Hello Brains!
I’m at Niagara Falls!
Aaand I'm back.
Research has shown that vacations can increase happiness, improve relationships,
decrease burnout, increase creativity and productivity
and even make it more likely that we'll get a raise.
but for those of us with ADHD, they can also be incredibly stressful and overwhelming,
often negating the positive effects they’re supposed to provide.
This is especially true when half of us don’t even stop working when we’re on vacation.
...It’s really hard to turn it off.
If you, like me, struggle with vacation...ing…
Here are 7 tips for creating an ADHD-friendly vacation that’s actually relaxing:
According to research, most of the positive effects of taking a vacation actually come
from anticipating it.
Which meeeans we can start getting the benefits of taking a vacation just by planning one.
Bonus -- planning ahead of time means there’s less to stress about (or realize you forgot)
once you’re actually on vacation and supposed to be, you know, relaxing.
There are lots of ADHD-friendly vacation planning tips on the interwebs, but a few of my favorite
actually came from you: Use an app like TripIt to automatically manage
your itineraries,
Create a flexible schedule for each day so that you know what to expect but still have
room to be impulsive;
Obsessively research options ahead of time, and accept that you won’t have time to do
all of them;
And figure out any “must do’s” in advance.
And, of course, listssssss!
These are especially important for packing.
Speaking of which, you can check out my video on packing tips here!
It’s really hard to enjoy your vacation when you’re stressed out about how much
food costs seriously this poutine was like 10 bucks.
Luckily, that was in Canadian which is only like 7 dollars in the U.S., and visiting Niagara
itself is totally free!
Between exchange rates, unexpected expenses and unexpected ATM fees, it’s really hard
to manage money while we’re on a trip, even a short one --
so it’s helpful to make a list of possible expenses
(and how we're going to pay for them) before we travel.
This, by the way, is why all-inclusive resorts and cruises can be a really great
for ADHD brains.
Almost everything is paid for by the time we get there, and if we do run out of money
we still get to eat.
Once you figure out how much the trip is going to cost, add like 25% to be safe,
and then check out this budget tracker that one of the brains made!
It’s designed to make budgeting easy and to help you save up for big expenses.
If it’s too late for that, don’t worry, it can also help you figure out how to
pay off those credit cards when you get back.
Celesmeh, thank you.
This is amazing.
This is something fairly unique to ADHD brains — relaxation isn’t as easy as
finding a beach chair and turning off our cell phones.
To relax, we often need to find the right *balance* of stimulation --
enough that our brains don’t get restless and decide to start a new project or
pick a fight with the nearest sibling, but not so much that we get overwhelmed or
can’t chill out.
The right level of stimulation is gonna look different for everybody, so work with your
brain.
if you need to be surrounded by nature to relax, do it —
if the idea of being stuck in the woods with no reception horrifies you--
maybe bring a Hotspot.
If you’ve got high-stimulation activities planned, make sure to also schedule some down
time.
If you’re in a group situation and you don’t have a lot of control over what’s happening,
make sure you have a way to increase or decrease stimulation as needed.
For example, if everyone’s headed to the beach to relax, bring a frisbee —
and also sunglasses and earplugs.
Or headphones.
Or both.
Things that have gone wrong on my vacations (not a complete list):
I was stuck on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge for 3 hours.
I made it, but my luggage didn't, and I spent most of my trip looking for a new swimsuit.
In Cancun.
My flight got delayed due to maintenance issues and I got stuck overnight in Detroit.
I wore rainboots and they were definitely not necessary.
On top of unforeseen circumstances, ADHD brains tend to forget things and lose things,
and our symptoms are worse when we’re outside of our normal routines.
So, pretty much just expect something to go wrong.
Consider it part of the adventure.
If you’re a recovering perfectionist like me, try including “something goes wrong”
on your vacation checklist.
But also, you know, pack the important stuff like meds in your carryon,
bring extra chargers and make sure you have cash or a credit card on hand for emergencies.
Actual emergencies.
The whole point of taking a vacation is so we can step away from the
stressors of everyday life and come back recharged.
which is really hard to do if we don’t actually step away from them.
Of course, not doing the thing can be just as stressful as doing it
if we can't get it off our minds,
and coming back to a giant pile of tasks can send us hurdling right back toward burnout.
So it can help to schedule absolutely nothing the day before your trip so that you have
time to wrap up anything that absolutely has to get done.
Then, if stuff pops up you hadn’t thought about, you can put it in the “parking lot”
a page in your notebook, or somewhere else where you can throw things you think of
while you’re on vacation and worry about them later.
If you really don’t have a choice and you have to work on your trip because I don't
know, you’re also making a YouTube video
or keeping your Instagram updated,
set some boundaries around when and where so it doesn’t bleed into every activity.
Both with the people back home — are you going to be reachable or not?
Doooo they need to feed your cat.
As well as anyone who’s on the trip with you.
If you and your travel companion(s) are expecting different things, at least one of you is going
to be disappointed.
Even if you agree on activities, you might have different ideas of things like
how long is reasonable to drive in one day.
You can reduce conflict and therefore unnecessary stress by negotiating this stuff in advance.
Finally,
Jumping right back into work when we get home significantly decreases a vacation’s
positive effects —
as well as the odds that we’ll actually empty out that suitcase.
So when you get back home, take a day or two to ease back into your routines,
do laundry, and get settled, even if that means taking a shorter vacation --
Turns out, the length of the vacation doesn't matter nearly as important as how relaxed
we are when we head back into work.
That’s 7 tips for an ADHD-friendly vacation, I hope you found them useful --
What are some vacation tips that work for you?
Let us know in the comments down below or add to the pinned post on Twitter so we
can expand this amazing ADHD tool box!
Because none of us should have to travel alone.
Unless we want to.
Thank you to my Brain Board and all my Patreon Brains for making visiting waterfalls and
eating poutine part of the most amazing job ever --
Like, subscribe, click all the things and I will see you next episode -- stuff you can
get delivered to make your life easier.
Bye brains!