6 Tips to Help You Survive the Holidays with ADHD

Is It Possible to Survive AND Enjoy the Holiday Season with ADHD?

The holidays are a special time when we gather together with family and friends. If you or someone you care about has ADHD, however, the holiday season can often mean less enjoyment with even more stress or anxiety than the rest of the year. There are so many added distractions surrounding this special time. Need a few tips to help you survive and thrive this year?

The whirlwind of decorating, gift shopping and wrapping, entertaining and more are only a few of the tasks on your mind right now. So, how can you manage to slow down enough to truly focus on the most important items on that list to tackle?

We have six tips to help you survive and enjoy the holidays with ADHD. We hope you will try to adopt at least one new idea per week. If you do, there is a very good chance that you will not only accomplish more but stress less so that the holidays will be a season of “comfort and joy” for you and all this year. Happy Holidays, everyone!

6 Tips to Help You Survive the Holidays with ADHD

1. Create a way of organizing and keeping track of information related to activities and events.

Find a free digital or printable calendar online. Upload it to your preferred device or post on your fridge or other very visible location. As a result, your planning ahead will eliminate much holiday stress.

2. Pare down and defer non-essential activities for doing AFTER the holidays when possible.
3. Don’t overthink about finding the “perfect” gift for those on your list.

Just the fact that you thought to give a gift should make the recipient of that gift very appreciative.

4. Create physical reminders for important tasks.

• Use sticky notes at eye level on a door or cabinet.
• Place a rubber band on the wrist as a reminder anchor.
• Use physical or digital timers to help you remember.

5. Make lists and save very valuable time!

Make grocery, gift and errand lists BEFORE you visit stores and other places. Never shop without a list. Without a list, you will be more likely to work off-task and become distracted by everything that enters your field of vision. 

6. Practice calming and focusing techniques when needed.

• Practice deep breathing techniques (in through the nose and out through the mouth) can work wonders to bring inner peace and calm. It also provides much needed oxygen to your brain and bloodstream—always a good thing.
• Develop your own effective self-talk with something like “Stop. Relax. Think. Then Do.”
• Use tools or preferred manipulatives (like a soothing stress ball, a small patch of fake fur fabric, a small handheld puzzle, sensory reading aids, etc.) to help promote calm and needed focus.