Strategies for ditching the burnout, surviving the chaos, and rediscovering holiday magic. Kids losing sleep during the holidays basically a rite of passage. By that point, the holiday sleep deprivation started weeks ago.
Here’s how mom-of-two Alba C. puts it: “[During the holidays] my mind races to the point that it can take me hours to fall asleep, or fall back asleep. I’ll have thoughts like, ‘Did I buy enough presents?,’ and ‘I have so many presents to wrap!’ Those thoughts start piling up, and that can put me in a moody state where I get irritated very easily.” Nobody wants to be the holiday Grinch. But when you toss executive dysfunction into the mix with social obligations, family drama, and midnight present-wrapping marathons, the holidays become a brutal obstacle course for moms with ADHD.
We talked to experts — and some moms who’ve been through it — to find out how to ditch the burnout, survive the chaos, and rediscover holiday magic this season. Here are some ways to cope. The holidays amplify struggles with executive dysfunction like forgetfulness, task avoidance, or missing details, explains Dr.
Olele, a board-certified psychiatrist with Genesis Psychiatric Solutions. To ease holiday stress, he recommends delegating responsibilities to other family members and asking for help wherever possible. If you have a spouse or partner, communicate and divide responsibilities.
If there are teenagers or adult children in the house, ask them to help with some of the holiday preparations,” he says. Holiday parties are where Jacquelyn D.’s ADHD symptoms — including sound sensitivity and social self-consciousness — feel the most intense. To avoid spoiling the party, the 47-year-old mom of two always comes prepared with an escape plan.
Since sleep deprivation magnifies difficulties women with ADHD are already working hard to manage — like attention, working memory, impulse control, and emotional regulation — Dr. McCarthy advises that sometimes the most productive thing a mom can do is leave something unfinished, and go to bed. Build in downtime, protect your routines when possible, and pay attention to early signs of dysregulation.” Amy H., an author and mother of eight, keeps her own ADHD symptoms in check by planning ahead.
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