ADHD in the Time of COVID:

The unique trauma of surviving a pandemic with an ADHD brain.

The impact of coronavirus has been devastating on everyone everywhere. But it has, undeniably, hit some areas, communities, families, and individuals harder than others. Even within a community or a family, though, individual differences are seen, felt and heard because the impact of this virus hits us all in a unique way depending on the way our lives, our personalities or our brains are structured.

ADHD brains have been subject to this variation as much as neurotypical brains. Some ADHDers have been thoroughly shaken by the loss of their routines, accountability, and novelty. Others have relished lessening responsibilities, timelines, and logistics like packing, planning, or juggling roles and responsibilities. Still, others have felt swamped by anxiety, stress, and uncertainty trying to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe.

But the stress of COVID has been present for all ADHD brains throughout this pandemic and as we look ahead towards turning the corner into our 3rd season of coping with this pandemic, it's impact is taking new shape and new weight.

The importance of recognizing stress and trauma:

Regardless of if you've relished the lessening responsibilities or crumbled under the weight of endless anxiety, COVID's been stressful. It has thrown the carefully constructed jigsaw of your old patterns and routines in the air, leaving them to tumble to the ground in pieces. It's made things that were once easy (or at least routine), like merely leaving your house, a complicated dance of anxiety, logistics, and extra details to remember.  

Whether you are an ER doc, a food delivery driver, a harried mother trying desperately to keep her kids active and healthy, a single person trying to balance your health and your need for engagement, or office worker exiled to spend your 9-5 hunched over your kitchen table; your life has changed. And it's been hard.

I point this out because while this fact has been painfully obvious to some. I also hear a lot of: "I have no right to complain" or "it's so much harder for other people." And while I appreciate the effort to remain grateful and maintain perspective; just because it is harder for someone else, doesn't mean it's not hard for you. Pain, suffering, and hardship are not a competition- the one with the most is not the only one impacted.  

And it is only in acknowledging the impact and finding the compassion and strategies for healing and growth. So the first step is in naming the struggle.

The Impact of Stress on the ADHD brain:

Acute Stress:

ADHD brains are uniquely impacted by stress. Short-term stress actually feels useful to an ADHD brain. It's part of why procrastination works so well to get an ADHD brain motivated. It turns it from a sleepy house cat into a cheetah: taut, poised and ready to pounce. It clarifies goals and objectives. It turns the brain on, pumps it full of energizing neurotransmitters, and gets it into action. And it can feel good. Not, best-day-of-my-life kind of good. But, I' ve-got-a-mission kind of good.

This is why I heard things like, "I don't know why, but I'm okay" and "I feel weird saying this, but this kind of works for me" from so many of my clients back in March. 

The acute stress and crisis of the pandemic, and it's resulting quarantines, made it suddenly clear what needed to be done and ADHD brains felt clear and energized on how to do it. Even though many people were sad, overwhelmed, and anxious, there was a clarity of focus that was relieving to brains that so often struggle to find the right footing at the right time.

Long-Term Stress:

Over time, however, the pandemic lost its energy, novelty, and clarity. The brain can't stay in that heightened state for so long. Eventually, the Cheetah has to pounce or curl back up and go to sleep. But the environment is still stressful. The routines are still off, the accountability is still non-existent, and the logistics still abound. So, our brains still swim in all those same neurochemicals. Like a metal file sanding a piece of wood to a point, over time, it stops sharpening, and instead, just wears the wood away. The neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors are released to sharpen our minds in response to stress. But over time, they stop sharpening our brains and instead start wearing it down. 

Unfortunately, this is particularly the case in the prefrontal cortex. Remember that spot? 

That's precisely where the majority of our brain's executive functioning lay. It's the predominant area of the brain impacted by ADHD. So when the stress chemicals wear down this valuable spot- the neurons stop firing as much, and your symptoms worsen. Suddenly things that weren't that hard for you before begin to be a real struggle and things that have always been a battle feel like impossibilities.

The compounding impact of logistics

Of course, when your executive functioning system slows down, and your symptoms ramp up, the effects of the pandemic get even harder to manage. Things like navigating logistics, creating new routines, motivating without oversight, and controlling overwhelming anxiety begin to feel impossible. This causes greater stress, and the spiral continues, amplifying with each layer, making things feel more hopeless and out of control.

The thing about spirals though, is that it only takes one thing to go in the opposite direction to start moving the spiral up instead of down. Putting in one new behavior or returning to an old one that calms your system and eases the stress can start the upward spiral towards balance, self-care, and pace. Here are 5 things that have all been scientifically proven to bring peace amid the crazy to ADHD brains.

The pandemic does not seem to be ending anytime soon, but you don't have to live under its pall forever. There are things you can do, actions you can take today to stop the stress from filing away at your brain and deepening that stress-symptom spiral.

5 Ways to ease the impact of stress on your ADHD brain:

Get Moving- Rarely am I tempted to keep a list at 1, but this time I am (though, of course, I won’t!). Because the impact of exercise on the brain, particularly your ADHD brain, is astounding. And the ability for exercise to calm the adverse effects of chronic stress is so well established in the research it's a wonder it's not the first-line approach for all stress-related issues. Just 30 minutes of moderate level exercise 3 times a week starts to reverse the impact of stress on your brain. 

Get outside-

20 minutes in green space has been proven to reduce stress hormones in your brain. Time in nature has a calming, grounding effect and even improves concentration and focus. Exercise in greenspace amplifies this effect- so go hit the trails for a hike or a run, walk through a forest or take a ride through the fields and get double bang for your buck!

Watch your sugar- we all crave the quick dopamine hits of sugar and simple carbs when we are stressed, but the spikes and dips that they create in your blood sugar can be devastating to your ADHD brain. Try to stick with complex carbs, fruits, and vegetables. If you need that sugar boost, at least make sure it comes with a side of protein and fat to ease the spike.

Connect- Social support is one of the first things we drop when the stress starts to rise. But it’s

often one of the things we need most. Time with friends and family (even if it's while wearing a mask, outside, sitting 6 feet apart) calms your nervous system, rebalances your brain's neurotransmitters, and helps you feel less alone.

Get help- I don't know about you, but this is my first pandemic. And being new at this, I'm not all that good at it. Sure, no one else is either, but that's all the more reason to ask for help. Together we can do more than we can alone. Find a therapist, lean on your partner, call your mom, or cry to a friend. There is a community out there, waiting and willing to lift you up, but you have to let us know what you need.

How have you seen COVID impact your ADHD symptoms over time? What do you do to curb the stress and lessen the impact?

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