A Moderate Christmas from Us at Letterlife!

Here we go again! Christmas is here, with its demands and promises. Do you also feel like you’re clinging desperately to a runaway train? A train we collectively agree is speeding toward a place where time ceases to exist after December 24th. Apparently, everything must be completed, finalized, and locked in before Christmas. ADHD or not!

It’s as if life on Earth as we know it doesn’t exist after the holidays.

This time of year feels like the entire world has become incapable of slowing down. Reflecting, and doing things in moderation. You know, exactly what every day in an ADHD life feels like.

Moderation or “just enough” isn’t exactly the theme of Christmas. 

After the holidays, many of us – whether we have ADHD or not – often reflect on how extreme it has been. Maybe we’ve eaten too much, moved too little, bought far too many gifts, or been overwhelmed by forced social gatherings.

But moderation is our most important motto here at Letterlife. 

Moderation, in the meaning of doing things “just enough” is a concept that barely exists in the ADHD language. 

Because moderation is precisely what’s so incredibly hard when you have ADHD. 

Not too much.
Not too little.
Just enough.
In moderation.

So perhaps it’s when Christmas hits with all its blinking lights, social gatherings and excess food. The steady messages about how cozy and magical everything must be.

Then it’s that time you get a chance to reflect on what moderation is for you.

When the playing field between neurodivergent and neurotypical people temporarily evens out. And everyone – diagnosis or not – seems to struggle to find the balance between rest and activity, hunger and fullness, togetherness and alone time.

An ADHD-Friendly Christmas

So why not take this opportunity to see if it’s possible to have a truly ADHD-friendly Christmas this year?

Here are some practical and concrete tips for slowing down the runaway train. And gifting yourself a little balance and mindfulness this holiday season:

1. Refuse the “Instagram Christmas!”

Okay, it’s hard because the ADHD brain doesn’t thrive on “good enough.” It chases extremes, swinging between perfectionism and giving up and letting go entirely.

Practice tolerating a just enough level of ambition. Maybe the gingerbread cookies don’t need locally sourced flour? Store-bought cookies taste great too.
And maybe you don’t need to serve every Christmas dish in its vegan form. Did anyone even ask for that?

2. White lies for the win!

If social settings normally tire you out, the holidays can be an open invitation to sensory overload. It may not be because you don’t like the people you’re with. But because the ADHD brain often struggles to filter out irrelevant noise.

Everything comes and demands processing power.

Consider flagging in advance that you really appreciate the invitation to the eggnog gathering or the office Christmas dinner. Or maybe your cousins’ karaoke night. But that you might not stay all evening because you need to prepare for the holidays.

3. Go into “infant mode!”

When it’s not just your brain but the whole world that’s caught in Christmas hysteria. It’s more important than ever to focus on your basic needs.

Sleep, eat, exercise, and stay away from alcohol.

Think proactively and set reminders for yourself if you know you tend to get swept up in others’ paces or plans.

Think of the Christmas holidays as a challenge to pay extra attention when your body and brain start signaling a loss of control, chaos and exhaustion.

Christmas will offer you plenty of chances to exercise your brain’s self-regulation muscle.

Practice saying “No, thanks” to yet another toast, actively choosing to stop eating before your stomach feels like it’s in four corners, and going to bed on time—even if it’s vacation.

The only thing you can ask of yourself is that you try.

And you’re not alone – because, during Christmas, it’s not just people with ADHD who struggle with moderation. 

There are plenty of people without a diagnosis who feel it’s all a bit too much of a good thing during the holidays!

So, let’s hope – and maybe even aim for – a Moderate Christmas. 

Take a deep breath, let go of perfection, throw out a little white lie if your social battery is drained. And don’t skip your most important routines just because it’s vacation! 

Because there is life after Christmas. This year, too.

From all of us in the Letterlife team to all of you:
Have a Moderate Merry Christmas!

Your Letterlife Team❤️

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