9 CBT Exercises For ADHD That Work

CBT exercises for ADHD are designed to help improve symptoms such as limiting belief, self-doubt, and impulsiveness. By focusing on how you think and react to the situations, exercises such as thoughtful journaling, progressive muscle relaxation techniques, meditation, exposure therapy, and powerful imagination can aid in taking control of your actions to change and eliminate suspicions.  

Mental health illnesses often share the same symptoms. Consult with a ChoicePoint DEA-certified mental health professionals to get a diagnosis and start a personalized treatment for ADHD.

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CBT for ADHD: How Can CBT Help With ADHD Symptoms?

CBT exercises for ADHD work on the two principles to bring a positive change in people dealing with ADHD which are cognitive restructuring and behavior restructuring. People with ADHD often struggle with restlessness, impulsiveness, and concentration which makes their simple daily life activities such as putting away laundry, washing dishes, or doing routine paperwork difficult. 

 Some of the symptoms of ADHD include:

• Making careless mistakes
• Maintaining attention to time-consuming tasks e.g. completing a school assignment
• Unable to remain seated for long periods
• Failing to wait for your turn
• Having problems remembering daily tasks e.g. vacuuming the home, or paying bills

Our Therapists use CBT techniques and strategies to help change your problematic thoughts to react and respond effectively in certain situations. This approach can be useful for managing ADHD symptoms. 

Does CBT Actually Help? Effectiveness of CBT Exercises For ADHD

CBT is an evidence-based approach that influences your thoughts to bring a positive change in your irrational emotions and behavior: 

• Research published in BMC Psychiatry shows that ADHD patients who received CBT along with medications performed better in reducing depression, anxiety, and core ADHD symptoms than those who were only treated with medications. 
• CBT is also effective in treating ADHD and comorbidities such as post-drinking depression, ADHD, and meth abuse, Adderall and alcohol abuse, and other anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

5 Benefits of CBT for Adult ADHD

9 CBT Exercises For ADHD

CBT works on certain principles to help people with ADHD manage their time, fulfill their duties, and remember their duties. Here are some of the ADHD therapy activities based on these principles:

1. Time Tracker 

People with ADHD find it difficult to manage their time often failing to meet their deadlines. For example, a presentation that may need three hours to complete, for teenagers with ADHD might take 3 days to submit. 

How It Helps?

A time tracker can help you track your time throughout the day, mentioning your breaks, productivity hours, and distractions. This practice will help you complete your energy-draining tasks during peak productive hours and take breaks during distraction periods.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Stress and ADHD go hand in hand. It is common for people with ADHD to take stress about their pending tasks, and forgetfulness. 

How It Helps?

Our therapist can teach you behavioral techniques for ADHD to help relax your muscles through progress muscle relaxation. Here is one example of how progressive muscle relaxation is performed:

1. Inhale for 5 seconds while contracting your shoulder muscles. Exhale to expel the tension.
2. Relax for about 10 seconds.
3. Then inhale and exhale targeting another muscle, e.g. thigh muscles.
4. Focus on how air enters and leaves, releasing the tension from your muscles and stress from your mind. 
5. Repeat the process with other muscles until you feel completely relaxed.

3. Thoughtful Journaling

ADHD creates self-doubt. Evidence from the research also suggests that people with ADHD struggle with self-belief. Journaling can pave the way for positive thoughts to flow in.

How It Helps?

It is important to reframe your thoughts when doing this CBT exercise for ADHD. Reframing thoughts means positively writing your thoughts. Here are three examples of reframing your thoughts: 

Though#1: I am a failure ❌

Although I have not been able to do it earlier, maybe I can give it another try ✔️ 

Though#2: I know I will make a mistake ❌

I know I have made a mistake in the past, but I have learned from those mistakes ✔️ 

Thought#3: I never meet deadlines ❌

If I adopt time management, I can also complete my tasks on time ✔️ 

4. Vision Board

Lazy and unmotivated are some of the names people with ADHD are frequently called. If you have also experienced that, it is time to change that with a vision board. 

How It Helps?

Vision board is a goal-setting CBT therapy at-home exercise that allows you to write down yearly goals and then break them down into monthly, weekly, and daily targets to achieve them. It allows you to complete your tasks in smaller chunks, providing a sense of motivation. Completing one task at a time will help you eventually complete your bigger goals. 

5. Problem-Solving CBT Exercise For ADHD

The ADHD restlessness and decreased concentration might weaken your analytical skills. Instead of searching through the options, you might just end up giving in to the situation. With CBT activities for adults, you will learn to restructure your cognitive abilities and make a decision out of problems. 

How Does It Help?

Our therapist might hand over a problem-solving CBT for ADHD worksheet (as shared below) to help you think critically. 

6. Float Your Thoughts

ADHD often brings catastrophic thinking. Thought like, If I stepped out of the home, I might run into an accident. If I pick up the glass, I might break it. CBT technique for effective communication can help gain control over your thoughts.

How It Helps?

This CBT exercise for ADHD uses visualization to burst your negative thoughts. You may be asked to imagine your negative thoughts coming down as a stream, toward you, and then going away. It will help you separate your thoughts from your personality.

7. Meditation 

Meditation works by increasing awareness about the present rather than thinking about the past or the future. It helps people with ADHD regulate their emotions and attention.

Steps To Meditation For ADHD

There are multiple therapeutic activities for ADHD in terms of meditation to choose from. Here is an overview of body scans and mindfulness behavioral techniques for ADHD. 

8. Facing Worries With Exposure Therapy

Children with ADHD are often fearful of disappointing their parents and teachers. CBT therapy for teens and adults exposes you to your fears so you can learn to confront them. 

How It Helps?

CBT brain exercises for ADHD expose you to your fears in a safe environment for short intervals so you can learn to cope with them. Start small, and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your exposure as you get the confidence. Exposure therapy can occur in real or imagination. 

9. Making A To-Do-List

It can be overwhelming for people with ADHD to do tasks that require patience and time, But hyperactivity therapy activities such as making a to-do list aid in accomplishing your daily chores. 

How It Helps?

A to-do list breaks down your daily tasks into smaller chunks repressing the feeling of overwhelm. With each checked-off task, you will feel motivated that you at least completed a smaller task so you can complete the rest of it as well. 

Free Addiction Assessment

Please note this assessment is an initial self-screening, and it is not meant to be a medical assessment or clinical diagnosis of addiction. For proper diagnosis and treatment, schedule an appointment with ChoicePoint.

Finding Insurance Covered Online CBT Therapists In NJ For ADHD

You are in luck if you reside near New Jersey. ChoicePoint a top-rated alcohol and drug rehab in NJ is a complete treatment facility providing holistic care for ADHD and other mental health issues. Our DEA-certified professionals can provide you with everything you need, from diagnosis of ADHD to mental health therapy. Most of the time, ADHD either causes substance use disorder (SUD) or is the result of abusing prescription medicines or illegal drugs. ChoicePoint can provide you

• Dual diagnosis to treat co-occurring mental disorders 
• Virtual CBT sessions 
• Weekend programs 
• The personalized treatment plan that suits your needs

We are in-network with major insurance providers like Medicaid, Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, Optum NJ, and United Healthcare. Get your journey started to sustain long-term sobriety.

CBT Exercises For ADHD: More Information

Here is more insight into CBT and how it can help manage the symptoms of ADHD.

What Are The 5 Steps Of CBT?

CBT is a strategic plan that provides a roadmap for individuals dealing with mental health issues to achieve sobriety. Here are the steps of this roadmap:

1. Assessment
2. Devising plan
3. ADHD therapy techniques and other interventions
4. Maintenance
5. Follow up

What CBT Exercises Are Good For ADHD Adults?

Brain exercises for ADHD work on reframing your thoughts and behavior to help people overcome ADHD symptoms. Here are a few CBT exercises for ADHD adults:

• Meditation
• Thoughtful Journaling
• To-do-list
• Time tracker
• Vision Board
• Cognitive Reconstructing

What Are Some of the CBT Behavioral Strategies for ADHD?

CBT works on two main principles: cognitive and behavior modification for ADHD adults. A CBT therapist pays special attention to your thoughts and helps you to make conscious efforts to improve ADHD thinking patterns. Similarly, the therapy also improves your behavior by teaching relaxation techniques and time management strategies. 

Why Is CBT Recommended For ADHD?

CBT is recommended for ADHD because it allows patients to focus on their present and replace their hyperactivity with focused sessions of work. Whether you go for CBT group activities or choose a one-on-one session, you will receive equal care to get over ADHD.

References

1. Journal of Attention Disorders. 2020. Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With and Without Medication for Adults With ADHD: A Randomized Clinical Trial
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28413900/
2. BMC Psychiatry. 2024. One-year follow-up of the effectiveness and mediators of cognitive behavioral therapy among adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: secondary outcomes of a randomized controlled trial
   https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-024-05673-8
3. Journal of Research In Behavioral Science. 2024. The effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on ADHD symptoms in men with substance use disorder, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ADHD Symptoms, Substance Use Disorder.
   https://rbs.mui.ac.ir/article-1-1715-en.html
4. Sage Journals. Long-Term Outcomes of ADHD: A Systematic Review of Self-Esteem and Social Function
   https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1087054713486516