How to Manage ADHD and Keep the Holidays Stress-Free

Having ADHD extends to all areas of life, interpersonally, in our home organization, prioritizing tasks, and even when it comes to emotions commonly associated with the holidays, they can be overwhelming for someone with ADHD. From cleaning to organizing your tasks to work as efficiently as possible this holiday season, we have got you covered.

The gift-giving aspect of the holiday season

Buying gifts for those around you that you care about is a tradition that lives across many cultures. Gift giving can be stressful, especially when you want to make each gift personal and enjoyable. 

• Feeling guilt over imperfect presents - ADHD can lead to rejection sensitivity. Individuals with ADHD may feel that their gifts are inadequate or they may overthink and second guess their original ideas for gifts. 

• Excessive spending on gifts - Due to the nature of impulsivity in ADHD, individuals may spend more on gifts due to the immediacy effect of thinking a gift is perfect for said person. 

• Challenges with following through - Because individuals with ADHDoften have difficulties with follow through, it can lead to forgetting to wrap a present, waiting to buy the gift in time, and even overthinking one gift and neglecting any others.
  

What are some strategies to combat these struggles with gift giving? 

• Make a budget per person - With this strategy, assign an amount you are willing to spend on each person, maybe more on significant others and children, with other family members receiving a lower budget and STICK TO IT! Once that budget has been used, refrain from buying gifts for said person.

• Have people send you wishlists - You and your friends or family members can sit down and write your own wishlists so you have a better understanding of what gifts everyone may like, to take the pressure off finding them the perfect gift. 

• Don't let any potential gift sit in your cart for more than 24 hours online. Think about it only as long as you are in the store. Due to individuals with ADHD struggling to follow through when it comes to tasks, you may put off buying the gift, and find yourself buying at the last minute instead.

Time management during the holiday season 

Individuals with ADHD often struggle with time management outside of the holiday season. During the holiday season there are a lot of tasks that you have to complete in a short amount of time, especially if you are hosting for the holidays, a parent, or work full-time. Here are some strategies to help your organization and time management this season.

• Do any prep work you can - Whether you're trying to host for a lot of people, or have a nice family dinner, you can prep side dishes and appetizers ahead of time to make it easier for the day you are cooking. Write down all your dishes and plans beforehand and consider what can be made ahead and what you need to make the day of.

• Schedule specific days that are dedicated to: Cleaning, cooking, shopping, wrapping, decorating the home, and RELAXING! The holiday should also be cozy and comfortable so make sure you are resting when you can. 

• Give yourself a deadline on gift shopping - Decide what day you must have all your presents by and set it to about a week before the actual holiday to minimize stress, last minute shopping, and shipping delays.

Cleaning for the holiday season

One thing across the board that can be difficult for individuals with ADHD is keeping focused and cleaning their spaces in a timely manner. I have outlined 2 cleaning routines that are known to help individuals with ADHD focus on the task at hand and clear up their spaces quickly and efficiently. 

Cleaning Option 1: 

• Dispose of all trash, find every bit of trash big and small and throw it into a trashbag.

• Pick up any dishes that are around your space and bring them to the sink, leave them there until you clean that portion of the house. 

• Put away any clothes, blankets, shoes or anything along those lines. Put them away and return back to the space that you are cleaning. 

• Now your space is more manageable, put away anything else, and refrain from organizing it. We are cleaning not organizing, that's for new years! 

• Finally sweep, mop, or any other cleaning such as dusting or vacuuming that is needed in this space.

• When you're done with one area, move to the next space and follow the same format (different areas may come with different challenges like putting away spices or utensils in the kitchen, putting in new towels for guests in bathrooms, or straightening up your guest room).
  

Cleaning Option 2: 

This option is less structured, and works better for smaller or fairly clean spaces. 

• Look around your space, what is the color you are seeing most often? Pick up everything that is that color, put it away wherever it goes and return to your space. 

• Continue doing this until everything you are looking at is either multicolored or you cannot quite decide what color it is. Finish by putting all of those away as well. 

• Finally sweep/mop/vacuum any areas that need to be physically dusted or cleared off and move on to your next space and repeat.
  

Both of these techniques allow individuals with ADHD to see cleaning as more of a structured game, leading it to be incredibly less overwhelming to clean a specific area. 

While ADHD can make the holidays harder, with some structure, time management, and keeping in mind all the things we have outlined here, it can make your holiday less stressful. Taking breaks is often necessary to continue to have manageable patterns and make cleaning and other responsibilities less stressful. Remember to partake in self care on a daily basis around the holidays, whether it's holiday movies, or baking cookies and drinking hot chocolate. 

Happy Holidays!