ADHD Goes on Vacation

I like to tell my clients, “ADHD goes everywhere your brain goes.” This includes work, school, downtime at home, and even vacation time. Here’s how my ADHD shows up when I travel. 

I take a very long time to pack. It used to stress me out, but now I’ve accepted that it’ll take hours. I’ll always do it the night before (or the morning) I leave, and it works for me. I have a packing list that helps, but I notice I use it as a finishing checklist rather than something I consult from the beginning. 

I always wear the same outfit the day I travel, which means I have fewer decisions to make, which I love. 

My partner has come to lovingly (begrudgingly? laughingly?) accept that I will immediately splay all of my items out when we get to our destination. Both next to the bed and in the bedroom. It seriously takes 5 minutes, and my stuff is out of my suitcase and…everywhere. It helps me to visually see everything I have and keep it in the same place, so I don’t lose track of things. Our compromise is that I keep my splaying to one side of the bed and one side of the sink. 

When I’ve been counting on a specific plan, and then that plan is no longer possible, I can have difficulty adjusting or coming up with a new strategy, especially if I was really looking forward to the activity (this happens at home, too). I now give myself time to be upset, knowing that the initial frustration (let’s be honest, sometimes it’s rage 😂) will pass, and I’ll better be able to think of alternatives in a little bit. It’s a rule in our relationship that I am not expected to do heavy thinking or decision-making while hungry or tired. Eating or sleeping on something helps tremendously. 

[The following is a personal experience and is not medical advice. Please always consult with your prescriber before making any medication changes]. Medication breaks can be helpful and harmful for me on vacation. I like taking a break from remembering to take meds, and it helps me build up a little stockpile in case there’s a shortage when I refill. But that also means I get antsy when I want to be able to sit and chat with loved ones. Or my emotional reactions get even bigger/more frequent. Or I have an even harder time tearing myself away from fun hyperfocus activities (e.g., fishing or doing puzzles at the family cabin) to eat or put myself to bed. Taking breaks definitely helps me appreciate how much my medication helps and reminds me for the 1,034,385th time I do, in fact, still have ADHD 😊.

Vacations also show me how much better I feel when moving for most of the day, eating regular meals, and experiencing new things…aka ADHD paradise. 

I think I wrote this blog to normalize that ADHD stays with us all the time, aka living proof that “wherever you go, there you are.” Symptoms showing up during travel or any other time of our lives are neither a good nor bad thing; they are just a fact of our lives. If you’re noticing symptoms getting in the way of you enjoying your vacations or following through with your intentions once you’re home, coaching can help! Feel free to reach out to any of the coaches at the Center to learn more.