A Little Self Care ADHD

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more I notice my attention span isn’t quite what it used to be. Not long ago, my husband casually said to me, “It’s your ADHD.”  I was like—what? I don’t have that.  He just chuckled and started listing all the things I begin and then abandon. His number one pet peeve? I don’t shut cupboards or push drawers in. (Hehe.)

That conversation got me thinking about my self-care routine—and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he’s not wrong about the ADHD thing. (Shhh…don’t tell him I said that.)  Take this past weekend, for example. We didn’t have anything that had to get done, so I figured a few fun projects couldn’t hurt. If you’re on social media, you know there’s no shortage of things to “try,” and I’m no exception. The flood of ideas can be overwhelming, but this weekend I decided to spend some intentional time crafting.  It felt like a break from the monotony of everyday home tasks. Between loads of laundry, switching out dishes, and organizing my office, I took periodic breaks to work on small craft projects—and honestly, it made for a really good weekend.  Seeing finished projects gave me a sense of pride. Most of these little activities are fairly mindless, so I can do them without a lot of extra thought, which is such a gift in a world where we’re constantly overstimulated. And maybe best of all…it kept me from doom-scrolling.

So here’s my list of fun things I do when I just need a break from the hustle and bustle:

Potholder Loom
I loved these as a kid. They made the best Christmas gifts when I didn’t have money to buy presents—and to this day, they’re still the best potholders I own. (Yes, I still have some from high school.)

Diamond Painting
This one is a love-hate relationship. Small projects? So fun. Big ones? My ADHD absolutely will not allow it. Mini projects are perfect—and the best part is using leftover gems for those fun reel projects, like blinging out your favorite book.

Flea Marketing & Thrifting
I love browsing old things. My husband and I both collect different items, and sometimes we strike gold—other times it’s just fun reminiscing about things we had growing up.

Patches
Patches are so in right now. While hat bars are everywhere, I really enjoy making my own.

Nails
The money I used to spend at the nail salon…whew. (And if you love that—keep doing it!) I’ve found great options at Dollar Tree and clearance sections elsewhere. I can change them as often as I want and spend as little as $1.50.

I hope you will consider making time for the things that bring you joy—or heck, learn something new. We all need to take a little break now and then.