If you're reading this feeling completely stuck, I get it. That overwhelming sense when your brain knows what needs doing but your brain simply won't comply. When even simple tasks feel impossible and you can't understand why everyone else seems to manage basic life stuff that leaves you paralysed.
I spent several years trapped in this state, after initially doing well post-diagnosis. It's not the kind of state where you're choosing to put things off, it's the kind where you genuinely can't access the part of your brain that usually gets things started.
Then I discovered something unexpected: sometimes the smallest possible action can crack the biggest stuck.
Key takeaways
- If ADHD feels unmanageable and you don't know where to start, trying one consistent action might help.
- Getting up and going outside (even for ten minutes) was a powerful shift for me and could be worth exploring
- Sometimes proving one small thing to yourself can help rebuild trust and create momentum
- This approach helped me move forward after a years of confusion and despair, though everyone's path is different
How I discovered the power of starting small
When I was first diagnosed with ADHD and began treatment twelve years ago, things went pretty well for the first three years or so. I had a level of focus and clarity I'd never experienced before. Everything seemed to align. I thought I was set.
But I wasn't learning what ADHD actually meant or building any systems around myself. That caught up with me badly.
I gradually found myself feeling worse, not better. I was now being treated for depression and anxiety for the first time. My chronic insomnia returned - back to two or three hours of sleep a night for over two years. But the worst part was this overwhelming sense of being stuck.
I was constantly over-committing, chasing new systems, copying other people's workflows, trying to do what "normal" people did. Nothing stuck. The more I tried, the more disconnected I felt. It confirmed a deeper fear: that maybe I wasn't capable of being consistent, no matter how hard I worked at it.
After finally getting proper ADHD support ten years after my diagnosis, I learned that my depression and anxiety were being driven by unmanaged ADHD. They were symptoms of years of confusion and unmet needs.
That's when I made one simple commitment to myself:
Get out of bed at 7:30. Be outside within 15 minutes. Walk for 15 minutes. Come home.
What became clear after just a few days was that I had no interest in going back to bed. I didn't want to reach for my phone. I felt alive. My head was clearer. Something had shifted.
It feel like hell at the start, I'd been sleep deprived for years, but I needed to try and I had a real intent to do just this one thing, I could go back to bed when I was home, if that's still what I wanted to do, but it never was.
That morning habit made everything else easier. I was no longer starting the day wasting time on my phone and feeling bad about it. I was already in motion.
Over time, it stopped being a decision. It became automatic, 15 minutes turned into a 5km walk most days and was something I trusted myself to do and enjoyed. There was no pressure to perform. I was just doing something for myself, not wasting my mornings on nonsense and time-wasting things which meant I felt crap for the day.
I kept it up for months. Then I stopped around Christmas, and other things began falling away too. But this time was different, I was aware I was slipping, I started to feel the first signs of being dysregulated again and things were going backwards. Within a couple of weeks, I'd picked it back up and the other good things I needed to be doing, came back too.
I've come to accept things can never be "perfect" and the road to ADHD management and remaining vigilant will be a winding one and not what you might expect. But I'd proven something to myself, and was finally looking backwards and applying past knowledge to my current problems, something I simply couldn't do before, robbed of what others would likely see as such obvious self-awareness, welcome to ADHD where everything is now o'clock.
That's what trying one thing gave me. Not control over everything. But a way to get back to myself. It gave me the launchpad for all of the other learning I did, habits and boundaries I put in place around myself, slowly, with intent, fully understanding "why" what I was doing mattered so much, keeping it simple until it needed to be more complex.
Why ADHD can make change feel impossible
ADHD makes starting difficult, especially when you've been stuck for a while. You want to change things, but the mental load of doing it "properly" becomes too much.
So you stay in planning mode. Or avoidance mode. Or completely overwhelmed by the gap between where you are and where you think you should be.
The biggest misconception is that people with ADHD don't try. Most of the people I work with have been trying for years, on a relentless struggle to "fix" themselves, often invisible to others. But the strategies they've been given rely on motivation, memory, and executive function they don't have consistent access to.
The result is exhaustion and shame. And over time, that turns into hopelessness.
That's why just starting with one simple thing can matter so much.
Why getting outside might work for ADHD brains
It's not about becoming a "morning person" or building a perfect routine. I was always convinced I was a night owl and not a "morning person", this wasn't true despite 42 years of experience telling it it was. I wasn't sleeping properly, I wasn't starting my day in a good way. Now I'm at my best in the morning, and the afternoons are okay too. Unthinkable just two years ago.
What this can also teach you is the role of shifting your environment which can be applied in lots of other situations when you have an "ADHD moment", it's about interrupting your current pattern, shifting your state, and giving your body and brain a chance to regroup, process, pause and regulate.
Going outside could also do a few key things:
May help regulate your circadian rhythm
Exposure to sunlight in the first hour after waking can help reset your internal body clock, which is a common issue for many people with ADHD. Even a cloudy day provides enough light to potentially make a difference.
Might boost dopamine and norepinephrine
Just 10 to 15 minutes of light movement can increase the availability of the very neurotransmitters most affected by ADHD. This doesn't require intense exercise. A 15 minute walk counts.
Could interrupt stuck patterns
If your usual pattern is waking, grabbing your phone, and losing time to scrolling, getting outside might create space and momentum before those patterns take hold.
What this might look like: You don't need hiking boots or a perfect route. Try stepping outside your front door and walking to the end of your street. Or around your building. Or just standing in your garden for ten minutes. The idea is getting light, fresh air, and gentle movement before your day takes over.
Adjusting for your circumstances: Bad weather? A covered balcony or even standing by an open window might work. Mobility challenges? Adapt the movement to what feels right for your body. The core principle is worth testing: light, air, and a change of environment.
You might not "feel amazing" after doing it, it could be difficult at first and require some brute force willpower. But you could feel different. And that might be enough to build from and build up momentum.
What to notice if you try this approach
If you experiment with this, even for a few days, pay attention to what shifts. ADHD robs us of perspective and self-awareness, being clear on why this small step is important, learning how to synthesise what you learn and reflecting on progress, helps a lot.
Ask yourself:
- Do I feel more awake or settled when I return?
- Do I still want to crawl back into bed or scroll on my phone?
- Does my day feel slightly more anchored?
More importantly:
- Do I feel more capable of starting other things afterwards?
- Can I sense that I followed through, even when I didn't want to?
You're not trying to get it right. You're testing whether you can begin. The process matters, not the perfect outcome.
A simple way to experiment with this idea
Week 1: Test if it's possible
- Try setting one alarm for the same time each day
- See if you can get up and go outside within 15 minutes (avoid the phone if you can)
- Aim for 10 minutes minimum outside
- Come back inside
- Notice how you feel (no judgement)
Week 2: See if you can build on it
- Same routine, but pay attention to what makes it easier or harder
- Notice what time might work best for your schedule
- Adjust the route or duration if needed
- Acknowledge that you're still experimenting
Week 3 onwards: See if it becomes natural
- Let it become more automatic if it's working
- Don't add anything else yet if it feels hard
- If you miss a day, try starting again the next day
- Remember this is one low-stakes approach, others exist
When life gets in the way: Bad weather, late nights, travel, or illness will happen. The goal isn't perfection. It's seeing if you can restart. One missed day doesn't mean the experiment failed. If you can't commit to the walk for any reason but are awake anyhow, just try aim to change the environment (get out of the bedroom) and move in any way you can.
How ADHD coaching can help you find what works for you
This is where coaching fits in: not as a prescriptive solution, but as a space to discover and design approaches that work with your specific brain.
In coaching, we explore things like:
- Identifying where ADHD is actually getting in the way for you
- Externalising what matters so you're not relying on memory or willpower
- Creating consistency without perfection
- Making it easier to start again when things go off track
- Finding your own version of "one thing"
You're not told what to do. You're supported in figuring out what actually helps you do what you already know matters.
Often, the first shift is this: "I didn't think I could do that, but I did."
From there, we explore what else might be possible.
Curious about what works for your brain? Everyone's ADHD shows up differently, and the solutions need to match your specific patterns and circumstances.
Keep it simple
If ADHD has made everyday life feel unmanageable, maybe don't start with a complex plan.
Maybe try one, low-stakes and clear action.
Get up. Don't look at your phone. Step outside for ten minutes. Try it tomorrow. Then again. Then again.
It wont fix everything. It might not work for you at all. But it could be the thing that helps you start to believe that you can change.
That's where it began for me. Your beginning might look completely different. My outcome based on starting with this simple step that was the catalyst for the hugely transformantive months that followed.
Never give up hope. Ever.
