Thread by @ADHDelaide

In case you're wondering what I mean with "my coping mechanisms have coping mechanisms", buckle up for this thread on how I try to avoid ADHD getting the best of me on a daily basis 🧵🐑

Disclaimer this might not be helpful at all just how I roll.

What drains me the most with ADHD is impatience. It triggers my impulsivity, which can turn into irritability and recklessness. It's not pleasant and it often makes me feel bad and drained afterwards, so trying to avoid that has become the focus of many of my coping mechanisms.

First I had to identify what made me impatient.

First thing in the list was driving. I get impatient when someone is driving slowly, which can pottentially lead me to do reckless stuff to pass them. Knowing this doesn't help avoiding it either.

First thing was realizing I drove more calmly the sooner I left. Less traffic, easier to park, and not being anxious about getting to work late helped. I knew I had to avoid getting impatient on the wheel to avoid accidents, so I started leaving almost an hour early for work.

This also helped with other ADHD struggles; since I got sooner to work, I could organize my day better and have an early start. It made me more efficient and organized, and my work routine improved.

This helped on my way to work, but not on my way back.

So, what made me impatient on my way back? Not being able to leave on time has always been frustrating for me (because I depend on other people's work). Once I learned to accept that, I realized being hungry made me the most impatient. I wanted to rush back home to eat!

So I started bringing lunch to work as often as I could. It really improved my irritability when I was running late, which not only made my driving more safe, but it also made me less snappy and nicer to be around. Right now I'm the most chill at my work about running late.

Seeing everyone frustrated and irritated about running late and me being all chill when I'm the one with ADHD is quite the paradox.

It has lessened a lot my frustration, that improves a lot my overall mood and quality of life. That's enough motivation to keep it up.

I also started to bring dinner when I worked evening shifts, and so on.

Trying to foresee what makes me impulsive and irritable and prevent it has required a lot of work and organization (going to bed soon, waking up early and planning meals, it's no easy task).

I also had a support system that allowed me to slowly implement it. It was progressive and still a work in progress.

The fear of being a danger to others and how much I dread feeling so out of control were strong motivators, as well as the good results.

If you've struggled understanding what "routine and structure help people with ADHD" means, this is an example. And it really helps. It's also harder to implement than it seems, because it requires foreseeing and planning, which we also suck at. But it's worth it on the long run.