ADHD Awareness: De-Stress Dressing

October is ADHD Awareness Month. A study last year in The Independent found that as many as 2 million people in the UK alone could have undiagnosed ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), with the study suggesting that 80% of those with ADHD are undiagnosed. 

Do you ever find buying clothes or choosing daily outfits a chore? It's ADHD Awareness Month but you don't have to be an ADHDer to take something from this blog post on 'de-stress' dressing.

Impulsivity 

For those with impulsive symptoms as part of their ADHD,  it can be hard not to curb impulses to buy the next trend or to fall victim to fashion marketing. When shopping in person, a dopamine hit from seeing and choosing something new can lead to wasted purchases which are bad for your bank balance, the sense of overwhelm from your wardrobe and bad for the environment. Sophie added to this saying, ‘And returns are too much to cope with so you end up with a pile of clothes that don’t fit and you don’t ever give back.’

Strategies to save yourself from impulsivity could be options like the 24-hour rule. If you still want what you’re tempted by a day later, consider it again. You could opt for a longer cooling-off period depending on your degree of impulsivity and your budget. Pop the item in your online basket or favourite it and set yourself a reminder. Buying in person? Take a photo and revisit the next day. Or just take cash to the shops to limit any spending.

Overwhelm

Stimulation overwhelm is another issue which can affect an ADHDer. Rack upon rack of items can give anyone a sense of overwhelm. Coupled with this, some with ADHD are sensitive to sensory stimuli. This can include the fabrics clothes are made of, the labels inside a garment along with a shop’s artificial lights, music soundtrack and the hubbub of sound and movement of other shoppers.

If you want to shop in person, find quieter days of the week and times if you can. As Jayne explained, ‘the fashion world could help by providing fabric descriptions, clearly labelled sections and calm environments’. Shop staff should be trained not to be ‘pushy’ and to be ‘more aware of neurodiverse needs… Curated collections that help with overwhelm’ would also be a step in the right direction, she says. Neurodiverse-friendly shopping sessions and areas would be beneficial too.

Decision Fatigue

It can happen to us all, but to an even greater extent for someone with ADHD: decision fatigue. As an article for the ADHD Centre states, ‘The ADHD population are usually not morning people. Most of the time, their brains are not active and aware even after they get dressed.’ As Trish bemoaned, ‘Topline, I hate having to decide what to wear every morning….There are far too many decisions to make, and I’m just not very good at it either! I either wear whatever my eyes land on first, something from the floor/chair-drobe, or a combination of both!’

Whether it’s ADHD at the root of your wardrobe woes or just that you’re uninterested in clothes or a have limited time in the mornings, try:

• A limited capsule wardrobe, sticking to the same colour palette and similar items. Plain colours help so that any top will go with any bottom.

• Grouping clothes in outfits in your wardrobe so you don’t have to think what will go with what.

• Plan ahead, with outfits of the week set out in advance or at least the night before.

• Take photos of outfits you wear and stick them on your wardrobe door so you have a visual reminder each morning.

  
  

Be More Lucy & Yak

More brands could emulate one my favourite sustainable clothing labels, Lucy & Yak. They have stores with neurodiversity-friendly shopping times, sensory-friendly designs and have had collections created by neurodivergent artists.

Dress with Joy and Authenticity

But at the end of the day, no one with ADHD (or without) should try to conform. Find your style - with professional help if needed. Everyone deserves to dress with joy and authenticity. Be you. Be confident. Be joyful.

This short blog post is taken from my free weekly transformEd style magazine. You can subscribe via the link below.

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