Routines – Constellation ADHD Coaching

It’s that time once again – Prime Days (July 8 – 11) are right around the corner! Here are my favorite ADHD friendly or supportive items for this year. Happy Shopping!!

Dry Erase Write On Dice Set

These dice are 2” x 2”, and you can write on them and then erase them. Why do I love these? These can be used in so many ways! You can write different chores on them, and have your kids roll the dice to see what they need to do first. Homework subjects? Morning or evening routine? We know that gamifying tasks make them so much more appealing to ADHDers, and these dice can make that happen super easily! https://amzn.to/3I65kki

Soundcore Active Noise Canceling Headphones and EarFun Noise Canceling Earbuds

You know how it goes. You finally sit down to get some work done, get started, and then you can’t help but hear the neighbors splashing in their pool. Mission aborted! Noise cancelling headphones and earbuds keep those shouts (and other noises) at bay, allowing you to concentrate on the task at hand, as opposed to how annoying the person in the next cubicle is being. These are the New York Times Wirecutter’s most recently recommended noise cancelling headphones and earbuds, in the budget category. The headphones adapt to your environment; the earbuds detect the shape of your ear canals, for maximum performance. Technology for the win! Headphones: https://amzn.to/4lz2Xoh

Earbuds: https://amzn.to/3TrtEiV

Raymnie Analog Clock for Kids (and adults too!)

Studies show that well over half of kids 6 – 12 do not know how to tell time on an analog clock. While this may not sound like a big deal – digital clocks are everywhere – it does impact the understanding of time passing. Without the movement of clock hands through the hour, the opportunity to see and feel time is missed. This is a serious omission for ADHDers, for whom time blindness is a real issue. While a timer can be very helpful, seeing time on a continuum really starts to strengthen this challenged executive function. This clock helps with learning to tell time, with an outer circle that delineates the minutes in the hour. And it’s colorful, which ADHDers love! https://amzn.to/44tXpEO

“The ADHD Productivity Manual,” Ari Tuckman, PsyD

If you’ve ever heard Dr. Tuckman speak (and if you haven’t, I urge you to do so if you get the opportunity), you know that he is extremely knowledgeable about ADHD, and he has a plethora of practical strategies that he conveys in a clear and engaging manner. His latest book, “The ADHD Productivity Manual,” follows the same recipe. Easy to read and follow, great ideas to try out. Highly recommended! https://amzn.to/46doKOf

Echo Dot Kids

If you haven’t already welcomed an Echo Dot (or another brand of smart device) into your home, let me stop here to say, where have you been?? It feels like these devices are built with ADHDers in mind, allowing you to set timers, get reminders, find out the weather, ALL BY JUST SPEAKING! Taking away that step of having to find paper and pen, or worse, pulling out your phone…oh wait, let me just look at Instagram for a minute…yeah, without THAT. AND there is a cute Echo Dot for kids! They can tell Alexa their morning routine, and Alexa can keep your kiddo on track. Homework help, audiobooks, everything with parental controls. Oh, and did I mention that you can have Mickey Mouse remind your child to brush their teeth, or Olaf can read them a story? All in all, it’s a great way to encourage your child’s independence while still giving them a safety net, and also teaching them how to accommodate their ADHD. https://amzn.to/4lI77dU

Sukuos AM PM Weekly Pill Organizer

Finally, I wanted to include this pill organizer because I have one, and it has really been helpful. Asking myself “did I take my meds today?” and being afraid to double up, so possibly skipping altogether, had gotten very old. And with this pill organizer, there’s no more taking the PM meds in the AM, or vice versa. There is plenty of room, which is helpful when you take vitamins or other supplements. And the AM and PM can be separated, making it easy to throw your AM meds into your gym bag while leaving your PM meds on the nightstand. https://amzn.to/4nvDsWK

Are there any items that you would like to recommend? I’d love to hear from you!

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate, and have an affiliate relationship with Amazon.

Earlier this week I tripped, fell down the stairs, and fractured a bone in my ankle. I’m in a walking boot, which is way better than the crutches with which I was released from the ER.

Suddenly, everything is just a damn mess! I can’t drive, so every activity has to be recalibrated, postponed, or cancelled. I have new appointments with doctors to address the problem. And worst of all, at least for me – all of my routines are just shot.

It can be so difficult to establish routines, especially with ADHD. But once in place, routines become the anchors to our days. We feel organized and capable, which in turn leads to more organization, and more confidence. Structures and routines help to keep us from hours long rabbit hole searches, late night social media scrolling, midday naps. If I have a post lunch routine of making a cold brewed coffee and stretching, those actions send a signal to my brain that says “time to get to work.” Without the signal it’s a lot harder.

And now? My anchors are gone, and the ship is sinking! But before I’m completely underwater, I’m trying to regroup. Here are some of the strategies I’ve discovered and leaned on in the past week:

1 – Take a small piece of your routine and try to save it. Part of my morning routine is making my bed. Looking at a messy unmade bed all day would serve as a reminder that I’m hanging on by a thread. I decided to save this part of my mornings. So yesterday, I crawled around on my bed, getting it made. Holding onto something from your routines feels like an accomplishment (dopamine!) and will also make it easier to get back to them when the crisis is over.

2 – Find something that is a close substitute for a part of your routine you have to give up. Obviously, I can’t go running. But exercise is important for my physical and mental health. So today, I did a 30 minute seated upper body and core routine. Feeling good about doing what I can do, instead of focusing on what I can’t, and being proud of myself for taking action gave me a nice dopamine hit!. Use that ADHD creativity to find substitutions for what’s missing in your routines!

3 – Sit with your upset feelings. Whatever is driving the chaotic turn of events in your life, there will be activities that will be postponed or cancelled, people that you might not see, and possibly other disappointments. This can bring on feelings of frustration, sadness, anger – and as we know, emotional regulation is a challenge for ADHDers. However, I’m going to suggest that instead of squelching these negative emotions, we should attempt to just exist alongside them. Trying to push them away actually gives them strength and longevity. In the words of the late Dan Fogelberg, “Love if you can, cry if you have to, be who you must, that’s a part of the plan.” Did my frustration at EVERYTHING make me cry? You betcha! But that’s okay.

4 – Practice self compassion. The upside down of your life may be associated with one or some of your actions. Mistakes happen. You are human. Beating yourself up does not change the outcome. In fact, having compassion for yourself will enable you to bounce back from this downward trajectory much more quickly. Forgive yourself.

5 – Develop gratitude. Breaking my ankle, in a word, sucks. I’m no longer training for the NYC Marathon; I can’t even drive to a friend’s house. However, I am grateful for my doctor, my husband (a nurse extraordinaire!), the fact that it’s only a small fracture, and that my doctor thinks I’ll be fine by the end of the summer. All of this, big or small, is a reminder that although my day to day life is pretty messed up right now, I do have some great things and people to be thankful for. PS – if you don’t have a regular gratitude practice, think about starting one – it’s truly a game changer!

These are strategies that I’m putting in place. There may be more as the days roll on. But one thing for sure – my bed WILL be made.

Category: Routines

ADHD Friendly Prime Days Picks!!

When Chaos Erupts