of “How to keep it together?” 

Experts believe that if you change your brain with positivity instead of gloomy thoughts, you can easily create a timeline that will work for you. Hope, gratitude, and positivity will get you through. So, if you are feeling trapped with the fear of never-ending deadlines, here are some strategies that will help with your work commitments and mental health during the public health crisis. 

Tips to Thrive Amid The Current Pandemic 

A lot of ADHD patients feel that they are resilient during the crisis. Or that they will be able to focus on important things. However, if the emergency makes it difficult for you to go outside, you will feel cooped up all your energy. And that will make it hard for you after a while. So, here are a few ways that can help you with your everyday schedules. 

Keep up With Your Daily Routines 

ADHD patients don’t work well around a rigid schedule. However, a basic structure or routine helps deal with any crisis. Although you might feel tempted by the idea of staying in your PJs or watching TV all day long, it might affect your mental and physical health severely. So, it would be better to stay out of such unhealthy practices. Otherwise, it would take a lot of time to restart a healthy life again. Here’s how you can keep your mental health at its best. 

• Get up approximately at a similar time every day.
• Shower regularly. 
• Schedule your mealtime and set a reminder to avoid missing out on any meals. 
• Look for opportunities to move your body at least once every hour. 
• Hydrate yourself. 
• Set your work timings and stick to them.
• Go outside on a balcony or terrace at least once.

Also, Read- How to Prioritize Health During Quarantine?

Don’t Forget to Take Your Medications And Supplements 

Thoughts like “I don’t need to focus daily,” or “I am not going to the office now” might urge you to stop medications once in a while. No matter what your thought process is, medications or supplements do more just the “focussing” part. They are essential to control your neurotransmitters that are vital for your normal functioning. Medications and supplements are likely to keep you calm and composed in the midst of the global pandemic. 

Think About Finishing Tasks Instead of Starting One

Like everyone, ADHD patients also feel that they have the time to finish hundreds of projects. It might feel like an incredible opportunity for you. Hang on!! ADHD patients are great starters, but they are not so good at finishing them. Before you start a new project, it would be wise to look at the list of unfinished tasks. You can reward yourself after every finished job to keep yourself motivated. Experts suggest that ADHD patients need a particular motivation to keep their reward centers activated. So, you can offer yourself a happy dance, a treat, or any other reward that makes you finish a job quickly. 

Don’t Set Unrealistic Goals For Yourself 

Whenever you are stuck at home with a lot of time available, it’s easier that you would start expecting either high or low of yourself or people around you. And ADHD patients struggle with even setting realistic expectations, let alone achieving higher expectations. So, use this as an opportunity to create a set of realistic goals that you can easily expect from yourself. You can talk about it with a friend, therapist, or your spouse. Remember, you must get feedback on whether or not your expectations are achievable. 

Don’t Focus Too Much on The News 

If you are living with ADHD, anxiety would be something that often makes you fall apart. And if you are exposing yourself with the news on the viral pandemic, it won’t do any good to you. Instead, all the Facebook posts, news, tweets might end up causing a panic attack. So, please limit yourself to just one or two articles a day from a trusted source. That way, you can keep yourself updated without any dire consequences. 

Keep a Check on Your Habit of Delaying or Postponing Things 

Let’s look at an example. Before you think of some leisure activity, look around and see if you did all your tasks. For instance, your dinner tables might still have pots and pans. Or your kitchen sink might be overloaded with dirty dishes. Don’t judge yourself. All you need is to observe and do something about it. Just remember finishing tasks would give you motivation to go on. However, it’s not that you need to procrastinate all the time. Once in a while, not doing so won’t do any harm.

Also, read- How to Extend The Benefits of Telehealth During Pandemic?

Use This Time to Learn About Your Brain 

There is so much to learn about your brain. And this lockdown will help you find some time to get access to evidence-based information about ADHD. You can use resources from ADDA, CHADD, any government website. You can find a wide range of articles to help you thrive with ADHD. It would help you to prioritize yourself and help your brain to get past the concerns of the growing pandemic. 

Final Thoughts 

The current pandemic is creating a tough situation, especially for those who are struggling with a mental health condition such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, and others. The best coping mechanism is to try “being with your fear.” Mental health experts suggest that identifying the triggers will help you acknowledge your state. You can even start with deep breathing exercises or use mindful apps like headspace to cope with the current situation easily. 

You must also stay connected virtually with your friends and doctors. And telehealth or telemedicine services will help you with that. Using such an option will help you get the best healthcare services without risking any exposure to the virus. So, ensure your mental health is at its best to avoid any further health implications. 

Stay home, stay safe, stay healthy.