7 Easy Ways to Improve Symptoms of ADHD
ADHD is a disease of impairments in executive functioning skills. Executive functioning refers to the cognitive and mental abilities that help you engage in goal-directed action. Executive function skills are the abilities that help us establish structures and strategies for managing projects and determine the actions required to move each project forward. Here, learn 7 easy ways to improve your executive functioning skills and decrease symptoms of ADHD by reducing stress and improving self-esteem.
Executive Functions: The Roles of Stress and Self-Esteem
State of mind impacts executive functioning skills more than most people realize. For example, if you are wake up late and are rushed to get to work, when you finally sit down to begin your day, you will probably not be able to perform your best. You may procrastinate starting, or have problems prioritizing where to start. The impact of you mood is impacting your executive functioning skills- in this case impacting your executive functionings skills initiation and task organization. Because mindset and self-esteem affect executive functioning skills to such a high degree the best ways to help yourself are to increase positive emotions and thoughts about yourself and decrease the negative ones. Some things to work on include:
Believing in yourself and your ability to improve your executive functioning skills
Relaxing and reducing the stress in your life or how stressed you feel about it
Increasing the joy, hope and positivity in your life
Stress Impacts Executive Functions
Executive functions depend on the activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a part of the brain responsible for orchestrating thoughts and actions to align with internal goals.
When you are stressed or overwhelmed, you can not think clearly or exercise good self-control. One reason for this is that even mild stress floods PFC (but not the rest of the brain) with dopamine, essentially making the PFC unusable. Stress also disrupts communication between the PFC and other brain regions like the amygdala. The amygdala sends out alarm signals when it detects danger, real or perceived. The PFC calms down the amygdala when there is no real danger, or when the danger has passed. But when communication between PFC and the amygdala is disrupted, the PFC is unable to send the calming signal and the amygdala keeps firing and thus you remains in a stressed, hyper-vigilant state which is not productive to any behavior requiring logic, problem solving or thought. Stress, even extremely mild stress, impairs the executive functions of most people in a negative way.
Seven strategies to improve executive functioning skills by reducing stress and improving self-esteem
Try these easy, concrete strategies to decrease skill and improve executive functioning skills:
Create a stable, consistent and easy to follow routine. Having a routine helps you decrease stress by providing you with predictability and stability. Less thought and decision making is required and the consistency helps you feel more calm.
Treat your mistakes as a natural consequence of learning. Having a growth mindset (focusing and praising yourself for your effort and seeing that your skills can improve over time with work) instills confidence and teaches us to view failed attempts as learning opportunities.
Focus on self-compassion and self-acceptance. Self-compassion helps you realize that you do not need to be perfect and that aiming for perfection is setting yourself up for failure. Self-acceptance allows you to accept and notice your self for who you are, which all your strengths, weaknesses and differences.
Spend time in nature. Nature presents scenes that gently capture your attention instead of suddenly snatching it, and calms your nerves. If you dwell on your problems and just can’t stop, a walk through a meadow might put the brakes on the thought train circling through your head. Research shows that a 90-minute walk in nature lowers activity in the part of the brain linked to negative rumination.
Engage in exercise. Exercise in almost any form asks as a stress reliever Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. Aside from the positive physical health benefits, regular exercise can increase self-confidence, improve your mood, help you relax, and lower symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. Exercise can also improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All of these exercise benefits can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.
Try movement-based mindfulness. Movement-based mindfulness grounds you and connects you to your body and breath. Activities as simply as standing up and stretching, taking a few deep breaths in and out or engaging in yoga or tai chi can get you out of your head and into your body. Mindful movement allows us to check in with our bodies and get moving in a way that can help us lower stress, release stagnant energy, and strengthen our mind-body connection.
Adopt a pet. Research has shown that simply petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while the social interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies). Having to feed (and/or) walk a pet can also help you by forcing you to create and engage in a routine. Even if you are not ready to adopt a pet, you can still harness the positive benefits of owning a pet by walking a neighbor’s dog, cat-sitting for a friend, or volunteering at a local animal shelter, even short interactions provide enough pet exposure to reap some of these rewards.