5 Tips for Handling ADHD in College
By Patrick Chism
The freedom that comes with college is like nothing most students have ever experienced.
This may be the first time you’re out of the house, away from your parents, and in a learning environment where you can get up and go to the bathroom without a hall pass.
But when you’re a student with ADHD, all this freedom can leave you feeling hopeless, distracted, and unorganized.
Having ADHD can cause major academic problems for students in college, such as starting and finishing assignments, managing thoughts and emotions, overall disorganization, and prioritizing work to meet goals.
Let’s take a look at some life hacks for grappling with your attention span and setting you up for success this semester.
Starting Out
Before you pursue any of these tips, make sure you’ve first spoken with a medical professional.
Whether you’re using medicine to treat your ADHD or not, it’s always best to have someone go through the journey with you. Going at it alone can be a recipe for disaster in the long run.
Doodle for Your Brain
The inability to focus can be a serious stressor for your college career. And simply getting frustrated and telling yourself to try harder isn’t necessarily going to improve your attention span.
In recent years, fidget strategies have become increasingly popular among students diagnosed with ADHD. The idea behind this is that, if the activity you’re doing isn’t interesting enough to sustain your focus – like a long-winded lectured – adding an additional sensory-motor input that you do find interesting will allow you to stay focused on the initial activity.
When listening to a professor, for instance, consider doodling pictures of the topics you’re learning about.
Write down a key phrase, and scribble out an image of how it looks in your head. Suddenly, a Tale of Two Cities seems interesting, or a Kinesiology lecture seems worthwhile.
There’s no need to make a work of art – just draw out what you’re talking about. Connect what you’re learning to what your hand is creating. Connecting these dots can do wonders.
Actively Seek Out Professors
One of the best things you can do in college is to connect with your professors at the beginning of a semester. This does a number of good things for you.
First – and most importantly – if you talk to them they will know who you are. Instead of being just another kid in a sea of students, you’ll become someone they recognize.
And when you know a teacher, it’s suddenly much easier to ask for things like help, or advice, or an extension on a project – or changing that C+ to a B-. Simply taking that first step to communicating with a professor will give you a leg up in the course.
And if you feel comfortable, mention to your professor that you have ADHD. Don’t use it as an excuse, but instead, tell them that you’re looking for ways to be successful in their class in spite of your condition.
This will show your professors that you’re serious about the coursework, while giving them an awareness into your specific situation. Most of time, professors want to help you learn. They can use this information to better meet you where you’re at.
Sleep Hygiene
In recent years, research has found that 75% of people with ADHD have problems sleeping.
That means there’s a very good chance that you’re feeling both exhausted and distracted, all while being expected to make good grades and be a contributing member of society.
Can you exist without getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night – sure. Will you be performing at peak levels? Probably not. If you can master the art of sleep, you’ll be giving your brain back some of its ability to focus on the upcoming challenges of tomorrow.
One of the biggest aids to sleep is consistency. Your brain craves it. Try out these tips to developing stellar sleep hygiene.
1. Go to bed at the same time every night. Sure, you’ll cheat here and there, but commit to some consistent quality time with your bed.
2. Shut off the screens. Computers, phones, smart home assistants, whatever – lock them away at least two hours before bed. This may sound extreme, but getting away from your tech can be good for you in a number of ways. Go on a walk, read a book, talk to a human being. These are good things.
3. Be a cool sleeper. The best temperature to pass out to is somewhere between the low to mid 60s.
4. Beds are for sleep! Your bed should be a sacred place. Don’t send your brain mixed signals by eating or working in the space that you sleep.
There’s an App for That
But when you’re not trying to sleep, technology can be a great aid for people with ADHD.
There are now countless apps that help guide your brain back to focusing on what’s important. There are typically four main areas of speciality for these apps. They either provide lyrical sound to help you focus (thunderstorms, waves, whales, sounds of the forest), goal tracking tools, memory aids, or general focus training.
For focus training, apps that use the Pomodoro technique are incredibly effective.
With this technique, you are setting aside a specific amount of time to work (typically 25 minutes), followed by a 5 minute break. This allows your brain to develop study skills while also giving it a few moments to relax and prepare for the next round. It helps you treat your mind like a muscle and gives you tools to develop it over time.
Check out some of the best rated apps for retaining and developing focus.
Exercise and Meditation
For some people with ADHD, there seems to be this feeling of hopelessness – a sense that whatever you do, you’re going to fail. Exercise can actually help reduce these feelings of learned helplessness.
You may have heard of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels used when discussing pleasure or happiness, but they also affect your focus and attention. Exercise can improve these levels in your body.
And you don’t have to be a triathlete to get the benefits of this. Find something you love to do, whether that’s a team sport or a walk through a park.
In fact, John Ratey, MD of the Harvard Medical School explains that simply walking 30 minutes four days a week can do the trick.
“Exercise turns on the attention system,” says Ratey. “the so-called executive functions — sequencing, working memory, prioritizing, inhibiting, and sustaining attention.” A little extra movement in the day could get your brain and your body feeling significantly better.
Meditation is also a great life tip, especially if you have ADHD. While it may feel boring or difficult at first, teaching your brain to remove distractions, calm down, and focus can be a great tool for building your attention span.
In the world of meditation, there are apps like Headspace. The aim is to help you get started and develop your focus over time
Living with ADHD
College can be a tough place for a student with ADHD. But there are absolutely tools and tricks you can use to develop your concentration and help you persevere.
Have you found other life hacks that can help college students with attention deficit disorders succeed? Let us know in the comments!
And if you’d like to support the research and advocacy of ADHD and mental health awareness, enjoy these cool stickers for laptops from Big Moods
Author Bio
Patrick is an avid writer. He currently works with Moods, which sells mental health awareness stickers and supports a charity called Active Minds
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