ADHD advice and guidance

Run by volunteers with lived experience. They offer peer support groups online and in person. Meetings cover ADHD symptoms, neurodiversity, and other health conditions that often occur alongside ADHD.

Visit ADHD Aware

Offers guides, videos, podcasts, online support groups, and a directory of ADHD coaches.

Visit ADHD UK

Supports adults with ADHD through guides, coaching information, peer groups, and advocacy.

Visit AADD-UK

Provides online community forums, education, and awareness campaigns for adults with ADHD.

Visit ADHDadultUK

Offers articles, support group listings, creative sharing, and practical tips for managing ADHD.

Visit Adders

A community for Black women and non-binary people with ADHD. They offer online meetups, workshops, and events.

Visit ADHD Babes

Empowers women and girls with ADHD through workshops, mentoring, and awareness campaigns.

Visit ADHD Girls

One of the main experiences that ADHD can present through is irregular energy patterns. It has been proven in studies that regularly spending time outdoors, especially in green areas, helps to reduce the symptoms of ADHD.

Exercise, especially cardio, is also shown to have a beneficial impact, helping to level out energy levels, improve attention span, and reduce the impulsivity that can often present in ADHD.

As with many medical conditions, advice for ADHD control also includes diet and nutrition, especially in sugar intake. Sugar, by its nature, provides energy spikes over short periods of time, and can influence brain function in the process. In those with ADHD this can increase the appearance of hyperactivity and irritability, making the condition more visible. It has also been found that some children with ADHD will have an increased sensitivity to food colouring.

Ensuring a balanced and healthy diet can help keep energy to a more consistent level.

Getting plenty of sleep, especially deeper levels of sleep, can help with concentration throughout the day. This is equally true for those with ADHD. Both adults and children with the condition show improvements in areas such as maintaining energy and focus with better sleeping patterns. If consistent sleep is not achieved this can influence the impact of ADHD throughout the day.

Managing the amount of sleep a person gets can be done in several different ways:

• Blue light filters: Blue light, most seen in smartphone devices, can be a significant barrier to healthy sleep. Limiting exposure in the hours before bed can help.

• Monitor caffeine intake: Caffeine intake can have a significant impact on sleeping patterns. Reducing caffeine to only the morning, if at all, can help regular sleep.

• Calm bedtime routine: Establishing a consistent and calm bedtime routine can help with the body’s recognition of upcoming sleep. Doing this at the same time each night can be beneficial.

• Soft background sound: The use of soft tones or white noise in the background of the room can help to quieten our internal voice, making sleep much easier.

Often one of the most powerful ways we can progress with understanding ADHD is the use of community support. Many local areas will have community groups that will include people who have very similar experiences to you or your child.

Being able to talk about these experiences has a range of benefits. It can help to let out emotions with the support of those who can fully understand the daily concerns you face. In addition to this, by talking through your condition, it is common for others to suggest ways to manage ADHD that you may not have thought of alone.

Focused attention and productivity can be an ever-present challenge to those with ADHD. One way to combat this can be through the use of a deadline or dedicated time for a task. Setting a finite endpoint for a task can help to focus the mind and attention, leading to a lower impact of distraction and increased productivity in smaller periods.