Navigating the challenges of adult ADHD can often feel overwhelming. Between juggling work, relationships, and personal responsibilities, adults with ADHD may struggle with staying organized, managing time, and maintaining focus. But with the right strategies, it’s possible to thrive at home and at work. Those who see us for ADHD therapy in Woodland Hills have received their diagnoses at all ages and do the work to discover what works best for them through trial and error, as well as a willingness to explore and try again.

What Is Adult ADHD?

Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, impulse control, and executive functioning. While many people associate ADHD with children, it often continues into adulthood—sometimes without being formally diagnosed until later in life. If you were diagnosed as an adult, you may spend some time wishing you had known sooner so that you could have more time to employ tools and tactics while adults were responsible for your shelter, meals, and other necessities. However, it is never too late to learn ADHD management, and the work can and will evolve as you do.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Adult ADHD

In our Woodland Hills ADHD therapy sessions, our clients can sometimes be surprised at which behaviors or patterns were actually signs or symptoms of ADHD.

• Difficulty staying focused on tasks or conversations – a small noise or other sensory change can be distracting, or if the task at hand simply isn’t stimulating enough, the mind can begin to wander.
• Disorganization (forgetting appointments, misplacing items) that can be attributed to personality or a lack of trying/care can actually be ADHD.
• Procrastination and trouble starting or finishing tasks occur when there is no dopamine involved in what you are doing. Often, people with ADHD procrastinate in order to get an adrenaline rush strong enough to compel them to begin.
• Challenges maintaining relationships due to forgetfulness or distractibility can occur over time, as people struggle with feeling forgotten or neglected, or when you feel misunderstood and underappreciated for your efforts despite your ADHD.
• Poor time management and frequent lateness can occur when attention isn’t regulated, either because you cannot focus enough to get organized for what you are trying to do, or you become hyper-focused on something you are doing and lose track of time.
• Impulsivity (interrupting others, making quick decisions without thinking) leads to and is fed by dopamine dysregulation in the brain.
• Restlessness or feeling “on edge” can be the result of the persistent stress of scrambling through your days, worrying that you’re forgetting something, or waiting for something stimulating to occur.
• Emotional dysregulation (irritability, mood swings) happens when dopamine dips too low, when guilt and shame creep in, and when your brain isn’t regulated enough to help you relax.

3 Practical Tools to Manage Adult ADHD

1 – Use Visual Planners and Timers

Do yourself a favor and don’t expect your brain to manage everything from memory. As an ADHD counselor in Woodland Hills, I hear a lot of guilt and shame from patients who feel like they’re always forgetting or neglecting something.

• Break down tasks into small, manageable steps and write them in a planner or app. If your first step is still so big that you find it daunting, you haven’t made it small enough yet. DO not underestimate the satisfaction of crossing an item off a list.
• Color-code tasks by priority and set reminders. Because stimuli is so beneficial to your brain, utilizing colors and imagery will help your organizational work also feel like a reward.
• Try time-blocking with timers (like the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes work, 5-minute break). Sitting down to work with no “end” in sight can be demotivating. The opposite is true when you know that you will pause at a predetermined time. Not only will you get a reminder to get up and stretch your legs, drink some water, and eat a snack, which are all powerful tools to keep your mind and body feeling strong. You will also be able to “race the clock” without worrying that you will lose all track of time through hyperfocus. Shorter, deliberate bursts of work can feel more rewarding for an ADHD brain.

2 – Create a Distraction-Free Workspace

Clearly defined and well-organized areas are a great way to focus your thoughts and behavior by structuring your visual cues.

• Minimize clutter by keeping only what you need on your desk. Often, we get caught in the idea of wanting everything where we can see it, so that it will be “easier to use”. Actually, if you keep a stapler tucked in a drawer, you will still have access to it, and you’ll still know you need to use it when it’s time to staple, without seeing it. Use drawers and storage that allows you to pull a project and its tools out and tuck them away with ease.
• Use noise-canceling headphones or background music to maintain focus. A consistent sound is less distracting than hearing every auditory environment change. Whatever works best for you is what is best, whether that is music with or without lyrics, white noise, or the sound of rain on a window. Those who do not have ADHD might not understand how distracting auditory stimuli can be; do your best to use tools that work for you and don’t require anyone else to be on board.
• Keep your phone in another room or use focus apps to block distracting sites. The easiest way to turn off distractions is to set your device(s) to Do Not Disturb, and most have that function. You may still find yourself reaching for your phone out of curiosity; this is when it is helpful to keep it out of arm’s reach. If you must use a device as a timer, simply put it far enough away that you have to get up to get it; this will also help with your use of timers for breaks.

3 – Develop Routines and Consistency

While it is true that ADHD can make routines and consistency feel like more of a challenge, they are actually a great tactic to utilize, once you develop a system that works for you.

• Build simple daily routines to automate decisions (e.g., morning and bedtime routines). The less guesswork there is in your daily life, the less likely you are to skip important steps because of mental overload. Building a routine takes consistency and practice, so don’t expect yourself to implement one in one day and never skip a step or struggle to take action again. Instead, focus on consistency. The fewer decisions you have to make in real time, the easier it will be to get out the door, or to decompress before getting into bed for a good night’s rest.
• Keep essentials (keys, wallet, phone) in the same place every day. If you have to thrift a little table to put by your door, invest in a bowl to toss them in, or decorate the wall behind the best spot for them, find a way to give yourself a focal point, and train yourself to put the things you need there. This will reduce (if not completely eliminate) searching and scrambling before you can get out the door.
• Start tasks at the same time daily to build consistency and reduce decision fatigue. Knowing that you have an order of operations and a timeline helps to build scaffolding in your day. For example, eating lunch at noon, no matter how much you have accomplished, will help motivate you to get tasks done before then. Telling yourself you’ll have lunch once you’re finished can lead to procrastinating about both the task at hand and lunch itself. Non-negotiable events in your day can act as focus breaks, making the time between them more efficient.

Key Takeaways

• ADHD can be managed with a commitment to schedules and organization. Do not expect yourself to be “perfect”; aim for consistency and be kind to yourself as you learn and practice.
• If you were diagnosed late, you may spend some time reviewing your past struggles and feeling a combination of relief, regret, anger, and grief. You cannot go back in time to make things easier for yourself, but you can implement beneficial practices now to make things easier going forward.
• You may seek professional mental health support, whether you attend in-person or online ADHD therapy. This therapy may cover processing of your past experiences with ADHD, understanding your diagnosis, and behavioral therapies to help you put routines and habits in place.
• The process of determining how to best manage your ADHD will take time, and will evolve as your life does. Jobs, family responsibilities, and more can impact how you organize yourself so that your ADHD doesn’t get in your way.
• ADHD can be applied to your benefit once you know how to motivate yourself through structure, and you achieve great things by managing your focus.

ADHD Treatment at Embracing You Therapy

ADHD symptoms can significantly impact daily life when left unmanaged, often affecting both work performance and personal relationships. At our Woodland Hills office, our ADHD treatment is tailored to help you understand the specific ways ADHD shows up in your life and to develop practical, effective strategies that fit seamlessly into your routine.

Contact us today for your complimentary 20-minute phone consultation with our Admin Team today!