ADHD and gardening for wellbeing

By Kate Moryoussef

ADHD Wellbeing and Lifestyle coach, EFT practitioner and host of The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast

2020 was a life-changing year for me. Yes, I was home-schooling four kids during a global pandemic, but the most significant and memorable occurrence was an ADHD diagnosis at the age of 40. Now we see a 3,200% increase in women seeking an online test to see if they have ADHD in 2021 compared to just two years before.

This is no coincidence. During lockdown, many women without the daily routines and frameworks that have helped them navigate through life started seeing themselves in a new light. Without the structure and the organisation of perhaps children in schools and working from an office they were finding it even more difficult to cope.

Despite this unprecedented lack of routine, many women have been feeling like this all their lives. Daily challenges have become ongoing mental health struggles including anxiety, mood dysregulation, low moods, depression, potentially disordered eating, and addictions to name a few. These common ADHD co-morbidities have probably shown up in their lives at different times, maybe depending on external stressors and hormonal changes but they‘ve not been able to make the connection.

Then in midlife, there is a drop in our oestrogen which has an impact on our dopamine which is a major reason why many ADHD traits can feel so challenging. When we‘re going through perimenopause, often our ADHD symptoms which we‘ve managed to mask, conceal and control, begin to feel unmanageable. Although we’ve known something has always been off or that life has always felt weighty and exhausting throughout our lives, often as perimenopause subtly begins creeping, this is when we start realising that there‘s something else going on beneath the surface.

When we hit an age where perimenopause starts to happen, it often brings out the harder challenges that can no longer be masked by a yoga class and drinking more water - as much as I advocate for those! This is the time to go back to the doctor and tell them that these challenges have always been there but right now, you‘re finding it more challenging to cope due to this drop in oestrogen, which means our alreadylower levels of dopamine and norepinephrine are dropping, contributing to lower moods, motivation, lack of executive functioning, sleep issues and ongoing memory issues.

It‘s crucial to take note and chronicle historically where ADHD has shown up in life. For example, maybe you‘re an overachiever/perfectionist, with a restless inner motor yet struggle to access calm, balance or relaxation in your life? Could you be a workaholic, finding your worth in your career achievements, perhaps triggered by never feeling good enough academically? If that’s the case I believe you often feel like you‘re on the cusp of burnout and exhaustion despite thriving off being busy. And then when you‘re so busy you feel like you can‘t cope with life and feel constantly overwhelmed. We’re in a constant battle with our busy brains and overworked nervous systems and it can feel debilitating and exhausting.

AND GARDEN

There‘s no surprise that many people with ADHD feel connected to nature. We‘re constantly seeking ways to calm our nervous system and feel grounded and centred. I know that my most important daily well-being tool is walking in nature, grounding myself barefoot in my garden or generally just being outside, and seeing greenery.

One of the biggest ways that we can calm our restless minds and bodies is to ensure that we‘re spending as much time as we can outside in nature, which is why gardening (however that looks like for you) for both menopause and ADHD is one of the most effective tools I like to use.

Being able to get outside throughout the cycle of the seasons helps us feel more present. We can‘t rush seasons and we can‘t rush nature - no matter how impatient we are. We may want to rush through our lives and feel like we‘re never achieving enough. But when we‘re outside in nature, we have to respect the time and the conditions that we simply can‘t control or manage.

If you’re not sure where to begin, start small and get your hands dirty potting some small patio plants. Allow those natural minerals to seep in, which are mood-regulating and immune boosting! Send yourself outside in all conditions and utilise the natural energy we have to get digging and weeding. One of the most expansive and creative things I‘ve done was to design and build a pond over lockdown, done on a whim after watching Gardeners World. I knew exactly where we had space to create a wildlife pond and rockery area. Using my ADHD strengths (yes there are plenty!) of intuition, impulsivity, creativity and quick thinking, within a few days I enlisted my gardener to help me create a beautiful sanctuary, which has been one of my greatest joys over the past few years.

My pond and garden help ground me because no matter how much work I must do, I know that if I go outside in the garden, I will always feel calmer and a better person to be around. After a few minutes of dead-heading my flowerbeds or watering my herb garden, I feel my simmering irritability, impatience, and intolerance dissipate, like the water I’m absorbing into the soil. And yes, I know I’m still ‘doing’ - resting, sitting still and closing my eyes isn‘t a relaxing experience for my chattering brain - but this feels productive and calming.

For anyone who may be in the process of being assessed or diagnosed with ADHD and the challenges of perimenopause or menopause. I highly recommend going outside, getting your hands dirty, and using your body to create something magical that you can enjoy and feel calm throughout the year.