ADHD & the Holidays: A Simple Shift That Can Make This Season Feel Lighter

If you ever feel like the holidays take more out of you than they give back, you’re definitely not the only one—especially if you have ADHD. This time of year brings extra emotional labor, more decisions, more logistics, and a whole lot of pressure to “make it all happen” that can send us into a whole extra level of overwhelm!

And for an ADHD brain that’s already working harder behind the scenes than most people ever realize, the holidays can quickly tip the scales from festive to frazzled.

But there’s a simple shift I teach my clients every season, and it can make an enormous difference in how you experience the next few weeks. It doesn’t require perfect planning, superhuman organization, or an ounce of willpower.

It’s what I call… The One-Thing-That-Matters-Most Question.  (Catchy. I know. 😊 )

But before I get to the strategy, let’s talk about

Why the Holidays Hit ADHD Brains Harder

The holiday season amplifies the areas where ADHD tends to show up most:

• planning

• prioritization

• time management

• emotional regulation

• task initiation

• follow-through

Suddenly there are more events, more decisions, more social expectations, more steps, and more emotional “stuff” to navigate—all at once.

And because an ADHD brain has trouble filtering what matters most, everything starts to feel equally urgent.
That’s where overwhelm kicks in.
That’s when the wheels spin.
And that’s when you can feel stuck even though you’re trying so hard.

The ADHD-Friendly Strategy That Changes Everything

Instead of trying to hold the whole holiday season in your head (and feeling crushed under the weight of it), try asking yourself this one question:

“What’s the one thing that would make the biggest difference right now?”

That’s it.
Not the perfect thing.
Not the whole list.
Not the ten steps ahead.

Just the one thing that matters most, right now.

This helps ADHD brains because it:

• cuts through overwhelm

• creates clarity

• reduces decision fatigue

• helps you take action

• interrupts overthinking

• keeps you grounded in the present moment

And the best part?
It works at any moment, no matter how full or chaotic the day is.

What might this look like in real life?

Maybe it’s:

• choosing one gift to handle instead of the entire list

• jotting down those dates floating around in your head

• setting one simple boundary (even if it’s just “not this year”)

• tidying one small spot that’s visually overwhelming

• deciding that “good enough” is your theme for the year

It’s about simplifying your focus so you stay centered—not buried.

When you stack enough of these tiny, clarifying choices together, the whole season starts to feel lighter. When you start giving yourself permission to focus on what truly matters—one small decision at a time—you create a completely different experience of the holidays. Instead of scrambling to keep up, you begin to feel more grounded, more capable, and more in control of your bandwidth.

If this simple strategy helps you feel even a little lighter, remember: small shifts like this truly add up. And sometimes, having a few extra tools or a little more structure can make an even bigger difference—especially during a season that’s already full to the brim.

And if you could use a little more help getting there…

If you’d like more support, I created a resource specifically for times like this! It’s a self-paced, ADHD-friendly self-coaching course filled with practical tools, reusable planning templates, and resources to help you navigate any holidays with more ease every single year. It’s called “Simple Steps to Happier Holidays“.   

You can use it one nugget at a time, or work through it step-by-step—whatever fits your life right now.

A Calmer, More Intentional Season Is Possible

The holidays don’t have to drain you.
And they don’t have to be something you just push through and recover from in January.

With a few ADHD-friendly strategies and some simple planning tools, you really can experience more presence, more calm, and more joy—even during a season that’s full to the brim.

You deserve to feel more peace—not pressure—this year!
And it’s absolutely within reach.

With my best wishes for more joy and calm this year, and all your years to come…