Summer habits and summer fun

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. That means summer is here, right? For most students, summer means a welcome change of routine. Summer vacation. Summer job. Summer fun! If you’ve been working hard on putting good habits in place to help you cope with your ADHD, don’t let summer fun push those good habits to the wayside.

Get organized. Use your summer down time to your advantage. Down time can be a great time to get organized. Get rid of the clutter in your life. Go through your desk, closet or dresser drawers and give away or toss those things you no longer need or use.

Stick to your sleep schedule. It’s easy to get swept away on long summer’s nights and go to bed later and later. But people with ADHD need to protect their sleep habits more than others. Feel free to move your bedtime a bit later if you can sleep in later as well. But pick a bedtime and stick to it. Your body will be better off and you’ll be less stressed because of it. Plus, it won’t be so hard to get BACK into a routine once school restarts in the fall.

Do you use a journal to learn about yourself and your ADHD? Many coaches have their students use journals to help them keep on top of their lives. If that works for you, don’t stop journaling in the summer. Keeping your writing muscle strong will mean that you don’t have to retrain yourself in this hard-earned self-discipline in the fall.

Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. When going away on vacation it can be hard to keep up your exercise routine. Be sure to pack your gear even if you think you won’t use it. Be open to trying new things. Perhaps you can start riding longer bike rides or swim down at the pond. Summer can be a good time to experiment with new ways to work out. But the key here is to do something!

Do you know other ways to not let your good habits slip away over the summer? Tell us in the comments.