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Recovery After Recruitment
January 16, 2026
I’ll start with a little story:
I was running some errands around LA and ended up on the USC campus. When I heard high-pitched screaming and music off in the distance, coupled with the fact that it was a Sunday, I put two and two together and realized it must be Bid Day! I decided to go check it out to see how it compared to Bid Day nine years ago when I became a DG.
By the time I made it to campus, it was midafternoon and most of the chaos had already settled. Some sororities were still dancing and chanting, others were deep into full blown photo shoot mode, and it brought back a flood of really good memories from my own Greek Life days.
Bid Day is great. It’s a huge celebration after a few weeks of absolute hell, also known as recruitment. But after a full morning and afternoon of excitement, screaming, running around, and social overload, everyone is expected to snap right back into student mode.
And that transition is rough.
For many sorority women, especially those with ADHD, what comes after Bid Day feels a lot like a hangover. Not because you did anything wrong, but because your nervous system has been running on adrenaline, dopamine, and external structure for weeks. Once it all stops, your body crashes.
The recruitment hangover on its own straight up sucks. But just like an actual hangover, recovery gets a lot smoother with the right home remedies.
Katie’s Home Remedy for Your Sorority Recruitment Hangover
Part 1: The Evening of Bid Day
1) HYDRATE
You’ve likely been awake for hours and haven’t drunk a sip of water. Grab your Stanley or Owala and fill it with water (skip the electrolyte packets - you need WATER, not water + salt and sugar). If you really hate water, try a Cirkul, light flavor packet, or hot water with lemon. The goal is simple: rehydrate your body.
2) CHILL THE F*** OUT
Again, it’s already been a long day…the last thing your brain and body need is alcohol (if you’re 21 of course), late nights, and/or more stimulation. Stay in, read a book, watch TV, gossip with your girlfriends – you choose. The main idea: REST for REAL.
3) PACK YOUR SH*T THE NIGHT BEFORE
Most of you are not morning people, which means Monday morning after Bid Day is already going to feel brutal. Add post recruitment exhaustion and ADHD decision fatigue, and it becomes a recipe for overwhelm.
Do yourself a favor and prep everything the night before. Fewer decisions = less mental energy = less stress.
Morning meds laid out with a glass of water.
Clothes picked out with undergarments and shoes.
Breakfast ready to grab, like overnight oats or yogurt with granola.
This is not about being rigid. It is about being kind to your future self.
Part 2: The Next Few Days
1) 20 MIN OF EXERCISE IN AM
I know. A lot of you are already thinking absolutely not. And I get it. But exercise is not just good for your body. It is one of the most effective ways to support an ADHD brain after prolonged stress. Research suggests that about 20 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise can significantly improve attention, mood, and executive functioning, with effects that can feel like stimulant medication (like Ritalin) for some people. Exercise also helps replenish dopamine, regulate emotions, and wake your brain up for learning. All things that tend to be depleted after recruitment.
If you want to learn more about this, I highly recommend Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey.
2) PUT YOUR F**KN PHONE AWAY DURING CLASS (+ texting/internet on laptop)
I’ve been a student, researcher, TA, professor, and tutor all in the age of smart phones. The research is clear. Phones are distracting, and multitasking doesn’t work the way we want it to. Splitting your attention between class and your phone makes it harder to learn, retain information, and stay regulated. It also means you spend more time later trying to catch up on what you missed.
I’m not perfect at this. I still mess up. But I do use preventative strategies to make it harder to reach for my phone during class or meetings. For sorority women coming back after recruitment, this matters even more. Your brain is already tired. You need all the focus you can get. If it helps, try alternative strategies like handwritten notes, fidgets, or tools like Otter AI to capture information without pulling your attention away.
These recommendations might look like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, they are pretty simple. The two biggest sticking points tend to be exercise and phone boundaries. Twenty minutes of movement puts us in an uncomfortable place, and taking a phone away from our hands can feel genuinely distressing. Like taking a pacifier from a teething baby. Unpleasant, but survivable.
Everyone is capable of doing these things. That doesn’t mean they are easy or that they will feel natural at first. I challenge you to try this for a few days. Twenty minutes of movement in the morning and phones away during class or meetings. Notice what changes. Your energy, focus, mood, and overall tolerance for stress.
When You’re No Longer an Active Member…
You’re probably thinking that I’m just spitting out regular everyday strategies for success, and honestly, you’d be right to think that. The problem isn’t that people don’t know what to do. It’s that discomfort gets in the way of consistency. Most of us would rather stay in bed scrolling or wait for UberEats than do the uncomfortable things that actually help us feel better. I get it.
The key to building sustainable habits is making them realistic and accessible. These strategies are not just for sorority women after Bid Day. They apply to any intense event, transition, or emotionally draining season. By building structure after the chaos, instead of pushing yourself to immediately bounce back, you give your nervous system a chance to recover.
And if you are a sorority woman with ADHD who finds yourself burning out after every big event, you do not have to figure this out alone. If you want one on one support building systems that actually work with your brain, especially during high pressure seasons like recruitment, you are always welcome to reach out and learn more about working with me.
I was running some errands around LA and ended up on the USC campus. When I heard high-pitched screaming and music off in the distance, coupled with the fact that it was a Sunday, I put two and two together and realized it must be Bid Day! I decided to go check it out to see how it compared to Bid Day nine years ago when I became a DG.
By the time I made it to campus, it was midafternoon and most of the chaos had already settled. Some sororities were still dancing and chanting, others were deep into full blown photo shoot mode, and it brought back a flood of really good memories from my own Greek Life days.
Bid Day is great. It’s a huge celebration after a few weeks of absolute hell, also known as recruitment. But after a full morning and afternoon of excitement, screaming, running around, and social overload, everyone is expected to snap right back into student mode.
And that transition is rough.
For many sorority women, especially those with ADHD, what comes after Bid Day feels a lot like a hangover. Not because you did anything wrong, but because your nervous system has been running on adrenaline, dopamine, and external structure for weeks. Once it all stops, your body crashes.
The recruitment hangover on its own straight up sucks. But just like an actual hangover, recovery gets a lot smoother with the right home remedies.
Katie’s Home Remedy for Your Sorority Recruitment Hangover
Part 1: The Evening of Bid Day
1) HYDRATE
You’ve likely been awake for hours and haven’t drunk a sip of water. Grab your Stanley or Owala and fill it with water (skip the electrolyte packets - you need WATER, not water + salt and sugar). If you really hate water, try a Cirkul, light flavor packet, or hot water with lemon. The goal is simple: rehydrate your body.
2) CHILL THE F*** OUT
Again, it’s already been a long day…the last thing your brain and body need is alcohol (if you’re 21 of course), late nights, and/or more stimulation. Stay in, read a book, watch TV, gossip with your girlfriends – you choose. The main idea: REST for REAL.
3) PACK YOUR SH*T THE NIGHT BEFORE
Most of you are not morning people, which means Monday morning after Bid Day is already going to feel brutal. Add post recruitment exhaustion and ADHD decision fatigue, and it becomes a recipe for overwhelm.
Do yourself a favor and prep everything the night before. Fewer decisions = less mental energy = less stress.
Morning meds laid out with a glass of water.
Clothes picked out with undergarments and shoes.
Breakfast ready to grab, like overnight oats or yogurt with granola.
This is not about being rigid. It is about being kind to your future self.
Part 2: The Next Few Days
1) 20 MIN OF EXERCISE IN AM
I know. A lot of you are already thinking absolutely not. And I get it. But exercise is not just good for your body. It is one of the most effective ways to support an ADHD brain after prolonged stress. Research suggests that about 20 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise can significantly improve attention, mood, and executive functioning, with effects that can feel like stimulant medication (like Ritalin) for some people. Exercise also helps replenish dopamine, regulate emotions, and wake your brain up for learning. All things that tend to be depleted after recruitment.
If you want to learn more about this, I highly recommend Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey.
2) PUT YOUR F**KN PHONE AWAY DURING CLASS (+ texting/internet on laptop)
I’ve been a student, researcher, TA, professor, and tutor all in the age of smart phones. The research is clear. Phones are distracting, and multitasking doesn’t work the way we want it to. Splitting your attention between class and your phone makes it harder to learn, retain information, and stay regulated. It also means you spend more time later trying to catch up on what you missed.
I’m not perfect at this. I still mess up. But I do use preventative strategies to make it harder to reach for my phone during class or meetings. For sorority women coming back after recruitment, this matters even more. Your brain is already tired. You need all the focus you can get. If it helps, try alternative strategies like handwritten notes, fidgets, or tools like Otter AI to capture information without pulling your attention away.
These recommendations might look like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, they are pretty simple. The two biggest sticking points tend to be exercise and phone boundaries. Twenty minutes of movement puts us in an uncomfortable place, and taking a phone away from our hands can feel genuinely distressing. Like taking a pacifier from a teething baby. Unpleasant, but survivable.
Everyone is capable of doing these things. That doesn’t mean they are easy or that they will feel natural at first. I challenge you to try this for a few days. Twenty minutes of movement in the morning and phones away during class or meetings. Notice what changes. Your energy, focus, mood, and overall tolerance for stress.
When You’re No Longer an Active Member…
You’re probably thinking that I’m just spitting out regular everyday strategies for success, and honestly, you’d be right to think that. The problem isn’t that people don’t know what to do. It’s that discomfort gets in the way of consistency. Most of us would rather stay in bed scrolling or wait for UberEats than do the uncomfortable things that actually help us feel better. I get it.
The key to building sustainable habits is making them realistic and accessible. These strategies are not just for sorority women after Bid Day. They apply to any intense event, transition, or emotionally draining season. By building structure after the chaos, instead of pushing yourself to immediately bounce back, you give your nervous system a chance to recover.
And if you are a sorority woman with ADHD who finds yourself burning out after every big event, you do not have to figure this out alone. If you want one on one support building systems that actually work with your brain, especially during high pressure seasons like recruitment, you are always welcome to reach out and learn more about working with me.
How to Keep Your Sh*t Together During Sorority Recruitment
January 4, 2026
The beginning of the new year brings a lot of fun and exciting changes for college students. For those of us in Greek Life, it also signals the start of spring sorority recruitment, which means long days, heightened emotions, and schedules that leave very little room to breathe.
For some of you, this is your first time going through recruitment. You’re a bundle of nerves and excitement, trying to make a great first impression, remember which letters go with which house, and keep track of who said what joke. For others, you’re on the other side of the process. You’re the active members helping select new PNMs to join your chapter. A special few of you are Rho Gammas, guiding PNMs through the process, acting as emotional support, and helping them process what can feel like an overwhelming experience.
No matter what role you play, if you’re involved in sorority recruitment, you already know how emotionally intense it can be.
The vast majority of sorority women are high achieving. You work hard, overcommit, and push yourselves in academics, leadership, friendships, and extracurriculars. From the outside, sorority women often look put together, or at least more put together than the average college student. On the inside, many of you feel like you are barely holding it together.
You’re being pulled in a dozen directions at once, and it is exhausting. Recruitment season amplifies this pressure, especially for women with ADHD who are already juggling time management, emotional regulation, and social demands.
As an ADHD coach and former sorority woman, I want to share strategies that can help you stay grounded during recruitment. This is not about being perfect or having it all together. It is about protecting your energy, your mental health, and your sense of self.
For PNMs: How to Stay Organized and Regulated
1. Set up a simple note system before you leave your dorm
Recruitment moves fast, and decision fatigue is real. By the end of the day, trying to remember names, conversations, and overall vibes can feel impossible, especially for ADHD brains.
Before leaving your dorm on day one, create a notes template that works for you. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to be consistent.
You might include:
Use emojis to help you quickly capture how you felt. Trust your gut and write things down as soon as you can.
2. Plan ahead to reduce daily stress
Recruitment is not the time to wing it. The more you can plan in advance, the less mental energy you will waste on small decisions.
Helpful planning strategies include:
Pack a recruitment bag with essentials:
This isn’t being extra. This is being prepared.
3. Move your body if you have the time
If it comes down to exercise or sleep, choose sleep. But if you can fit in a walk, a run, or a short workout before recruitment, it can make a noticeable difference.
Movement helps reduce anxiety, improves focus, and burns off nervous energy. Recruitment requires a lot of sitting, listening, and social engagement. Giving your body an outlet beforehand can help you stay regulated longer.
For Active Members and Rho Gammas: Protect Your Energy
Recruitment is emotionally demanding for you too. You are managing your own stress while supporting others, often without much acknowledgment.
1. Build in intentional decompression time
You need a place to release stress. This might look like:
If you need alone time, that’s okay too. Identify a quiet space where you can reset, whether that is your room, a corner of the house, or time with headphones and calming background sounds.
2. Set realistic expectations for yourself
You can’t be emotionally available to everyone all the time. Recruitment culture often glorifies self-sacrifice, but burnout helps no one.
Give yourself permission to:
3. Watch for ADHD burnout signals
Many sorority women with ADHD push through stress until they crash. Pay attention to signs like irritability, zoning out, emotional overwhelm, or physical exhaustion.
If you start noticing these signals, it doesn’t mean you are failing. It means your nervous system needs support.
Why I Care About This
I dreaded recruitment when I rushed, when I spent weeks preparing with my own sisters, and when I served as a Rho Gamma. Those weeks felt overwhelming, filled with mandatory meetings, trainings, practices, and expectations, all on top of starting a new semester of school.
It often felt chaotic and emotionally draining, with anxiety spilling over into small details and interactions. At the time, I thought I just needed to try harder at being the perfect sorority woman.
Years later, I understand that much of what I struggled with was ADHD.
Now, as an ADHD coach, I see these same patterns in high achieving sorority women every day. Smart, driven women who look fine on the outside but feel like they are barely holding it together on the inside.
Many of my clients come to me hoping for more discipline or motivation. What they actually need are practical strategies that work with their brains, systems that help them manage overwhelm, and support that allows them to recover instead of burning out.
Want Support Beyond Recruitment?
If you are a sorority woman with ADHD who feels overwhelmed by academics, social obligations, and daily life, you aren’t alone.
Coaching can help you build systems for time management, emotional regulation, and follow through, without pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion.
My work focuses specifically on high achieving college women who want support that understands both ADHD and sorority life. If that sounds like you, I would love to help.
You deserve support that fits your life, not advice that tells you to just do more.
For some of you, this is your first time going through recruitment. You’re a bundle of nerves and excitement, trying to make a great first impression, remember which letters go with which house, and keep track of who said what joke. For others, you’re on the other side of the process. You’re the active members helping select new PNMs to join your chapter. A special few of you are Rho Gammas, guiding PNMs through the process, acting as emotional support, and helping them process what can feel like an overwhelming experience.
No matter what role you play, if you’re involved in sorority recruitment, you already know how emotionally intense it can be.
The vast majority of sorority women are high achieving. You work hard, overcommit, and push yourselves in academics, leadership, friendships, and extracurriculars. From the outside, sorority women often look put together, or at least more put together than the average college student. On the inside, many of you feel like you are barely holding it together.
You’re being pulled in a dozen directions at once, and it is exhausting. Recruitment season amplifies this pressure, especially for women with ADHD who are already juggling time management, emotional regulation, and social demands.
As an ADHD coach and former sorority woman, I want to share strategies that can help you stay grounded during recruitment. This is not about being perfect or having it all together. It is about protecting your energy, your mental health, and your sense of self.
For PNMs: How to Stay Organized and Regulated
1. Set up a simple note system before you leave your dorm
Recruitment moves fast, and decision fatigue is real. By the end of the day, trying to remember names, conversations, and overall vibes can feel impossible, especially for ADHD brains.
Before leaving your dorm on day one, create a notes template that works for you. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to be consistent.
You might include:
- House name (If it is the first round and you visit all houses, find a list of active sororities at your school and pre write these)
- Conversation rating from 1 to 10
- Overall house vibe from 1 to 10
- Cost or financial expectations mentioned
- A few quick bullet point notes
Use emojis to help you quickly capture how you felt. Trust your gut and write things down as soon as you can.
2. Plan ahead to reduce daily stress
Recruitment is not the time to wing it. The more you can plan in advance, the less mental energy you will waste on small decisions.
Helpful planning strategies include:
- Choosing outfits for each round ahead of time
- Trying everything on the week before AND again the night before with shoes and accessories
- Laying outfits out completely the night before
- Packing a backup outfit in case of spills or wardrobe malfunctions
Pack a recruitment bag with essentials:
- Snacks with protein and carbs (ex: protein bars, nuts, meat sticks, trail mix, dried fruit, goldfish, pretzels)
- Gum or mints
- Makeup touch ups and wipes
- Tissues and napkins
- Hand sanitizer
- Basic medications and Band Aids (ex: Advil, DayQuil, or cough drops)
- Headphones or AirPods and earplugs
This isn’t being extra. This is being prepared.
3. Move your body if you have the time
If it comes down to exercise or sleep, choose sleep. But if you can fit in a walk, a run, or a short workout before recruitment, it can make a noticeable difference.
Movement helps reduce anxiety, improves focus, and burns off nervous energy. Recruitment requires a lot of sitting, listening, and social engagement. Giving your body an outlet beforehand can help you stay regulated longer.
For Active Members and Rho Gammas: Protect Your Energy
Recruitment is emotionally demanding for you too. You are managing your own stress while supporting others, often without much acknowledgment.
1. Build in intentional decompression time
You need a place to release stress. This might look like:
- Venting with sisters you feel safe with
- Taking a workout or exercise class such as HIIT or yoga
- Writing out frustrations and physically tearing (or burning) up the paper
If you need alone time, that’s okay too. Identify a quiet space where you can reset, whether that is your room, a corner of the house, or time with headphones and calming background sounds.
2. Set realistic expectations for yourself
You can’t be emotionally available to everyone all the time. Recruitment culture often glorifies self-sacrifice, but burnout helps no one.
Give yourself permission to:
- Take breaks
- Ask for help
- Step away when you feel overwhelmed
3. Watch for ADHD burnout signals
Many sorority women with ADHD push through stress until they crash. Pay attention to signs like irritability, zoning out, emotional overwhelm, or physical exhaustion.
If you start noticing these signals, it doesn’t mean you are failing. It means your nervous system needs support.
Why I Care About This
I dreaded recruitment when I rushed, when I spent weeks preparing with my own sisters, and when I served as a Rho Gamma. Those weeks felt overwhelming, filled with mandatory meetings, trainings, practices, and expectations, all on top of starting a new semester of school.
It often felt chaotic and emotionally draining, with anxiety spilling over into small details and interactions. At the time, I thought I just needed to try harder at being the perfect sorority woman.
Years later, I understand that much of what I struggled with was ADHD.
Now, as an ADHD coach, I see these same patterns in high achieving sorority women every day. Smart, driven women who look fine on the outside but feel like they are barely holding it together on the inside.
Many of my clients come to me hoping for more discipline or motivation. What they actually need are practical strategies that work with their brains, systems that help them manage overwhelm, and support that allows them to recover instead of burning out.
Want Support Beyond Recruitment?
If you are a sorority woman with ADHD who feels overwhelmed by academics, social obligations, and daily life, you aren’t alone.
Coaching can help you build systems for time management, emotional regulation, and follow through, without pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion.
My work focuses specifically on high achieving college women who want support that understands both ADHD and sorority life. If that sounds like you, I would love to help.
You deserve support that fits your life, not advice that tells you to just do more.
More from Katherine...
Katherine has written a number of blog posts Neurodivergent Outloud website. Her posts explore how ADHD intersects with academics, anxiety, habits, and sleep—drawing from both her academic research background and psychological expertise.
Through a blend of science and storytelling, Katherine breaks down how ADHD impacts daily life and what practical strategies can help. As an ADHD Coach, she also shares insights into how coaching and support from an ADHD-informed professional can empower individuals to thrive.
Through a blend of science and storytelling, Katherine breaks down how ADHD impacts daily life and what practical strategies can help. As an ADHD Coach, she also shares insights into how coaching and support from an ADHD-informed professional can empower individuals to thrive.
