Women with ADHD; Taking Control of Your Life

ADHD is one of the most commonly studied childhood disorders. For decades now, children with ADHD have grown into adults who suffer from daily struggles of depression, anxiety and chaos attributed to their very basic lack of control and organization in their lives. As a woman with ADHD, it is important to focus on three essential areas of life to improve the overall outcome and decrease the plethora of disorganization.

For women with ADHD, the use of medication, support groups and therapy have provided a key basis for coping with ADHD as an adult. Using additional strategies, in daily life, will work to improve creative edge and reduce disorganization over all.

First begin by restructuring your life around what works best for you. On a piece of paper, write down three aspects of your life; your needs, your strengths and your interests and passions. In a weekly calendar, divide your time into these areas of focus, working through a sort of restructuring that works best for your schedule and lifestyle while controlling, to some extent, the activities to the parts of the day when ADHD symptoms are at their peak.

Next, discuss the impact and degree of your symptoms with your family and friends. Work out the dynamics of the roles each individual plays in your life. For example, a spouse may need to assume the role of more detailed tasks, such as finances, when the ADHD woman finds her symptoms simply do not permit her to concentrate on the numbers and calculations as best needed. The key is to negotiate and work through the support system of those around you so as to re-define your relationship and role.

Look at your own self image. Define who you are. Because woman with ADHD often experience bouts of low self esteem and depression, it is important that we consistently reiterate, to ourselves, our perfect and great we are. Be realistic about your personal goals and expectations. When you define your goals and expectation according to your own personal desires and interests, and not based upon societal norms, your self esteem will experience a great boost, re-defining who you are.

And finally, be proud of who you are. While treatment for ADHD was not as readily available 20 years ago as it is today, the symptoms of the condition were no different. With advancing medical technology, women with ADHD are equipped, better than ever before, with the resource tools to re-define and shape their own images, despite the disorganization of the ADHD condition.