I take ADHD meds because at my point of diagnosis and prescription, I had tried everything to improve myself and work through my struggles and nothing was helping. After multiple misdiagnosis I was diagnosed with severe combined ADHD two years ago. My body isn't hyperactive but my brain is both hyperactive and impulsive.
I tried CBT and it didn't work for me at all, so I did normal counselling to help offload any stressors and help build routines that worked for me. I plan to do DBT next, as that focusses more on emotional regulation than behaviours and thought processes but we're relocating soon, so I'm delaying until then. I'm hoping that DBT will allow me to reduce my medication.
Meds help but they're not a magic cure all. I do a lot every day to help bridge the deficits I have :
Supplements: I take a high dose of omega 3 and a high dose of vitamin D. I also use a magnesium moisturiser most nights.
Diet:
I eat regularly. I aim for 3 meals and two snacks a day because I struggle with interoception and often don't recognise I'm hungry until I'm at the point I feel nauseous or dizzy with hunger.
I try to eat as balanced a diet as possible, and try to include all food groups in the majority of my meals.
I've found massively reducing the amount of sugar and ultra processed foods I consume really helps (although it takes a while to see results).
I also don't drink alcohol, or caffeine as I find those make my ADHD worse.
Routine:
I try to go to bed at the same time and I have an alarm to get me up at the same time every morning.
I write down all major tasks that will need doing the night before. I will also list a few small, easily achievable tasks as well. That means that even on really bad days I can look at the list and see I've achieved something which means I'm more likely to be able to push through the more difficult tasks I need to do.
After my daughter is ready for school, I put a load of washing in and dry it.
I try to cook dinner so that it's ready for between 5.30 and 6 every evening.
I have alarms set on my phone to remind me to shower and brush my teeth because otherwise there are some days I just get distracted and forget or endlessly procrastinate because I know I should do it but my brain won't let me.
I always feel a lot better if I get up and dressed in the morning. It helps me feel more motivated and makes a clear line between "rest" and "productivity"
I aim to go out at least once a day for some fresh air and exercise, as this massively helps with being able to complete tasks.
I ditch all screens for an hour before bed. I usually read or colour to wind down.
I also have an hour a night to myself to just "be" and re regulate. When I go through periods of high stress, my sleep goes out of the window, and I often won't sleep until after 2am, so my husband will take our daughter out for a few hours at the weekend so that I can catch up on sleep.
Written down everything probably sounds really extreme and OTT. And it probably sounds quite restrictive. But my routine just fits into every day life. I'm happy to break routine if anything comes up or if we're doing something else, like going on holiday or eating out etc.
Ultimately though, I need the structure to be able to function properly, and I need the medication to function properly. They go hand in hand with each other and you can tell when either of them are missing.