Voices from the Business World: Strategies for Self-Care
It is essential for everyone to practice self-care, particularly those who have ADHD and are neurodivergent. Living with ADHD can be both a gift and a challenge. Your creative thinking, hyperfocus and boundless energy can fuel your success, but they can also lead to burnout and overwhelm if not managed effectively.
That's why self-care isn't a luxury; it's a necessity!
I understand that your business is your passion, but you can only give your best to your business if you give the best to yourself. While there is a need for binge-watching your favourite TV show or relaxing in a bubble bath (strategies I know that do help me), there is so much to self-care.
“Self-regulation is at the heart of ADHD. Learn to regulate your self-care, and you’ll unlock your full potential.”
When you take care of yourself, it allows space for your brain to breathe, it can help with focus, creativity and productivity. Plus, self-care helps you manage stress, maintain sustainable energy levels and make better decisions – all things we can struggle with as neurodivergent people.
In light of World Mental Health Day I have spoken to some of the amazing business owners around me and asked them to share their valuable insights and practical self-care strategies that have made either a significant difference in their lives as business owners with ADHD or those who help business owners with ADHD.
Thank you to Joanne Bonnett - Certified Enneagram Coach & Guide, Siobhan Fox - ADHD Coach & Mentor, Sophie Steckiewicz - Health & Wellbeing Therapist HealYou Dorset, Carol May - ADHD Health Coach, Cass Dartnell - An Eye for Detail Events for contributing.
Let’s jump in!
Understanding and accepting ADHD
It seems that a big part and perhaps the first step of caring for yourself is taking time to accept yourself and start understanding how your ADHD works and impacts you. This can be a rollercoaster in itself! It is something I have been going through the past year and I have been working extremely hard on learning to love myself, just as I am.
Jo shared her journey as a business owner diagnosed in her fifties and highlighted the importance of self-acceptance and understanding your unique brain. "One of the first and most important areas of self-care was - unsurprisingly - in my own mind. Learning to accept, understand and appreciate how my brain works and to be kind to myself made all the difference.”
Sophie's advice is: “Firstly, get to know yourself, get to know how your ADHD profiles and presents, what triggers you to become more stressed? Noticing when stress builds and how this affects us is key to responding in a timely manner.”
Cass explains how she helps others address a negative mindset and understand how their brain functions and why they react a certain way in different situations. “It’s about being kinder to ourselves and giving people opportunities to understand more about a neurodivergent mind and discover practical strategies to help busy minds unwind. I do this through mindful exercises, and creative activities and will soon be launching a ‘me time’ subscription box.”
Self-care habits and routine
Ah, the lovely paradox of structure and routine for someone with ADHD. You don’t like the restrictions BUT you need it to thrive! For me, working on a routine throughout my day can make or break me. I am learning to recognise when it doesn’t feel in sync and make changes. When things are too chaotic, that’s when I know burnout can approach!
Siobhan advises: "Starting small and sustainably is key. You may want to start with 5 minutes per week or per day and then build from there. Even if it’s something similar like journalling, drinking a cup of tea outside and having a break, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It needs to be simple and achievable.”
Jo mentioned that self-care isn’t just about massages and spa days but I do agree with her that they are nice though! For Jo “It’s more about the daily habits that help me feel good. Such as: getting enough sleep, moving my body to start the day (even 5 minutes stretching), eating well (& regularly), not overfilling my diary but also not beating myself up if I have an off day.”
Sophie emphasises gradual integration: "The biggest blocker for people with ADHD isn’t identifying which routines and rituals will help support their mental health, but choosing and introducing routines and rituals slowly, and allowing them to become part of our everyday lives. Incorporate one mindful or self-care routine into your daily life and commit to this for a period of time. Once this has become a habit, which can take up to at least one month, and does not require us to continually remind ourselves and give the practicalities of this energy, we can add another self-care or mindful practice.”
Managing Energy
Energy management is something I still feel relatively new to and I am still learning lots about it. It’s important to be aware of our energy fluctuations as they have a direct impact on our motivation, productivity and overall wellbeing.
Sophie stresses the importance of setting realistic expectations for work-life balance and business goals. "Having a bank of energy to be productive, will allow you to avoid a boom-bust cycle which leads to feeling stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted.”
Carol added an amazing top tip: "Batch cooking and freezing meals can be a game-changer for ADHD brains. Eating a freshly cooked meal is essential to avoid energy drops and mood swings."
Movement and nature
Every single person I spoke to for this blog mentioned walking and most of the time walking outside in nurture. Whether this be purposely going for a walk or just doing the school run. It is something that helps clear the mind and really adds to that refreshing moment.
I have been practising going outside every morning to take a few deep breaths. I find the fresh air really helps wake me up and switch on. I put my feet on the ground (even when cold) and it really helps me to ground myself and connect with the earth.
Sophie explained it perfectly: “Returning to nature, being around animals and grounding ourselves in the sensory experience of the outdoors is another great way to connect to what feels most natural to us. In a forest or a beach, you are simply at one with nature and the world around you, you are not trying to fit into a socially complex world or work on the pressures that trigger you. Getting out into nature is incredibly soothing for the mind and reduces stress by quieting thoughts and bringing us into our body.”
Effective Tools & Resources
There are an abundance of tools and resources now available to help you with your own self-care. In fact, Sophie advised us not to get too wrapped up in apps etc as it can be too overwhelming and we can spend more time in them and figuring them out rather than actually practicing self-care itself.
For me, the biggest part resource for my self-care has been community. I have spent the last 6-12 months finding and joining the right communities that offer the support I need.
The majority of ladies I know in this blog are from an amazing mini WhatsApp group that was created to support us on our ADHD journey. I have attend various sessions with Sophie for talking therapies and hands-on experiences to help me physically. I have connected with myself spiritually and introduced mindful practices that are guided through other communities. The support I get from all of them is the biggest part that helps me take care of me!
Some further top tips from these amazing women include:
Jo mentions a creative approach to self-care: "Sometimes I play a game with myself where I reframe cleaning or tidying up as self-care because I know how good it will feel when it's done!"
Cas uses body doubling to get jobs done and also promotes co-working. Cas agrees that “Finding your neuro-spicy community to chat through struggles and share success stories is truly amazing."
Siobhan advocates that cold water swimming is particularly effective for managing ADHD symptoms and increasing well-being.
Take your time
Self-care is a journey, especially for ADHD business owners. There are plenty of practices you can put in place, systems you can find, routines you can create and fun activities you can try. But, I think the key is finding something that is realistic that you can start small with. We find it extremely difficult to commit and stay consistent so find something that brings you joy even if it’s just for 5 minutes.
If you want to explore more about understanding your ADHD and what self-care practices could work for you, I offer one-to-one coaching that explores strategies in your life and business that can help you survive and thrive. I would love you to book a discovery call with me to chat and explore possibilities that may work for you and your business.
I would also love to share my FREE Business Burnout Toolkit with you. I created this resource so that you could learn more about what burnout is and how it presents for ADHDers. It includes guided prompts to explore how you are feeling right now and has various strategies you can start implementing to help you.
This resource will give you stress relief strategies that are ADHD-friendly, quick and easy to implement in your life and FUN!
This blog has been written with the help of Jenny from JP Content & Copy.
