My ADHD & Sustainability

I haven't really been here on the blog, partly because of the house move and getting settled in a new area, partly because of life generally, but also partly due me getting diagnosed with ADHD.  That doesn't in itself stop me from writing, but it's been quite a lot to take in, and has taken up a lot of head space.  

But October was ADHD Awareness month, so I thought I would talk a little bit about my diagnosis, and would talk about it especially in the context of sustainability, which is the aim of my blog anyway!  I didn't manage to get it done in October but better late than never!

I'm not what a lot of people think of when it comes to ADHD - I don't fit the typical stereotype, but there were a few things I was struggling with.  At first I thought it was Covid (and it kind of was - I think the lack of routine exacerbated things) or because I had recently gone back to work as a first time but but, long story short, I started looking into ADHD when I saw a lot of similarities, not just with the issues I'd been struggling with but stuff I'd had throughout my life, so I sought a diagnosis and was diagnosed this summer as having ADHD (inattentive type).

So how does ADHD affect my ability to live more sustainbly, whether negative or positive? Does it have an effect?  

Well yes, I think it does, not least because it has an impact on pretty much every area of my life, just as living sustainably does, so there is bound to be some cross-over. 

One of the main areas that I see it having an effect is my relationship with "stuff" - my dopamine seeking, impulsive buying habits for starters.  Whilst I've made a lot of changes on this front (especially since trying to be more sustainable), my impulsivity and hyperfocus when it comes to certain items can really impact my ability to think past whether I actually want or need something.  This is especially true when I am tired, feeling low, or when my ADHD is worse, like at certain times during my menstrual cycle.  

My inability to make decisions also impacts on my spending habits (can't decide? just buy both!) and my varied interests often means buying things to suit those interests, even if they then barely get used.  

And ADHD affects my ability to keep my house tidy and organised, which then affects my ability to find stuff, so I have been known to buy more of something simply because I don't know where the original is or didn't realise I already had one!  

But it's ok, because I can always make sure to donate/sell items on when I realise I don't need them?  Well no, because I struggle with tasks like that so it has taken a lot of effort to realise what works for me and what doesn't when it comes to decluttering.  

ADHD can also affect energy levels - whilst it can give strong bursts of energy to get things done, it can also be exhausting. For me, personally, I can find it really mentally exhausting, which means low energy, which affects my ability to get stuff done. Or other times, I get bursts of energy that I don't see through to the end.

Another major factor is the effect that ADHD has on my daily organisation/executive function skills, which is my ability (or inability) to prioritise tasks, remember details, pay attention, focus, plan and organise time. A major issue for me is my poor time keeping - it's been a running joke/frustration since I was a kid, but I'm finally starting to understand it better.  It generally affects my sustainability in one of two ways - 1) running so late that what should be a fairly short walk or a bus ride becomes a car journey because otherwise I would be even later and 2) running out of time to do stuff, like make breakfast on a morning or pack the right things, so I end up buying convenience items or replacements.  Having said that, even if my time keeping were better, I would probably still forget my toothbrush on nights away as often as I do, because that's as much about my organisation and forgetfulness as it is to do with time keeping!

There are certain things that work well for me, but it's years of building habits - like meal planning (although I got overwhelmed with that a couple of years ago so my husband now does it) or my cloth nappy wash routine (we did it"part time" which really helped with the routine and gave me two days off during the week when he was at nursery and I could catch up if I needed to).  I now try to always have a coffee cup with me when I go out, and I seem to be good at that but I still struggle with remembering to take a plastic bag out when I got to the shops!

I feel like a lot of this is quite negative about what struggles ADHD brings and there are some positives, but there are a lot of things to think about when it comes to how I'm going to do things or organise myself.  One thing that my diagnosis has brought it a lot more self-acceptance and realisation, so that I can work out which things might need a workaround or which things I'm ok with and just need to go easier on myself.  But the main point of this blog isn't to complain or be down on myself because of my ADHD - I think it's important to understand that not everyone faces the same things everyday.  It's easy to assume, especially when it comes to sustainability, that eg a particular change or "swap" is easy because it worked for you, but that's not necessarily the case. There were so many people who told me cloth wipes were so easy for nappy changes but it took me ages to get my head around it!  What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

And that's ok. 

Because, as my favourite saying goes - "We don't need a handful of people doing zero wast [or sustainability] perfectly.  We need millions of people doing it imperfectly."

🧡💚