Supporting Your ADHD Brain Through the Thanksgiving Mental Load

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been thinking a lot about the invisible load so many adults carry this time of year.

Not the meal prep.

Not the shopping lists.

Not even the coordinating of travel, schedules, and family plans.

But the mental space required to hold all of it.

The remembering.

The anticipating.

The managing of everyone else’s needs while trying to keep our own nervous systems steady.

For many of the adults and parents I work with, holidays aren’t a break — they’re an increase in pressure, noise, decision-making, and emotional labor.

This is also the time when structure, predictability, and small moments of intention matter the most.

Even five minutes can help:

• Looking at your week at a glance

• Naming one non-negotiable

• Deciding what can be “good enough”

• Giving yourself permission to not do it all

Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes the most grounding thing we can do is choose clarity over chaos, and compassion over unrealistic expectations — especially for ourselves.

As we head into the week, I hope you find a moment to breathe, reset, and notice what you truly need.

The holiday will be better for it — and so will you.