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Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You!
Destress, find your community, and practice self-love with these 100+ exercises to reinforce ADHD as a strength.
When you have ADHD, it can be hard to stay on top of your wellness. Self-Care for People with ADHD is here to help!
This book can help you engage in some neurodiverse self-care—without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 tips to accepting yourself, destigmatizing ADHD, finding your community, and taking care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the negative aspects of ADHD, as well as ideas to bring out the positive aspects. With expert advice from psychiatrist and clinician Sasha Hamdani, MD, Self-Care for People with ADHD will help you live your life to the fullest!
When you have ADHD, it can be hard to stay on top of your wellness. Self-Care for People with ADHD is here to help!
This book can help you engage in some neurodiverse self-care—without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 tips to accepting yourself, destigmatizing ADHD, finding your community, and taking care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the negative aspects of ADHD, as well as ideas to bring out the positive aspects. With expert advice from psychiatrist and clinician Sasha Hamdani, MD, Self-Care for People with ADHD will help you live your life to the fullest!
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
January 29, 2023
As a resource for those looking to practice self-care and improve their well-being, this is great. Although intended for those with ADHD, much of the advice is applicable to anybody and all can benefit in some way. We all have differences such as extrovert vs introvert, night owl vs morning lark, and these tips can help individuals adjust and thrive in situations and environments that are atypical for them.
I don't have quite the same enthusiasm for these tips when they are specifically slanted towards those with ADHD. The tone is supportive and assuring and the idea is that ADHD is not a condition to overcome, but rather one that needs to be managed. I like this viewpoint, however, I found many of the tips to be simplistic solutions that are sometimes in contrast with ADHD symptoms and behaviors, thereby making it difficult to successfully achieve the goal. The tips may help in the moment, but for projects that require ongoing and not just immediate action, the advice is not very relevant. The author does a fantastic job of explaining the why behind ADHD behaviors and thought processes, but doesn't always offer doable advice for those struggling with those same behaviors and thoughts. Many times, I felt she was telling you what you should do, but not how to do it. This missing factor is super important for ADHD brains as what comes easily to others doesn't always come across in the same way so each step along the way needs more detail and context.
I would recommend this to teens/young adults who may be looking to establish good habits and find tips to address the neurodiverse parts of themselves. But I do think this would be super overwhelming for those with ADHD as the tips are too general, too simplistic, and too frustrating when you can't/don't understand why or how you can't do them. I could recommend this to those with ADHD as a starting point to really take your time with. Go slow, take a lot of notes, reflect, and work with your therapist to effectively and sustainably make the self-care changes that will have the greatest impact on your life and well-being. It will be a more considerable undertaking than you initially imagined, but with time, patience, and persistence, you will see positive progress in your journey to a healthier you.
I don't have quite the same enthusiasm for these tips when they are specifically slanted towards those with ADHD. The tone is supportive and assuring and the idea is that ADHD is not a condition to overcome, but rather one that needs to be managed. I like this viewpoint, however, I found many of the tips to be simplistic solutions that are sometimes in contrast with ADHD symptoms and behaviors, thereby making it difficult to successfully achieve the goal. The tips may help in the moment, but for projects that require ongoing and not just immediate action, the advice is not very relevant. The author does a fantastic job of explaining the why behind ADHD behaviors and thought processes, but doesn't always offer doable advice for those struggling with those same behaviors and thoughts. Many times, I felt she was telling you what you should do, but not how to do it. This missing factor is super important for ADHD brains as what comes easily to others doesn't always come across in the same way so each step along the way needs more detail and context.
I would recommend this to teens/young adults who may be looking to establish good habits and find tips to address the neurodiverse parts of themselves. But I do think this would be super overwhelming for those with ADHD as the tips are too general, too simplistic, and too frustrating when you can't/don't understand why or how you can't do them. I could recommend this to those with ADHD as a starting point to really take your time with. Go slow, take a lot of notes, reflect, and work with your therapist to effectively and sustainably make the self-care changes that will have the greatest impact on your life and well-being. It will be a more considerable undertaking than you initially imagined, but with time, patience, and persistence, you will see positive progress in your journey to a healthier you.
April 6, 2023
I really wanted to like this book.. it's easy to read with the short chapters and understandable language.
But the content is very shallow. Because the chapters are so bite-sized (good for ADHD people), there is no depth in them. Many of the tips could use with explanation on why they would be useful to someone with ADHD.
Besides this, a lot of tips boil down to masking; something most ADHDers want to unlearn to feel more like themselves. Tips like: keep eye contact, sit with confidence, actively listen, find a hobby, read a book etc are somewhat useful, but most ADHDers know that they would benefit from doing this. They just can't.
Lastly, loads of the tips are really for privileged people. Self-care based on taking time off, taking a bath, working from home, eating good food, is just not realistic for many people.
But the content is very shallow. Because the chapters are so bite-sized (good for ADHD people), there is no depth in them. Many of the tips could use with explanation on why they would be useful to someone with ADHD.
Besides this, a lot of tips boil down to masking; something most ADHDers want to unlearn to feel more like themselves. Tips like: keep eye contact, sit with confidence, actively listen, find a hobby, read a book etc are somewhat useful, but most ADHDers know that they would benefit from doing this. They just can't.
Lastly, loads of the tips are really for privileged people. Self-care based on taking time off, taking a bath, working from home, eating good food, is just not realistic for many people.
January 14, 2023
Oh you have adhd? Have you tried headstands and ✨mindfulness✨
January 5, 2023
This book reads like a listicle with a laundry list of suggestions for managing ADHD many of which are helpful but it’s not written to be accessible for an ADHDer. It’s a lot of information about behavior change without slowing down to explain the rationale and research (lots of citing “research” without citing actual studies) and it doesn’t provide any ADHD friendly implementation tips for the laundry list of behavior changes suggested.
March 9, 2023
Some of this is okay advice (yes I definitely will eat healthy fats ((dark chocolate)) whenever I feel emotionally dysregulated). My biggest issue with this is she suggests doing things while offering zero explanation on HOW to do them.
Don't have time to cook at night? Just put some things in a slow cooker in the morning! (I've told myself I would do this 1 million times). What part of my unmedicated ADHD ass makes you think I have my mornings handled well enough that I have time to put a whole meal in a slow cooker when I barely remember to brush my hair and usually have to eat breakfast while I'm driving to work?
She even admits to having trouble tackling tasks but offers ZERO input on how to get over the hurtle of starting said task (a common problem).
This feels like half-ass advice from another "influencer" rather than a professional genuinely trying to offer things that can be helpful.
Don't have time to cook at night? Just put some things in a slow cooker in the morning! (I've told myself I would do this 1 million times). What part of my unmedicated ADHD ass makes you think I have my mornings handled well enough that I have time to put a whole meal in a slow cooker when I barely remember to brush my hair and usually have to eat breakfast while I'm driving to work?
She even admits to having trouble tackling tasks but offers ZERO input on how to get over the hurtle of starting said task (a common problem).
This feels like half-ass advice from another "influencer" rather than a professional genuinely trying to offer things that can be helpful.
January 22, 2023
I felt conflicted thinking about what review to give because some entries left me feeling validated, left with a little bit of surface level helpful neurological knowledge, and I appreciated the simple breakdown and some actionable takeaways. However, many entries were also very simplistic, without actionable takeaways, that didn’t feel like the author actually thought them through or lived them at all… (i.e. Distracted in the car because your brain is wired to seek stimulation/novelty? Eliminate distractions. Done!)
I also was annoyed at all the “research” being mentioned with no citations.
In addition, the end was abrupt with no wrap-up, just the end of a list.
So while I took away some nuggets of good information (that I already knew somewhat, but it was helpful being reminded of some in a simple way), I expected more from a psychiatrist with lived experience of ADHD.
This book might be better suited to “beginner” ADHDers with very limited knowledge on how to manage ADHD day to day. However, in the same vein, if it was written for beginners, a better introductory section on ADHD and neurologic underpinnings would have been good to include… so I can’t totally gauge the target audience in the end.
I also was annoyed at all the “research” being mentioned with no citations.
In addition, the end was abrupt with no wrap-up, just the end of a list.
So while I took away some nuggets of good information (that I already knew somewhat, but it was helpful being reminded of some in a simple way), I expected more from a psychiatrist with lived experience of ADHD.
This book might be better suited to “beginner” ADHDers with very limited knowledge on how to manage ADHD day to day. However, in the same vein, if it was written for beginners, a better introductory section on ADHD and neurologic underpinnings would have been good to include… so I can’t totally gauge the target audience in the end.
November 19, 2024
I was primarily impressed by the author's inclusion in general health items such as exercise, vitamins, and sunshine to create YOUR healthiest, best brain. Too often, books like this do nothing but tout Big Pharma options. Personally, I was prescribed Ritalin at the ripe old age of 4 and proceeded to have terrible side effects. I'm very grateful that my parents chose the no-medication route after realizing this, and put me in therapy to learn how to control my thoughts and impulses. I can definitely also see how in past relationships, if I had been more self-aware of the way my brain works, perhaps I would not have been so easily gaslighted and lied to. I also found her tip about using alarms HILARIOUS, since I'm definitely an alarm person! I set them all throughout the day to keep me on track or as reminders. Lastly, I never realized my whole being-messy thing was (potentially) related to ADHD. It drives my boyfriend CRAZY when there's pointless clutter around the house, and he never understands how it doesn't bother me. Apparently, as she explains, it's similar to the clutter inside our heads! I feel so vindicated, haha!
March 14, 2024
As an adhd patient, this didn’t help me as much as gave me anxiety, I felt pressured from all the tips that I desperately wanted to try but thankfully I forgot once I finished the chapter!
February 21, 2023
As someone really struggling to focus, stay organized and lots of other things, this book spoke to me on so many levels!! Highly recommend for anyone who thinks they might have ADHD. But lots of good overall life coping tips in this quick, very accessible book. I listened but also have a physical copy I know I’ll be referring to a lot!
March 5, 2023
Super fluffy, with a list style delivery, and no substance. It read like a long article in a magazine I'd read while getting a pedicure. Nope.
DNF.
DNF.
November 7, 2023
Not the most helpful or novel information imo, it’s written by a psychiatrist who loves CBT so very much not my jam
January 8, 2023
I am excited to have a professional with lived experience adding their expertise to the available texts! However I wanted to like this way more than I did. I do think there are people for whom this book would be very useful- particularly if the diagnosis is rather “new”.
My biggest complaint is that complex ideas are presented very simply. Over the course of the book this began to get frustrating.
My biggest complaint is that complex ideas are presented very simply. Over the course of the book this began to get frustrating.
September 13, 2023
I’ve read several self-help books and this is one of the only ones that actually gives the WHY these practices would be helpful. Learning about my brain and how to hack it is so helpful. Highly recommended.
February 13, 2023
And reading slump… over? After not having read aaaanything for more than two weeks, I think I might have broken the cycle with this book. We’ll see. Until then, thoughts:
I love Dr. Hamdani and the content she creates. It’s the first relatable content on ADHD I found on insta. I appreciate what she tried to do with this book. However, to me it felt quite generic. After all, these are all tips that we should take into account when trying to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle, regardless of your neurodiversity status. It sadly didn’t tell me anything new, and I’d have loved is she went more in depth with these topics, as they felt quite surface level, but I do appreciate that she acknowledged a lot of struggles one can come across and ESPECIALLY emotional disregulation and anger outbursts. I don’t know, maybe because I’m an adult now, and I already, unconsciously, developed coping mechanisms and strategies which work for me that this book is not that interesting?
So I guess I do recommandeer it if you’re a young adult, teenager… someone who doesn’t quite know how to manage their neurodiverse brain. I bet you’ll get some nice tips and tricks out of this :)
I love Dr. Hamdani and the content she creates. It’s the first relatable content on ADHD I found on insta. I appreciate what she tried to do with this book. However, to me it felt quite generic. After all, these are all tips that we should take into account when trying to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle, regardless of your neurodiversity status. It sadly didn’t tell me anything new, and I’d have loved is she went more in depth with these topics, as they felt quite surface level, but I do appreciate that she acknowledged a lot of struggles one can come across and ESPECIALLY emotional disregulation and anger outbursts. I don’t know, maybe because I’m an adult now, and I already, unconsciously, developed coping mechanisms and strategies which work for me that this book is not that interesting?
So I guess I do recommandeer it if you’re a young adult, teenager… someone who doesn’t quite know how to manage their neurodiverse brain. I bet you’ll get some nice tips and tricks out of this :)
June 1, 2023
ADHD Primer
This was an amazing book, filled with useful and practical ways to work with ADD / ADHD.
I found this a great book to read during National AccessAbility Week - especially this year's theme:
Disability Inclusion: From Possibilities to Practice
Definitely check it out if you are or know a person with ADD / ADHD.
4.6/5
This was an amazing book, filled with useful and practical ways to work with ADD / ADHD.
I found this a great book to read during National AccessAbility Week - especially this year's theme:
Disability Inclusion: From Possibilities to Practice
Definitely check it out if you are or know a person with ADD / ADHD.
4.6/5
November 3, 2023
Excellent read. Diagnosed in my forties, i found this book to be uber helpful, giving names to behaviors that i've had forever and why they occur. It made me feel a lot better, seeing that embracing the chaos is better than fighting against it all the time.
December 31, 2024
I’ve never felt so seen!😂 this will definitely be one I revisit & reread time & time again 💜
August 7, 2023
I love dr. Hamdani’s content on social media, so I really wanted to love this book. However, I didn’t. Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? No. I like the concept and I understand what the intention behind it was, but I don’t think the results are what I was expecting. This book is a laundry list of great advice (that can be applied to everyone, not just ADHDer), however there’s no actual advice on how to start implementing these self-care acts in our daily life. For neurotypical people this could be easy, but for someone with ADHD, it’s a totally different story. I wish there was more advice on how to actually start the tasks she mentions and ways to work around the fact of not being able to start.
On a positive note, this book is super easy and light to read, and the way it is written reflect the way dr. Hamdani is on social media.
On a positive note, this book is super easy and light to read, and the way it is written reflect the way dr. Hamdani is on social media.
March 4, 2024
I like Dr Hamdani on Instagram and enjoy her knowledge on ADHD. This book was okay. I felt like a lot of the information was pretty basic and common sense but that’s also wrong of me to assume this would be common sense for other people. She goes in to detail about some things (like green tea of all things) but then will skip over other ideas or details (like how to get organised, etc). I did find some good ideas on how to handle things at work. However when she starts talking about self care, taking time off, etc… she really assumes we just have the monetary means and ways of doing these things. Not all of us have the ability to take time off work willy nilly. Believe me, I know I desperately need an actual day off work but i have to basically plan it months in advance. Some of the advice just isn’t feasible for the everyday person.
January 30, 2023
I thought this was pretty useful for a person who needs reminders that their ADHD symptoms aren’t simply willful, lazy, (pick the negative adjective) behaviors, with some basic steps to cope with them. I found it easy to skim, and picked up some new perspectives although I’ve read more about ADHD than any person reasonably should. With many breaks, because of ADHD. :) I like that it’s a short guide because readers might be less likely to be medicated/have other supports in place if they’re at this level of exploration.
It could also be a useful intro for a loved one/educator/employer who doesn’t get it and needs to read a compassionate, actionable take on ADHD.
It could also be a useful intro for a loved one/educator/employer who doesn’t get it and needs to read a compassionate, actionable take on ADHD.
January 5, 2023
It's nice to gain a better understanding of ADHD and look back on how I've handled things poorly and how I've grown and learned how to handle things better. This book gave me some new coping mechanisms, healthier ,coping mechanisms. Good read.
February 9, 2023
A great self care guide, but I wished it delved a little deeper into the diagnosis. Symptoms and descriptions were absolutely valid and relatable but I also saw these as very broad (basic) tools. I expected more with a diagnosis specific guide but that’s what happens with expectations right?
August 9, 2023
Gives great insight into ADHD and the functioning of an ADHD-brain. Helps you (and your loved ones) to handle your symptoms better and also to look even more at it from a positive view, while acknowledging the struggles it brings. Definitely recommend reading this book!
July 4, 2024
Too fluffy and unsubstantiated for my taste, and reads more like social media posts than a book. Lots of common sense ideas most of us have heard before. This might be a good read for a teenager. I prefer my non-fiction to cite more studies and dig deeper into the topic(s) at hand.
February 19, 2023
So many great tips and tricks! Written in a very accessible way for people with ADHD.
January 22, 2024
|4.5 stars|
I started this in October/November on audio but couldn’t finish the last bit until today because my hold at the library expired and the wait was INCREDIBLY long. So, I went to check my notes from the first half of my reading experience to write this review and this is what it said:
•Let’s see some self-care tactics!! Yeah!!
…Wow! Incredibly descriptive and insightful, Rebecca! I can’t believe I literally took NO notes on this book LMAOOO. I just expected to absorb all the information, through audio format only via osmosis. What I do remember was pretty solid, though! Self-care in different areas of your life can be extremely helpful in managing ADHD symptoms, so reading different sources and trying/seeing what works for me has been a really fun experience. I’ve become very saturated in the internal and physical self-care for ADHD topic, so I’m happy this one started to expand into external things like work, budgeting and organization (though it is mostly just brief overviews. I started looking into reading a book on Organization specifically as my next subject of interest.)
Overall, I garnered a few new ideas from this one that sparked some research to do! Like how the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Task Positive Network (TPN) in neurotypicals functioning reciprocally whereas they operate at the same time in ADHD people. If you are curious what this means, look into it! It’s super fascinating to read articles about online.
I also got reminders on small things I’d picked up in other sources and forgotten, like the importance of drinking water first thing in the morning or how to take effective work breaks.
I started this in October/November on audio but couldn’t finish the last bit until today because my hold at the library expired and the wait was INCREDIBLY long. So, I went to check my notes from the first half of my reading experience to write this review and this is what it said:
•Let’s see some self-care tactics!! Yeah!!
…Wow! Incredibly descriptive and insightful, Rebecca! I can’t believe I literally took NO notes on this book LMAOOO. I just expected to absorb all the information, through audio format only via osmosis. What I do remember was pretty solid, though! Self-care in different areas of your life can be extremely helpful in managing ADHD symptoms, so reading different sources and trying/seeing what works for me has been a really fun experience. I’ve become very saturated in the internal and physical self-care for ADHD topic, so I’m happy this one started to expand into external things like work, budgeting and organization (though it is mostly just brief overviews. I started looking into reading a book on Organization specifically as my next subject of interest.)
Overall, I garnered a few new ideas from this one that sparked some research to do! Like how the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Task Positive Network (TPN) in neurotypicals functioning reciprocally whereas they operate at the same time in ADHD people. If you are curious what this means, look into it! It’s super fascinating to read articles about online.
I also got reminders on small things I’d picked up in other sources and forgotten, like the importance of drinking water first thing in the morning or how to take effective work breaks.
August 15, 2024
Ik vond dit boek in de bib en was onder de indruk
je krijgt een heleboel praktische zelfzorg tips over specifieke hoofdstukken
emotioneel
lichamelijk
mentaal
sociaal
professioneel
praktisch
het boek is zeer gestructureerd , helder, to the point en praktisch
handig als naslagwerk wanneer je last hebt van adhd en niet goed weet waar te beginnen
https://www.wendyblogt.nl/boekrecensi...
je krijgt een heleboel praktische zelfzorg tips over specifieke hoofdstukken
emotioneel
lichamelijk
mentaal
sociaal
professioneel
praktisch
het boek is zeer gestructureerd , helder, to the point en praktisch
handig als naslagwerk wanneer je last hebt van adhd en niet goed weet waar te beginnen
https://www.wendyblogt.nl/boekrecensi...
October 31, 2024
Amazing! Some great science backed tips and tricks for self care in every area of life. These felt very accessible to most people and even had some cool new ideas I hadn't thought of. The little bits of science are described so well and show some decent proof for simple activities like naps that can "feel" wrong.
May 8, 2023
I don't feel like this was any new information that everyone else didn't already know. But maybe I just know too much about ADHD already? There was a lot of things repeated and emphasized.
Maybe this would be a good intro to someone who doesn't know anything about ADHD?
Maybe this would be a good intro to someone who doesn't know anything about ADHD?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews