Any adults with anxiety and ADHD who learnt to cope without meds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me! Sleep hygiene is a huge priority.

Could you pls explain what you did to achieve this?

Sure! Well, first of all this was impossible when my kids were little. But once they hit 4 and 6 years old, it was easier to tackle.

One--no screens an hour before bed. Reading only or chatting with dh.
Two--find the right temperature for your room/sleeping clothes/blanket. Aim for a little cooler than you think.
Three--caffeine only before 10am, limit liquids after 5. So that means hydrate well early in the day.
Four--don't pass your sleep window, if possible. If you're yawning like crazy at 9:45 then you should aim to go to bed around that time, at least for awhile.
Five--don't stay up much much later on weekends, and don't sleep in too much. This one may seem painful, but helps so much in regulating sleep and anxiety and -as a result- adhd symptoms.

Caffeine is a stimulant and stimulants generally don’t affect people with ADHD the same way they do the general population (stimulant meds calm us down and focus us, instead of making us wired). Caffeine stopping at 10:00AM isn’t something most people with ADHD do or need to do.

I have adhd and I need to stop at 1. Caffeine calms me down and I can still nap with it but if I take it after 1 I still have a really hard time going to sleep. I don’t know what other people with ADHD do but I know my brain and body and what’s best for me. I think that is key for people with ADHD- keep trying things until you find something that works. (Same with bullet journals, the concept was created by somebody with ADHD and they work for lots of people with ADHD, but not me and my ADHD therapist)

[Anonymous]

Exercise, checklists, practicing self-awareness, giant key chain, brightly colored wallet, calendar reminders, breaking big projects into little tasks, forgiving myself at the end of every day.

[Anonymous]

Acceptance Behavior Therapy worked best for me.

[Anonymous]

My DS's psychiatrist emphasizes rigorous exercise. I know OP is an adult and not all things remain the same between adults and children but I'd think rigorous exercise would work for both. The Dr. would not qualify walking as sufficient exercise. He says rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have both diagnoses, and probably would have been on the meds, if I was able to find a psychiatrist who sees new patients and takes my insurance (I'm on my month 10 of attempts to find one), so coming to conclusion that psychiatric help cheaper than $300/hour doesn't exist in the US anymore.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips that actually helped them maintain good quality of life without medication?
Morning walks definitely help me, but then sometimes my jitteriness and repetitive thoughts spiral down closer to the evening.
I prefer not to simply get my meds through primary care, because they speed at which they throw new diagnoses and medications on me (Adderall helps only partially, and sertraline doesn't help at all) is concerning.

Three hundred an hour is outrageous.

That's not even the high end for psychiatrists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have both diagnoses, and probably would have been on the meds, if I was able to find a psychiatrist who sees new patients and takes my insurance (I'm on my month 10 of attempts to find one), so coming to conclusion that psychiatric help cheaper than $300/hour doesn't exist in the US anymore.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips that actually helped them maintain good quality of life without medication?
Morning walks definitely help me, but then sometimes my jitteriness and repetitive thoughts spiral down closer to the evening.
I prefer not to simply get my meds through primary care, because they speed at which they throw new diagnoses and medications on me (Adderall helps only partially, and sertraline doesn't help at all) is concerning.

Three hundred an hour is outrageous.

That's not even the high end for psychiatrists.

Ours is $450 for a psychiatrist. It's only $160 for the psychologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exercise, checklists, practicing self-awareness, giant key chain, brightly colored wallet, calendar reminders, breaking big projects into little tasks, forgiving myself at the end of every day.

+100. It took the pandemic and my coping mechanisms no longer working as well to finally researching what might be “wrong” with me to realize I have ADHD and it explains so much of my life. I am also still trying to find a provider and start on meds, but in the meantime I started following some FB ADHD groups and from trying out a lot of tips things have improved a lot.

I agree that different things work for different people, but some things that have helped me:

* putting any must-do items on my phone calendar and checking that every morning first thing. (Individual items, not one item named “to do”)
* phone alarm reminders for any errands or time-specific items
* having Pandora or Apple Music on in the background while do any kind of chores (the music provides the dopamine to keep going that the chores do not)
* I try to go for a walk every morning, at least 30 minutes
* I do keep checklists but that is hit or miss for me. I find having master checklist but then breaking those down each day into just a handful of key things is better.
* Breaking projects into individual steps and focusing on just one step at a time.
* As PP said, forgiving myself at the end of every day. If I feel like I got at least a few things done I meant to do each day, then I consider that a win. Less self-sabotaging talk leads me to more productivity, and also acknowledging I got multiple things accomplished leads to less nighttime bursts of trying to do things, which messes with sleep.
* and yes, better sleep is key. I struggle with this, particularly with stopping screens early enough. But when I am good at it and good good sleep multiple nights in a row, I clearly see the difference in my focus the next day.

[Anonymous]

I'm not formally diagnosed in adulthood, but it's pretty obvious I have at least a touch of ADHD/executive dysfunction. My main strategy is to write everything important down, no matter what, and to do so almost immediately. I'll probably remember my kid starts soccer next week after school without making a note, but I definitely will if I immediately put it into my calendar with a set reminder. And bonus, I won't be consciously or unconsciously stressed about holding it in my overworked brain. Lots of lists. The minute I realize we're on the second to last roll of toilet paper, I grab my phone and pop that onto my Costco list.

I am considering asking my psychiatrist (currently seeing for med management of depression/anxiety) about ADHD meds, though. The one thing I cannot get a handle on is controlling clutter for any sustained amount of time, if at all. I used to keep it to certain areas when it was just me, or just me and DH. But now that I have two little kids, I'm absolutely drowning in stuff and clutter. I feel like I'm always getting rid of stuff but it comes in faster than I can keep up. Anyone had success with this particular aspect? Med suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: But now that I have two little kids, I'm absolutely drowning in stuff and clutter. I feel like I'm always getting rid of stuff but it comes in faster than I can keep up. Anyone had success with this particular aspect? Med suggestions?

Book: Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ETD7GO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Clutter: hire weekly a housecleaner, forces you to tidy beforehand so she can do the cleaning

Hire a professional organizer for four hours every so often (when you can afford) to help you sort through and declutter

Refuse to let kid crap into the house. Have firm rules about not taking things or if you take them, enjoying them only while you are in the car or that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: But now that I have two little kids, I'm absolutely drowning in stuff and clutter. I feel like I'm always getting rid of stuff but it comes in faster than I can keep up. Anyone had success with this particular aspect? Med suggestions?

Book: Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ETD7GO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Clutter: hire weekly a housecleaner, forces you to tidy beforehand so she can do the cleaning

Hire a professional organizer for four hours every so often (when you can afford) to help you sort through and declutter

Refuse to let kid crap into the house. Have firm rules about not taking things or if you take them, enjoying them only while you are in the car or that day.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have definitely considered an organizer for a reset, or to at least put some systems in place for me to follow. No idea what something like that costs though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: But now that I have two little kids, I'm absolutely drowning in stuff and clutter. I feel like I'm always getting rid of stuff but it comes in faster than I can keep up. Anyone had success with this particular aspect? Med suggestions?

Book: Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ETD7GO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Clutter: hire weekly a housecleaner, forces you to tidy beforehand so she can do the cleaning

Hire a professional organizer for four hours every so often (when you can afford) to help you sort through and declutter

Refuse to let kid crap into the house. Have firm rules about not taking things or if you take them, enjoying them only while you are in the car or that day.

What's her solution for organizing paperwork? The last thing I need is another book... Thanks.