🧠 ADHD Self-Care: How to Stop Forgetting Yourself and Start Thriving
✨ The Simple Routine that will Change Your Life (Even when ADHD tries to Stop You!)
📖
Meet Sarah. 28, creative, full of ideas, and always jumping between tasks. She wakes up intending to have a productive day, but before she knows it, she’s been hyperfocused on work for six hours - without eating or drinking water.💧
Later, she realizes she’s exhausted but stays up scrolling social media because her brain won’t slow down. She forgets to take her medication on time and by the end of the week, she’s running on fumes.
Sound familiar?
When was the last time you got so caught up in a task that you completely ignored your body’s needs?
If you have ADHD, self-care isn’t just something you forget - it’s something your brain actively deprioritizes.
The good news?
You can build a system that supports you, even when your brain works against you.
Let’s dive in! 🚀
❓ What is Self-Care?
🥗 Eating regularly and drinking enough water
💤 Getting enough sleep and maintaining a bedtime routine
🧘 Managing stress and emotional regulation
🚶 Staying physically active
🩺 Keeping up with hygiene and medical needs
Which of these do you struggle with most? Recognizing your biggest self-care gaps is the first step toward fixing them.
⏳ When ADHD Strikes
🎯 Hyperfocus Mode: You get so locked into a task that you forget to eat, drink, or move.
🔄 Task Switching: Transitioning between activities is hard, so starting self-care feels overwhelming.
🤔 Decision Paralysis: You overthink small things like what to eat or when to shower, leading to avoidance.
💤 Low Dopamine Days: On days when motivation is at its lowest, self-care feels impossible.
🛑 Which one do you struggle with the most?
Recognizing these patterns can help you create preventative strategies.
⚡ Why You Need It
Without self-care, ADHD symptoms can worsen. You might feel more overwhelmed, forgetful, and emotionally drained. ADHD already makes it difficult to manage time and tasks, neglecting self-care only makes it harder to function.
🧠 Dopamine & ADHD: Self-care activities like exercise and sleep 💤
help regulate dopamine levels, which are lower in ADHD brains.
📅 The Role of Routine: Research shows that structured habits improve executive function in people with ADHD.
💧 Hydration & Brain Function: Dehydration can increase brain fog and make ADHD symptoms worse.
🔄 Before & After implementing Self-Care
❌ Before: Sarah wakes up late, rushes to work, skips breakfast and hyperfocuses until she’s exhausted.
By evening, she’s too tired to cook, so she orders fast food and stays up watching TV.
The cycle repeats.🔄
✅ After Implementing a Self-Care Routine:
Sarah sets reminders to drink water and take breaks. She preps simple meals in advance. She uses a bedtime routine to help her wind down.
By the end of the week, she feels more energized and in control.
📌 Have you ever had a week like Sarah’s? What’s one thing you could change today?
🛠️ Strategies for ADHD-Friendly Self-Care
⏰ Set alarms and timers for meals, hydration, and rest.
📝 Use sticky notes with self-care prompts.
📱 Try habit-tracking apps like Habitica or Todoist.
🤝 Get an accountability partner to check in on you.
🍽️ Pre-plan meals or keep easy snacks available.
👕 Lay out clothes the night before.
🚿 Use low-effort hygiene hacks like dry shampoo or face wipes.
🎮 Turn tasks into a game (reward yourself for completing them).
🎶 Listen to music or podcasts while doing self-care tasks.
💦 Use a fun water bottle or flavored water to encourage hydration.
💊 Take medication with breakfast so you don’t forget.
📱 Drink water every time you check your phone.
📺 Stretch while watching TV.
✅ What’s one strategy from this list that you’re excited to try?
✅ Action Plan for Building a Self-Care Routine
1️⃣ Identify Your Self-Care Gaps – What are you neglecting most?
2️⃣ Choose Three Small, Easy Habits – Start simple (e.g., drink water, sleep at the same time).
3️⃣ Set Up External Supports – Use alarms, checklists, and accountability partners.
4️⃣ Make Adjustments As Needed – If something isn’t working, tweak it.
5️⃣ Celebrate Small Wins – Reward yourself for staying consistent.
📝 ADHD Self-Care Cheat Sheet
✅ Set timers for meals and hydration
💧 Keep a water bottle nearby
🌙 Stick to a bedtime routine
🍎 Stock up on easy, healthy snacks
📅 Use a planner or app for reminders
🎶 Make self-care fun with music or rewards
🤝 Find an accountability buddy
✨ Progress over perfection—small steps matter!
🔗 Practical Resources
📱 Apps & Tools
🎮 Habitica – Gamify self-care habits
✅ Todoist – Task manager for reminders
🌱 Flora – Helps with focus and mindfulness
📖 Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell & John Ratey – ADHD management strategies
📖 Atomic Habits by James Clear – How to build lasting habits📚 Books
🚀 Final Thoughts
Building a self-care routine with ADHD isn’t about being perfect—it’s about creating a system that works for you, even on tough days.
💬 Which tip was most helpful for you? Comment below!
📢 Share this with someone who needs it
And don’t forget to subscribe or follow for more ADHD-friendly tips! 🚀
Great post! Thanks for sharing this info. I definitely need to try some of these tips. 😉
i imagine that each neurodivergent person will find some suggestions more applicable or helpful.
i always find your posts interesting, even when the suggestions don’t work for me personally. this post is spot on for me and i can verify that so many of your suggestions in this article HAVE worked for me and still do. from keeping food pouches and sandwich crackers on hand, to hygiene hacks, to reminder and gamification apps; all have proven excellent for me.
thank you for providing such a wide variety of advice without judgment.