I’ve seen a lot of people on here (particularly neurodivergents) talk about how hard it is for them to keep up their water intake. this is usually for one of two reasons: water doesn’t taste good and/or they forget to drink water.
so I’ve compiled a list of things that may combat either one or both of those things, in the hopes that y’all will be able to keep your water up. this is particularly important for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, as we enter the hot/dry season
having a fun drink bottle: in particular, if you’ve got a hyperfixation, special interest, or just regular passion for a piece of media, it might be cool to try and get your hands on a branded drink bottle OR cover your regular drink bottle in stickers.
actually having any kind of drink bottle: if you don’t want a fancy drink bottle, it’s still important to have one, especially if you spend a lot of time not inside your house. bring your water with you when you go places
take your drink bottle everywhere: I mean everywhere. you’re moving from your bed to your couch? bring your drink bottle. you’re going into the kitchen to get a snack? bring your drink bottle. make it a habit to have water in your hands at all times. I can promise you this makes it WAY easier to remember to drink – if you have a drink right in front of you, it’s a lot harder to ignore. and if you carry it around with you, it’s unlikely to become visual background noise
water drinking game: this is another good way to remember to drink, particularly when you’re first getting into the habit. make it a game! if you want to get fancy, you can make a little bingo card, where you take a sip of water every time you tick off a box. example: if you’re watching a show, and your favourite character has a particular catchphrase, take a sip of water every time that character says that phrase. or if you have a particular stim that you do a lot, you can take a sip of water after every stim break… it’s really up to you
flavouring your water: this is a popular one, because it tends to work if you just don’t like the taste of water. I saw a master post somewhere listing good flavour combos, but I can’t remember where that was… in general, it pays to experiment with what works for you
if you really need water and it’s just not happening, just try to eat foods with high water content, and keep liquids up in general: it is better to have some water in your system than none at all. honestly. eating some cucumber or watermelon doesn’t replace the amount of water you need, but they will hydrate you, and that is better than nothing. same goes for other fluids… anything is better than nothing
it’s okay to struggle with drinking the right amount of water, and you’ll get there
it is also normal to pee more than usual once you start to up your water intake. this will balance out over time, I promise. my body has kind of just gotten used to lots of water as my new normal, I’m not a scientist, so I don’t know how that works, but it did happen…
the general rule is also that if your urine isn’t clear, your water intake isn’t quite high enough. so if that’s the case for you, it doesn’t hurt to try some of the tips listed above (or tips from elsewhere), just to see if they work.
