Attempting to figure out how to live and cope with a mental illness such as ADHD can be incredibly difficult. It is a constant battle that slowly runs you down and takes a toll on your quality of life. It’s hard to explain to someone that you simply cannot stay focused on a task or sit still for long periods of time as easily as other people.

Oftentimes explaining how ADHD limits you can come off sounding more like an excuse than a legitimate struggle to other people. Because of this, people with ADHD are often labeled as lazy, unmotivated, or even unintelligent. In turn, this can cause those dealing with it to feel hopeless and as though they have no agency in regards to their illness.

However, this idea could not be any further from the truth, as there are many ways to make ADHD more manageable so you can take control of your life.

1. Keep yourself busy

It’s incredibly easy to become distracted by things such as television or a computer when you’re stuck sitting around all day. Setting tasks for yourself that will keep you busy throughout the day will keep your mind occupied and give you the drive to complete the next task. Setting up a to-do list with different goals you wish to accomplish can give you the extra boost that you need in order to stay busy instead of just sitting around. An organized list leaves less room for distractions and gives you a clear idea of what it is that you need to get done.

2. Step outside of your usual environments

Places of comfort such as your bedroom or your living room are going to provide far more distractions than other environments. For example, you’ll be more inclined to pull up an episode of Black Mirror on Netflix while sitting in your room than you might if you were sitting in a public space. That being said if you have a paper that needs to be worked on then consider heading to the library instead of going back to your room. Putting yourself into an active environment will make your mind feel more engaged to work in the same way as those around you.

3. Positive reinforcement and self-rewarding

Sometimes all it takes to complete a task is a little reward. Let’s say you have to read one chapter for your psychology class. For a person with ADHD, a 20 paged chapter can be incredibly daunting and take hours of work to complete due to distractions. However, if you present yourself with a reward for completing a set task, then you’ll find yourself being more likely to stay focused on that task. For example, if you have an unopened bag of jelly beans and 20 pages to read, then for every half of a page that you stay focused on you could reward yourself by eating 3 of those jelly beans.

The same logic can be applied to longer-term goals as well, such as if you want to watch a full episode of your favorite TV show, but you have a 5-page paper to write. Try telling yourself that you can reward yourself by watching the show after you’ve completed your paper. This will give you the motivation you need to finish the task without focusing so much on the distraction.

4. Work ahead and set deadlines

Procrastination is the worst enemy of someone who has ADHD. It’s easy to put assignments off until the last possible minute because you can’t stay focused on it. But the longer you put something off, the more stress and anxiety you’re going to feel once that due date comes around. In order to avoid this, it can help to get work done ahead of time.

One of the best ways to approach this is by setting an early deadline for yourself to have the work done by. To keep yourself on track while working towards your deadline, continuously remind yourself that if your work is not completed by that date then you’ll be unable to partake in whatever activity of your choice in the days that follow. Avoiding procrastination is an incredibly difficult task to follow through with, but the reward of lifting the strain of unfinished work off of your shoulders is well worth it.

5. Speak with a medical professional

There are times when methods of self-discipline simply aren’t enough and you need a little bit of extra help in order to manage your ADHD. People such as your doctor, a psychologist, or a therapist are just some of the individuals who can offer you the help that you need. Many people avoid seeking help, but there’s no shame in talking to someone about your struggles. A professional can give you the guidance that you need in order to set yourself on the right track to managing your illness. Battles do not always need to be fought alone, and sometimes someone pointing you in the right direction can work wonders.