Started my new morning ritual/routine - CHADD's Adult ADH...

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Started my new morning ritual/routine

Lovinit profile image
14 Replies

A member of a local ADHD support group helped me come up with a morning routine

#1 wake up

#2 brush teeth

#3 open blinds

#4 say good morning to my dog Hooch

#5 treadmill 20 min (optional)

#6 shower

#7 dress, hair, makeup

#8 coffee breakfast

#9 plan day (optional)

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Lovinit profile image
Lovinit
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14 Replies
Aliness80 profile image
Aliness80

That’s really great that you’ve reached out, and got some help making the first step.

When I’ve got a good morning routine going, the rest of my day is productive and meaningful.

My morning routine disappeared after I moved at the beginning of the year and I’m only just noticing it’s gone. Since the move, I’m back to the scattered, disorganized, and anxious person I was.

I’m working now to get my morning awesomeness back! Tuesday and Thursday’s I take classes so I’m up about early, but I’m getting stuck the other days. Working hard on it, though.

I used to wake up and do my morning yoga, have some coffee, make my bed and get in the shower. I even had a great playlist I titled ‘Get Up’ to help me get moving.

What i don’t understand is how all those things I used to enjoy and do could just disappear. And why is it so hard to get back to a routine where i know I was happy?

Not that it matters. I’ve fallen before, and gotten up. Im stronger each time because I’m more aware of the fall. I will pick myself right back up, and continue to move forward positively.

I hope you are successful with your routine!

Tonkalady profile image
Tonkalady in reply to Aliness80

I can't stand for things to upset my rituals because I run into the same problems you mentioned. I remember having my classes and homework in order through a homework app. When that app crashed and then upgraded, I was lost and couldn't get back into that system. 😢

Lovinit profile image
Lovinit in reply to Tonkalady

I feel like that at work. I make systems and routines to accomplish everything and when someone disrupts it I take longer forget things and make more mistakes. May Day feels less productive harder than it should be

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to Lovinit

Hey perhaps you should put a sign where you work saying”put it on a sticky note and on the cork board as I’m kinda busy thank you “

My wife bought me a wicked sign last year in wood.IM NOT LAZY IM JUST ON PAUSE lol.

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to Tonkalady

Hey there.

Just a thought.perhaps you should have a back up plan,safety net.

That way you won’t get so anxious.

Or Better still if you need to remember stuff take a pic of say the homework assignment that’s been written on the board in the classroom.

Tonkalady profile image
Tonkalady in reply to Tiggerakafidgity

I take pictures of important stuff all the time! 😁

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to Aliness80

Perhaps you should try a modified routine for your new place.

What was once,isn’t necessarily the right one as you’ve moved.

I would just learn to chill and don’t procrastinate over things and emotions you can’t control.

They do say it takes the average person a minimum of 6 months to settle in to there new surroundings.

If you’ve not unpacked all of your boxes why don’t you write on a white board numbers that correspond to your unpacked boxes perhaps two days a week but just keep it to a few hrs other wise well your get bored

Tonkalady profile image
Tonkalady

That's great. So, do you have a check list for it? Is there a timeline in which to complete each task? (asking about timelines because we tend to procrastinate and we tend not to have the best sense of time - timeline is something that would help *me* be successful at beginning new habits)

Please let us know how this goes. 👍

Lovinit profile image
Lovinit in reply to Tonkalady

That’s what I think we’re going to be working on, she wants me to track my activity and track how long each activity takes. And then we go from there. This morning, I don’t have work today so my morning routine is taking all morning to do. I’m laying around watching tv watering plants, on the internet, i need to get out the door but since I don’t have to be at work I’m okay but it’s going to take a lot longer before I finish other stuff I need to do

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to Lovinit

Hi Lovinit

I have a routine 5 days a week.

The weekend I let the routine go.

Unless I know Ive to be some where,then I’ll plan the night before and get everything ready.

So we adders are actually a lot brighter than we think.

Ive a real nice satchel that I always keep certain every day things in.

I hang it with my car keys by the front door.so if I’m running late all is ready to just pick up as I walk through the front door.

It took me a year or so just to develop a good habit for where I leave my keys.

It’s like literally agony for my brain if I don’t hang my keys up in the correct place.

I get anxious,very angry and also my head starts to get really hot.well the top of my head anyway.

I know I’m on the right meds and it’s taken just under 8 yrs to get correct.

BUT we are also allowed a melt down day.

I kinda use the meds to my benefit.

I don’t know if any other person gets a little annoyed about taking 5 tablets morning and evening ?

I learnt in kinda a short while that any kinda tablet or mix of tablets for adhd and the rest of the wonderful problems that are within adhd.there isn’t a golden tablet.yes you can hit the sweet spot.its such a beautiful feeling.i dictate it on my iPhone and when a day isn’t to good I’ll put my headphones on and play the good day.

This can help with a manner of things when you first wake up feeling a little grouchy.

I think most adults with adhd give them selves to harder time beating them selves inside,which in turn then starts a whole negative pattern and most definitely hits the self belief system inside of your selves.

My dad wood say.you must always be happy and have a smile on your face no matter what.

So guess what I did,and later on in life it bite me right back on my arse.

Ppl often say to ppl that don’t have a smile on there face “don’t worry it may ever happen.

We don’t get permission to actually be sad for some strange reason.

Oh yer gone of track again.sorry folks.

I mean Christ,if I told my lovely wife all about my odd feelings etc I think she woujd most probably sit there with her mouth wide open.

The latest Robbie Williams book is a marvellous book for any one living with or has a partner that doesn’t have adhd.

My wife after 7 years now started to understand why I would do things my way and how the things we do to help our partners who don’t have adhd arnt all that dysfunctional lol.

I mean we are a lot kinder and also willing to be ever so polite that we often get taken advantage off and before we know it we are backed in to a corner being asked all the time to help ppl.

Well you know,I was advised by a great guy about 25 yrs ago before I was diagnosed with adhd that perhaps I should stop helping friends and relatives and actually spend 99% on my self and give every one else 1% of my time.

Wow that made so much sense.

If you don’t take that course of action even now then you kinda lose respect for your self and before you know it you’ve neglected your self so much that life has gone past and you’ve not really enjoyed life your way.

I make a quiet time for my self for about 2 hrs in the house and my family respects that.

Within those 2 hrs I’ve read up on more adhd strategies.

Ive recorded how the day went.

If you don’t check in with yourself periodically you will most probably by the end of the week to shattered to enjoy the weekend with your loving caring family.all the crap you meant to do will run in to the weekend and you won’t be able to enjoy time out in the sunshine with the family.

It’s so very important to keep on top of tasks etc.

Try this for perhaps 1-2 days a week.

See how you get on.

Ive managed to get a complete 6 months summery on my self from the behaviour therapist.

That’s part of my bible/hand book.

I’m slowly teaching my wife what my trigger points are etc and how I wish society would shape them selves around us.

Square peg in a round hole.

Who the hell would actually want to shave them selves to fit the round hole.

Adhd is manageable just as much as certain ppl in society who do fit the round whole.

My 14 yr old son said to me the other day.hey dad I wish I had a brain like yours.

Your so darn clever and how do you know so much ?

Well it wasn’t from school as it was in one ear and out the other.

I did explain how he wouldn’t like it in a bad or deferent day.

I keep kicking him up the arse.my son is so very clever at school I keep reminding.at leash you can remember what your taught lol.

He is turning out to be such a kind loving person.

You know he even offered his pocket money to help with the rent.

More awareness about adhd and mental health issues make it a happier place to live.

Happier place to live =less stress and it will help with the calmness.

I sit there some times for half n hour contemplating about why I’m taking these tablets.

I then look around me.smile at what I’ve accomplished,I smile and take my tablets.

Ive managed to cut down from 25 tablets down to I think 5 tablets in just over a year.

Now that’s an accomplishment all on its own.

Omg sorry.not been on here in a while.

I hope ppl will get some hope and nice good rays from the sun and most of all,I hope this 8000 word essay lol

will help all ppl smile or giggle for just but a moment in there lives.

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to Lovinit

Hi lovinit

I love what you’ve written.

May I make one suggestion

I to do not have work this morning

I was up at 6:30 and for once in 15 yrs I won’t up genuinely happy even though in a lot of pain but that’s beside the point

If you’ve a day of then you’ve a DAY OF that means chill out stop kicking your self up the backside and giving your self a hard time.

So what if your being lazy watching tv on the Internet.

Remember that’s what we do best,multi tasking so just take the time to enjoy what your doing.

Just enjoy chill relax and stop worrying about not being at work

Regards

Ps

I hope these few words help

katrinoricci12 profile image
katrinoricci12

Oh my god! That's a really great ritual of yours. How much do you sleep every day? Well,recently my schedule went off because of a recurring nightmare. I have been running away from a big black cat, thinking that this is a bad luck pursuing me. I knew this meant something, but could not find anything clear to be explained. In order to receive a comprehensive interpretation about what is to come in my life or has to be changed, I found the blog where I read about what it means to dream of a cat here dreams-meaning.com/blog/dre.... You know, medium Amanda ( I got acquainted with her there) was the one of those to explain, guide and support me. And so, one of the advice was to sleep well and not less than 7 hours, it matters. Hope you do well !

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to katrinoricci12

Hi Kat

Thanks

Well I manage to get between 5-8 hrs sleep.

Some times broken some times not.

I’m trying to at this moment to stop staying up all hours and then get broken sleep as it literally kills me during the day but I’m gradually getting there with going to bed at a reasonable time.

Tiggerakafidgity profile image
Tiggerakafidgity in reply to katrinoricci12

Hi Kat

Just to let you know I’m now more or less sleeping a whole 8-9 hrs sleep mostly with out waking up.

It’s hard as I’ve to fall asleep at 10-10:30 pm and I do love a good thriller to watch but hey isn’t that what catch up tv is for so another light bulb moment yeh ha

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