3 Things I Do To Manage My ADHD That Are Not Medication
What I do every day gives me lasting energy, focus, and happiness.
If you have ADHD, you’ve most likely heard that you need medication to manage your symptoms, but that is outdated information.
ADHD medications are extremely profitable for the manufacturers which have led to a lack of better alternative treatments discussed. The psychiatric industry generalizes and treats everyone the same way, and although certain people should be taking the drugs, far too many rely on a pill for their well-being, a pill they might not need. This has resulted in “study drugs” like Adderall and Ritalin plaguing most high school and college campuses, and the abuse of medication, instead of behavior and diet protocols.
Examples of action you can take:
- You can use cold showers to boost dopamine and natural ADHD/ADD resistance.
- You can meditate to build your ability to focus and control your attention.
- You can eat a good diet; there is a huge correlation between diet and symptoms.
Action #1: Cold Showers
After taking cold showers, my ADHD symptoms have all but gone away in the first half of the day.
Neuroscientists at Stanford and Harvard have found that taking cold showers increases dopamine by 250% throughout the day, and people with ADHD have a natural deficiency of dopamine. When I stepped out of my first cold shower (it was only 2 minutes long), my body was buzzing with energy. I quickly sat down and started writing — undistracted for two whole hours for the first time in my life. You can expect to feel a shock in the shower, but be prepared to be shocked when you have the ability to focus for hours on end.
Set a timer for 30 seconds (start small, but increase the time as you get used to it) and turn the water as cold as it goes, and you will find that you have more natural energy throughout the day than ever before.
Action #2: Meditation
The art of sitting still and focusing on your breath will change your unfocused brain to an attention-controlling machine.
Neuroplasticity — your brain’s ability to change over time — allows you to better control your focus and attention as you get better at meditating. I started meditating for this very reason, and I can now control the thoughts and impulses that come up naturally, ultimately giving them less power over me. The trick is to make meditation a habit so that you are constantly getting better every day.
Some days you won’t feel capable, but it is those days that push your brain to change the most, leading to the reduction of ADHD distraction.
Action #3: A Good Diet
Your body’s ability to engage in your day, both through cold showers and meditation or whatever else you might need to do, depends fully on how well your mind is nourished.
Research shows there is a large correlation between the quality of your diet and your ability to focus and control impulses — something that most people with ADHD deeply need. Sporadic levels of sugar and other chemicals in your system lead to sporadic thoughts and fuzzy-brain feelings of ADHD. I have found that — after I take a cold shower and meditate — my good diet has taken a majority of the symptoms away. Like me, if you eat a protein-based diet, you will have more energy throughout the day, less impulsive thoughts and emotions, and the ability to focus on what you need to focus on.
