Self care for ADHD in adults – CREATE A LIFE YOU DON'T NEED TO RETREAT FROM

Want to improve your focus, concentration and mood?

I’ve been working with more Neurodivergent (ND) clients and supervisees the last few years, especially those (formally or self diagnosed) with ADHD as adults.

You can read a blog post (published 3/10/23) with some of my highlights from IACP’s recent ADHD for Therapists day HERE

There’s such a large correlation between complex trauma symptoms and ADHD that it makes sense that the tools I’ve been using for decades support people with both.

Understanding more about ADHD in adults means I’m more motivated to support my own brain health

These self care supports for ADHD include an almost daily yoga nidra practice (which boosts dopamine production by 65% – read more about this research HERE). I’ve noticed the benefits of already (I’d been facilitating them for others for over a decade but only amped up my own practice when I was really scared about my brain earlier in 2023).

You can find out more about the benefits of yoga nidra by watching this video:

I release new yoga nidras on my YouTube each week and there are other videos about how to maximise your experience with them.

And Extra Embodied (Wellbeing with Eve) online members get a new unique yoga nidra to enhance the week’s theme by Tuesday evening.

Lived experience with ADHD as an adult

While I’ve been working with my own trauma recovery for decades, my more deliberate journey with ADHD is just a few years old. Even though an MRI showed an ‘abnormality’ that correlates with it back in 2013, like so many, the obvious symptoms were missed when I was a girl.

Even writing this, part of me could weep (again) to think how much EASIER so many elements of my childhood and LIFE could have been with greater understanding, earlier on, of how my brain worked.

Perimenopause brain fog made me realise the way I’d been compensating since early childhood might have an explanation.

Things came to a head in early 2023 and while I’m still awaiting a formal diagnosis, my learning to amp up the self care and self compassion around the ADHD symptoms I experience is definitely helping me.

I love supporting others with this and other practical tools.

We had enough shame and criticism growing up without endless retraumatising ourselves with abusive self talk

While there’s a strong correlation with trauma, complex trauma and ADHD we don’t even need to know which symptoms come from either or both to develop and sustain more self compassion and acceptance.

The more I learn, the more I feel able to benefit from the positive elements (creativity etc) while not being as harsh with myself and putting more supports in place to help me with the challenges.

It’s also been fascinating to gain a deeper understanding of how some of my relatives are also neurodivergent.

Modern life plays a part, too

Apart from my hormonal changes, the extra decade of so much time on my phone and other devices will have been rewiring my brain just as my daily yoga and meditation helps rewire it for concentration, focus, improved mood and more beneficial.

Do you think (or know) you have ADHD?

Whether you have a psychiatric or self diagnosis of ADHD or you’re simply exploring the possibility, I can potentially support you in helping yourself by providing the safe space to explore the feelings that are coming up for you as well as with self care tools to improve your experience.

This might be through one to one work or as part of the Extra Embodied (Wellbeing with Eve) online membership

We can also work with the part of yourself that is MORE than your ADHD or any other struggles and challenges.

This is not about limiting ourselves but with greater awareness and understanding of how we are and what we need, we can put more effective supports in place for MUCH easier lives.