The most valuable thing you can do to manage ADHD symptoms, also happens to be 100% free.
If you're living with ADHD, you know how challenging it can be to manage symptoms and just keep turning up in a world not designed for us. While medication is often the first line of treatment, there's another approach that’s also incredibly useful – and completely free.
We're not talking about meditation or mindfulness exercises (although those are great too!). This is something much simpler: Going for a walk every day.
That's right; taking a daily walk can have a profound impact on your mental health and ADHD symptoms. And it's not just because exercise is good for you (which, of course, it is).
It's because the act of moving your body has a direct effect on your brain chemistry.
The Surprising Connection Between Exercise and Emotional Regulation
Regular physical activity has been shown to improve emotional regulation in individuals with ADHD. This means that walking every day can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression – two things that often go hand-in-hand with ADHD.
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are natural mood-boosters. These chemicals interact with the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine and improving motivation and engagement.
It's like a built-in happiness button!
Exercise as a Brain Health Promoter
Physical exercise can stimulate neuroplasticity – the brain's ability to adapt and change. This means that regular physical activity can actually help rewire your brain, making it more efficient and effective at managing ADHD symptoms.
Think of it like this: when you're exercising regularly, your brain is getting a workout too!
You're building new neural connections, strengthening existing ones, and improving overall cognitive function.
The Power of Movement for Attentional Abilities
Regular physical activity has also been shown to improve attentional abilities in individuals with ADHD. This means that walking every day can help you stay focused, on-task, and engaged – even when faced with challenging tasks or situations.
And here's the best part: it doesn't even have to be a long walk! Just 10-15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day can make a significant difference in your mental clarity and focus.
Tapping into Novelty Seeking Dopamine
But that's not all. For those of us who would happily volunteer to bungy jump naked from a moving bullet train just to feel truly alive for a few minutes, walking probably sounds utterly pointless and boring.
Over the past few years however, we’ve found that by walking somewhere different each day, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, or taking the opportunity to schedule calls with old friends, we can stimulate the brain's reward system even further – releasing dopamine and improving motivation and engagement.
By mixing things up and keeping your walks interesting, you can tap into that novelty-seeking drive and make exercise feel more enjoyable and rewarding.
So What Are You Waiting For?
If you're living with ADHD - or even if you’re not! - we encourage you to give walking a try. It's free, it's easy, and it might just have a profound impact on your mental health and well-being.
PROTIP: Learn your phone’s inbuilt voice commands to record a private voice message, ie
“Hey Siri, new voice memo”.
All that exercise will get your brain firing off lots of cool new ideas, and now that most phone’s can automatically transcribe your words into text, you might just be walking and writing the next big blockbuster!
