10 Tips For an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle When You Have ADHD
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Is your ADHD getting in the way of your eco-friendly lifestyle goals?
Living with ADHD can be challenging enough, but the extra work and organisation that a zero-waste lifestyle requires can be overwhelming.
After I explain what an eco-friendly lifestyle is and why it’s difficult for neurodivergent people, I have 10 tips to help you create a more sustainable lifestyle when you have ADHD.
What is an eco-friendly lifestyle?
If you have an eco-friendly lifestyle it means you are living in a way that reduces harm to the planet. It involves adopting positive habits to reduce your waste and the Earth’s natural resources you consume.
Some of the most common changes people creating a sustainable lifestyle focus on are:
ditching single-use plastic and disposable products
recycling and composting
buying secondhand
growing their own food
avoiding toxic chemicals
reducing their carbon footprint
A zero-waste lifestyle looks different for everyone because there are a variety of environmental issues that need addressing.
If you’re a beginner, the best thing to do is figure out what your core values are and make one change at a time.
Blog posts for beginners
Why is an eco-friendly lifestyle harder with ADHD?
A lot of sustainable lifestyle changes require organisation, planning, working memory, and time-management skills so when you have ADHD**, it can be more challenging to keep the actions up for a long period of time.
The advice that is given out on social media is often by neurotypical influencers who don’t consider neurodivergent people or recognise that their posts are ableist.
This can leave neurodivergent or disabled people feeling like they’re not good enough or not welcome in the environmental movement.
**Obviously not every person with ADHD is the same, some may thrive on strict routines and organisation, so the challenges will always be unique to the individual.
This blog post is based on my struggles with ADHD and I hope that some of my suggestions help you too.
10 Tips For An Eco-Friendly Lifestyle When You Have ADHD
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Tip 1: Don’t compare yourself to others
There is a huge eco-friendly community on social media which can be really helpful when you’re starting to make sustainable changes to your lifestyle (you can find me @sustainablylazy on all platforms by the way!).
The problem is, seeing people doing well at reducing their environmental impact can make you start comparing yourself and your home to others.
Too often, people only show you their successes and that can make you feel alone in your struggles.
It is so important to remember that people are only showing you a glimpse of their life. They may film the clean corner of their kitchen while hiding the mess that is behind them. They may share a tip without mentioning that they had 12 failed attempts before this.
Nobody is perfect, nobody’s home is completely sustainable, and it’s okay to be moving along your own timeline.
Tip 2: Ditch the all-or-nothing attitude
One of the strengths of ADHD is that when you’re hyperfocused on a topic or task that interests you, you can put so much energy into it that you may learn more or work harder than a neurotypical person.
Yet the demands of modern society also mean you can get burnout and that makes it hard to stay on top of your responsibilities.
When you’re trying to live an eco-conscious life, you may feel guilty for not doing it all, but sustainability isn’t all or nothing.
Cloth nappies are a good example of this. You might go months using reusables full-time, and then the laundry becomes too much so you go back to disposables. There is no reason you can’t do both.
1 reusable nappy a day = 365 a year. Even small changes have an impact over time.
You can apply this to everything. I send my son to school with his lunch in a reusable sandwich bag about 2-3 times a week. The other 2-3 days I’m usually struggling with the washing up so he gets a paper bag.
Any progress is still progress, don’t let perfectionism keep you from trying.
Tip 3: Avoid window shopping
One of the best ways to be sustainable is to buy less stuff but many people with ADHD struggle with impulse control which can lead to spontaneous spending.
When I gave up fast fashion, the thing that helped most was to stop going into high street stores completely. I now do this for all shopping (including online shopping) - I don’t look unless I actually need something, and I always try and buy it second-hand first.
Tip 4: Focus on the changes that don’t require extra labour
Keeping sustainable living simple is absolutely essential for people with ADHD that struggle with day-to-day tasks.
Some eco-friendly changes require work, for example, reusable kitchen roll requires washing, and homemade cleaning products need creating.
If you’re new to green living, focus on:
The swaps that need no extra labour first, like a bamboo toothbrush and recycled toilet roll.
Big picture changes, like changing to a renewable energy provider or an ethical bank or building society, like Nationwide (because banks fund fossil fuels!)
This way, you can make your home more sustainable without increasing your domestic load.
Tip 5: Take advantage of subscriptions
Thanks to executive dysfunction, working memory and planning can be a big struggle with ADHD.
Many eco-friendly products aren’t available on the high street so when you forget to stock up on your favourite laundry detergent or you run out of natural deodorant, then you are forced to buy an unethical product.
This can be a big challenge for people with ADHD who struggle with forgetfulness or can’t get into a routine of buying consumables online.
One way I have gotten around this is by signing up for subscriptions for the green products I like so they are automatically delivered to my house before they run out.
Subscriptions are flexible and can be changed, paused, or cancelled at any time by logging into your online account.
Some examples of plastic-free subscription services are:
Tip 6: Get all your products from the same eco shop
It can be hard to get started on a job when there are too many steps.
When I first started buying reusable and sustainable products, I had to shop in multiple places. At first, I didn’t mind, but over time, it began to feel overwhelming and I longed for simplicity.
I am now much happier if I can get all my eco-friendly essentials in one or two places.
Here are my favourite online eco shops where you can get most items you need:
Ethical Superstore - sells a wide range of toiletries, skincare, cleaning and kitchen products
AndKeep - sells different products to Ethical Superstore
Bower Collective - an online refill store
Tip 7: Use Olio to reduce waste
It is easier to waste food when you have ADHD due to forgetting it is there, or due to sensory issues. You can also end up with lots of clutter because of impulse shopping.
Olio is a free app that allows you to give away your food and non-food to people in your local area. It is also ideal for picking up other people’s unwanted food and preventing waste that way. In my town, there is always a mountain of bread on there that has been saved from going in the supermarket’s bin.
I am also autistic and don’t like talking to strangers, so when someone messages me about my food, I find out what time they want to collect it and then leave it in a plastic box in the front garden for them to help themselves.
Tip 8: Make systems that are convenient
The best thing about a sustainable lifestyle is you can do it exactly how you want. There is no right or wrong.
With this in mind, focus on your strengths and struggles to find what works for you.
I’m going to use cloth nappies as an example, but you could apply this to anything in your home if you’re not a parent.
When I started learning about reusable nappies, I thought I needed to have a changing area with a visually pleasing display like all the other mums of Instagram but once my first child was born I realised this didn’t work for me because it was too much effort to maintain.
Instead, I keep my nappies and wipes (along with some disposables) in the cupboard under my T.V. and it’s a million times easier. Once they’ve been washed I can chuck them in a basket in the lounge, no need to go upstairs to put them away or change my baby.
Other systems that make my life easier are:
I kept my baby’s clothes in a basket downstairs because it made staying on top of laundry so much easier when I didn’t have to keep putting it away.
I only use drawers for the kids and I don’t fold anything to prevent the housework from burning me out
I have two reusable water bottles on the go because I can’t stay on top of the washing up
I use Alexa to set audio reminders for chores, like reminding me to meal prep or put a nappy wash on
We cook double or triple portions of food to be eaten on days when cooking is too much
We hang laundry in the evening when watching TV because it makes it less boring
Sometimes it feels like a zero-waste kitchen should be spotless and covered in glass jars full of organic food, but that’s not realistic for 99% of people, ADHD or not.
An eco-friendly lifestyle should be as simple as possible to make it work for you.
Tip 9: use a “clean basket” to reduce laundry
Lots of people with executive dysfunction struggle to finish a task and can be naturally messy people.
I have accepted that I’m never going to have a tidy bedroom and you know what? That’s okay! It is what it is.
I cannot stand doing laundry though, and I make life harder for myself because I am unable to put away my clean clothes at the end of the day. They end up on the floor and eventually get mixed up with the dirty ones because I always forget to bring the laundry basket back upstairs.
Unless you’ve been sweating a lot or spilt something down yourself, there is no need to wash your clothing after one use. Laundry is not only a massive pain, it uses lots of water, energy, and detergent.
A tip that helps with this is:
Include a “clean laundry basket” in your bedroom so you can either put clean clothes away at a better time or grab something to wear from the clean basket another day. There are usually loads of cheap baskets on Facebook marketplace.
Tip 10: Buy in bulk
It can be so hard to reduce your kitchen waste when you struggle with executive functioning.
Sustainable living often relies on you being able to meal plan, remembering to eat fresh food before it goes off, and buying refills before they run out.
One way you can make it easier for yourself is by buying products in bulk.
Bulk cleaning products
I started buying cleaning product refills in bulk online a few years ago and it has made the change super convenient and achievable.
For example, I buy eco-laundry detergent in 5kg tubs (which last ages) and can be returned back to Fill for free when it’s run out.
I’m also a fan of Bio-D bulk containers, which I buy from Ethical Superstore. I buy 5 litres of washing-up liquid and bathroom cleaner and refill the same bottles over and over again.
Not only does it reduce your tasks and your packaging waste, but it also saves money in the long run too.
Bulk food
If you have a refill store in your area (they often deliver by the way), you can buy specific quantities you need to prevent food waste.
You can also cut down on packaging by buying large quantities of food you always eat, like pasta, in bulk packets from the supermarket.
I hope you found this useful, if you’ve got ADHD, feel free to share your best tips for zero waste home below (and don’t forget to share with your friends and follow me over on Instagram 😊).
Sophie xx