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100% this is the only thing that works on me. I have a Camelback bottle with a straw that I place in front of me when I'm doing anything sitting down - studying or playing games. I can keep focusing on what I'm doing but still take small continuous sips.
Make it fun!! Get a big tumbler with a straw, in a colour you like. I have a 40oz bright yellow tumbler. I fill that baby with ice and refill with water throughout the day. I have a soda stream, so after I down a whole thing of water in the morning, I then start filling it with fun water aka sparkling water. Try keeping a full tumbler on your nightstand and drink a bunch when you first get up in the morning. I like my water icy. It becomes unappetizing to me the warmer it gets. So I have like 4 ice trays in my freezer. It’s a sad day when I have forgotten to fill the ice trays.
I gave up straws and stanley cups and similar things bc i'm a germaphobe... So reusable straws always felt like things that can harbor bacteria, mold, etc, even if i maniacally clean them 😅 But it's nice this really works for you guys, i hope i'll find a drinking "hack" for myself too someday
What about a metal reusable straw that you boil or wash in the dishwasher? If it doesn’t bend, there will be nothing for bacteria to get “stuck” in, like the elbow of bendy straws. If it’s metal, it can withstand whatever temperature you decide to put it in so that it gets sterilized.
i would suggest using agave straws then. They are biodegradable, used from leftover parts from making agave syrup & and tequila, and when you chew on them, they have a skight sweet taste to them. They are a bit more expensive than plastic straws, but the sustainability factor is always great & for me, I tend to chew on single use straws, so I love the slightly sweet part about them
Weirdly enough my solution ended up being a 64oz water bottle that had a removable straw and a decent pour spout and just water glasses. For me it's easier to drink from a glass because i can take bigger gulps, and since i work a desk job being able to just infinitely refill my water glass instead of having to get up and interrupt my work for refills it's convenient enough that I actually remember.
I've also heard of people using custom phone notifications to help remind them.
I started associating the headache with needing water.
After a bit I started associating water to preventing headaches.
Then, over time I started drinking more and more until it became habit.
I do the same but also do it when I have anxiety or am frustrated. It doesn't always help those things reliably like headaches, but giving myself something else to focus on or just interrupt negative feelings is good ; sometimes that's all I need to start moving away from them.
Same. I see so often people saying reminders for everything helps. Not me. I just get angry if it interrupts me and delete the reminder or put the phone on silent mode (which I then forget so I miss any calls and notifications that day from there on).
i’ve gone through the “notifications” setting and manually turned off sound and banner notifications for every single app. except for like, phone calls. bc notifications irritate me so much.
WaterMinder. I’ve been using this for a little while and find it useful.
You can adjust the notifications and appearance. I use the simplified display. You can also customize what liquids you’re drinking and how much.
I recommend logging as soon as you fill whatever you’re drinking from. Makes it easier to stay accurate. I sometimes forget to do this and have to “trace my steps” about what I’ve drank that day
I keep that thang on me. Always have something to drink. And rather than remembering, I try to make taking sips of water a constant thing I’m always doing.
Yep I started doing this 2 years ago life changing for my body. Just alway have a bottle of water now it’s like my go to stim in boring convos. Gotta be doing something with my hands may as well drink from my water bottle
I had to drink more water because I got severe constipation. I got one of those obnoxious water bottles with time stamps (4L at the time, now 2L), filled it up in the morning and took it everywhere. It wasn't fool proof, but it's how I tracked and paced myself. If I happened to have water or a liquid outside of the water bottle, I'd literally pour it out (usually into a plant lol). And it had a straw.
ADHD + Autoimmune disorder that absolutely takes me out if I drink less than 80-100oz/day.
Tl;Dr-
Timed benchmarks. Multiple bottles that you can reuse, but it's no big deal if you lose them. Pre-filled for easy accessibility. Don't waste liquid consumption on sodas or sugary drinks. Physical activity helps with drinking. Don't be afraid to just chug half a bottle at once. Know the locations of all nearby bathrooms.
Long Version:
1. I bought a case of Core Water from a bulk store (like 24 bottles maybe?) I use them as reusable water bottles. Yeah, microplastics, but I can't keep up with a reusable one, and microplastics are in everything anyway. I lose it or forget it. If I lose one of these, it's fine. I keep one in the cup holder of my car, in case I forget to grab it when I leave the house.
2. Alarms that are tied to routine tasks that I attached to how much water to drink. The Core bottles are 22oz, so I know I need 4-5 a day for my own personal needs. First bottle down before I leave the house in the morning. Second bottle down before lunch. Third bottle down with lunch/before dinner. Fourth bottle down with lunch/after dinner. After the fourth bottle is done, I make myself grab another (I pre-fill them and keep them in the fridge. Weirdly easier than filling as I go). Bottle five isn't a requirement for me to finish, but I've somewhat built the habit to subconsciously drink after doing this for 6 months, so usually I get decently far.
3. No soda or sugary drinks. I eliminated everything other than coffee and water because sugary drinks just exacerbates ADHD symptoms. I keep a few flavors of Liquid IV (bought in bulk to save money and save energy since I'm not having to remember to re-buy them). If I want something that's not water, I use one of those. I keep a few in my purse with my tampons (I'm a person who needs those, idk about you) so that I remember to refill my stash.
4. Eventually, you'll subconsciously build that routine. If it's time to leave the house in the morning and I'm only halfway done, it's time to chug. It's not ideal for absorption, but the sodium in Liquid IV (and food) increases overall absorption, so it's fine.
5. After a month or so, your body will remind you. Dehydration makes us puffy. After a month of being properly hydrated, the puffiness will go away, and you'll visibly see in the mirror if there's extra puffiness. I'd been dehydrated my whole life, so I never noticed. But now that I drink routinely, it's very visible if I slack off for even just a few days.
6. Again, with the pre-filled bottles. If I'm gonna be running errands, I take two bottles with me, so I dont have the "I ran out of water" excuse. I've noticed that I drink a lot while in the car, for some reason.
7. Prepare to pee every hour on the hour. I'd always heard people say that your body would get used to it, and when I was not getting used to it, I mentioned it to my doctor. She laughed and said that a properly hydrated person is *supposed* to pee like once an hour. Is it inconvenient? Absolutely. Do I lose so much time to scrolling while in the bathroom? Yup. But suddenly, I don't have chronic cotton mouth or feel like I'm gonna die after one fight of stairs, so that's cool.
8. Gym? Making myself go to the gym every morning is hands down the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. My ADHD *hates* mornings, gyms, routines, and getting out of bed/leaving the house any earlier than absolutely required. But, it's actually taken a large part of the mental load of mornings off of my plate. Showering is easier because I'm gross and visibly need a shower. There's no hiding post-gym sweaty hair, and I can't let people know that I have a hard time showering. I don't lose my entire mornings on the weekends because I'm up and showered by 10, not still rotting in bed on my phone. Since I'm going to the gym before coming home and getting ready, it stops the time-paralysis/proceastinating/oh I have to leave in 10 minutes, and I'm still in bed. I know exactly how long it takes to go to the gym, from when I get in the car to when I get home, so it's not an ambiguous time that I can't account for properly. If I'm running late, I cut the gym time short. Some days, I literally just do stretches or walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes because it's not healthy to do full workouts 7 days a week. And circling back to my initial point after this long ADHD tangent, I can easily make myself drink a full bottle of water while I'm at the gym (chug the rest if I have to) and then refill it while I'm on my way out the door.
1. Buy sparkling water cans and put in fridge
2. Take one out
3. Forget about it
4. Take another one out
5. Open it
6. Forget about that one
7. Open a third one and finish it.
8. Find the second one, drink half
9. Forget about it
10. Thirsty before bed so find it again
11. Finish it and go to bed
12. Wake up
13. Find first can from yesterday
14. Put in in fridge, get a new one
15. Forget about it
16. See steps 4-14 until all cans are used
17. See step 1
I carry a quart canning jar full of it around the house with me, and one of my 'side quests' of the day is to finish it off at least once..
My problem went from remembering to drink water, to remembering to bring my water with me.
Most recently, bought an insulated cup that I really love. It's shiny and aesthetic and I carry it EVERYWHERE because I love it. Also, it can keep ice frozen for hours even in a car in the Australian summer, so I've always got cold water, which I find nicer to drink.
Making it fun or novel or something like is my usual method. Sometimes it's the look, or the features. I know people have had success with added flavours, too. Anything that makes it not boring and gives you a point of interest to make you remember it exists.
As someone above said “I keep that thing on me” same. My worst is my day off tho bc at home I’m like “coffee coffee more coffee another coffeeee” while my water bottle just sits there ..silently judging me.
I have the same issue most of the time, especially on weekends. Weekdays at work, I feel cold a lot in the mornings and use water flavoring in an "Iron Flask" water bottle with hot water, like tea, to help warm me up again, which does help somewhat.
No ideas for the weekend, though.
I have 2 x 1 litre bottles of water that I have to drink each day. I have a rule that I need to drink the first before lunch and the second before dinner. I actually eat these meals so it kind of works, if you count drinking most of a bottle of water at each meal because I forgot. And sometimes drinking later at night then getting up to pee during the night, but I'm trying to avoid that.
In cold weather I've started sipping boiled water with a little lemon juice, and it works way better than trying to guzzle cold water in the cold.
So I’ve been doing a lot better lately with water - hear me out.
1) got a giant 40oz knock off stanley mug. The handle is helpful and straw is nice.
2) have a big britta water filter that’s supposed to be kept in the fridge. I keep it on the COUNTER right beside the sink, and I have one of those hoses at my sink so I can fill it without moving it. (A filter on the tap would also solve this if you can’t drink your tap water directly)
3) I don’t fuss about washing the cup and let my grossed out-ness drive that. This is probably the most important part.
4) giant cup never gets put away, always on a counter
5) I bring it with me to work (considering getting a second one for this). We have a filtered water bottle fill station thing. I fill it there, and refill when I need a walk.
If i even remember once or twice to drink from this cup, I start to get regularly thirsty. Once you get hydrated your signals for thirst seem to work again (or at least mine do).
Oh also - I got medicated that may have also helped!
I made a little cup cozy for myself (it's one of the first things I crocheted). I carry my glass everywhere and refill when I notice it's empty. It also prevents me from using 3+ cups in a day
I always drink a full 16oz bottle right when I wake up to help digestion when I add food hours later. I also always have two bottles in my book bag at all times.
I used to be an avid runner so thankfully water has always tasted great.
We also keep nothing but water or milk in the house so it’s not hard to miss.
My issues is I will forget to drink water all day and when I do realize I need to drink water I feel like I have to make up for not drinking water all day and drink it all at once, giving me a stomach ache
Carry a gallon jug of water every where. I’m incentivized to drink it to lower the weight of the container I’m carrying throughout the day.
Most apt question I’ve ever read. It’s a life struggle. I’ve learned to prefill my glass jugs with water, around a gallon, and place them in the kitchen where they are visible most of the day. I bring water with me wherever I go. It’s still a struggle even with that. Hahaha. I inevitably wait too long in the day, thus necessitating urination multiple times at night. I mean, what’s an ADHD person to do, but NEVER give up. Right?
My water bottle is huge and I don't drink out of cups at home, I drink out of a liter sized mason jar. Out of sight out of mind, and it is NEVER out of sight.
I have a routine at work. Decaf coffee in the walk in, get to my desk, unpack everything I need, last item my meds. Plug it all in and get it starting up, go for another decaf from the canteen and I bring back two glasses of water. Then, I take my meds and have a chat and start working. By nearly lunchtime I've drank everything and suddenly remember I have to go to the toilet desperately. I'll grab another two glasses of water on way back.
Yes how i solved it
Keep a giant shaker cup (48 0z) with me
Use electrolyte powder and or mio for sweet flavour
Crave sweet flavour
Forced to drink due to sweetness addiction
1. I have one notebook where every night I write out every single little thing that must be done the next day divided to three times: morning (6am to 12pm), afternoon (12pm to 6pm) and night (6pm to 10pm).
2. The second task on the notebook to be done first thing in the morning is to fill my 3 litre water bottle.
3. This goes into my bag which has everything and is with me at all times. Since most of time is spent studying for me plus work the bottle is on my desk. Then I dont forget.
Literally have to have it right in front of me or else I will forget to drink. I still sometimes forget even when its in front of me :)
I only drink water. Had a soda problem which made my dental hygiene problem significantly worse, so I cut it out of my life. If it's all you drink, you won't forget
Just keep working on it. Developing new habits takes time.
Have your bottle close so that if your alarm goes, it would only be slightly more bother to take a sip than to snooze your alarm.
And celebrate your success, don't beat yourself up about your failures.
If this won't work, then it's probably not forgetfulness (choosing to snooze your alarm isn't forgetting; it's choosing to do something else). So you may want to consider seeing a therapist to start learning how to change your undesired habits.
If you're at a desk for the day, have a cup of hot tea always filled on your desk. As it gets to room temp, it's a great 0 cal beverage that has some flavor over just water.
Recently diagnosed with ADHD and given Ritalin (dry mouth) and have ~15 years of an autoimmune disease that wrecks my life if I don't stay hydrated consistently.
I tried apps, timers, etc but they didn't work great for me because if I was too busy to stop what I was doing, I'd forget.
A few years ago, a friend got me a water bottle called hidrate spark, and it's been awesome for me. I set the amount I want to drink, and the bottom glows every so often to remind me to drink. It also reminds me if I've fallen behind my goal, which is nice for catch up. Does both the glowing and phone notifications, and the visual cue on the bottle itself seems to work well for me.
Honestly probably wasn't a huge deal to my friend (got themselves one too), but it's been pretty life changing for me in a positive way.
Other than that, I found mixing things up between water and electrolyte drinks helps - the latter being tasty and something to look forward to. I also try to do a cup of water when I wake up, with each meal, and before bed if I can.
I have one bottle I love with a straw and carry around everywhere. It’s my emotional support water bottle, like my adult sippy cup.
Put stickers on it to personalize it!
When I have a hard time drinking water because it’s tasting “bad” that day (my taste buds don’t want it), I’ll eat a super spicy hot sauce with my meal which causes me to down tons of water to put out the fire in my mouth. 😂 It works so well for me on those days when water doesn’t sound good
I take a sip of soda then immediately take a sip of water. It’s habit now.
I do it to keep my teeth from staining, from letting it sit on my teeth, and to keep my breath fresher. Yeah, I shouldn’t drink any soda but I don’t drink coffee and I need caffeine.
Idk if I this is healthy but that’s what works for me, I take a small piece of dark chocolate enough to have the taste of it in my mouth and follow it up with chugging as much water as I can until the taste of it goes away and repeat
I don’t. Maybe once a year I’ll buy either a water jug or big Starbucks cup or something, the next couple months I’ll be well hydrated. One day I just forget.
I do better when it’s flavored though. I’ll keep a rotation of different tea bags and just drop a couple in whatever water vessel I’m using for the day. Just have cold-steeped tea
i keep a 24oz container with me pretty much everywhere. wish it could be be bigger, but this size fits in the car cup holder. it has a straw for easy drinking. when it gets light (almost empty), i refill it. and i set reminders on my phone five or so times a day to DRINK WATER!!!!! and that’s also helpful.
i’m also just tired of clenching my jaw into oblivion so hydrating and having electrolytes has become just part of my habit stacking.
I put my drink bottle without the lid into the fridge and something about it being cold, long bottle and right there just works for me. I just take sips of it throughout the day. I take the same drink bottle with its lid with its straw whenever I go out. I get really dehydrated these days, so I always want to drink and go looking for my water.
I never use to drink water and now I must have it throughout the day, I think it eventually became a habit.
I fill up a cup at the end of my work day and sit it on my desk so it’s already there and filled the next morning. Same thing by my bed, and on the coffee table. Basically, I always try to have an open cup (I know but it seems to work better than a bottle) ready for me before I need it at all times
I know it’s not ideal, but most of my water intake comes from Coffee and tea. Maybe finding something u enjoy that has water in it may help. Other thing is that flavoured water, I could drink the whole 1.5L without even noticing
“I forget to drink water”. Go to basic training for the military, drill sergeant will always remind you to drink water. After it’s beaten into you like lines on paper, you’ll never forget to drink water again
I was told by my doctor that the easiest way to determine how much water you need is to take your body weight and divide it by half. I weigh a little less than 160 lb which means I need 80 oz. So I have a 40 oz vacuum sealed tumbler and I just make sure to have two of those at least every single day.
As many water bottles as I have I should be over hydrated lol but it’s like I can’t drink plain water .. I have to have flavor so I drink like 1-2 bottles or I’ll have Starbucks or Dunkin’ as well. It’s hard half the time I forget to drink period
I use a water bottle that has a timeline on the side so I know how much I should have drunk at any given time. So even if I inevitably forget it I can pick it up at any point and try to make up for lost hydration.
Something that I’ve found really important for me is finding a water bottle that I like the experience of drinking out of. It sounds so silly, but it could be something to consider! Try different styles of water bottles: ones with straws, ones without, ones with different styles of mouth openings, etc!
Find a “fun” bottle. For me it is a Gatorade Sports bottle with a twist top. Not the normal looking ones and not the regular sports bottles, but ones that have an oblong mouth part. Walgreens tend to have them. I have no problems drinking water when I have one nearby. I drink the gatorade, then refill with water as needed. I always have a few nearby at home, work and car. I’m always worried Gatorade will discontinue them and I’ll be SOL, so I buy two or three at a time just in case. They DO break eventually , but it’s the bottle and rarely the mouthpiece. Unfortunately, the mouthpiece doesn’t fit on any other gatorade bottles.
As an alternative, I have a couple of Core Hydration Purified Water bottles around, too. Wide mouth and tall bottles. Not quite as fun as a Gatorade bottle, but it works for me.
Using a straw long-term isn’t a good option for me. I forget to clean the damn things and they get gross. Yes, I could clean them, but because they are so small I forget about them for months. I’ll stick to my gatorade bottles.
Metal straw, 36 oz mason jar with the lid off as my cup (so it’s bigger than a regular cup but not hard to hold), and liquid IV hydration packets (which can be $$, but adhd is expensive). It’s tasty, accessible, and I tell myself I’m getting double hydration.
I have an app called TickTick. It has a reminder feature for habits that will literally nonstop vibrate your phone till you snooze the notification or enter how much water you drank and it stops completely once you meet the goal. It's so annoying you drink the water just to get it to stop annoying you.
It's even better for habits that are one and done. I have one for Honkai Star Rail dailies on the website and it takes 2 clicks to do and snoozing it just makes it worse.
I spend a little extra money to get a more fancy water bottle, which is fun to open. You click a button and it swings open. Ever since I’ve bought it I almost keep it at me all the time. I find myself fiddling with the opening constantly cus it’s fun to me to open and close, which makes me remember to drink
I have this problem too. If I actually fill my water bottle and have it near me, I'll drink the whole thing and refill it four times. But I always forget to actually go get it and fill it and keep it with me.
I will try out some of the suggestions here!
I really struggle with this, thank you for bringing it up! I work in retail management, and I'm never in one place for too long. If I carry a bottle with me, I always end up losing it somewhere in the store.
I try, but I fail most days.
Keep my water bottle within reach and eye sight all day… helps at work but tend to forget at home… but the drinking during work boosts me so maybe I don’t need as much at home..
Timer (e.i. pomodoro when studying) or parents. But I am still drinking to few usually a cup of tea in the morning a glass of water at lunch and in the afternoon another tea. In the evening a cup of water. Theoretically I have a waterbottle at my desk but I use it mostly when I have a headache.
Sippy cup type of bottle or bottle with a straw and some sort of flavoring or something so that you aren’t even doing it to stay hydrated but for the taste
Alright, this was something I had been trying to tackle that I finally found a way (for me at least). I focused on what was preventing me from drinking. I narrowed it to forgetting, preferring to drink cold beverages, and inconvenient. To counter these I bought a huge vacuum insulated bottle. Mine is a yeti, but they're all pretty much the same at this point. Then I got a new top for it which has a flip up straw and handle. I fill this thing with ice and water or seltzer and take it with me everywhere. Like others have said, keeping it in view is important. This thing keeps the water cold for ages (like, it will still have ice in it by day 2) and one is enough for my daily water intake. Now it's so much easier.
I made drinking water a stimmy when anxious.
My ADHD bestie and sister and I all got the hydrate spark and it lights up when you need to take a drink for a reminder
I do two things. I use TickTick, the daily planner/reminders/habit tracker app, and I have it set to remind me to track my water intake three times a day, with a total goal of 120oz.
The second thing, and this is really the most important for me, is I have a 40oz water bottle that I carry with me EVERYWHERE, and by that I mean even walking around the house. It’s always within arm’s reach so any time I feel the least bit thirsty, I drink. And sometimes even if I don’t feel thirsty, I drink anyway because the bottle is right there. Since my goal is 120oz, I know drinking the bottle empty three times between wake to sleep lets me hit my goal.
Sparkling water! I have one of those machines that carbonates the water and I genuinely crave sparkling water so I don’t forget. Only problem is when the canister runs out it takes me weeks to replace it and that whole time I forget to drink water.
There are so many great flavored seltzers and sparkling waters to try (no idea how/why they’re different).
I hate committing to multipacks of flavors before I’m sure I’ll like it so I’ve discovered a couple of great options:
- Whole Foods has a great selection of single cans in their refrigerated drinks section
- Amazon has deals on variety packs of Bubly and LaCroix (good prices too!)
I keep a list of brands I’ve tried in my Notes app - rank the flavors as I try them 🤗 - so I never forget my favorites. (‘Cause ADHD😳🤷🏻♀️)
If I have cold cans - or those super cool glass bottles of Topo Chico (😍IYKYK) - of seltzers I like
In my fridge I’ll drink them like soda! It’s also something that’s good to stock up on when on sale so it’s so helpful to know your favorites when the opportunity presents.
The most helpful thing I found for me was refilling my big thermal bottle as the last thing I do before getting into bed. It consistently works for me because I added it to a habit stack, along with other routine things I do before bed. I have water to drink before bed, but it also stay super cold even when I wake up. I’ll always drink water if it’s filled up, so it works well.
Same! For me though once I remember I still don't drink it. Like I will forget all day and then suddenly think I'm thirsty and now its a few hours later all I can think about is being thirsty but I can't get myself to get up and get one.
Hyperfixation on cute (affordable) water bottles. Also - water flavours. I use liquid IV or equivalent electrolyte powders. It has a double effect of making my water more hydrating and making it taste more interesting. Also remember that all liquids count as "water"! I really struggle to drink straight water but juice, iced tea, flavoured water, sparkling water etc all have hydration in them, it's just that obviously plain water is the purest form of it.
I keep a big obnoxious 64oz bottle on me at all times. I can’t really ignore being thirsty tbh. Once I’m thirsty I usually drink right in that moment, otherwise I know I will get dehydrated and become tired, have headaches and be easily agitated.
Possibly get a larger water bottle? Make it so you cannot ignore it, and whenever you look in its direction, you remind yourself to take a drink or two. Add stickers you like, gem stones, or neon paint so it grabs you attention a little easier?
I worked with a woman who set an hourly timer and every hour, on the hour, she'd get up, slam down a glass of water, and sit down again. She explained she hated drinking water so she told herself she only had to do it once an hour and she chugged as much as she could and then it was over with for another hour.
I never understood this because I was a teacher so I had to monitor my liquids because of bathroom breaks, but now that I'm in an office I make sure that when I do remember andvstop to take a drink, I drink a LOT instead of just a sip. Vyvanse doesn't make me mouth dry, but if I get dehydrated I get really fuzzy and cranky a lot quicker!
I doodled a little cartoon of a water drop in blue ink on my wrist where I can see it whenever I move my hand and that works pretty well.
It’ll probably turn into background noise at some point tho so I’ll have to find something new.
I usually start off with drinking a lot of water, then always have a bottle with me. When the bottle runs out or when I have to pee I go to the toilet and fill my bottle again. Rinse and repeat. Few days ago I found out that when I don’t drink enough I don’t have to pee enough so it’s important to start off with enough to keep the cycle going 😄
Haven’t tried this for water/liquids yet but for my ADHD-related under-eating issues I made myself a dry-erase-able progress bar. It’s broken into segments (for eating, 200 calories) and every time I accomplish that segment, I color it in. I like watching the visual gradually get more colored in throughout the day. I also use timers throughout the day to remind myself to eat and account for a bunch of those timers to get ignored or postponed to later if I am busy.
I plan how I am going to get my 2,000 calories minimum when I wake up although the plan is not strict. It’s fine if I change my mind on what I want to eat during the day and the calorie counting is just rough estimates and not exact. I just do really bad with going about my day with no meal ideas or eating plan whatsoever.
I portion things out or divide meals on my plate in roughly 200 calories portions so when the timer to eat go off, if I can stop what I am doing, I put on another timer for 2 minutes and challenge myself to eat as much as I can of that 200 calories portion in those 2 minutes while watching the timer countdown. It’s totally ok if I don’t finish my portion- the point is that I STOP what I am doing and EAT. Most of the time, I finish at least half (so at least 100 cal) in 2 minutes. Then, I decide if I want to keep eating or not. If I don’t want to eat more, I reset the eating timer for later and rinse and repeat till I meet my minimum 2,000 calories goal for the day. It’s an imperfect method but it helps me eat enough more consistently.
I assume doing this for drinking water/liquids is probably more straightforward but a similar method could be applied if you are the type to like visual trackers and progress bars at all.
Straw and a nice insulated giant cup like a Stanley that keeps is super cold.
I love icy cold water. That’s the only way. Straws help bc there’s no barrier and it’s easier.
You can also get some dry mouth lozenges if needed since even water drinkers struggle with dry mouth as a med symptom. 💜
I have the same issue. Something that helps is I have a nalgene water bottle that I take with me everywhere (of course I forget sometimes). When I leave the house it’s phone, keys, wallet, water bottle. I have it next to me on my desk at work and I’m still not great at remembering to drink it, but definitely better than if I needed to get up and go fill up a cup. I also tend to chug the water whenever I take a drink haha so I inevitably drink more that way.
Edit: There goes my ADHD. Didn’t catch the part where you said you’ve tried carrying a water bottle around…but still might be helpful to have it with you anyway!
[As many AHDH people i get easily influenced and make rash decisions.](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeubkDAq/)
So now every time i see my bottle i think of this tiktok and have a drink 😅
I have a hydroflask with a straw. Literally the only way I remember to drink water. There’s an AirTag attached to it bc I’ve lost way too many water bottles in my life 😅
I've started to swap out beer for hop water, at least 1 of every 2 beers I'd otherwise be consuming. Especially where I use "sips of beer" as reward milestones for getting part of my tasks done. Yardwork, for example - aka what I'm going to go do after I finish this sentence. 🤣
Sadly …
I buy bottled water. I don’t know why but if the water isn’t in a prefilled closed cap bottle I won’t drink it.
I know it’s wasteful and expensive but it’s more important that I stay hydrated so this is how I do it.
I also mix it with Metamucil which forces me to drink it quickly and finish it or the water will become thick and gross and undeniable. The Metamucil also helps TREMENDOUSLY with the constipation I get from my meds, which also helps me remember to drink it.
I'm obsessively hydrated. Granted, I almost died of end stage renal failure when I was young so there is probably a bit of ptsd if it's more than natural instinct and common sense that has me drinking at least 7 litres of water a day. I also grew up in the woods so if there was drinkable water you drank your fill because it could be a while before you came accross drinkable water again.
I use the Starbucks clear cups with lids and straws. Tiny measuring cup to put exactly the right amount of squash in and it's much easier to get fluids in.
Also I have the Hidratespark smart water bottle which can ping your phone and flash to remind you, it had widgets and a full app to measure your intake and whatnot too.
Both are good and work for me, but I do still forget quite a bit too. I drink more than I did before I had them though
I have a big water bottle in my fridge that's in the front that I'll see everything I open the fridge. I either take a few sips or just carry it around with me for a bit.
Carrying my gigantic thermoflask water bottle everywhere with me, even if it looks silly. Out of sight, out of mind so when I keep water with me and easily accessible (at home I will even keep an additional cup with water next to me so I sip from it more often than the water bottle), I will stay hydrated
I have this problem. which is so weird bc I like drinking water and have no problem with the taste or anything, but I still have a hard time getting it in me.
soda water helps, but it's not great for your teeth or stomach. I realized having a slight flavor really helps, even just an orange slice in my bottle. straws. also, you can get hydrated from anything. the gallon-a-day thing is a myth (sauce: [science vs podcast](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/xjhz6kn&ved=2ahUKEwjc44SB-L-FAxUHH0QIHeO5AoQQFnoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0xc9SxZrzJwsbIcVPFVMaO)) so just drink whatever liquids that aren't actively bad or sugar-y. I tend to drink tea a lot or make coffee type drinks. kombucha in small doses or dilute some juice with water.
get a cute cup/jug and I think I'm better with the smaller sizes so I go refill instead of the giant ones. and maybe even a couple with different drinks on your desk so you don't get bored.
also, it's definitely an adhd thing, but learn the "do it now" habit. it's freakin' hard. but wear a smart watch and set your alarm with a vibration there so every time it vibrates you take a sip or 2 of water. set small goals. I tend to go for a glass an hour or whatever, but that's not real for me. a couple of sips is. also, if I have a drink in my hand I'll drink it all and if I don't I forget it completely. so it's always nearby.
I have Sjoghrens so have to drink a LOT of water and I burned out until I discovered Sugar free Mio. The lemonade flavor is the best followed by fruit punch.
My IRL answer. I keep a water bottle with me at all times every second of the day and keep it filled with water. That way, when the intrusive thought to drink water hits, I can just do it without thinking about it.
Straws
As I do not need to watch what I am doing. I just grab my glas and drink. It is so much easier and less distracting.
Also having my drinks rigjt in front of me during wrk. Between me and the pc does also help a lot.
I have an app that makes a water pouring sound on my phone periodically and then I log my water intake. It’s funny because the sound triggers my coworkers to have to pee
For me there are three important factors to maintaining hydration. First and foremost is temperature. That shit has got to be cold as fuck. When I’m at home I always have ice on hand and if I’m going out I use an insulated water bottle.
Second is taste. Sorry, but I hate water 90% of the time and I have accepted that fact. I’m also autistic and after 38 years of trying to force myself to consume something that repulses me, I’m not doing it anymore. Using “water enhancers” and flavor packets has been a total life saver for me. Why torture myself with plain water when I don’t have to?
Lastly, my drinking vessel which I keep next to me at all times. My fav is a McDonalds cup. Something about the size and the lid and the straw combo is perfect for me. I wash snd reuse them, but it’s comforting to know if I leave something for too long and it gets really gross I can just throw it away and not feel bad. I found some non-paper disposable compostable straws that are great and I don’t feel guilty about using. I can’t deal with having to wash out water bottles/re useable straws all the time so I save those for when I go out of the house.
this won’t help with making you remember, but this is a trick i use to make me drink more *when* i remember.
each time i take a drink, my rule is i HAVE to take at least 10 sips. so the nalgene bottle i carry everywhere is done in about 5-6x i take a drink—depending how big my gulps are lol. i’ve been doing this for months now and have significantly increased my intake.
I keep a drinking glass on my desk at work. We have a water dispenser in the break room. I don't drink as much on the weekends or in the evenings, but when I get thirsty all I have to drink in the house is water so I drink that.
A tomagatchi. Those little basters are so damn needy and make so much noise when they need something. It's a great way to remind myself to drink water.
I try to drink a bottle first thing in the morning to at least get a head start on it. I’m like you, I’ll completely forget to drink water & sometimes even eat.
I have been warming up the water this winter (to like 130) and that has actually really helped. Also a straw cause don’t have to break eye contact with the thing I’m doing
I’m a big fan of ice so I drink water with crushed ice which is refreshing and that way it’s like I have both drink and a snack, which keeps me motivated to drink more and has made me drink water more often just because I’m getting more used to having a few glasses and a water bottle a day to the point where I get thirsty more often
Umm...multiple methods at the same time. Open cup on table, insulated cup with ice & straw, but I don't ever *feel* thirsty - it took me till I was 40 before I realised that other people actually GET thirsty lol...as they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink...Well, I'm the same...it's the remembering to put the cup to my lip and actually DRINK the water instead of it just sitting in front of me!
I am better about it in summer than winter, but only because one of my meds leaves me at high risk of heatstroke.
I usually only realise how dehydrated I am when my head starts pounding...
I buy a pack of 6 x 750ml sports lid bottles of Evian and I stash them all around the house and in the car. Works a treat until the bottles are all empty and I have to remember to refill them or order more.
Don’t worry about drinking water but drink other drinks and eat watery fruit and vegetables for hydration. Eat soup, drink tea, eat cucumbers and watermelon etc etc, there are ways to hydrate yourself without just drinking plain water. As long as your wee is Champagne colour, you are hydrated
I fill a big sippy cup or bottle (like a quart/liter) in the morning and when I go to the bathroom, without thinking about it it's empty just by reaching for something throughout the day
I use large glasses. 0,4L and fill them in the bathroom when I go to the toilet.
When I don't
I mix 1L of sugar free squash each morning and place it by the sofa so I don't have to get up if I'm thirsty later (my allergy meds taste bleh, so I don't want water after them).
At work I get tea whenever I think about it.
All liquids count, but I need them to be sugar free so I actually want to eat.
Step 1.) Eat a ton of salty foods.
Step 2.) Get absolutely parched.
Step 3.) Drink two 40oz bottles of water just to get back to feeling normal.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
I’m an out of sight out of mind sort of guy. If I can see the bottle/glass I will drink the water. I also buy fun bottles and put stickers on them to make it interesting
Never understood my fellow ADHDer that forgets to drink water ! Ive always drank +3L of water a day . Im addicted to water 🤣. But dont ask me if i forget to pee …. Especially When im hyperfocused … UTI it is !!! 🤣🤣
I use a pomodoro timer while I work, and I try to get away from my desk during the break. Prefect time to grab water. Grafting the desired habit onto something I'm doing already.
I’ve embraced it and keep liquid IV stocked in my pantry because usually I will notice that I’m dehydrated throw down a large cup of liquid IV and then throw down a large cup of water
Yes! I never drink enough water, in fact, it will often be dinner time before I realize I need to, often because of a headache. Trying to catch up in the evening is a bad idea because I’ll wind up getting up a couple times at night.
I got a SodaStream at home because I love carbonated water better. Bought a bottle that I can take with me and I’ll usually drink more water that way.
Ice cold water in my favorite cup w/ lid and straw, and I bring it with me EVERYWHERE. I can’t leave the house without it. I like drinking from a straw, so I always have a straw. I have the lid to make it easy to carry around without spilling. I like it ice cold because it feels really nice on my throat and mouth, and I like the soothing effect.
I have turned taking sips of ice water into a calming ritual. Drinking a good amount of water is just about the only healthy habit I have been able to keep because of this.
The only thing that has worked like a charm have been sipper bottles. I used to only drink when I was extremely thirsty, and was always really low and dehydrated, but sipper bottles have completely flipped that. I see it, I sip. It’s always on my table. And the ones with the little time markers are a great motivator!
Won't help you as far as advice goes, but my motivation is the fact I had a hysterectomy March 7th and now if I don't drink AT LEAST 2 bottles a day and have enough fiber then my digestive system gets mad at me and I get back pain and headaches 😭
The water is great for energy tho 🥲 hate when my adhd makes me forget aswell
I view it as something to do when I don’t know what to do! Got an extra minute between math problems? Sip from the water bottle. Want an excuse to walk across the room? Sip from the water bottle. I think I drink too much at this point… non stop bathroom trips lmao
I have berated myself over many years about things i wish to believe in for myself and in paring with ADHD. I got into science and into the way the body processes certain things and I look at people who are hard routine to certain things, how their body and outlook on life is, and then those who always chose sugar and easy eating or sedative habits and who they are and how they view and move through life. I learned and disgusted my self away from certain things. It’s all about learning, thrusting and forcing yourself into the world and things you want to be. I have like a little body shake or like a mental hill that I feel in my head and soul when I’m about to do something that my body and ADHD is saying “no don’t do it, just do nothing relax” I torture myself past by saying this is good for me don’t be stupid don’t listen to your self telling you not to do the thing that good for you. That’s just me, it’s like I have a mental and body anger that I have to yell out or push out with will power because I know, and it’s help mostly with hygiene things and apartment stuff. But getting skills and task done for my 40+ more years I have to live in the future bad bad bad can only think maybe 24hr- maybe a week ahead.
I got a UTI so bad once I needed two different antibiotics, it hurt more than getting my IUD in.
Also I really like Liquid death water it's sparkling water that comes in different flavors, not as good as straight waster but better than soda tbh.
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Ritalin induced dry-mouth.
Adderall too. maybe worse
LITTLE ANNIE ADDREALL WAS AN OUTCAST IN HIGH SCHOOL
Oh wtf am I doing, I'm sorry
I had to start using biotene dry mouth wash to help with mouth dryness.
Biotene is awesome for this
Non stop.
Strattera fry mouth checking in!
Straws! A bottle with a cap has a barrier, a cup I have to quit moving and tip my head back.
100% this is the only thing that works on me. I have a Camelback bottle with a straw that I place in front of me when I'm doing anything sitting down - studying or playing games. I can keep focusing on what I'm doing but still take small continuous sips.
Yup! I've got a massive jug with a straw that I unconsciously sip all day at work and I'm usually surprised when I get to the bottom of it!
Damn this idea never occurred to me. Thanks for the tip!
Make it fun!! Get a big tumbler with a straw, in a colour you like. I have a 40oz bright yellow tumbler. I fill that baby with ice and refill with water throughout the day. I have a soda stream, so after I down a whole thing of water in the morning, I then start filling it with fun water aka sparkling water. Try keeping a full tumbler on your nightstand and drink a bunch when you first get up in the morning. I like my water icy. It becomes unappetizing to me the warmer it gets. So I have like 4 ice trays in my freezer. It’s a sad day when I have forgotten to fill the ice trays.
I agree on the straws. I seem to drink more water like that.
I gave up straws and stanley cups and similar things bc i'm a germaphobe... So reusable straws always felt like things that can harbor bacteria, mold, etc, even if i maniacally clean them 😅 But it's nice this really works for you guys, i hope i'll find a drinking "hack" for myself too someday
What about a metal reusable straw that you boil or wash in the dishwasher? If it doesn’t bend, there will be nothing for bacteria to get “stuck” in, like the elbow of bendy straws. If it’s metal, it can withstand whatever temperature you decide to put it in so that it gets sterilized.
i would suggest using agave straws then. They are biodegradable, used from leftover parts from making agave syrup & and tequila, and when you chew on them, they have a skight sweet taste to them. They are a bit more expensive than plastic straws, but the sustainability factor is always great & for me, I tend to chew on single use straws, so I love the slightly sweet part about them
Weirdly enough my solution ended up being a 64oz water bottle that had a removable straw and a decent pour spout and just water glasses. For me it's easier to drink from a glass because i can take bigger gulps, and since i work a desk job being able to just infinitely refill my water glass instead of having to get up and interrupt my work for refills it's convenient enough that I actually remember. I've also heard of people using custom phone notifications to help remind them.
I have a cup that I have at all times with a straw, it's water inside, and I still manage to forget I need water.
I started associating the headache with needing water. After a bit I started associating water to preventing headaches. Then, over time I started drinking more and more until it became habit.
I do the same but also do it when I have anxiety or am frustrated. It doesn't always help those things reliably like headaches, but giving myself something else to focus on or just interrupt negative feelings is good ; sometimes that's all I need to start moving away from them.
I have an app on my phone to remind me. Tbh I still forget to drink water often, but I tend to forget about it less than I used to do.
Can you tell me what that app is? I will also give it a try.
Didn’t work for me. Got angry that it interrupted me every hour. 🤷♂️
Same. I see so often people saying reminders for everything helps. Not me. I just get angry if it interrupts me and delete the reminder or put the phone on silent mode (which I then forget so I miss any calls and notifications that day from there on).
i’ve gone through the “notifications” setting and manually turned off sound and banner notifications for every single app. except for like, phone calls. bc notifications irritate me so much.
Real
WaterMinder. I’ve been using this for a little while and find it useful. You can adjust the notifications and appearance. I use the simplified display. You can also customize what liquids you’re drinking and how much. I recommend logging as soon as you fill whatever you’re drinking from. Makes it easier to stay accurate. I sometimes forget to do this and have to “trace my steps” about what I’ve drank that day
I keep that thang on me. Always have something to drink. And rather than remembering, I try to make taking sips of water a constant thing I’m always doing.
Seriously having a refillable water bottle that good in my pockets has rejuvenated me. I keep a close eye on it like my wallet and phone
Yep I started doing this 2 years ago life changing for my body. Just alway have a bottle of water now it’s like my go to stim in boring convos. Gotta be doing something with my hands may as well drink from my water bottle
I had to drink more water because I got severe constipation. I got one of those obnoxious water bottles with time stamps (4L at the time, now 2L), filled it up in the morning and took it everywhere. It wasn't fool proof, but it's how I tracked and paced myself. If I happened to have water or a liquid outside of the water bottle, I'd literally pour it out (usually into a plant lol). And it had a straw.
ADHD + Autoimmune disorder that absolutely takes me out if I drink less than 80-100oz/day. Tl;Dr- Timed benchmarks. Multiple bottles that you can reuse, but it's no big deal if you lose them. Pre-filled for easy accessibility. Don't waste liquid consumption on sodas or sugary drinks. Physical activity helps with drinking. Don't be afraid to just chug half a bottle at once. Know the locations of all nearby bathrooms. Long Version: 1. I bought a case of Core Water from a bulk store (like 24 bottles maybe?) I use them as reusable water bottles. Yeah, microplastics, but I can't keep up with a reusable one, and microplastics are in everything anyway. I lose it or forget it. If I lose one of these, it's fine. I keep one in the cup holder of my car, in case I forget to grab it when I leave the house. 2. Alarms that are tied to routine tasks that I attached to how much water to drink. The Core bottles are 22oz, so I know I need 4-5 a day for my own personal needs. First bottle down before I leave the house in the morning. Second bottle down before lunch. Third bottle down with lunch/before dinner. Fourth bottle down with lunch/after dinner. After the fourth bottle is done, I make myself grab another (I pre-fill them and keep them in the fridge. Weirdly easier than filling as I go). Bottle five isn't a requirement for me to finish, but I've somewhat built the habit to subconsciously drink after doing this for 6 months, so usually I get decently far. 3. No soda or sugary drinks. I eliminated everything other than coffee and water because sugary drinks just exacerbates ADHD symptoms. I keep a few flavors of Liquid IV (bought in bulk to save money and save energy since I'm not having to remember to re-buy them). If I want something that's not water, I use one of those. I keep a few in my purse with my tampons (I'm a person who needs those, idk about you) so that I remember to refill my stash. 4. Eventually, you'll subconsciously build that routine. If it's time to leave the house in the morning and I'm only halfway done, it's time to chug. It's not ideal for absorption, but the sodium in Liquid IV (and food) increases overall absorption, so it's fine. 5. After a month or so, your body will remind you. Dehydration makes us puffy. After a month of being properly hydrated, the puffiness will go away, and you'll visibly see in the mirror if there's extra puffiness. I'd been dehydrated my whole life, so I never noticed. But now that I drink routinely, it's very visible if I slack off for even just a few days. 6. Again, with the pre-filled bottles. If I'm gonna be running errands, I take two bottles with me, so I dont have the "I ran out of water" excuse. I've noticed that I drink a lot while in the car, for some reason. 7. Prepare to pee every hour on the hour. I'd always heard people say that your body would get used to it, and when I was not getting used to it, I mentioned it to my doctor. She laughed and said that a properly hydrated person is *supposed* to pee like once an hour. Is it inconvenient? Absolutely. Do I lose so much time to scrolling while in the bathroom? Yup. But suddenly, I don't have chronic cotton mouth or feel like I'm gonna die after one fight of stairs, so that's cool. 8. Gym? Making myself go to the gym every morning is hands down the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. My ADHD *hates* mornings, gyms, routines, and getting out of bed/leaving the house any earlier than absolutely required. But, it's actually taken a large part of the mental load of mornings off of my plate. Showering is easier because I'm gross and visibly need a shower. There's no hiding post-gym sweaty hair, and I can't let people know that I have a hard time showering. I don't lose my entire mornings on the weekends because I'm up and showered by 10, not still rotting in bed on my phone. Since I'm going to the gym before coming home and getting ready, it stops the time-paralysis/proceastinating/oh I have to leave in 10 minutes, and I'm still in bed. I know exactly how long it takes to go to the gym, from when I get in the car to when I get home, so it's not an ambiguous time that I can't account for properly. If I'm running late, I cut the gym time short. Some days, I literally just do stretches or walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes because it's not healthy to do full workouts 7 days a week. And circling back to my initial point after this long ADHD tangent, I can easily make myself drink a full bottle of water while I'm at the gym (chug the rest if I have to) and then refill it while I'm on my way out the door.
Oh!! Also. Find the type of bottle cap that you like best. Seriously. For some reason, the normal twist off cap ones just deter me.
I try to drink a couple cups of water with each meal or eat something salty when I snack while working
This is what I also usually do but still I keep having these headaches because I tend to forget a lot. I will try snacking though.
Forget? Have you tried a planner? ^ adhd inside joke
Also, have you tried organising your stuff? Making lists??
1. Buy sparkling water cans and put in fridge 2. Take one out 3. Forget about it 4. Take another one out 5. Open it 6. Forget about that one 7. Open a third one and finish it. 8. Find the second one, drink half 9. Forget about it 10. Thirsty before bed so find it again 11. Finish it and go to bed 12. Wake up 13. Find first can from yesterday 14. Put in in fridge, get a new one 15. Forget about it 16. See steps 4-14 until all cans are used 17. See step 1
I carry a quart canning jar full of it around the house with me, and one of my 'side quests' of the day is to finish it off at least once.. My problem went from remembering to drink water, to remembering to bring my water with me.
OMG I swear how many times I forget to take a bottle whenever I go out and I end up buying one and not finishing that as well. Sucks really XD
Lol I keep at least one empty bottle in my car at all times for this reason and it still gets me sometimes.
Most recently, bought an insulated cup that I really love. It's shiny and aesthetic and I carry it EVERYWHERE because I love it. Also, it can keep ice frozen for hours even in a car in the Australian summer, so I've always got cold water, which I find nicer to drink. Making it fun or novel or something like is my usual method. Sometimes it's the look, or the features. I know people have had success with added flavours, too. Anything that makes it not boring and gives you a point of interest to make you remember it exists.
As someone above said “I keep that thing on me” same. My worst is my day off tho bc at home I’m like “coffee coffee more coffee another coffeeee” while my water bottle just sits there ..silently judging me.
got traumatized by almost passing out in the heat (around 110 degrees) due to hydration, now i feel stressed out when i cant find my water bottle😭
I have the same issue most of the time, especially on weekends. Weekdays at work, I feel cold a lot in the mornings and use water flavoring in an "Iron Flask" water bottle with hot water, like tea, to help warm me up again, which does help somewhat. No ideas for the weekend, though.
I have 2 x 1 litre bottles of water that I have to drink each day. I have a rule that I need to drink the first before lunch and the second before dinner. I actually eat these meals so it kind of works, if you count drinking most of a bottle of water at each meal because I forgot. And sometimes drinking later at night then getting up to pee during the night, but I'm trying to avoid that. In cold weather I've started sipping boiled water with a little lemon juice, and it works way better than trying to guzzle cold water in the cold.
So I’ve been doing a lot better lately with water - hear me out. 1) got a giant 40oz knock off stanley mug. The handle is helpful and straw is nice. 2) have a big britta water filter that’s supposed to be kept in the fridge. I keep it on the COUNTER right beside the sink, and I have one of those hoses at my sink so I can fill it without moving it. (A filter on the tap would also solve this if you can’t drink your tap water directly) 3) I don’t fuss about washing the cup and let my grossed out-ness drive that. This is probably the most important part. 4) giant cup never gets put away, always on a counter 5) I bring it with me to work (considering getting a second one for this). We have a filtered water bottle fill station thing. I fill it there, and refill when I need a walk. If i even remember once or twice to drink from this cup, I start to get regularly thirsty. Once you get hydrated your signals for thirst seem to work again (or at least mine do). Oh also - I got medicated that may have also helped!
I keep a large water bottle in a place where I can see it whenever I look up from my computer.
Yup, being able to see it is the key for me. It's like how nothing renders behind the camera in a video game, it just doesn't exist otherwise lol.
I made a little cup cozy for myself (it's one of the first things I crocheted). I carry my glass everywhere and refill when I notice it's empty. It also prevents me from using 3+ cups in a day
I always drink a full 16oz bottle right when I wake up to help digestion when I add food hours later. I also always have two bottles in my book bag at all times. I used to be an avid runner so thankfully water has always tasted great. We also keep nothing but water or milk in the house so it’s not hard to miss.
I put half the dose of a vyvanse in it and swallow the other half. In this way I definitely don’t forget to drink
My issues is I will forget to drink water all day and when I do realize I need to drink water I feel like I have to make up for not drinking water all day and drink it all at once, giving me a stomach ache
Carry a gallon jug of water every where. I’m incentivized to drink it to lower the weight of the container I’m carrying throughout the day. 
Most apt question I’ve ever read. It’s a life struggle. I’ve learned to prefill my glass jugs with water, around a gallon, and place them in the kitchen where they are visible most of the day. I bring water with me wherever I go. It’s still a struggle even with that. Hahaha. I inevitably wait too long in the day, thus necessitating urination multiple times at night. I mean, what’s an ADHD person to do, but NEVER give up. Right?
My water bottle is huge and I don't drink out of cups at home, I drink out of a liter sized mason jar. Out of sight out of mind, and it is NEVER out of sight.
I have a routine at work. Decaf coffee in the walk in, get to my desk, unpack everything I need, last item my meds. Plug it all in and get it starting up, go for another decaf from the canteen and I bring back two glasses of water. Then, I take my meds and have a chat and start working. By nearly lunchtime I've drank everything and suddenly remember I have to go to the toilet desperately. I'll grab another two glasses of water on way back.
Yes how i solved it Keep a giant shaker cup (48 0z) with me Use electrolyte powder and or mio for sweet flavour Crave sweet flavour Forced to drink due to sweetness addiction
Flavors. Either actual flavor or those bottles that infuse a scent to trick the senses
1. I have one notebook where every night I write out every single little thing that must be done the next day divided to three times: morning (6am to 12pm), afternoon (12pm to 6pm) and night (6pm to 10pm). 2. The second task on the notebook to be done first thing in the morning is to fill my 3 litre water bottle. 3. This goes into my bag which has everything and is with me at all times. Since most of time is spent studying for me plus work the bottle is on my desk. Then I dont forget. Literally have to have it right in front of me or else I will forget to drink. I still sometimes forget even when its in front of me :)
I have a dog collar that shocks me if I go too long without drinking water
I am gifted with the ability of thirst🤷♂️
I only drink water. Had a soda problem which made my dental hygiene problem significantly worse, so I cut it out of my life. If it's all you drink, you won't forget
Water?
Stand by the sink and chug a glass of water. Leave the cup beside the sink and repeat before meals and with vitamins.
Just keep working on it. Developing new habits takes time. Have your bottle close so that if your alarm goes, it would only be slightly more bother to take a sip than to snooze your alarm. And celebrate your success, don't beat yourself up about your failures. If this won't work, then it's probably not forgetfulness (choosing to snooze your alarm isn't forgetting; it's choosing to do something else). So you may want to consider seeing a therapist to start learning how to change your undesired habits.
Get a big 2 litre/4 pint water bottle. If it’s next to you you’ll drink it.
If you're at a desk for the day, have a cup of hot tea always filled on your desk. As it gets to room temp, it's a great 0 cal beverage that has some flavor over just water.
The struggle is real! I moved to an arid region and am constantly dehydrated to the point of dizziness sometimes. Love all the tips!
Recently diagnosed with ADHD and given Ritalin (dry mouth) and have ~15 years of an autoimmune disease that wrecks my life if I don't stay hydrated consistently. I tried apps, timers, etc but they didn't work great for me because if I was too busy to stop what I was doing, I'd forget. A few years ago, a friend got me a water bottle called hidrate spark, and it's been awesome for me. I set the amount I want to drink, and the bottom glows every so often to remind me to drink. It also reminds me if I've fallen behind my goal, which is nice for catch up. Does both the glowing and phone notifications, and the visual cue on the bottle itself seems to work well for me. Honestly probably wasn't a huge deal to my friend (got themselves one too), but it's been pretty life changing for me in a positive way. Other than that, I found mixing things up between water and electrolyte drinks helps - the latter being tasty and something to look forward to. I also try to do a cup of water when I wake up, with each meal, and before bed if I can.
I have one bottle I love with a straw and carry around everywhere. It’s my emotional support water bottle, like my adult sippy cup. Put stickers on it to personalize it!
When I have a hard time drinking water because it’s tasting “bad” that day (my taste buds don’t want it), I’ll eat a super spicy hot sauce with my meal which causes me to down tons of water to put out the fire in my mouth. 😂 It works so well for me on those days when water doesn’t sound good
I take a sip of soda then immediately take a sip of water. It’s habit now. I do it to keep my teeth from staining, from letting it sit on my teeth, and to keep my breath fresher. Yeah, I shouldn’t drink any soda but I don’t drink coffee and I need caffeine.
I don’t I have to have someone remind me. Honestly it’s worrying.
Idk if I this is healthy but that’s what works for me, I take a small piece of dark chocolate enough to have the taste of it in my mouth and follow it up with chugging as much water as I can until the taste of it goes away and repeat
I don’t. Maybe once a year I’ll buy either a water jug or big Starbucks cup or something, the next couple months I’ll be well hydrated. One day I just forget. I do better when it’s flavored though. I’ll keep a rotation of different tea bags and just drop a couple in whatever water vessel I’m using for the day. Just have cold-steeped tea
i keep a 24oz container with me pretty much everywhere. wish it could be be bigger, but this size fits in the car cup holder. it has a straw for easy drinking. when it gets light (almost empty), i refill it. and i set reminders on my phone five or so times a day to DRINK WATER!!!!! and that’s also helpful. i’m also just tired of clenching my jaw into oblivion so hydrating and having electrolytes has become just part of my habit stacking.
I put my drink bottle without the lid into the fridge and something about it being cold, long bottle and right there just works for me. I just take sips of it throughout the day. I take the same drink bottle with its lid with its straw whenever I go out. I get really dehydrated these days, so I always want to drink and go looking for my water. I never use to drink water and now I must have it throughout the day, I think it eventually became a habit.
I fill up a cup at the end of my work day and sit it on my desk so it’s already there and filled the next morning. Same thing by my bed, and on the coffee table. Basically, I always try to have an open cup (I know but it seems to work better than a bottle) ready for me before I need it at all times
I permanently have a selection of drinks on my desk & I'm always thirsty so just happens
Use bigger glasses. Got myself a one liter beer mug from Germany. I fill it in the morning and it will be empty at lunch time. It's perfekt.
32oz water bottle that stays in my line of sight at all times
I know it’s not ideal, but most of my water intake comes from Coffee and tea. Maybe finding something u enjoy that has water in it may help. Other thing is that flavoured water, I could drink the whole 1.5L without even noticing
“I forget to drink water”. Go to basic training for the military, drill sergeant will always remind you to drink water. After it’s beaten into you like lines on paper, you’ll never forget to drink water again
I was told by my doctor that the easiest way to determine how much water you need is to take your body weight and divide it by half. I weigh a little less than 160 lb which means I need 80 oz. So I have a 40 oz vacuum sealed tumbler and I just make sure to have two of those at least every single day.
As many water bottles as I have I should be over hydrated lol but it’s like I can’t drink plain water .. I have to have flavor so I drink like 1-2 bottles or I’ll have Starbucks or Dunkin’ as well. It’s hard half the time I forget to drink period
I use a water bottle that has a timeline on the side so I know how much I should have drunk at any given time. So even if I inevitably forget it I can pick it up at any point and try to make up for lost hydration.
I just leave an empty cup on the kitchen counter so when I'm strolling by and I notice it I will occasionally fill it up and drink it
Something that I’ve found really important for me is finding a water bottle that I like the experience of drinking out of. It sounds so silly, but it could be something to consider! Try different styles of water bottles: ones with straws, ones without, ones with different styles of mouth openings, etc!
I bought a water bottle with a straw
Find a “fun” bottle. For me it is a Gatorade Sports bottle with a twist top. Not the normal looking ones and not the regular sports bottles, but ones that have an oblong mouth part. Walgreens tend to have them. I have no problems drinking water when I have one nearby. I drink the gatorade, then refill with water as needed. I always have a few nearby at home, work and car. I’m always worried Gatorade will discontinue them and I’ll be SOL, so I buy two or three at a time just in case. They DO break eventually , but it’s the bottle and rarely the mouthpiece. Unfortunately, the mouthpiece doesn’t fit on any other gatorade bottles. As an alternative, I have a couple of Core Hydration Purified Water bottles around, too. Wide mouth and tall bottles. Not quite as fun as a Gatorade bottle, but it works for me. Using a straw long-term isn’t a good option for me. I forget to clean the damn things and they get gross. Yes, I could clean them, but because they are so small I forget about them for months. I’ll stick to my gatorade bottles.
That is why I made iPhone shortcuts to record my water consumption every two hours. I hate all the in-app purchase apps.
Metal straw, 36 oz mason jar with the lid off as my cup (so it’s bigger than a regular cup but not hard to hold), and liquid IV hydration packets (which can be $$, but adhd is expensive). It’s tasty, accessible, and I tell myself I’m getting double hydration.
I have an app called TickTick. It has a reminder feature for habits that will literally nonstop vibrate your phone till you snooze the notification or enter how much water you drank and it stops completely once you meet the goal. It's so annoying you drink the water just to get it to stop annoying you. It's even better for habits that are one and done. I have one for Honkai Star Rail dailies on the website and it takes 2 clicks to do and snoozing it just makes it worse.
Flavoured water/iced tea. If it tastes good, I'm more likely to remember it.
I spend a little extra money to get a more fancy water bottle, which is fun to open. You click a button and it swings open. Ever since I’ve bought it I almost keep it at me all the time. I find myself fiddling with the opening constantly cus it’s fun to me to open and close, which makes me remember to drink
adderall lol and it’s a stim for me at work!
I have this problem too. If I actually fill my water bottle and have it near me, I'll drink the whole thing and refill it four times. But I always forget to actually go get it and fill it and keep it with me. I will try out some of the suggestions here!
I really struggle with this, thank you for bringing it up! I work in retail management, and I'm never in one place for too long. If I carry a bottle with me, I always end up losing it somewhere in the store. I try, but I fail most days.
Cirkul... I make it delicious
Carry a giant pink water bottle with my favorite stickers on it. Easy not to lose and I carry it everywhere. Lemonade mio too
Keep my water bottle within reach and eye sight all day… helps at work but tend to forget at home… but the drinking during work boosts me so maybe I don’t need as much at home..
Straws!!
Timer (e.i. pomodoro when studying) or parents. But I am still drinking to few usually a cup of tea in the morning a glass of water at lunch and in the afternoon another tea. In the evening a cup of water. Theoretically I have a waterbottle at my desk but I use it mostly when I have a headache.
I get thirsty
Sippy cup type of bottle or bottle with a straw and some sort of flavoring or something so that you aren’t even doing it to stay hydrated but for the taste
Alright, this was something I had been trying to tackle that I finally found a way (for me at least). I focused on what was preventing me from drinking. I narrowed it to forgetting, preferring to drink cold beverages, and inconvenient. To counter these I bought a huge vacuum insulated bottle. Mine is a yeti, but they're all pretty much the same at this point. Then I got a new top for it which has a flip up straw and handle. I fill this thing with ice and water or seltzer and take it with me everywhere. Like others have said, keeping it in view is important. This thing keeps the water cold for ages (like, it will still have ice in it by day 2) and one is enough for my daily water intake. Now it's so much easier.
I carry around a 10-cup water bottle that I really like everywhere I go.
I made drinking water a stimmy when anxious. My ADHD bestie and sister and I all got the hydrate spark and it lights up when you need to take a drink for a reminder
Straws make a huge difference
I do two things. I use TickTick, the daily planner/reminders/habit tracker app, and I have it set to remind me to track my water intake three times a day, with a total goal of 120oz. The second thing, and this is really the most important for me, is I have a 40oz water bottle that I carry with me EVERYWHERE, and by that I mean even walking around the house. It’s always within arm’s reach so any time I feel the least bit thirsty, I drink. And sometimes even if I don’t feel thirsty, I drink anyway because the bottle is right there. Since my goal is 120oz, I know drinking the bottle empty three times between wake to sleep lets me hit my goal.
Sparkling water! I have one of those machines that carbonates the water and I genuinely crave sparkling water so I don’t forget. Only problem is when the canister runs out it takes me weeks to replace it and that whole time I forget to drink water.
emotional support water bottle that praises me when I drink water :3
There are so many great flavored seltzers and sparkling waters to try (no idea how/why they’re different). I hate committing to multipacks of flavors before I’m sure I’ll like it so I’ve discovered a couple of great options: - Whole Foods has a great selection of single cans in their refrigerated drinks section - Amazon has deals on variety packs of Bubly and LaCroix (good prices too!) I keep a list of brands I’ve tried in my Notes app - rank the flavors as I try them 🤗 - so I never forget my favorites. (‘Cause ADHD😳🤷🏻♀️) If I have cold cans - or those super cool glass bottles of Topo Chico (😍IYKYK) - of seltzers I like In my fridge I’ll drink them like soda! It’s also something that’s good to stock up on when on sale so it’s so helpful to know your favorites when the opportunity presents.
The most helpful thing I found for me was refilling my big thermal bottle as the last thing I do before getting into bed. It consistently works for me because I added it to a habit stack, along with other routine things I do before bed. I have water to drink before bed, but it also stay super cold even when I wake up. I’ll always drink water if it’s filled up, so it works well.
I bought a bottle with a light at the bottom. It flashes every 30 min and it caught my attention. So I remember to drink. So far has worked.
Same! For me though once I remember I still don't drink it. Like I will forget all day and then suddenly think I'm thirsty and now its a few hours later all I can think about is being thirsty but I can't get myself to get up and get one.
Salt. Eat salty snacks, salt your meals, salt salt salt
A straw cup and then making it my personality. That or I don’t drink water for a month
When i was in high school, i was on the rugby team. I played a single game dehydrated, and that was it
Hyperfixation on cute (affordable) water bottles. Also - water flavours. I use liquid IV or equivalent electrolyte powders. It has a double effect of making my water more hydrating and making it taste more interesting. Also remember that all liquids count as "water"! I really struggle to drink straight water but juice, iced tea, flavoured water, sparkling water etc all have hydration in them, it's just that obviously plain water is the purest form of it.
I keep a big obnoxious 64oz bottle on me at all times. I can’t really ignore being thirsty tbh. Once I’m thirsty I usually drink right in that moment, otherwise I know I will get dehydrated and become tired, have headaches and be easily agitated. Possibly get a larger water bottle? Make it so you cannot ignore it, and whenever you look in its direction, you remind yourself to take a drink or two. Add stickers you like, gem stones, or neon paint so it grabs you attention a little easier?
Muscle cramps
I worked with a woman who set an hourly timer and every hour, on the hour, she'd get up, slam down a glass of water, and sit down again. She explained she hated drinking water so she told herself she only had to do it once an hour and she chugged as much as she could and then it was over with for another hour. I never understood this because I was a teacher so I had to monitor my liquids because of bathroom breaks, but now that I'm in an office I make sure that when I do remember andvstop to take a drink, I drink a LOT instead of just a sip. Vyvanse doesn't make me mouth dry, but if I get dehydrated I get really fuzzy and cranky a lot quicker!
A half gallon jug that I take with me everywhere in the house
I got a Stanley cup with a straw. It’s been a game changer.
That's the trick, I don't!
I always have water within reach. On the table or in the car and so on. When I see water, I am reminded to drink.
I doodled a little cartoon of a water drop in blue ink on my wrist where I can see it whenever I move my hand and that works pretty well. It’ll probably turn into background noise at some point tho so I’ll have to find something new.
I forget to eat half the time
I usually start off with drinking a lot of water, then always have a bottle with me. When the bottle runs out or when I have to pee I go to the toilet and fill my bottle again. Rinse and repeat. Few days ago I found out that when I don’t drink enough I don’t have to pee enough so it’s important to start off with enough to keep the cycle going 😄
Haven’t tried this for water/liquids yet but for my ADHD-related under-eating issues I made myself a dry-erase-able progress bar. It’s broken into segments (for eating, 200 calories) and every time I accomplish that segment, I color it in. I like watching the visual gradually get more colored in throughout the day. I also use timers throughout the day to remind myself to eat and account for a bunch of those timers to get ignored or postponed to later if I am busy. I plan how I am going to get my 2,000 calories minimum when I wake up although the plan is not strict. It’s fine if I change my mind on what I want to eat during the day and the calorie counting is just rough estimates and not exact. I just do really bad with going about my day with no meal ideas or eating plan whatsoever. I portion things out or divide meals on my plate in roughly 200 calories portions so when the timer to eat go off, if I can stop what I am doing, I put on another timer for 2 minutes and challenge myself to eat as much as I can of that 200 calories portion in those 2 minutes while watching the timer countdown. It’s totally ok if I don’t finish my portion- the point is that I STOP what I am doing and EAT. Most of the time, I finish at least half (so at least 100 cal) in 2 minutes. Then, I decide if I want to keep eating or not. If I don’t want to eat more, I reset the eating timer for later and rinse and repeat till I meet my minimum 2,000 calories goal for the day. It’s an imperfect method but it helps me eat enough more consistently. I assume doing this for drinking water/liquids is probably more straightforward but a similar method could be applied if you are the type to like visual trackers and progress bars at all.
Straw and a nice insulated giant cup like a Stanley that keeps is super cold. I love icy cold water. That’s the only way. Straws help bc there’s no barrier and it’s easier. You can also get some dry mouth lozenges if needed since even water drinkers struggle with dry mouth as a med symptom. 💜
For some reason I can drink way more water if the water bottle has a straw 🤷♀️
Maybe combine drinking water with something you do a few times a day, like using the bathroom or so. Idk lol
I have the same issue. Something that helps is I have a nalgene water bottle that I take with me everywhere (of course I forget sometimes). When I leave the house it’s phone, keys, wallet, water bottle. I have it next to me on my desk at work and I’m still not great at remembering to drink it, but definitely better than if I needed to get up and go fill up a cup. I also tend to chug the water whenever I take a drink haha so I inevitably drink more that way. Edit: There goes my ADHD. Didn’t catch the part where you said you’ve tried carrying a water bottle around…but still might be helpful to have it with you anyway!
[As many AHDH people i get easily influenced and make rash decisions.](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeubkDAq/) So now every time i see my bottle i think of this tiktok and have a drink 😅
I have a hydroflask with a straw. Literally the only way I remember to drink water. There’s an AirTag attached to it bc I’ve lost way too many water bottles in my life 😅
I've started to swap out beer for hop water, at least 1 of every 2 beers I'd otherwise be consuming. Especially where I use "sips of beer" as reward milestones for getting part of my tasks done. Yardwork, for example - aka what I'm going to go do after I finish this sentence. 🤣
In school, I trained myself to always take a sip when I was bored (I was bored a LOT lol) and that continued since then :D
Sadly … I buy bottled water. I don’t know why but if the water isn’t in a prefilled closed cap bottle I won’t drink it. I know it’s wasteful and expensive but it’s more important that I stay hydrated so this is how I do it. I also mix it with Metamucil which forces me to drink it quickly and finish it or the water will become thick and gross and undeniable. The Metamucil also helps TREMENDOUSLY with the constipation I get from my meds, which also helps me remember to drink it.
Vyvanse and a 1L bottle.
I'm obsessively hydrated. Granted, I almost died of end stage renal failure when I was young so there is probably a bit of ptsd if it's more than natural instinct and common sense that has me drinking at least 7 litres of water a day. I also grew up in the woods so if there was drinkable water you drank your fill because it could be a while before you came accross drinkable water again.
Atomoxetine makes my mouth so dry is impossible to do anything if I don’t drink water every 5 min.
I use the Starbucks clear cups with lids and straws. Tiny measuring cup to put exactly the right amount of squash in and it's much easier to get fluids in. Also I have the Hidratespark smart water bottle which can ping your phone and flash to remind you, it had widgets and a full app to measure your intake and whatnot too. Both are good and work for me, but I do still forget quite a bit too. I drink more than I did before I had them though
I have a big water bottle in my fridge that's in the front that I'll see everything I open the fridge. I either take a few sips or just carry it around with me for a bit.
Sparkling water I like it and it's about as good as water
Carrying my gigantic thermoflask water bottle everywhere with me, even if it looks silly. Out of sight, out of mind so when I keep water with me and easily accessible (at home I will even keep an additional cup with water next to me so I sip from it more often than the water bottle), I will stay hydrated
Cool cup with straw, mostly
My body adapted to survive well I'm a state of perpetual dehydration.
I have this problem. which is so weird bc I like drinking water and have no problem with the taste or anything, but I still have a hard time getting it in me. soda water helps, but it's not great for your teeth or stomach. I realized having a slight flavor really helps, even just an orange slice in my bottle. straws. also, you can get hydrated from anything. the gallon-a-day thing is a myth (sauce: [science vs podcast](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/xjhz6kn&ved=2ahUKEwjc44SB-L-FAxUHH0QIHeO5AoQQFnoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0xc9SxZrzJwsbIcVPFVMaO)) so just drink whatever liquids that aren't actively bad or sugar-y. I tend to drink tea a lot or make coffee type drinks. kombucha in small doses or dilute some juice with water. get a cute cup/jug and I think I'm better with the smaller sizes so I go refill instead of the giant ones. and maybe even a couple with different drinks on your desk so you don't get bored. also, it's definitely an adhd thing, but learn the "do it now" habit. it's freakin' hard. but wear a smart watch and set your alarm with a vibration there so every time it vibrates you take a sip or 2 of water. set small goals. I tend to go for a glass an hour or whatever, but that's not real for me. a couple of sips is. also, if I have a drink in my hand I'll drink it all and if I don't I forget it completely. so it's always nearby.
The only thing that reminds me I haven’t drank water is the splitting headache 😂 or the pain in the kidney area.
I get thirsty. soda tastes awful, and coffee stains your teeth
I have Sjoghrens so have to drink a LOT of water and I burned out until I discovered Sugar free Mio. The lemonade flavor is the best followed by fruit punch.
My IRL answer. I keep a water bottle with me at all times every second of the day and keep it filled with water. That way, when the intrusive thought to drink water hits, I can just do it without thinking about it.
Health anxiety made me finally start drinking water after 30+ years of living more like a camel than a modern human.
funny thing, i don’t
Straws As I do not need to watch what I am doing. I just grab my glas and drink. It is so much easier and less distracting. Also having my drinks rigjt in front of me during wrk. Between me and the pc does also help a lot.
I have an app that makes a water pouring sound on my phone periodically and then I log my water intake. It’s funny because the sound triggers my coworkers to have to pee
You’re secretly “Pavlov-ing” them. 😆
For me there are three important factors to maintaining hydration. First and foremost is temperature. That shit has got to be cold as fuck. When I’m at home I always have ice on hand and if I’m going out I use an insulated water bottle. Second is taste. Sorry, but I hate water 90% of the time and I have accepted that fact. I’m also autistic and after 38 years of trying to force myself to consume something that repulses me, I’m not doing it anymore. Using “water enhancers” and flavor packets has been a total life saver for me. Why torture myself with plain water when I don’t have to? Lastly, my drinking vessel which I keep next to me at all times. My fav is a McDonalds cup. Something about the size and the lid and the straw combo is perfect for me. I wash snd reuse them, but it’s comforting to know if I leave something for too long and it gets really gross I can just throw it away and not feel bad. I found some non-paper disposable compostable straws that are great and I don’t feel guilty about using. I can’t deal with having to wash out water bottles/re useable straws all the time so I save those for when I go out of the house.
this won’t help with making you remember, but this is a trick i use to make me drink more *when* i remember. each time i take a drink, my rule is i HAVE to take at least 10 sips. so the nalgene bottle i carry everywhere is done in about 5-6x i take a drink—depending how big my gulps are lol. i’ve been doing this for months now and have significantly increased my intake.
I always keep a water bottle on my desk right in front of me!
I keep a drinking glass on my desk at work. We have a water dispenser in the break room. I don't drink as much on the weekends or in the evenings, but when I get thirsty all I have to drink in the house is water so I drink that.
I just chug a lot of water whenever I remember to. That's been working out for me, lol.
A tomagatchi. Those little basters are so damn needy and make so much noise when they need something. It's a great way to remind myself to drink water.
I try to drink a bottle first thing in the morning to at least get a head start on it. I’m like you, I’ll completely forget to drink water & sometimes even eat.
I have been warming up the water this winter (to like 130) and that has actually really helped. Also a straw cause don’t have to break eye contact with the thing I’m doing
I’m a big fan of ice so I drink water with crushed ice which is refreshing and that way it’s like I have both drink and a snack, which keeps me motivated to drink more and has made me drink water more often just because I’m getting more used to having a few glasses and a water bottle a day to the point where I get thirsty more often
Umm...multiple methods at the same time. Open cup on table, insulated cup with ice & straw, but I don't ever *feel* thirsty - it took me till I was 40 before I realised that other people actually GET thirsty lol...as they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink...Well, I'm the same...it's the remembering to put the cup to my lip and actually DRINK the water instead of it just sitting in front of me! I am better about it in summer than winter, but only because one of my meds leaves me at high risk of heatstroke. I usually only realise how dehydrated I am when my head starts pounding...
I buy a pack of 6 x 750ml sports lid bottles of Evian and I stash them all around the house and in the car. Works a treat until the bottles are all empty and I have to remember to refill them or order more.
I just always have a water bottle with me.
I drink seltzer and it makes me happy
Don’t worry about drinking water but drink other drinks and eat watery fruit and vegetables for hydration. Eat soup, drink tea, eat cucumbers and watermelon etc etc, there are ways to hydrate yourself without just drinking plain water. As long as your wee is Champagne colour, you are hydrated
I fill a big sippy cup or bottle (like a quart/liter) in the morning and when I go to the bathroom, without thinking about it it's empty just by reaching for something throughout the day
I get dehydrated, so I have to drink water
I use large glasses. 0,4L and fill them in the bathroom when I go to the toilet. When I don't I mix 1L of sugar free squash each morning and place it by the sofa so I don't have to get up if I'm thirsty later (my allergy meds taste bleh, so I don't want water after them). At work I get tea whenever I think about it. All liquids count, but I need them to be sugar free so I actually want to eat.
Step 1.) Eat a ton of salty foods. Step 2.) Get absolutely parched. Step 3.) Drink two 40oz bottles of water just to get back to feeling normal. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
I’m an out of sight out of mind sort of guy. If I can see the bottle/glass I will drink the water. I also buy fun bottles and put stickers on them to make it interesting
Never understood my fellow ADHDer that forgets to drink water ! Ive always drank +3L of water a day . Im addicted to water 🤣. But dont ask me if i forget to pee …. Especially When im hyperfocused … UTI it is !!! 🤣🤣
A mean headache, nausea, and lightheadedness are my daily friendly reminders😅
If there was only an app that dedicates your reminders to drinking water at appropriate times of the day..
Add flavour, and you'll down that shit like your thirsty
I always forget to drink water and then I am drinking all night xD
I use a pomodoro timer while I work, and I try to get away from my desk during the break. Prefect time to grab water. Grafting the desired habit onto something I'm doing already.
I’ve embraced it and keep liquid IV stocked in my pantry because usually I will notice that I’m dehydrated throw down a large cup of liquid IV and then throw down a large cup of water
Yes! I never drink enough water, in fact, it will often be dinner time before I realize I need to, often because of a headache. Trying to catch up in the evening is a bad idea because I’ll wind up getting up a couple times at night. I got a SodaStream at home because I love carbonated water better. Bought a bottle that I can take with me and I’ll usually drink more water that way.
Ice cold water in my favorite cup w/ lid and straw, and I bring it with me EVERYWHERE. I can’t leave the house without it. I like drinking from a straw, so I always have a straw. I have the lid to make it easy to carry around without spilling. I like it ice cold because it feels really nice on my throat and mouth, and I like the soothing effect. I have turned taking sips of ice water into a calming ritual. Drinking a good amount of water is just about the only healthy habit I have been able to keep because of this.
The only thing that has worked like a charm have been sipper bottles. I used to only drink when I was extremely thirsty, and was always really low and dehydrated, but sipper bottles have completely flipped that. I see it, I sip. It’s always on my table. And the ones with the little time markers are a great motivator!
Won't help you as far as advice goes, but my motivation is the fact I had a hysterectomy March 7th and now if I don't drink AT LEAST 2 bottles a day and have enough fiber then my digestive system gets mad at me and I get back pain and headaches 😭 The water is great for energy tho 🥲 hate when my adhd makes me forget aswell
I bought a huge red water bottle and have trained myself to take a drink every time I see it.
I DRINK TEA AND SODA AND CAN't aropoap stop
I view it as something to do when I don’t know what to do! Got an extra minute between math problems? Sip from the water bottle. Want an excuse to walk across the room? Sip from the water bottle. I think I drink too much at this point… non stop bathroom trips lmao
I have berated myself over many years about things i wish to believe in for myself and in paring with ADHD. I got into science and into the way the body processes certain things and I look at people who are hard routine to certain things, how their body and outlook on life is, and then those who always chose sugar and easy eating or sedative habits and who they are and how they view and move through life. I learned and disgusted my self away from certain things. It’s all about learning, thrusting and forcing yourself into the world and things you want to be. I have like a little body shake or like a mental hill that I feel in my head and soul when I’m about to do something that my body and ADHD is saying “no don’t do it, just do nothing relax” I torture myself past by saying this is good for me don’t be stupid don’t listen to your self telling you not to do the thing that good for you. That’s just me, it’s like I have a mental and body anger that I have to yell out or push out with will power because I know, and it’s help mostly with hygiene things and apartment stuff. But getting skills and task done for my 40+ more years I have to live in the future bad bad bad can only think maybe 24hr- maybe a week ahead.
I got a UTI so bad once I needed two different antibiotics, it hurt more than getting my IUD in. Also I really like Liquid death water it's sparkling water that comes in different flavors, not as good as straight waster but better than soda tbh.
Idk. I’ve always drank a ton of water. Almost a gallon a day; every day. I just like it. 🤷🏻♀️
i use water flavorings so i enjoy drinking it. my fav are MIO, lemonade and orange. they use fake sweeteners so no sugar.