ADHD and Holiday Stress: How to Make Sure You Actually Enjoy It

Topics: ADHD and holiday stress, people-pleasing, perfectionism, energy management, realistic planning, self-love, and enjoying the moment.

The holidays can be a magical time, but for those of us with ADHD, they can also be overwhelming, stressful, and full of unrealistic expectations. 🎄

✨ Ruth and Rachael get real about surviving the holidays with ADHD and how to actually enjoy them. From tackling people-pleasing tendencies to managing perfectionism and energy levels, we dive deep into creating a season that feels joyful and manageable.

✨ Key Discussion Points:

ADHD and Holiday Stress: We kick things off by discussing the unique ways ADHD brains struggle during the holidays, from sensory overload to overcommitting.

The Three Ps – People-Pleasing, Protestant Work Ethic, and Perfectionism: Ruth shares her "three Ps" that tend to sabotage her holiday experience, and we explore how these deeply ingrained habits affect us during this time of year.

Energy Management and Realistic Planning: We unpack the trap of planning elaborate holiday events and how often we forget to account for the actual energy required to pull them off. Spoiler: scaling back is self-care!

Learning to Love Yourself: One of the biggest takeaways in this episode is the reminder that we are worthy of love, even if the house isn’t perfect or every plan doesn’t go as expected. We talk about why self-love is the foundation for surviving the holidays (and life in general).

Reframing Holiday Expectations: Instead of aiming for the “perfect” holiday, we chat about prioritizing what truly matters—connection, joy, and being present in the moment.

👉 Join the conversation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for support and community, or reach out if you’d like to share your ADHD journey! 📬 Interested in being a guest or working with us? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ruth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rachael⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ directly—we’d love to hear from you!

📚 Do you feel like you're floundering? Ruth helps women move from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Functioning to Flourishing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Focus on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Getting Sh*t Done⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Rachael.