Some Ways I Accommodate Myself to Help Reduce Overwhelm or Stress

After I was diagnosed with ADHD in my mid-30s, I was finally able to release the judgment, stress, and anxiety I had been accumulating about things I ‘should’ be able to do, things that I had tried to do forever but just could not accomplish, and the things that I was inconsistent with.

One of these situations was brushing my teeth in the morning. I have always struggled with deciding whether to brush my teeth before or after coffee—if I brush before, my coffee tastes bad, and if I wait until after my coffee, I will often forget to do it due to the ADHD and then move on to whatever is next. I beat myself up for years over this, as it seemed so easy for everyone else. After self-diagnosis and then following up with an actual diagnosis, it all made sense: the sensory issues, not being able to stick to a schedule or routine, not wanting to get up once I sat down, just forgetting to do things for myself, the executive function issues with planning and competing tasks, among other things.