Taming Your ADHD in the Summertime

I know what you might be thinking… I was looking forward to the summer to relax and take a break!

And you can do that! Often summer brings lots of fun, adventures and an easier schedule. And while most people think that they will “work” at improving their ADHD MANAGEMENT SKILLS over the Fall when school starts, it’s often too late!

What do I mean by that?

Think of yourself as an elite athlete.

If you are an athlete and serious about your sport, you won’t take the summer off and “hope” to be in shape and ready for the Fall Season.

Most athletes and coaches know that they need to train (even if lighter) during the summer and focus on strengthening weak skills when they have the time and energy to do so.

Often the Fall is so frantic and filled with new schedules, classes, roommates, etc… that before you know it, you are overwhelmed with tasks and all you can do is try to keep your head above water.

So…if you want to set yourself up for success this coming year, then you will use the summer to actually IMPROVE your MENTAL SKILLS and ORGANIZATIONAL skills and really make improvements in your ability to manage your ADHD symptoms with more ease and grace.

Most of the time, during regular work and school year we are so busy and overwhelmed by what we have to do, that we don't have much bandwidth to LEARN NEW SKILLS or SET UP NEW ROUTINES. 

DOING SO in the summer is a GREAT time to create some powerful habits and routines when you are not so stressed out, and your time is so limited. We tend learn best, and implement new strategies when we have some space, when we have a bit more bandwidth and openness to be creative and playful. 

So in a way...SUMMER IS THE BEST TIME TO GET A COACH, TO IMPLEMENT NEW SUCCESS STRATEGIES AND CREATE ROUTINES THAT WILL HELP YOU BECOME MORE SUCCESSFUL ONCE THE FALL STARTS!

There are several ways in which you can do this:

1. Hire a Tutor to Help you Get “Ahead” or “Get Caught up” in your toughest subjects.
2. Use this time to try either a new Holistic Supplement or Start on Medication. The summer allows you ample opportunity to do the “trial and error” required for you to find out whether a more natural approach can work for you (Hemp Oil, Essential Oils, Vitamins, etc.) or to get the right medication, dosage, etc.
3. Hire a Coach to help you learn Essential Skills…time management, organization, better sleeping habits, improve your concentration, your study skills, note-taking skills, communication & emotional regulation skills. (Want to find out how we can help? Schedule with us right here!
4. Work on “Cleaning up Your Nutrition”- it may be hard to believe but we see some of the greatest improvements when people are willing to modify their nutritional intake and switch to eating more whole foods and decrease the amount of processed, packaged and highly processed foods they get used to consuming. (If you want to know more you can schedule a consultation with our Integrative Nutrition Coach right here!
5. Do Cogmed. Cogmed is a computer-based working memory & concentration training that can increase your working memory capacity and help you increase your neuroplasticity. Working memory is like the ram of your computer- if it’s limited, your computer will crash when you have too many windows open. This is what happens to ADHD brains. So if we spend the summer training your brain so it's capacity to retain, manipulate and string together information, it can make a world of difference to your schooling! We have seen students go from flunking out to straight A’s who have applied themselves through Cogmed and other skills over the summer.  This might be one of the BEST things you do for your brain, your performance, and your upcoming year. 

CHECK OUT OUR ADHD COACHING OPTIONS!

Most importantly, you need to remember that there won’t be a one-solution fits all. Most of us will need to develop several skills to manage our ADHD and continue to “tweak” and add things to it, so you can improve your functioning every day.

The more you can “integrate” into your “toolbox” the better prepared you will be and the greater success you will have.

So that when Fall comes you are ready and armed with all the skills you need to have a successful start of your semester!