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Getting stuff done with ADHD is like climbing Mount Everest in sneakers. It can be done, but not easily or productively.

On the other hand, good productivity hacks and strategies are helpful — but only if you use them. So how do you keep showing up and learning how to apply the solid strategies you’ve accumulated but not successfully executed? A resilient mindset can keep you hiking up that mountain toward what really matters to you.

Learn the strategies that will help you gain the motivation and momentum you need to stay on track at work and in your personal life. In this webinar, you will learn:

• Why it’s important to cut yourself some slack; changing habits is hard.
• To notice the effort you’re putting in and the strategies that you are using—then keep going.
• How to keep your eye on the prize by being clear about what you’re working toward.

Strategies to get through the inescapable boring stuff with the least amount of suffering.

Have a question for our expert? There will be an opportunity to post questions for the presenter during the live webinar.

Productivity Hacks for ADHD: Resources

• Free Download: Focus Your ADHD Brain With 5 Helpful Hacks
• Read: Popular Productivity Advice That Torpedoes the ADHD Brain
• Read: How to Not Procrastinate When Task Avoidance Strikes
• Read: The Everyday Rationales That Let Procrastination In

Meet the Expert Speaker

Ari Tuckman, Psy.D., MBA., is a psychologist, international presenter, ADHD thought leader, and the author of five books on ADHD, including his latest, The ADHD Productivity Manual. (#CommissionsEarned)

He is a former vice president of ADDA and now has a practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he works with adults and adolescents with attention challenges.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Webinar Sponsor

ADHD can make it feel impossible to stay productive, no matter how much you want to get things done. Inflow gets it. Their science-backed program, developed by ADHD experts, helps you understand procrastination and build a productivity mindset that actually sticks so you can learn how to work with your brain, not against it. Take the free ADHD traits quiz to start your journey.

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Certificate of Attendance: For information on how to purchase the certificate of attendance option (cost $10), register for the webinar, then look for instructions in the email you’ll receive one hour after it ends. The certificate of attendance link will also be available here, on the webinar replay page, several hours after the live webinar. ADDitude does not offer CEU credits.

Closed captions available.

Many of us with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence only started to “bring our whole selves” to work quite recently. As a result of neurodiversity training and DEI efforts, we began to unmask. We spoke more openly about executive dysfunction and sensory needs. We asked for accommodations, formally and informally.

But today, as DEI programs fade and inclusion efforts stall, many of us feel a familiar pressure returning. Overtly or covertly, we are no longer encouraged to be ourselves at work. Instead, we’re expected to mask and conform to neurotypical standards again. The pressure is back — to people-please, to be extra easy, extra agreeable, extra adaptable, and to act like everything is fine.

And it’s exhausting. We expend energy in ways most people never notice: suppressing our stims, rehearsing conversations, monitoring our behaviors. The extra cognitive load carries consequences: more burnout, more dysregulation, and far less access to our actual strengths.

What do we do when the progress we counted on begins to recede?

1. Avoid Personalizing It

Sometimes it’s easy to recognize what’s happening because the signs are obvious: The DEI team is cut. The language in the handbook changes. Sometimes it’s just a vibe shift — silence replacing celebration. The unspoken expectations to get things done and avoid standing out or speaking up. Either way, the signal is the same: Masking is back on the table.

Recognizing what’s actually happening – that these are structural changes and not a reflection on your abilities – will, I hope, help you avoid internalizing these changes as personal failures. As with all structural changes, the problem is not yours alone to fix.

[Read: “DEI – and Neurodivergence – Are Under Attack”]

2. Redefine Professionalism Before It Defines You

Too often, “professionalism” is code for “hide what makes you different.” But professionalism isn’t about being quiet or predictable. It’s about communication, accountability, and showing up with intention.

From scripts and stim toys to time-blocking apps and task batching, plenty of  tools and supports exist to help you do your job. Just remember: You don’t have to become someone else to meet expectations.

3. Find Safe Micro-Spaces

Even when company culture shifts, individuals inside it often don’t. Think of the co-worker who quietly advocates. The manager who gets it. The group chat where you can be blunt. These safe micro-zones can make a big difference. Tread carefully and look for the places where you can breathe. If you can’t find safe spaces at work, try participating in anonymous online support groups.

4. Don’t Trade Peace for Your Job

If your workplace culture no longer holds space for who you are, protect your energy accordingly. Set boundaries. Scale back. Exit as soon as you can. Do your best to remember that your job does not define you or anyone. You’re not being lazy, dramatic, or “too much” by keeping your peace. You’re responding to an environment that no longer feels safe — and your body knows it before your brain does.

[Q&A: “How Can I Stop People-Pleasing Behaviors at Work?”]

5. Look for the Helpers

In these trying and unprecedented times, it’s important to focus on the people who are doing the work to bring positive change. Whether it’s recognizing the manager or colleague at your job who continues to advocate for inclusive workplace practices or following like-minded, outspoken advocates on social media, make an effort to look for signs that not all is lost.

Perhaps the masking era never really ended. But the promise of inclusion gave many of us hope that we could work — and live — a little more authentically. If that promise is gone, it’s OK to grieve. But it’s also OK to hold your ground. You’ve already learned how to show up. You don’t need to shrink just because the culture did.

Lack of Inclusion in the Workplace: Next Steps

• Read: 4 Steps to Claiming the Career You Deserve
• Read: “Great Leaders Foster a Positive Work Environment for All Employees”
• Read: “Women with ADHD Prefer Silence Over Disclosure. This Needs to Change.”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

The ramifications of abuse are dire and, in some cases, life-threatening: half of female homicide victims are killed by current or former partners.² The consequences of psychological abuse — the most frequent kind of IPV and often a precursor to physical violence — are no less critical. Research shows that psychological abuse is an even stronger predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression than is physical abuse.³

Though intimate partner violence is startlingly common and harmful, many avenues can lead victims to help and health care providers are instrumental in connecting patients to these paths. Though traditional IPV screening is an effective intervention, it’s not the only one. For some providers, distributing safety cards may be a better fit.

The size of business cards, these safety cards contain information about the red flags and health consequences of IPV. They share contact information for hotlines as well as guidance for safely seeking help, and they let people know they’re not alone.

“It takes 30 to 45 seconds to share the card, and it can change someone’s life,” says Tami Sullivan, Ph.D., director of Family Violence Research and Programs and professor at Yale University’s School of Medicine. “We hear from women with lived experience of violence: ‘Why didn’t anyone ever give me something like this? It could have made all the difference to me.’”

[Read: Why Do Toxic Relationships Swallow People with ADHD?]

Obstacles to IPV Screening

With traditional IPV screening, a provider uses a survey like the HITS (Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream) to detect if a patient is experiencing violence. This can be transformative.

“If you trust your provider, it can be a very empowering experience to connect with someone who can listen, make you feel less alone, talk to you about making decisions,” Sullivan says.

But several significant obstacles stand in the way of effective screening for IPV. Survivors may be hesitant to disclose their experiences of violence, fearful of retaliation by their partners, or of being reported to police and potentially losing custody of their children. They may worry they’ll be judged, blamed, or shamed. These concerns may be particularly salient for women with ADHD who receive near-constant criticism, correction, and judgement.

[Watch: “How to Avoid Toxic Relationships and Find Your Ideal Match”]

These obstacles contribute to relatively low rates of disclosure in IPV screenings; less than a quarter of women who have experienced IPV report disclosing this to a health care provider.⁴

The efficacy of screenings also relies on a meaningful response from the provider. Many providers don’t feel comfortable addressing such a sensitive and personal revelation because they’ve not received training in IPV.

“We shouldn’t expect people to develop expertise in responding,” Sullivan explains. “But we want the provider to feel comfortable enough so that they’re not being judgmental, so they can let the person know they’re heard, and connect them to someone who does have expertise.”

If a survivor reveals abuse on a survey and her disclosure is never addressed, or if it’s met with judgement, Sullivan explains, it can discourage her from revealing the abuse to others in the future.

Safety Cards: A Universal Approach

The part of IPV screening that helps survivors most, research has found, is the engagement with support services that happens after disclosure.⁵ This is where safety cards come in.

IPV safety cards, which are distinct from screening methods, bypass surveys altogether and take a direct path to offering help.

The method is simple: Providers order safety cards like these for free and hand them out to every female patient they see (without their partner present). The cards come in 10 languages and contain information about the red flags and health consequences of IPV. They also connect patients to support and resource hotlines

For providers looking for guidance on how to distribute the cards, Sullivan suggests the following language:

“We’ve started talking with all of our patients about relationship health and abuse in relationships, in case it’s ever an issue for them or for their friends and family. This card talks about healthy and safe relationships, ones that aren’t — and how relationships affect your health.”

Safety cards offer myriad benefits, including:

• Getting help to the people who need it, no questions asked. Offering resources to everyone, a universal education model, ensures that the women who need help will get access to it – regardless of whether they disclose abuse.
• Empowering women to help others. Many of the patients who receive cards may not be experiencing IPV, but they may know people who are. Safety cards enable these individuals to recognize abuse in the lives of loved ones, and empower them to offer helpful resources. Research found that people who received universal education were twice as likely as those who did not to share the number for an IPV hotline to someone in need.⁶
• De-stigmatizing conversations about IPV. Broaching the topic of intimate partner violence to all patients helps to break the taboo which often keeps women silent about their experience.
• Planting a seed for future action. It’s important for providers to distribute safety cards at every visit because it may take more than one interaction for patients to recognize abuse in their own lives, or to prepare themselves to consider next steps.  “Often, the cards plant a seed for future action. You give it to patients every time they come in so that it’s routine and becomes comfortable,” Sullivan says. “They come to understand that their relationships affect their health.”

While disclosures aren’t necessary in this IPV intervention, they may happen. When responding, providers should use non-judgmental, validating language, and avoid directing patients to take specific action. “It should never be a provider, trained or not, telling people what they should do,” Sullivan explains. “Though it’s likely well-intentioned, this prescriptive approach mimics the dynamics of abuse and disempowerment.”

Instead, follow the patient’s lead. “Let people know the supports available to them and listen to them,” suggests Sullivan. “You might ask: ‘Have you thought about what you want to do? Do you want help thinking about what makes sense? Would you like to call a helpline from this office?’”

What survivors of abuse need from providers, Sullivan explains, is autonomy, empathy, and information about their options for getting help.

To Order Free Safety Cards

• Visit Futures Without Violence.

Get Help

If you, or someone you love, is experiencing intimate partner violence, these resources may help

• National Domestic Violence Hotline, Call 800-799-7233 or text START to 8878
• Love Is Respect, for people aged 13-26, Call 866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 2252
• National Sexual Assault Helpline, Call 1-800-656-HOPE

Abusive Relationships and IPV Screening: Next Steps

• Read: “What Are the Signs of a Controlling Relationship?”
• Quiz: “Is My Relationship Toxic?” A Quiz for Adults with ADHD
• Read: How to Respond to Gaslighting — In Your Relationship and In Yourself

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹Guendelman MD, Ahmad S, Meza JI, Owens EB, Hinshaw SP. Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Predicts Intimate Partner Victimization in Young Women. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2016 Jan;44(1):155-66. doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-9984-z. PMID: 25663589; PMCID: PMC4531111.

²Jack SP, Petrosky E, Lyons BH, et al. Surveillance for Violent Deaths — National Violent Death Reporting System, 27 States, 2015. MMWR Surveill Summ 2018;67(No. SS-11):1–32.

³Mechanic MB, Weaver TL, Resick PA. Mental health consequences of intimate partner abuse: a multidimensional assessment of four different forms of abuse. Violence Against Women. 2008 Jun;14(6):634-54. doi: 10.1177/1077801208319283. PMID: 18535306; PMCID: PMC2967430.

⁴Black MC, Basile KC, Breiding MJ, et al. The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 summary report. Atlanta, GA Natl Cent Inj Prev Control Centers Dis Control Prev. 2011;19:39-40.

⁵US Preventive Services Task Force; Curry SJ, Krist AH, Owens DK, Barry MJ, Caughey AB, Davidson KW, Doubeni CA, Epling JW Jr, Grossman DC, Kemper AR, Kubik M, Kurth A, Landefeld CS, Mangione CM, Silverstein M, Simon MA, Tseng CW, Wong JB. Screening for Intimate Partner Violence, Elder Abuse, and Abuse of Vulnerable Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Final Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2018 Oct 23;320(16):1678-1687. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.14741. PMID: 30357305.

⁶Miller E, Tancredi DJ, Decker MR, et al. A family planning clinic-based intervention to address reproductive coercion: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Contraception. 2016;94(1):58-67. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2016.02.009

ADHD raises the risk of obesity, but its effect is dampened for people living in large cities, according to two new studies.

Young adults with combined-type ADHD are more likely than their non-ADHD peers to carry excess weight around their midsection and to have an unhealthy waist-to-height ratio (known as the body mass index or BMI), according to a new cross-sectional study published in American Journal of Human Biology. ¹ Obesity-related health conditions, such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, are tied to excess abdominal fat.

“The effect of ADHD on obesity intensified with age,” however, “no significant association was found with blood pressure, but trends suggested hypertension may escalate with age among ADHD individuals,” the study’s authors wrote.

ADHD’s Behavioral and Biological Links to Obesity

The biological link between ADHD and obesity, and the influence of environment on this relationship, was the focus of another new study led by researchers from the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University and the Italian National Institute of Health. ²

The study, published in PLOS Complex Systems, proposed that ADHD influences obesity along two pathways:

1. Behavioral: Difficulties with motivation, planning, and sustained attention may lead people with ADHD to engage in less physical activity, increasing the likelihood of weight gain.
2. Biological: ADHD affects areas of the brain responsible for impulse control, decision making, and reward processing, making people with ADHD more susceptible to impulsive eating behaviors, such as bingeing or choosing high-calorie snacks.

“A lot of people I work with complain about using food for stimulation,” said Nicole DeMasi Malcher, M.S., R.D., CDES, during the ADDitude webinar “Eating with ADHD: Improving Your Relationship with Food.” “They are constantly looking for food to deliver a quick fix rather than thinking about the long-term effects.”

Malcher attributes this behavior, in part, to poor interoception, the ability to sense what’s happening inside the body, including cues such as thirst, hunger, and fullness. “People with ADHD are unable to recognize these cues until they feel really ravenous,” she said. “Then it’s too late, and they make more impulsive eating and food choices.”

ADHD and the City

Living in a city environment may mitigate the risk of obesity for individuals with and without ADHD. The research found that living in a large city offers more opportunities for physical activity, better access to mental health care, and higher overall levels of education, which could buffer the effects of ADHD that lead to obesity.

The NYU/Italian research team analyzed 915 cities in the United States using an urban scaling mathematical model to examine how rates of ADHD and obesity changed as cities grew. Their analysis showed that, in larger urban areas, ADHD and obesity become relatively less common as population grows. At the same time, access to education and mental health services tends to grow faster than the population. In short, bigger cities aren’t just more populated — they’re often better equipped to handle public health issues like ADHD and obesity. In contrast, cities with fewer opportunities for physical activity or more food insecurity demonstrated stronger links between ADHD and obesity.

“Our research reveals a surprising urban advantage: as cities grow, both obesity and ADHD rates decrease proportionally,” says Tian Gan, a co-author of the PLOS study. “Meanwhile, mental health services become more accessible, helping combat physical inactivity — a key link between ADHD and obesity. This pattern suggests larger cities offer protective factors against these interconnected health challenges.”

Similar patterns emerged when the researchers analyzed survey data from 19,428 children across the U.S. as part of the National Survey of Children’s Health. Children with more severe ADHD symptoms were more likely to be obese, especially if they lived in homes with fewer opportunities for physical activity or lower parental education levels.

The researchers also measured the differences between each city’s rates of ADHD and obesity, and those expected for its population, identifying several regional discrepancies. Cities in the Southeastern and Southwestern U.S. displayed greater disparities in ADHD and obesity prevalence, mental health access, and food insecurity than other regions. Neighboring cities often differed significantly, suggesting that local policies and resources could either amplify or reduce these health risks.

“These findings underscore the importance of city-level interventions in mitigating the impact of impulsivity disorders on the obesity epidemic,” says Dr. Maurizio Porfiri, Ph.D., senior author on the PLOS study. “It’s not just about how big a city is — it’s about how it uses its resources. With this kind of insight, policymakers can target investments in mental health care, education, and physical activity to break the link between ADHD and obesity where it’s strongest.”

Intuitive Eating for ADHD

Both studies suggest that effective management of ADHD symptoms can help reduce the risk of obesity and its complications, and that obesity management programs must take into account a patient’s ADHD diagnosis.

The practice of intuitive eating (IE), for example, may help address the underlying neurological traits that influence the eating habits of people with ADHD.

“Intuitive eating, when adapted for the ADHD brain, provides an evidence-based framework that works with rather than against ADHD traits,” Malcher said. “This approach helps reduce overwhelm, prevent binge eating, and create sustainable eating habits without triggering the restriction-binge cycle common in ADHD.”

Sources

¹Mishra, S., Choudhury, O., Chaudhary, V., Saraswathy, K.N., Shekhawat, L.S., and Devi, N.K. (2025). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in obesity and hypertension: A study among young adults in Delhi NCR, India. Am J Hum Biol. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.70022 

²Gan, T., Succar, R., Macrì, S., Porfiri, M. (2025). Investigating the link between impulsivity and obesity through urban scaling laws. PLOS Complex Syst. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcsy.0000046

Millions of Reddit users seeking reliable, science-backed advice about living with ADHD have been barred access to a valuable resource. The ADHD subreddit has blocked content from ADDitude, a leading source of trusted, evidence-based support for the ADHD community.

Moderators of the ADHD subreddit have blocked any post or comment that mentions ADDitude, preventing people — including newly diagnosed adults, families seeking help for loved ones with the condition, educators, and medical professionals — from obtaining expert guidance to improve ADHD understanding and outcomes. In addition, when a subreddit user attempts to cite information from ADDitude on the platform, the moderators distribute an auto-response message attacking ADDitude with false statements and defamatory language.

The ADDitude team’s request — that the subreddit moderators immediately discontinue distributing its inflammatory automated message — has been denied. No reason was given.

For 27 years, ADDitude has worked to bring the latest evidence-based practices and guidance to support adults and families touched by ADHD, coexisting conditions, and learning differences. Earlier this year, Media Bias / Fact Check rated ADDitude as “pro science” with high marks, citing its commitment to providing evidence-based information on ADHD and related conditions.

Despite this, the subreddit auto-response message continues to propagate these false claims:

• That ADDitude solicits donations from people with ADHD to fund their operation. This is false. ADDitude has never solicited or accepted donations from individuals or organizations of any kind.
• That ADDitude prioritizes advertising dollars over people’s best interests. This is false. ADDitude provides free of charge 8,400 articles, weekly webinars with leading experts, numerous newsletters, and hundreds of downloads to help people with ADHD live better. Our small, dedicated team is guided not by profit but by a passion and dedication for helping people.
• That ADDitudeMag.com is “full of articles promoting the use of homeopathy, reiki, and other unscientific quack practices.” This is false. Six articles out of thousands mention homeopathy, and all of them clearly state that it is not recommended for treating ADHD. In contrast, ADDitudeMag.com houses more than 1,000 articles about treating ADHD with medication and complementary approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, parent behavior training, and mindful meditation.
• That ADDitudeMag.com contains “sketchy advertising.” This is false. All three examples cited by Reddit are invalid URLs; these pages do not exist.
• That ADDitude publishes “junk science.” This is false. The URLs cited by Reddit contain a combined 40 footnotes and links to credible, respected research. ADDitudeMag.com publishes fully footnoted content written by leading experts in the field of ADHD and we take very seriously our responsibility to serve this community with accurate, credible information.

The moderators’ criticisms of ADDitude distributed to untold numbers of Reddit members are not only baseless; they appear to be motivated by an intent to harm our publication and community.

It’s important to note that section 230 of the Communication Decency Act protects social media companies from defamation lawsuits for statements made by their users and moderators. Publishers like ADDitude are left with few legal options for fighting defamation and bias, despite the injury to their reputation and business.

As such, ADDitude encourages its community members to reconsider their membership and participation in the ADHD subreddit. The Reddit Moderator Code of Conduct requires moderators to “moderate with integrity,” and users may report moderators for violations here.

Above all, individuals living with ADHD deserve access to reliable, expert information that supports their wellbeing. Blocking trusted guidance does a disservice to the very communities these platforms claim to serve.

Thank you,
Anni Rodgers
General Manager of ADDitude

Listening to music while practicing mindfulness exercises may improve focus, mood, and emotional wellbeing in people with symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and depression, according to two new studies.

A systematic review examining the relationship between music and ADHD found that music listening activates brain regions involved in sensory processing, motor control, and motivation — networks that are often dysregulated in individuals with attention deficit.¹

Traditional thinking suggests that quiet environments help sustain attention; however, the opposite may be true. The review, published in Behavioral Science, indicated that music, especially calm music with or without lyrics, can improve focus and performance in individuals with ADHD, especially when it is heard before or during tasks. Listening to music can also help filter out distractions, leading to improved learning and mood.

“People with ADHD benefit from ‘rhythmic entrainment,’ using strong, steady rhythms to imprint structure and consistency. This assists with regulation of attention and behavior,” said Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D., Clinical Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, during his presentation titled, “We Got the Beat: The Impact of Music on ADHD,” at the 2024 Annual International Conference on ADHD.

Listening to music could become counterproductive if it causes overstimulation or if the listener is doing a challenging task that requires significant cognitive resources, the researchers noted.

Music Therapy Boosts Emotional, Social Skills

Music listening may be self-directed or facilitated by a trained music therapist, as part of music therapy. Music therapy sessions often incorporate active music listening, playing instruments, songwriting, or singing, as well as passive music listening.

The review made a compelling case for using music therapy to complement ADHD medications and other recommended therapies, citing evidence for the efficacy of music therapy in reducing symptoms of ADHD. For example, active music-making can enhance working memory and social skills while decreasing aggression. Conversely, passive music listening may improve learning and reduce disruptive behaviors.

“These insights highlight the potential for music to contribute to more holistic, non-pharmacological approaches, offering individuals with ADHD new avenues for enhancing cognitive functioning and overall wellbeing,” the study’s authors wrote.

The systematic review included 20 studies published between 1981 and 2023, reflecting data from 1,170 participants aged 2 to 56 years. Several limitations exist: The studies primarily focused on children and adolescents, rather than adults. Variations in study methods and design also resulted in some inconsistent findings.

“Despite these limitations, this review provides a valuable foundation for future research on the interaction between ADHD and music,” the study’s authors wrote.

Mindfulness Paired with Music Reduces Stress, Improves Mood

Another recent, smaller study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, suggests that listening to music while performing mindfulness exercises activates areas of the brain and body related to stress and emotional regulation that could reduce moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults.sup>2

The study, led by a team of researchers from the Yale School of Medicine, assessed the physiological impact of music mindfulness by recording heart rates and EEGs from 38 participants, aged 18 to 65, as they engaged in a bilingual, two-week mindfulness program centered on “focus” and “mindfulness.”

“Anxiety and depression reduce autonomic system activity, as measured by Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and exacerbate cardiac morbidity, while both music and mindfulness have been shown to increase HRV,” wrote the researchers.

They found that music mindfulness quickly improved HRV — a sign of better stress regulation — and changed brain wave patterns (measured by EEG) in areas of the brain linked to emotion, awareness, and decision-making.

Both virtual and in-person sessions incorporated similar guided mindfulness exercises, accompanied by live improvised music, music listening, or no music at all. In addition to wearing mobile heart rate and EEG monitors during each session, participants completed surveys regarding their stress levels, degree of mindfulness, state of consciousness, and level of social connection before and after each session.

The virtual group exhibited a significant decrease in stress and a significant increase in altered states of consciousness during the “focus” sessions, but not the “motivation” sessions. This contrasted with the in-person sessions, where stress decreased and mindfulness and altered state of consciousness increased during both Focus and Motivation sessions.

The researchers said that the differences in music composition features (tempo, key, mode) between “focus” and “motivation” sessions may explain the physiological differences observed in heart rate variability.

In-person sessions with music boosted feelings of social connection more than the virtual sessions did, underscoring the value of live, shared experiences in therapeutic settings.

“Our results imply that, while virtual sessions reduce stress, they do not have as extensive an effect on psychological states as in-person sessions do,” the researchers wrote. “Important aspects of live social interaction may drive feelings of social connection and serve as a key differentiator between live and virtual sessions.”

The researchers also observed gender-specific effects via HRV; women appeared to benefit more physiologically from music mindfulness than men.

While the findings from the Behavioral Science and Frontiers in Neuroscience studies contribute to a growing body of evidence supporting the use of music as a viable adjunct treatment for ADHD and mood disorders, both research teams emphasize the need for further investigation. Future studies would include randomized controlled trials, long-term outcome assessments, and greater representation of adult populations.

Sources

¹Saville, P., Kinney, C., Heiderscheit, A., Himmerich, H. (2025). Exploring the intersection of ADHD and music: A systematic review. Behav. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15010065

²Ramirez, C., Alayine, G.A., Akafia, C., Selase, K., Adichie, K. et al. (2025). Music mindfulness acutely modulates autonomic activity and improves psychological state in anxiety and depression. Frontiers in Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2025.1554156

Typing and handwriting lecture notes are equally effective methods for helping students with ADHD learn and recall information presented in class, and each one is far superior to taking no notes, finds a new study conducted by researchers at Indiana University. In addition, researchers found that both slower handwriting speed and worse sustained attention were related to higher ADHD symptoms.¹

In the study, 152 college students (46 with an ADHD diagnosis, 105 without) were divided into three groups: one cohort was instructed to handwrite notes, one was instructed to type notes, and one was instructed not to take notes. The students then watched a 15-minute TED talk and were given a free response quiz with no opportunity to review their notes. In addition to grading the assessment, researchers measured the participants’ handwriting speed, typing speed, fine motor dexterity, sustained attention, and severity of ADHD symptoms.

The learning benefit associated with both handwriting and typing notes was greater for students with higher ADHD symptom severity, causing researchers to conclude that, “active notetaking facilitates significant encoding gains in individuals with higher ADHD symptoms, critically suggesting that not taking notes is especially detrimental for those with higher symptoms.”

Challenges of Note Taking with ADHD

Previous research has demonstrated that students with ADHD face considerable challenges taking effective notes because of issues with working memory, transcription fluency, handwriting speed, and listening comprehension.^{2, 3}

Because of this, many postsecondary students with ADHD receive academic accommodations that allow them to receive copies of notes, either from a designated notetaker, a speech-to-text software, or an artificial intelligence note-taking program.

While notetaking accommodations offer students with ADHD access to good, quality notes they might not be able to produce themselves, the process of note-taking itself offers benefits that student with notetaking accommodations may be missing, the study’s researchers explain.

“The in-the-moment, active process of transcribing lecture information via notetaking facilitates learning, independent of studying, coined as the encoding effect,” ⁴ write the study’s authors. “It is theorized that encoding benefits arise from the sensorimotor engagement notetaking affords through transcription, as well as the cognitively demanding nature of the notetaking process.”

The study’s authors point out the dearth of research exploring whether notetaking accommodations actually reduce academic impairment related to ADHD, and they urge educators and providers supporting students with ADHD to consider that, “not taking notes may prevent individuals with higher ADHD symptoms from benefiting from initial learning gains active notetaking affords.”

Handwritten and Typed Notes Equally Beneficial

While notetaking’s cognitively demanding nature is precisely what gives rise to its benefits — including helping students with ADHD sustain attention — it is also why students with ADHD avoid or struggle to take notes.

Susan Kreuger, M.Ed., offers more detail about why notetaking is so taxing, in an ADDitude article titled “Notes on Taking Notes:” “Taking notes should be more than writing down information as a teacher is lecturing. A student needs to pay attention and try to understand what the teacher is teaching. He should be able to distinguish the big picture from insignificant details.”

For some, notetaking is particularly draining because of its fine motor demands. The study found that students with ADHD exhibited slower handwriting speeds than did neurotypical students, which slowed their transcription speed. By contrast, no differences in typing speed were found between the ADHD and non-ADHD groups.

The researchers urge students with handwriting challenges to explore the use of a keyboard which, “may free up cognitive resources during the notetaking process and provide opportunity for in-the-moment encoding benefits.”

Sources

¹Shimko, G. A., & James, K. H. (2025). The effects of notetaking modality and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on learning. Educational Psychology, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2025.2493257

²Vekaria, P. C., & Peverly, S. T. (2018). Lecture note-taking in postsecondary students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 31(7), 1551–1573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9849-2

³Gleason, J. D. (2012). An Investigation of the Note-Taking Skills of Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): An Extension of Previous Research (Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University).

⁴Di Vesta, F. J., & Gray, G. S. (1972). Listening and note taking. Journal of Educational Psychology, 63(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0032243

A: People with rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) experience extreme emotional pain related to real or imagined rejection, and they often respond intensely to any perceived injury or threat. In relationships marked by RSD, it’s difficult for one partner to separate amid distress.

Follow these four strategies to reduce conflict and halt toxic patterns.

#1. QTIP (Quit Taking It Personally)

Listen to your gut. If your partner’s bad mood really about you? If you’re lecturing, yelling, or interrupting instead of listening to your partner, ask yourself, “Why am I talking?”

#2. Use a ‘Takeback of the Day’

Here’s how this forgiveness freebie works: Each day, you or your partner can say, “I said something I regret. I’d like it to be my takeback.” Then the receiver agrees to take a breath and figure out how to forgive the partner without resentment.

[Read: How ADHD Impacts Sex and Marriage]

#3. Extend the Benefit of the Doubt

Don’t assume your partner has done something purposely harmful, painful, inappropriate, or irresponsible. Get some clarity by using “I” statements such as “I’m curious about,” “I wonder,” “It’s confusing to me,” “I was surprised,” or “It hurt me when…”

#4. Follow These STEPS

This five-step plan can help dysregulated couples reverse course, cool down, and move forward.

• Self-control. During intense conversations, focus on the physical signals that suggest you’re becoming activated. Is your heart beating faster? Are you perspiring or speaking louder? You can avoid a massive eruption if you catch your dysregulation early.
• Time apart. Establish a plan for signaling when you need a break during a conflict (one of my clients says, “giraffe”) and for taking time apart to cool down and stabilize. Agree on what works for both of you.
• Evenness. Being accountable for your actions returns relationships to baseline. Consider why you are upset and what you could have done or said differently. How can you express your thoughts or desires more effectively and empathically next time?
• Practice reflective listening. When intense feelings escalate, designate one person as the talker and the other as the listener. The talker says what’s on their mind, uninterrupted, for a set time. Then, the listener reflects and repeats what they heard – “What I heard you say is X. Did I get that right? Is there anything else?” Reset the timer and switch roles so each person is heard.
• Strategize. Set small goals that nurture positive connections. Schedule monthly date nights, or make it a daily goal to recognize something your partner did for which you’re thankful or grateful (e.g., “Thanks for cooking dinner.” “I really liked how you folded my clothes.”).

[Read: How ADHD Ignites RSD]

Q: As the non-ADHD partner, my concerns rarely get addressed. Everything I bring up is taken as a criticism or an attack that elicits strong reactions from my partner. I feel stuck and unheard, always walking on eggshells. What can I do?

A: Your question signals that you and your partner are not connecting as equals. I recommend discussing how to comfortably ask for help using questions based on curiosity, not blame.

• “How do we want to ask each other for help and support? The way we’re doing it isn’t working.”
• “When I tell you something, it seems that your reaction is anger and defensiveness. How should I say things in a way that would be easier for you to hear?”
• “How can I help you slow down and manage your feelings?”
• “I noticed that you looked at me. Was there anything behind that look? I’m prone to interpreting that look as a criticism, and I’m wondering what the thinking was behind it.”

If you are uncomfortable having this conversation, I strongly encourage you to find a couples therapist.

Hurt Feelings & Shame Spirals: Next Steps

• Read: 11 Rules for Fighting Right and Forgiving Faster
• Free Download: Manage ADHD’s Impact on Your Relationship
• Read: When You’re So Sensitive It Hurts
• Read: The One Ground Rule for Fighting Fair in an ADHD Marriage

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and the author of The ADHD Solution Deck.

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First, I would encourage you not to be defensive during your visit. Clinicians have to follow a process to give you a diagnosis. This may seem like a waste of time, but a full differential diagnosis requires more than just asking neurodivergent-related questions. You may be asked questions that you feel are irrelevant, but that are important nonetheless.

There might be something you can learn, and something that you can teach the clinician. I have thanked patients for correcting me about certain things and I think that those interactions have been transformative for them too. I know I’ve learned from them.

[Take the Autism in Women Self-Test]

Having said that, it is important for all of us to feel respected, and that includes respect from your clinician. If you feel your provider is cynical or not listening to you, or they’re not acting in a collaborative way, then you can say thank you and move on.

Q: “What are the common misdiagnoses given to girls and women with ADHD and autism?”

Autistic girls and women with ADHD are often diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This is a difficult differential diagnosis because it entails so much — dichotomous thinking, emotional reactivity, and fears of rejection and abandonment.

They also get misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and, more commonly, with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This is because many neurodivergent individuals like repetitiveness, or like to systematize things, and have trouble interrupting a sequence, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have OCD. It’s also not uncommon to have co-occurring conditions.

Q: “Are autistic girls with ADHD more likely to experience emotional dysregulation than their neurotypical peers?”

Emotional dysregulation is not part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD or autism, but it is very much a part of the lived experience for both conditions — and it can be very impairing. Rejection sensitivity (the tendency to intensely react to real or perceived rejection), along with spiraling emotions or thoughts, impairs a person’s functioning and ability to interact and listen.

[Get This Free Download: Your Autism Evaluation Checklist]

According to society’s gender roles, girls and women are not supposed to get upset or display anger. When faced with rejection, we may hold it in and mask — only to eventually explode. So being unable to understand our emotions and know when we need to breathe, or step away, is important.

AuDHD Diagnosis: Next Steps

• Take These Self-Tests:
  • ADHD in Women
  • Autism in Women
• Learn: How to Get Evaluated for Autism as an Adult
• Read: Autism and ADHD in Adults
• Read: “Women Need Better, More Accurate Diagnostic Tools for ADHD”
• Read: “What to Expect After Your AuDHD Diagnosis”
• Read: ADHD, Autism, and Neurodivergence Are Coming Into Focus
• Read: “A Living Contradiction” — The AuDHD Experience
• Free eBook: The Truth About Autism in Adults
  

Karen Saporito, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been in private practice for more than 20 years.

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Reserve your spot in this free webinar, and get the event replay link plus a 15% discount to ADDitude magazine

Not available June 26th? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.

ADHD brings with it intense emotions, impatience, and stress — and our inability to regulate these feelings affects everyday life as well as our most important relationships. We overreact to situations and feel angry or dejected due to real or perceived criticism. We have trouble calming down and sometimes react in ways that we later regret.

Mindfulness and related contemplative practices offer a powerful counterbalance to these feelings. They are valuable tools that aid in stress reduction, self-awareness, cognitive flexibility, self-compassion, habit change, and more. And here’s the good news: Contrary to popular belief, these practices do not require a still mind and body. When these practices are integrated with a proactive approach to physical health, they can create a stable emotional foundation that supports comprehensive, evidence-based ADHD care.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How ADHD impairs executive function and contributes to emotional dysregulation
• About the clinical importance of addressing emotional health as a foundational step in ADHD treatment planning
• How unmanaged emotional reactivity disrupts adherence to evidence-based ADHD interventions
• How to evaluate the role of mindfulness and contemplative practices in promoting emotional self-regulation and cognitive flexibility
• How to apply specific mindfulness-based strategies to support comprehensive, individualized ADHD care across clinical settings.

Have a question for our expert? There will be an opportunity to post questions for the presenter during the live webinar.

Meditation for Emotional Regulation: Resources

• Free Download: Make Mindfulness Work for You
• Read: Meditation for the Bored & Restless: How to Practice Mindfulness with ADHD
• Read: The Key to ADHD Emotional Regulation? Cultivating Gratitude, Pride & Compassion
• Read: The Ultimate List of Mindfulness Exercises
• eBook: Mindfulness & Meditation for ADHD Symptoms

Meet the Expert Speaker

Mark Bertin, M.D., is a developmental pediatrician and author of How Children Thrive, Mindful Parenting for ADHD (#CommissionsEarned), Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Teen ADHD (#CommissionsEarned), all of which integrate mindfulness into evidence-based pediatric care. Dr. Bertin is a faculty member at New York Medical College and the Windward Teacher Training Institute, and has served on advisory boards for APSARD, ADDitude Magazine, The Screen Time Action Network, Common Sense Media, and Reach Out and Read. His blog is available through Psychology Today and elsewhere.

In addition to his clinical and writing work, Dr. Bertin leads workshops and retreats that combine mindfulness and practical support for families and professionals. Join him for Held and Whole: A Restorative ADHD Retreat Rooted in Nature, October 10–12, 2025, in the Catskills. For more information, please visit www.developmentaldoctor.com.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

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I’m sorry you’re going through this. It’s never too late to begin building a bottom line, and here is how I would recommend getting started.

Step #1. Find a Good Job

Consider looking for full-time employment with benefits. A job that provides health insurance and an employer-provided retirement match will help you build financial stability now and for your future.

Look for jobs that use your ADHD strengths. Consider engaging jobs and environments that are fast-paced, creative, and varied. Depending on your educational background, it may be helpful to look for companies that offer tuition assistance so that you may return to school or receive additional training and move up to a better position with better pay.

[Free Download: ADHD-Friendly Budgeting Guide]

Step #2. Budget and Save

Use financial tools that work for your brain. Automate bill paying to reduce your mental load. For budgeting, use apps like You Need a Budget (YNAB) to track your spending. YNAB offers a structured way to visualize the flow of your money and has built-in warning signs to let you know if you’re getting off track.

Other free apps include EveryDollar and PocketGuard. Make it a habit to check in with your budget regularly.

Also, automate your savings. Make sure you’re putting money away for less frequent expenses, like medical copays, vet bills, car repairs, and emergencies. Knowing that you can cover unexpected expenses will give you peace of mind.

[Free Guide to Building Healthy Habits]

Step #3. Curb Spending

Tracking your daily expenses will help you stay within your budget boundaries and reduce impulsive spending. Consider enlisting a friend as an accountability buddy and help each other curtain spending sprees and maintain thrifty habits.

Step #4. Model Good Habits

Talk with your kids about the changes you’re experiencing and help them learn to make good financial decisions. Suggest that they do extra chores around the house or walk a neighbor’s dog to earn some money of their own. Model better spending and saving habits for your kids now to help them become responsible money managers in the future.

Financial Freedom After a Divorce: Next Steps

• Read: You’re Four Steps Away from Your Financial Security
• Webinar Replay: “The Social Traps That Snare ADHD Adults”
• Read: “How Do I Support My Child with ADHD During Our Divorce?”

Stephanie Berman in a money coach. She owns Berman Budgeting Basics, LLC, in Washington State.

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.