For this blog post I will share 10 tips for how you to can manage your ADHD while in quarantine.
Tip #1 Routines
My number one tip for anyone with ADHD trying to handle the new normal of quarantine is to create routines. I have a set morning routine that is the same every day of the week. I also have a set night routine that only slightly differs on the weekends. When making these new routines I tried to keep them as similar to my routines before quarantine so that there was not as big of an adjustment that needed to be made.
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Tip #2 Hourly and Daily Schedules
Like the routines, I have set times for when specific tasks are done each day and when set tasks are done each week. For example, I either read from 1:30-2:00 or 4:00-4:30. I also do laundry on Wednesday. The one area of this schedule that has been a struggle for me is to have a set time and day for when to go to the grocery store. This is because sometimes I get enough food to go more than 7 days. A way to use this tip for school work is to have set days where specific classes are worked on. For college students, work on the material for the class on the day that that class would meet in person. If you are a high school student this could apply to you if your school follows a block schedule. This also helps you to retain some of the schedule that you had prior to quarantine and remote learning.
Tip #3 Have Set Eating Times
As I have mentioned previously on my blog, I have a number of eating restrictions and struggle with my weight. As a measure to prevent myself from overeating and under eating, I have set eating times. This not only helps with my weight goals, but as someone with ADHD it gives me a set time for when to take medications that require eating something.
Here is a look at my daily quarantine schedule.
Tip #4 Exercise
For me exercising consists of walking, running and strength training. If you are new to exercising I recommend starting with short walks and working your way to longer walks with intervals of short runs I you would like. A YouTube channel that I recommend for at home workouts is MadFit. She has a variety of workouts for different focus areas, varying durations, no equipment required and apartment friendly which is great for me.
Tip #5 Set Homework or Work Time Periods
For me I start homework at 10:00 am and try to finish between 3:00 - 4:00 pm. This is the time period that works best for me. Also you should know that this includes a workout hour, showering, lunch and sometimes a 30 minute reading break. One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever received from both my mom and from a professor is to think of your school work as a 9:00-5:00 job. While being in quarantine I have found that 9:00-5:00 is too long of a time period and I do not need that much time, so that is why I made to adjustment to 10:00 to 3:00 - 4:00 pm.
Tip #6 Give Yourself Breaks
This is one of the tips that I sometimes try and avoid because I think that I can just keep going when in reality I am working at a slower pace or am not retaining the information I am trying to learn. For me breaks consist of watching TikTok, checking social media, playing a phone game, going to love on my sister's dog, Bear, reading, or playing MineCraft. A tip that I have is to give yourself a break when switching from one course, subject, or project to the next.
Tip #7 Have a Planner or form of Calendar
I use a combination of a digital planner in GoodNotes, my computer calendar, the notes app in my iPhone and the reminders app in my iPhone. I use each of these apps for a different purpose when it comes to planning, scheduling and keeping track of my to do lists. A specific tip that I have for those who take medications is to use the reminder app to have set notifications for when medications need to be taken. Another application that I recommend is HabitHub. There is a free version where you can have three set habits or a premium version where you can have more than three. This app is great because you can set times for each habit and track how often you complete the habit.
Tip #8 Study Tip
My tip for those students who have ADHD is to pause the video lectures your teachers upload so that you can write the notes and not have to also focus on what is being said.
Tip #9 PocketPoints
PocketPoints is an application that I have been using for all three years of college. It is an application that rewards you with points for the time that you have your phone locked. This is great to use while watching lectures because it forces you to put your phone down and pay attention to the lecture. This is also a great tool if you find yourself spending too much time on your phone during that day. You can lock your phone and spend time doing something else that is more meaningful and productive. With the points that you earn you can redeem them for in-store and website coupons.
Tip #10 Relax
My last and final tip is to relax. Find ways that help you relax, whether this is watching a movie or show, reading a book, listening to a podcast, or even listing to music and scrolling through Pinterest. Find things that relax you and that you look forward to doing. This could even be exercising or yoga. Something that I have started to do again that relaxes me is to color in my adult coloring books. If you successfully applying that set homework and work schedule you should be able to do little to no homework or work on the weekends.
I hope that these tips will help you to manage your ADHD while in this crazy time of quarantine, remote work and learning and social distancing. Stay safe, successful and productive.
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