Here are some more mini mental health tips – I hope you find them helpful. You can find part one here.
It’s really easy (and natural) to concentrate on the negatives and beat ourselves up for the things we feel we’ve done wrong. It can be hard to remember the good things when we’re feeling low or overwhelmed.
Why not try creating a positive feedback file to collect good feedback from others and things you’re proud about? This could be notes on your phone, an email folder or a physical container. You could set a reminder to look at it on a regular basis or add it to a list of things to try when you’re struggling.
Do you find it hard to untangle racing thoughts, or find you’re having so many thoughts at once that you can’t pin them down? It’s definitely something my ADHD brain struggles with at times.
It can help to write your thoughts down to get them out of your head, see them more clearly and investigate any patterns. This could be in a physical journal or on a notes app on your phone. You could also try voice notes or talking them through with a trusted person or pet.
I’m a big fan of the Finch self-care app. I recommend it to lots of people if they like cute things and are struggling with their mental health or executive functioning. I tend to lose interest in apps really quickly and I’ve been using this one for over a year.
The app lets you set up goals (especially around self-care, but you can use this for anything) and rewards you with rainbow stones, you can use these to buy outfits for your cartoon bird in the app or furniture for its room. You can send encouragement to friends who are using the app in a really low-effort way, great for days when you are running out of spoons but still want connection. There are also various exercises
to help your mental health such as breathing and grounding techniques.
It can be really hard for those of us with ADHD to stay consistent, we often start things with the best of intentions (a journalling practice, a fitness routine, a newsletter) and then beat ourselves up when we don’t manage to stick to it.
It’s much more helpful to aim to be persistent – adapt what you’re doing to match your interest and energy level so you can pick it up again when you’ve missed a few days or weeks. It’s also fine to realise that your current goal is no longer something you want to do and pivot to something that fits you better.
These tips are all from my newsletter which also contains recommendations and bonus cuteness! You can sign up to my mailing list below.