ADHD - Humour - Jim Livingstone - ADHD Optimist

ADHD - Humour

The Therapeutic Power of Humour for Adults with ADHD

Humour isn't just enjoyable—it can be a powerful coping mechanism and therapeutic tool for everyone, especially ADHD adults. When life feels overwhelming, laughter can provide both immediate relief and long-term benefits.

Let’s have a look at the benefits of humour for adults with ADHD and some practical ways to incorporate more laughter into daily life.

Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humour lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

Physical health benefits

• Boosts immunity

• Lowers stress hormones

• Decreases pain

• Relaxes your muscles

• Helps heart health

Mental health benefits

• Healthy dopamine delivery

• Adds joy and zest to life

• Eases anxiety and tension

• Relieves stress

• Improves mood

• Strengthens resilience

• Stimulates the brain

Social benefits

• Strengthens relationships

• Attracts others to us

• Enhances teamwork

• Helps defuse conflict

• Promotes group bonding

• How to develop your sense of humour

Sometimes, learning to laugh at ourselves can be a powerful tool. Accepting that everyone makes mistakes and finding humour in those moments can diminish self-criticism and cultivate resilience, connection, and joy.

ADHD often comes with heightened stress responses. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins and reduces stress hormones like cortisol, providing natural relief from the tension that frequently accompanies ADHD.

Humour activates multiple brain regions simultaneously, which can temporarily boost focus and engagement—especially valuable when the ADHD brain is seeking stimulation.

ADHD can sometimes lead to social challenges. Humour provides distance from problems, allowing adults with ADHD to reframe challenges and see situations from new angles—particularly helpful when stuck in negative thought patterns about executive function difficulties.

Here are some websites and social media accounts that often feature content many adults with ADHD find relatable and humorous:

1. The ADHD Alien - A webcomic that humorously illustrates the ADHD experience through relatable scenarios Website: https://adhdalien.com/

2. How to ADHD - While primarily educational, Jessica McCabe's YouTube channel often includes humor in explaining ADHD experiences Website: https://www.youtube.com/c/HowtoADHD

3. ADHD subreddit - Features memes and humorous posts about living with ADHD Website: https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/

4. ADHDmemes subreddit - Dedicated specifically to ADHD-related humor Website: https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHDmemes/

5. ADHD Twitter/X community - Search hashtags like #ADHDhumor or #ADHDproblems for relatable content

6. Dani Donovan's comics - "ADHD Alien" creator who shares relatable ADHD humor Website: https://www.adhddd.com/comics/

7. ADHD TikTok - Many creators share short-form humorous content about ADHD experiences (search #ADHDtiktok)

Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you “become the problem” and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning.

[Read: Managing Conflict with Humor]

Not only does humour offer a well-deserved relief from the pressures of daily life, but it also offers numerous psychological and physiological benefits for ADHD adults.

Martin Seligman, a founder of positive psychology, notes that optimistic people often use humour to reinterpret negative events, finding the absurd or amusing aspects of otherwise difficult situations.

The relationship works both ways: developing a sense of humour can increase optimism, while cultivating optimism can enhance your ability to find humour in life. Many therapeutic approaches now incorporate both humour and optimism training to help people develop greater psychological well-being and resilience.

Here are some funny quotes about having ADHD to brighten up your day, cheers:

"I don't have ADHD, I just... Wait, what was I saying?"

"Having ADHD is like having 37 browser tabs open simultaneously and not knowing which one is playing music."

"My ADHD superpower is starting 17 different tasks and forgetting about all of them."

"I don't have a short attention span, I just... Oh look, a butterfly!"

"My brain is like a toddler with a machine gun. No idea what it's going to target next."

"ADHD: Where 'I'll just put this somewhere I won't forget it' is actually code for 'Goodbye forever.'"

"My ADHD brain doesn't procrastinate. It just believes deadlines are suggestions."

"Having ADHD means spending 3 hours on a 30-minute task and 30 minutes on a 3-hour task."

"If ADHD were a person, it would interrupt itself."

"I don't forget things; my brain just files them in a folder labeled 'Miscellaneous' with no search function."

"ADHD: When your brain is simultaneously overthinking, under-focusing, and taking a nap."

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This site is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The content in this newsletter is designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional help if you believe you may have Mental Health Issues.