ADHD and Long Weekends: Why Busy Feels Restful

Photo by Sarah-Beth Bianchi

I didn't take the long weekend off. I spent all of last Monday in the garden instead — and for my ADHD brain, that was the holiday it needed.

As the long weekend approached, I knew having too much open-ended time was not going to work for me. Having absolutely no structure can lead to aimless scrolling, not enough motivation to find something more entertaining to do, followed by a sense that I wasted my weekend and still didn't feel rested.

Instead, I woke up excited to get to work on my garden. I weeded all my garden beds and pots. I added soil, planted seedlings, sowed seeds, and added netting to try to protect things from the squirrels. (Spoiler: The squirrels still got in.)

While I worked, I listened to several episodes of a favourite podcast. I stopped when I felt hungry. And I didn't allow myself to get sidetracked by TV or reading or chores. I got right back to it, watching my piles of soil and trays of seedlings dwindle as the day went on.

By the time dinner was on the table, I was covered in soil, sore, and incredibly tired.

And I felt more rested than I had in several weeks.

ADHD brains often need engagement to regulate, not stillness. A lot of unstructured time can look like a recipe for decision fatigue, not a way of refilling your tank. Just enough stimulation and loosely held goals can be a better path to rejuvenation.

With summer approaching, I'm already thinking about how to build more of that in — enough engagement to regulate, without the weight of work or the pressure of plans.

If you're looking ahead at the long weekends and vacation stretches with more dread than relief — what's your version of the garden?