ADHD and stress unfortunately always seem to go together. Like death and taxes, stress sometimes feels like an unavoidable obstacle that will forever weigh us down. While it may sometime seem this way, it does not have to always be like this. Fortunately, we can all take simple steps to make our lives easier and less overwhelming.
Consequently, ADHD and stress don’t have to always go hand in hand.
The following are 5 easy steps that will help break that seeming unbreakable bond:
1. Know Where you are Going: Set Goals
ADHD and stress appear the most inseparable when it is the most difficult for us to see the path ahead. Setting goals is about setting the trajectory of where you are going. Incidentally, with fuzzy or non-existent goals, you can be left distracted and floundering. However, when goals are clearly defined and set, focus of mind and clarity of purpose provides direction.
2. Stuck Spinning your Wheels? Keep Moving Forward
Do you always hit your goals? No. And that’s okay. What’s important is that you are moving toward them.
You would be a fool to get in the car and start driving without knowing your destination. Yet that is what most of us do day in and day out: spin our wheels not knowing where we are going. The net effect? Wasted time and energy and the growth in our mind of the ever present terror that ADHD and stress must always be coupled together.
3. Have the Fuel to Keep Going: Build an Inventory of Goals
Once we set goals, then we can build out a plan of how to get there. But first, do the hard work of setting goals. Once we have an inventory of goals, ADHD and stress will look as far apart as the north is from the south.
These could be big goals like your goal in life. Or they could be small goals like a goal to get an A on an upcoming quiz. In short, always be moving towards an objective and have an array of goals to fuel your journey there: big goals, small goals, fun goals, hard goals, all types of goals.
Ultimately, these goals guide you as you make hundreds and thousands of decisions on a daily and weekly basis. Begin connecting the everyday decisions that you make now to the short and long term goals of the future.
4. Break the Bond of ADHD and Stress: Establish Productive Rhythms
You have established your goals; now you need to figure out how to get there.
First, productive rhythms take you where you want to be. These goal-oriented routines form the critical structure for FastBraiin individuals who are easily distracted and taken off course.
Second, productive rhythms keep us focused and heading toward our goals. While establishing routines, make sure your routines take you in the right direction. Just remember, don’t become too narrowly focused in your approach. Think holistically. Consider routines for work, family, play, nutrition, exercise, and rest. Remember to keep an inventory of goals: big, small, and everywhere in between for every facet of daily life.
5. Prepare for the Short Sprint as well as the Marathon
Most people default to a daily rhythm. While that is fine—you need a daily rhythm—also consider weekly or monthly rhythms.
Regrettably, people become overwhelmed trying to think they have to create the perfect day, and end up trying to squeeze in too many activities, or leave off other important activities for the sake of time. Thinking on a weekly basis allows you to focus on different things on different days and carry out a more balanced, healthy, and holistic approach.
Finally Break the Bond Between ADHD and Stress
In conclusion, you can reach your goals without finding yourself overwhelmed in the process. To find the success you are after, keep focused on your inventory of goals and the productive rhythms of daily, monthly, and yearly living. ADHD and stress don't have to always coexist. Find your freedom from stress in setting and achieving your goals and utilizing every resource to reach those ends. And remember FastBraiin is always here to help.
In fact, if you haven't downloaded the newest e-book from FastBraiin, you can do that now: 21 FastBraiin Strategies to Thrive with ADHD. Just sign up for the FastBraiin Insider, and, in addition to helpful resources every month, you'll get these 21 strategies in a convenient e-book.
