ADHD and Teeth Brushing
ADHD and teeth brushing
For a lot of people, ADHD and teeth brushing is a daily struggle. It’s a struggle to form a habit or routine that someone might be able to as naturally as breathing.
I was unable to.
For as long as I can remember, brushing my teeth has not been on the priority list of what I need to get done and not within the 100’s of lists and tabs open in my brain.
I had spent years ashamed. Trying my best to hide the fact that ‘I forgot to brush my teeth this morning’ and only remembering when I had left the house and there was no turning back (to go and brush my teeth)
Why ADHD makes hygiene routines harder
It was only when I had started researching into ADHD when I suspected I had it, that I thought, well, what if my hygiene has something to do with adhd, or am I just lazy?
It turns out when I searched ADHD and teeth brushing, it was right there.
In the first few searches. Plain as day. The correlation.
The understanding that potentially, I have adhd and THAT is why I don’t remember to brush my teeth!
This was much more confirmed when I received my diagnosis and had asked the question within my assessment.
But even though I understood the why! I couldn’t help think of ‘well how am I going to remember?’
Creating a reminder that actually works
So, I made mugs.
My thought was, I drink coffee every morning, and I wouldn’t brush my teeth before coffee. So why not drink my morning drink out of a reminder.
So these designs were born!
A pink sparkly version for those that need a nice gentle reminder, and an aggressive reminder, for those that need a much harder nudge.
I personally have the aggressive reminder, and I can honestly say it works.
I drink coffee, then I brush my teeth, then I finish my morning before leaving for work!
You’re not lazy. Your brain just works differently.
It’s your ADHD that absolutely affects your ability to remember to brush your teeth, I hope you found that answer here.
If having a visible reminder helps you the way it helps me, I made two ADHD-friendly reminder mugs
and one
that live right where your morning coffee already is.
