How to Motivate a Teenager with ADHD
The teenage period is one of the hardest for anyone to navigate. On one hand, teenagers are trying to figure out this new phase of life, but their parents, on the other, have trouble guiding them through it.
But what if the teenager suffers from ADHD? Motivating teenagers with ADHD can be difficult but not impossible!
If you are a parent or an adult who wants to motivate their children suffering from such conditions, then don’t worry. Here we will let you know how to motivate a teenager with ADHD?
Lets begin
Why is it Important to Motivate a Teenager with ADHD?
Academic and social pressure can sometimes get the best of most teens. According to an article by Forbes, high school graduates with ADHD earn 17% less income than students with no ADHD.
Hence, it is essential to motivate teenagers who have ADHD so that they can transition out of their teenage years healthily and safely.
Learn How to Motivate a Teenager with ADHD In Simple Ways
Here are some ways you can begin to motivate a teenager with ADHD.
1. Understand their mindset:
Firstly, you must understand that teenagers who have ADHD work differently than other teenagers. So, to motivate teenagers with ADHD, you first need to know how their brains work. They are in a constant state of confusion and restlessness.
Even the simplest of tasks can make them restless. Not only this, but teenagers with ADHD indulge in negative self-talk, cannot pay attention, and are impulsive. So before navigating through this, book an appointment with a therapist or doctor.
This will give you a clear picture of how their thought process works. Once you understand their mindset and thought process, it will be easy to communicate with them.
After all, dealing with teenagers who have ADHD requires healthy communication. By establishing a healthy form of communication, it will be easy for the teenager to calm and manage their ADHD symptoms.
Pro tip: Indulge yourself in different articles online and contact experts who deal with such cases. A simple mind map can help you set foot in the right direction.
2. Create task sheets
Teenagers with ADHD have trouble paying attention. To keep them motivated with their daily chores, introduce task sheets into their lives!
Which parent wouldn’t mind their kid checking off things on their to-do list? Now, here we aren’t just talking about those simple to-do lists. Teenagers with ADHD have trouble paying attention, so a simple and boring to-do list won’t do the trick to keep them motivated.
As parents, here are some things you can do to keep them attentive and focused on their primary tasks:
- Download fun and interactive task sheets specially designed for people with ADHD. They Are The Future has some cool ones that you can use. These task sheets can help your teenager get efficient work done and better understand themselves.
- Set different task sheets for various purposes. For example, don’t just have one sheet for everything. Keep separate task sheets for school, house chores, and daily routine activities.
- Create task sheets in different formats. This will keep them attentive and excited!
- If you want to try something new, get digital planners. These planners have proven to really help teenagers with ADHD. Such planners not only help you get work done for your teenagers, but they can also help with time management.
3. Assure them that you have their back.
The teenage phase of any person is one of the hardest to endure. Having to come out of the childhood phase and establish a plan for your future can be difficult for anyone. These constant feelings of lack of security can take a toll on anyone’s mental health.
However, it can have serious lifelong effects on teenagers with ADHD. Hence, it is essential to deal with them properly through this stage. So, what can you do to ensure your teenager feels safe and protected? Assure them that you always have their back!
Establish a positive connection to help them better communicate with you about their feelings. Help create a supportive environment in the home that can help them align their strengths and weaknesses. Make them know that they can always come to you in hard times.
4. Create a check-in balance system.
With their hyper activeness, teenagers with ADHD often tend to forget to do essential tasks. Creating a check-in balance system will help them finish their day’s tasks. It will also help them take accountability and achieve independence.
How? Making a to-do list for them to complete and then creating a check-in balance helps them complete their tasks of the day. It also helps them feel accomplished, further motivating them to make to-do lists themselves. It can also have a positive impact on their confidence and self-esteem.
As an adult, your check-in balance system will help determine if their behavioral patterns and symptoms are improving.
5. Celebrate your teenager’s small wins.
Small habits can go a long way. According to an article at Additude, teenagers achieve a sense of confidence when their small wins are celebrated. Being happy at their small achievements lets them know that you support their achievements.
For a teenager with ADHD, what can those small wins be? It can be as simple as completing a chore at home or finishing their homework on time.
To celebrate these small achievements, cook their favorite meal or take them out to their favorite places. In motivating a teenager with ADHD, these small actions can make an everlasting impact on them.
6. Positive affirmations
The power that affirmations hold can’t be underestimated. Acenda Integrated Health states that positive affirmations reflect your present state. Teenagers usually get into a cycle of negative self-talk, but with teenagers with ADHD, it is more frequent.
Besides getting into negative thinking, they question their self-worth more often than usual. Getting into the habit of practicing positive affirmations can boost their confidence and eliminate negative self-talk.
It can also help them align their goals with their present self, w, which will motivate them and is very easy to train. By practicing positive affirmations daily, you unknowingly train your subconscious mind. This helps teenagers with ADHD retain focus and stay calm, which is needed.
You can get your teenager to write down some affirmations on paper. Then, make them repeat that every morning by looking in front of a mirror. With this simple yet effective habit, you will notice the difference in your teenager within weeks. Here are some positive affirmations from Web MD you can try to begin with:
- ‘I can achieve what I wish for.’
- ‘I deserve to be happy.’
- ‘I believe in myself’
7. Establish an action plan with them
Teenagers with ADHD need an action plan. They need someone to guide them through their everyday activities and check in on them.
You can help them by first discussing their life goals. Make them understand that the small habits they install now with their condition will substantially impact their future. By doing this, you will also automatically instill a sense of independence in them.
8. Create a healthy lifestyle.
Lastly, get to the basics. Lifestyle is not only a way of living but an entire circle of habits that shape you—something that frames your future and you as a person.
Teenagers with ADHD need a healthy lifestyle to minimize their symptoms later in adulthood. Here are some things that you can incorporate into the teenager’s routine to create a healthy lifestyle:
- A proper and healthy breakfast.
- It is limiting screen time.
- Working out for at least 30 minutes every day.
- Journaling every night before going to sleep to document any unnecessary triggers.
A healthy lifestyle begins at home. If your teenager or someone you know has ADHD, urge them first to correct their daily routine.
Conclusion:
Wondering how to motivate a teenager with ADHD? Well, Incorporating simple ways in daily life can have a healthy and lasting impact on a teenager’s life. Practicing the above tips and tricks has been proven to influence teenagers with ADHD greatly.
Even though the exact known cause of ADHD is still unknown. The above ways can help deal with this neurological disorder effectively.
Teenagers with ADHD need to establish habits and lifestyle changes that can calm their triggers. As an adult or an acquaintance, you can help them lead a healthy life by following these steps.
About Tommy Turner:
Entrepreneur and author Tommy Turner brings over three decades of experience inspiring others through his journey in the piano industry, online marketing, stock trading, and motivational writing.
For more about Tommy’s journey and work, visit the about page, drop a line on the contact page or leave a comment in the comments section. Check out Tommy’s books!
