Coping With ADHD as an Adult: Strategies for Self-Management

By Remedy Natural

When people hear the term ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the first thing that most think about are six year olds running frantically around a classroom. But there is such a thing as adult ADHD too. In fact, while not as evident ADHD in children, adult ADHD can significantly affect a grown person’s personal, relational and professional life.

When you think about it, it’s not unreasonable to think that there are also adult ADHD patients. After all, ADHD is a genetic, lifelong condition. It’s something that one does not outgrow. In fact, as experts estimate that about 10 percent of children have ADHD, they logically conclude the same rate of the illness in adults.

adult adhd

What are the symptoms of adult ADHD?

Adult ADHD has the same dynamics as ADHD in children: difficulty in sustaining attention and interest, as well as difficulty in keeping still for longer periods of time. In adults ADHD, these two main dynamics can manifest itself in the inability to finish work that was started, trouble meeting deadlines, a tendency to shift from one job to another, extreme ‘wanderlust’, excessive talkativeness and difficulty in managing time and money.

When interviewed, individuals with adult ADHD would also confess to frustration with their constant struggle to regulate themselves mentally and behaviorally. It can lower self-esteem in the long term because most of a person’s sense of accomplishment and value seem to lie on focus and consistency— two things a person with adult ADHD have trouble with.

What to do when you know you’ve got adult ADHD?

There are many interventions that a person can do to help manage their adult ADHD symptoms. One of the most important is to develop a personal system of organization.

For instance, a ‘to-do’ list that’s broken down into small, bite-sized result areas can help a person with adult ADHD stay on track and not get distracted. If he can train himself or herself to just stick to the tasks in the list, maybe through rewards or punishments, then he’ll have fewer problems with his symptoms.

More important, a person with adult ADHD should pick activities that are more tolerant of his special needs—or better yet one that can appreciate these special needs and exploit it for success.

For instance, most individuals with ADHD are enthusiastic project starters—they just need complementary partners that can help them finish a task. If they can find that unstructured working environment that will allow variety, flexibility and freedom, then adult ADHD would be less of a problem.

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