Effective habits for managing ADHD symptoms

Living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) might make you feel like you're living in a maze. Constantly navigating the challenges of focus, impulsivity, and hyperactivity can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming, if not impossible. 

The good news is that with the right tools and habits, you can learn to manage your ADHD symptoms and make daily tasks less overwhelming.

Defining Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by distinct behavioral patterns. People diagnosed with ADHD often experience challenges with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness that are more severe, frequent, and pervasive than typical behaviors for their age.

Symptoms of ADHD and their impact

In individuals with ADHD, a unique pattern of brain activity is often observed, characterized by an imbalance between theta and beta waves. This imbalance can lead to distinct behavioral traits. The symptoms of ADHD are generally grouped into two main categories: inattentiveness and hyperactivity-impulsivity. 

Inattentive symptoms include:

• Difficulty sustaining attention 
• Forgetfulness in daily activities
• A tendency to be easily distracted 

Hyperactivity symptoms include:

• Excessive fidgeting 
• An inability to stay seated 
• An overwhelming sense of restlessness. 

Impulsivity in ADHD can lead to taking hasty actions without thinking of potential harm or consequences. These symptoms often lead to a range of side effects in daily life for both adults and children, including difficulty in: 

• Organizing tasks 
• Paying attention to the task at hand 
• Following through on plans 
• Managing time effectively

This can impact academic achievement, work performance, and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, the frustration of dealing with these challenges can sometimes lead to depression and anxiety. 

Other common yet overlooked symptoms of ADHD include:

• Sleep disturbances: People with ADHD may experience sleep-related issues, including difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep, and waking up frequently during the night. These sleep problems can exacerbate daytime symptoms of ADHD and can impact overall health.
• Emotional self-regulation challenges: Adults with ADHD commonly struggle with regulating their emotions, making it harder for them to deal with strong emotions effectively. Research indicates that 71% of Muse users reported having better emotional regulation, highlighting the potential of technology-based methods in improving emotional control for people with ADHD.

These symptoms can greatly impact the professional and personal lives of people with ADHD. They might struggle with maintaining focus during meetings, managing their workloads, or even keeping track of personal commitments. Children with ADHD often find it difficult to stay focused on schoolwork, follow classroom rules, or interact appropriately with classmates.

Understanding ADHD is not just about recognizing the symptoms. By acknowledging and understanding the real, day-to-day impact it has on people’s lives, we can begin to adopt effective habits for managing ADHD, using new technology, and improving overall well-being. 

Hobbies and habits to help manage ADHD symptoms

Incorporating specific habits into daily life can help manage ADHD symptoms effectively. These practices can help improve focus, regulate emotions, and enhance overall well-being. Here’s a list of hobbies and habits that can be beneficial for those with ADHD:

Hobbies

• Engage in regular exercise: Simple physical activities can increase focus and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Regular exercise, even short daily walks or stretches, can be crucial in managing ADHD symptoms effectively. And activities like running, cycling, martial arts, or team sports can be great for expending energy and improving focus. Dance also combines physical activity with creative expression and can be a fun way to manage ADHD symptoms.
  
  
• Practice meditation: Research shows meditation improves focus and emotional regulation, making it an invaluable tool for ADHD management. In fact, meditation is such a powerful tool for focus that it is increasingly being administered in clinical settings for ADHD patients. Practices like deep breathing or guided mindfulness, especially when supported by tools like our Muse 2 Headband, can help set a focused tone for your day, as shown by 72% of Muse users who reported better focus and clarity.
  
  
• Start a creative hobby: Engaging in focused, hands-on creative hobbies like knitting, drawing, sculpting painting, or digital art can be calming and beneficial. These activities require concentration and are often repetitive, helping to manage ADHD symptoms. 
  
  
• Gardening or cooking: These activities can be calming and offer a sense of accomplishment, while also providing sensory engagement.
  
  
• Video games: Certain games can be beneficial for ADHD, especially those that require strategic thinking or quick reflexes.
  
  
• Listen to music: Taking time to listen to music can positively influence mood and brain function. Learn more about how it can help with memory-related tasks here. Learning to play an instrument, singing, or even composing music can be highly engaging and rewarding.

Habits

• Create manageable tasks: Create the right environment when you do work, Use techniques like the Pomodoro Method for focused work bursts followed by breaks. 
  
  
• Organize tasks: Use planners or apps to organize tasks and to-do lists and set realistic goals each day. This helps in creating a structured environment to manage ADHD symptoms. 
  
  
• Prioritize good sleep: Regular sleep patterns can greatly improve the quality of rest for those with ADHD. Techniques like our Digital Sleeping Pill session with Smart Fade technology can enhance sleep quality by responding to your brain activity, helping you fall and stay asleep. 
  
  
• Track neurofeedback: For more than forty years, neurofeedback has been used in clinical environments to manage brainwave imbalances and alleviate symptoms related to ADHD. Using EEG technology, like our Muse 2 Headband, offers neurofeedback that can be helpful in ADHD management. This kind of feedback helps you understand and regulate brain activity, helping with focus and emotional regulation. 

By integrating these hobbies and habits into everyday life, people with ADHD can better navigate their symptoms, leading to improved focus, emotional self-regulation, and an enhanced quality of life. 

Final thoughts

Managing ADHD is more than tackling the symptoms, it’s about finding a balanced approach that blends technology, supportive habits, and a mindset grounded in patience and adaptability. 

Adding helpful practices like regular exercise, meditation, consistent sleep, and other strategic habits can enhance focus and emotional stability. Embracing technology, especially EEG-based neurofeedback tools like the Muse 2 Headband and the Muse S Headband, offers a way to understand and regulate brain activity, further helping manage some of the most common and challenging ADHD symptoms. 

Muse is also proud to partner with Myndlift who uses the Muse 2 EEG headband as part of their neuroscience-based, personalized brain training that helps patients with focus-based goals, mental health and neuro-behavioral disorders, including ADHD. 

Learn more about how the right combination of habits and tools can make navigating the ADHD maze easier.