How to navigate summer with ADHD (without burning out by August)
It’s 4 pm on a Saturday in July. You have multiple social invitations via text message (all the places you chat with individuals and participate in group chats) and Facebook. You experience the nagging feeling you should be 'making the most of summer', but all you want to do is sit in the yard, close to home.
Summer can feel like freedom—or total chaos.
With longer days and fewer obligations, you’d think it would be relaxing. Summer is supposed to be a time of ease—long days, spontaneous outings, weekends at the summer home, maybe even a vacation or two.
But if you have ADHD, summer can feel like an overwhelming free-for-all. The usual routines get thrown out, your calendar fills up with social invites, and suddenly you're drowning in options, expectations, and sensory overload.
I experienced this even as I typed “Draft me a blog post about how to navigate summer with ADHD? I've been wanting to write a blog post about this topic for a while.” into ChatGPT. (I provided several more lines of prompting and then edited the draft it gave me.) I felt restless. I felt guilty for working on a blog post and a newsletter on a Saturday evening instead of going out with friends.
You might end up saying yes to too many things, only to wish you could cancel everything by mid-July.
I have a friend who, last summer, accepted four invitations for the same weekend—a cottage trip (where was MY invitation??), a birthday party, a brunch and a concert. By Sunday evening, she was hiding in her bedroom with her cat, completely overstimulated and resentful. It's such a common pattern for ADHD brains—we see options, we want to do everything, and then we crash. That's when I realized we need to approach summer differently, not just power through it.
You’re not alone. Many women, myself included, find summer to be deceptively challenging. Let’s talk about why and what to do about it.
If you’ve ever looked around during a beautiful summer day and thought, “Why am I not enjoying this more?”—this post is for you.
Why summer feels so overwhelming when you have adhd
Let’s start with the obvious: structure disappears. For many of us with ADHD, routine is the thing that helps us function. When it goes away, so does our ability to pace ourselves.
Whether you’re juggling camp drop-offs, covering for vacationing colleagues, planning a cottage weekend, or trying to enjoy your time off without guilt, here are a few reasons summer can be extra challenging:
1. The disruption of routine
Most people enjoy a break from routine. But for ADHD brains, routines do more than keep us on time, they help us regulate, stay grounded, and conserve mental energy.
When that routine disappears (goodbye school drop-offs, regular work hours, or predictable evenings), so does our built-in scaffolding. And without it, everything can feel harder than it “should.”
2. Too many choices
Cities come alive in the summer—festivals, markets, events, pop-ups. Every day presents a dozen appealing options. But ADHD brains can struggle with decision-making and prioritization.
The result?
Overcommitting, then panicking
Wasting hours scrolling trying to choose the “right” thing. (I do that!)
Saying yes to things you don’t want to do because deciding feels harder than agreeing.
Sitting alone at home, feeling isolated with FOMO because you couldn’t decide.
3. Social burnout and sensory overload
Summer means more people, more noise, more stimulation. You might love your friends and still feel completely wiped out after a simple patio hang.
You’re probably experiencing social fatigue. It’s especially common for women with ADHD, who often mask or overperform in social settings without even realizing it.
That energy drain can sneak up on you. One minute you're laughing with a drink in hand, the next you're fantasizing about being alone in your bedroom with the blinds closed.
At the same time, you WANT to be included. You might want the invitation that you might decline, because without the invitation, you experience Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.
4. The pressure to make it magical
Whether you’re planning a girls’ trip, hosting a BBQ, or trying to create “summer memories,” you might feel an invisible pressure to make it special.
You want to say yes to everything, but when you finally slow down, you’re resentful, overstimulated, and more exhausted than you were in April.
What helps: ADHD-friendly summer strategies
If any of the above felt familiar, you’re not doing summer wrong. You just need to do it differently. Below are strategies I’ve used myself and with clients to reduce burnout and make space for joy.
1. Build a loose routine (not a rigid schedule)
ADHD brains thrive with routine—especially in summer, when the usual cues (school drop-offs, meetings, darker evenings) disappear.
However, when everything is up in the air, your nervous system works overtime to make sense of the day.
A loose routine gives your brain something to latch onto without boxing you in.
Routine is one of the six core areas I focus on in my PRIMED framework because it provides just enough scaffolding to help you function without feeling confined.
Try this:
Anchor your day with two predictable things, like a morning walk and a 3 PM smoothie.
Theme days like “quiet Fridays” or “solo Sundays”
Designate weekly rhythms like “recovery Sundays” or “quiet Fridays”—no errands, no plans, just downtime.
Block off one full weekend per month with zero plans
Implementation tip: Write down your weekly rhythm on a sticky note and stick it to your fridge. It doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to exist. If your summer feels chaotic, a routine—not a rigid structure—might be what’s missing
2. Pre-decide how many events you can handle
Instead of making decisions in the moment (when you’re tired, guilt-tripping yourself, or already overstimulated), plan for your social bandwidth ahead of time.
Ask yourself:
How many social events can I realistically handle in a week, and do I need recovery days between them?
Which types of social plans nourish me versus drain me?
Then take action:
If you’re invited to two things in one weekend, pick the one that feels most nourishing —unless you want to do two and have the energy for it.
Create a simple script you can text to decline an invite:
“That sounds lovely, but I need to recharge this weekend. Let’s touch base next week.” Your friends will understand!
3. Pause before you say yes
If your default is to say yes on the spot, try this instead:
Give yourself a 24-hour rule:
“That sounds great—can I let you know tomorrow?”Use a physical calendar (either paper or digital) to block off your recharge time.
Remind yourself that “I’ll check and get back to you” is a complete answer.
This protects your time and your energy without requiring a long explanation.
4. Build in recovery time after social events
Even if you enjoyed the event, your nervous system probably needs to come down after. Recovery time helps you avoid emotional crashes and irritability. Treat rest like a non-negotiable.
Ideas for post-social recovery:
Plan a screen-free, plan-free morning the next day and put a “nothing” block on your calendar so it doesn’t fill up.
Take a solo walk or do a sensory reset (whatever that looks like to you).
A glass of wine or a cup of coffee in the yard.
This is part of what I often refer to as “downtime” when coaching: understanding that recovery isn’t optional for ADHD brains; it’s a matter of survival.
5. Unsubscribe from the “summer shoulds”
There’s often a background hum of guilt in summer:
I should be out more. I should be making memories. I should be doing something productive.
Start noticing those shoulds, and question where they came from.
Who benefits when you overextend yourself? Who loses when you burn out?
Instead, ask:
What do I want more of this summer?
What would a nourishing summer feel like, not look like?
Get out of your own way!
6. Don’t fill the free time just because it’s there
If your kids are at camp or your workload slows down, resist the urge to be productive.
Let yourself:
Nap in the afternoon
Sit outside without a task
Rewatch your comfort show without guilt or start a new one.
Also:
Summer tends to disrupt sleep, hydration, and eating patterns. Rebuilding those rhythms supports your energy more than any productivity hack ever could.
Real talk: Rest can feel uncomfortable. Do it anyway.
One of the hardest parts of ADHD is recognizing that rest doesn’t always feel “restful.” You might feel bored, antsy, or guilty when you slow down.
That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
That means you’re detoxing from a lifetime of moving nonstop.
While summer amplifies these challenges with its promise of endless possibilities, these patterns show up year-round—holiday seasons, spring energy bursts, even "fresh start" Januaries. The key is recognizing when your nervous system needs support, regardless of what the calendar says.
The summer is loaded with expectations: From the May long weekend (my North American bias - whether it’s Victoria Day in Canada or Memorial Day in the U.S.) through Labo(u)r Day, the world expects you to be relaxed and fun and spontaneous and productive. That’s not a fair standard. And it’s not sustainable.
It’s okay if your idea of a good summer is a messy bun, iced coffee, and not talking to anyone for 48 hours. Stick your head in the freezer. Take yourself for ice cream. Relieve yourself of the pressure to be “on” all the time.
TL;DR – ADHD-Friendly Summer Tips
Here’s a quick recap you can screenshot or save:
Permission to have a loose routine (not rigid perfection)
Permission to decide your social limits ahead of time (not in the moment)
Permission to pause before saying yes (24-hour rule)
Permission to need recovery time (if you missed out, oh well, you need your time)
Permission to ignore summer "shoulds" (whose rules are they anyway?)
Permission to let free time stay free (productivity isn't mandatory)
Permission to rest even when it feels uncomfortable (let rest be part of the plan, not the thing you do when you crash)
One Simple Action You Can Take Today
Pick one day in the next week and mark it off as a recovery day. No social plans, no chores, no pressure. Make it non-negotiable—and give yourself full permission to do nothing.
Remember that Saturday afternoon at 4 PM? The one with all the invitations and the guilt? Here's what it could look like instead: You glance at your phone, smile at the invites, and think, "I'm having my quiet Saturday, and that's exactly what I need." You make yourself that iced coffee, step into the yard, and feel genuinely content with your choice. That's not settling—that's self-awareness. And that's exactly the kind of summer worth having.
You don’t need to prove anything this summer. You don’t need to make it perfect. You just need to make it livable.
If you want help creating a life that feels good year-round—not just when things slow down—you can always reach out here. But today, just start with that one day.
