Tips for Finding Balance in the New Year
Achieving balance is a struggle for everyone in today’s society, including people with ADHD. How am I supposed to find time to go to the gym, relax, or be creative when I can’t even get my laundry put away or bills filed? As we have been hearing for years, it is when we take the time to find balance in our lives that we are ultimately happier and more productive both at work and at home.
Take a moment to think about what makes you really happy…is it spending time alone reading, a hobby, cooking, gardening, or is it time shared with friends? Usually what prevents people from achieving balance in their life is the idea of not having enough time. The secret to a well balanced life for someone with ADHD is scheduling something you love, making it a routine, and doing it with someone else! For example, schedule a run with your neighbor every Tuesday morning from 6-7. Have that person pick you up and after a few weeks, a pattern will be established and soon the event will be a habit. Be sure to alert those you live with and encourage them to do the same.
Balance in life also means slowing down to listen to our bodies and increasing our awareness of ourselves and our environment. For example, we often do this the hard way, such as getting a physical injury like pulling our back out from pushing ourselves too hard or psychologically when we experience anxiety or even a sense of panic. By increasing our awareness to how we are doing/feeling more regularly, we lower our threshold of what feels normal to us.
General tips:
Create something in your life that requires nurturing and attending to. Consider an easy to care for pet or put up a bird feeder that you will need to check on from time to time. Plant a garden or have some beautiful plants in your home which require watering.
Alternate busy and quiet weekends. If you are going away or having a party, be sure to allow some downtime before and after the event. Also true when planning a vacation. Most of us become quite busy with tons of last minute things to attend to both before leaving for vacation or before returning to work after vacation. When possible allow yourself a day before leaving for a trip to get ready. Then you won’t have to be frantic just before leaving for a trip.
Make a determination to do something creative once per week. Many people with ADHD report feeling rejuvenated when they are being creative but struggle to find the time to make it happen, getting caught up in the minutia of life. Schedule creativity. Engage those you live with if possible; if you are a painter or photographer take the family to the park while they play you create. Break old patterns of feeling overwhelmed at home by tasks. Get outside, spend time where you feel energized.
Avoid time wasters such as the TV and internet.
Have music playing in your home regularly. Keep your favorites close by.
Have some type of personal pampering at least monthly: massage, bodyscrub, or other type of bodywork.
Whenever possible “just say NO” or at least “I’ll get back to you” to invitations for future plans. Often when the heat of the moment passes, the impulse to commit or say yes to plans diminishes and we gain greater insight to how we want to spend our time.
Last 5 posts by Dr. Theresa Lavoie
- Making Healthy Food Choices for the Holidays and All Year - November 29th, 2007
- Easy Non-Drug Strategies help Pre-Schoolers with ADHD - October 30th, 2007
- ADDA Regional Conference - October 8th, 2007
- Research Based Evidence that Exercise Improves Depression - September 25th, 2007
- Non-Medication Approaches for Preschool ADHD - August 24th, 2007