Tips on Living with Adult ADHD
Tips on Living with Adult ADHD
By: Staci Lee Schnell, M.S.,C.S., LMFT
October 31, 2015
Tips on Living with Adult ADHD
Living with Adult ADHD can prove challenging not only for the person with ADHD but for their partners as well. Adults with ADHD have issues with tardiness and completing tasks in a timely manner. The constant rushing around can lead to a number of unnecessary arguments and a great deal of anxiety. Below are some tips on living with and managing ADHD for couples.
Tips:
- Calendar
Post a family calendar in your home and/or have a shared calendar on your phones. List all appointments, social engagements, family events, etc. Check it together often and preferably at a set time daily.
- Time Management
Allow longer than you think you’ll need to get to appointments. By reducing the rushing around, the anger outbursts (and speeding tickets) should decrease.
- Chunking
Break down projects into small tasks and set deadlines for each task. This will decrease procrastination. Plans of action help reduce the anxiety associated with ADHD.
- Analyze
Discuss what worked and didn’t work for the week to help plan for future situations. Making adjustments together, as needed, promotes the partnership aspect of the relationship.
A Marriage and Family Therapist can help couples implement the changes necessary to deal with the relationship issues associated with adult ADHD.
Joyce C Vasquez
Good Evening,
It has taken me so long to really look into what my diagnosis truly is. After being diagnosed with so many other things, and making the excuse that my most creative work comes from when I am closest to my deadlines, it was not until tonight when I realized that my rheumatologist who referred me back to my psychiatrist was right. I had been living for many years with undiagnosed ADHD.
So, thank you for the helping me to cope with a diagnosis I’ve been on the fence about taking meds, that have been working for, for the past 2 years. I no longer have insomnia and sleep much better at night.
Sincerely,
Joyce
Staci Schnell
Glad this was helpful to you!