Wellness trends come and go with many popping up as must do rituals for beauty, mindfulness andphysical wellbeing. But how do these impact women and girls with ADHD?
A woman who day dreams and struggles to concentrate since the age of 7 is most likely a womanliving with a different brain to rest of the female population. ADHD exists in a spectrum and it’s abrain that thrives on stimulation, often being extra sensorial and responsive to experiences, textures and environments. In fact men and women display symptoms differently. Men most commonly as hyperactivity and women most commonly as in attention. Sometimes this can lead to disordered living, with consequences such depression, dysfunctional relationships, extreme attitudes to food and anxiety, when struggling to adapt to an academic or work environment. ADHD when untreated or misdiagnosed can have detrimental effects to the self esteem and confidence of young girls and women. Women with adhd have a delayed recapture capacity for glucose in their brain which means sometimes food and sugar can be used to self regulate while dealing with a chaotic brain or when needing structure and stimulation but being unable to find the right balance.
Instead of adding to the overwhelm that already exists within the inattentive ADHD brain of women, I thought it would be useful to test out the practical strategies with Dr. Laura Muggli, the woman who helped me understand how ADHD was impacting my life, my school work and relationships.
Dr. Laura Muggli trained as a neuropsychologist and was shaped early on by mentors who taught her to look beyond the diagnosis and into the wholeness of a person.
Before devoting her work to women and girls with ADHD, she worked with veterans and patients with brain injuries, experiences that gave her a solid understanding of cognition, behavior, and emotional regulation. But it was when she began practicing in New York that her work naturally evolved toward women. She met and was supervised by Sari Solden, the pioneering author of Women with ADD, and collaborated with psychologist Ellen Littman—both of whom had begun drawing attention to the vast differences between how ADHD presents in boys and in girls.
In her own practice, Laura saw how under-recognized women’s experiences were. While boys were studied and diagnosed more frequently, women were often missed entirely—quietly struggling to stay organized, to meet expectations, and to maintain emotional stability while internalizing a sense of failure. ADHD, she explained, isn’t simply an inability to focus; it’s an inconsistency of focus. Some days, the mind is sharp and alive, and on others, it’s fogged, fragmented, or unreachable. Executive functioning becomes unreliable. Emotional regulation wavers. Hyperactivity, when present, often hides behind socially acceptable habits: hair-twirling, restless chatter, tapping one’s foot under the table. The result is a kind of invisible restlessness, a body that can’t quite sit still even when it must.
Her approach is deeply body-based. Movement, she says, is not just exercise—it’s regulation. Yoga, Pilates, running, or even a ten-minute walk can recalibrate the ADHD brain by lowering cortisol, improving dopamine flow, and anchoring attention back into the body. For women especially, strength training and core work carry an added power; they build confidence, support long-term health, and release the tension that often accumulates around the pelvis and lower back.
The goal is not perfection but release.
Laura also speaks about sensory grounding as an often-overlooked tool. Simple acts—splashing cold water on the face, massaging the skin, or stepping outside for fresh air—can jolt the nervous system out of mental chaos and into presence. While social media wellness trends can feel excessive, she believes the value lies not in the ritual itself but in whether it truly works for you.
Every woman must discover her own language of regulation.
Structure, however, remains essential. She calls it a “flexible frame,” a way to hold your day without being held by it. For women with ADHD, a morning routine can make the difference between starting from chaos or from calm. Laura suggests beginning the day slowly—hydrating, moving the body, and nourishing the brain with real food rather than sugar or processed fuel. Even five or ten minutes of movement, she notes, can stabilize focus for the rest of the day. The act of handwriting a few priorities—or speaking them aloud—helps the mind find order without the overstimulation of multiple digital tools.
For those who are self-employed or lack built-in structure, she recommends anchoring the week with immovable points—perhaps an exercise class, a walk, or a call that gives rhythm to time.
Without those anchors, days can easily dissolve into distraction.
Technology, if used wisely, can also serve as a supportive ally; even AI tools, she notes, can help outline a day or organize thoughts when overwhelm sets in.
Her guidance always circles back to balance: to listen to the body, to rest when rest is needed, to eat for energy, to move for clarity, and to understand that structure is meant to serve you—not constrain you. As women age, hormones introduce new layers to this complexity, often amplifying brain fog or emotional flux, which makes sleep, nutrition, and movement all the more vital.
From our conversation, what stands out is her grounded philosophy: regulation begins in the body, structure should breathe, and wellness must never become another form of pressure.
A morning, in her view, should begin not with discipline but with attunement.
Drink water. Stretch. Step outside. Eat something real. Write one thing that matters. And from that place—of softness, steadiness, and self-trust—begin your day.
To reach Dr. Laura Muggli visit her website https://lauramuggli.com
