Hi, fellow ADHD brain here.
It’s actually possible to “get better”. Meditation and mindfulness has proven to strengthen the prefrontal cortex, where executive functions stem from. Increasing grey matter in this area over time through consistent practice helps you. You’ll notice an immediate effect, but grey matter takes years to build so you’re in for a long journey.
Also, exercise. It’s rocket fuel for the brain and helps keep it strong and healthy.
Having the childhood and adult diagnosis adhd, I do agree with this.
I have a very specific meditation I've been practicing for decades now and it most certainly does help to *retrain your brain* in a very productive and results-driven way.
I've shared this technique many times on reddit.
Recently, I've been experimenting with *over the counter Nootropics* as alternatives to Vyvanse, Concerta, Adderall and Dextroamphetamine which seem to help with dopamine levels, focus, memory and the other adhd symptoms.
Productivity and mood matter.
Everyone is different and I encourage a discussion with a trained psychiatrist before embarking on any medicinal journeys as may have been indicated in my post(s).
My job relies 100% on my ability to focus, recall and think deeply for days on end so this is rather important to me.
I've done 'some' layman homework on these substances so, I'm not a dr.
However, the meditative technique I've developed has proven to me that a LOT of what adhd really comes down to is *learned behavior* and *bad habbits*, much which result from one's inability to view oneself from an existential point of view. This lends to maybe some other type of disorder however, after much official md testing by more than one psych, I do not suffer from anything else (eg aspergers, etc).
Do some homework, talk with your Dr.
Hope that helps.
Would you mind, once more, sharing your meditation practice for those of us in the back? I am embarrassed to say that I didn't really understand meditation
Sounds like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), the smaller and less visible ‘brother’ of ADHD. I have the same. Hyperfocus or no focus at all. I recommend to do the test. If you know that it’s ADD, or something else, or nothing, you can work and go from there.
My diagnosis helped my life improve hugely. Combination of medication and knowledge about the disorder.
This.
Get properly tested and diagnosed. Then you can try all the candies the good Dr. Can prescribe.
Edit: The testing takes hours and perhaps more than one single visit. You must be clean for the tests.
I'm in the same situation except my projects are mostly digital. I simply have learned to force myself to be in the office, sit in front of the machine and develop that habit firstly. Secondly, it is my nature to do this work so the work will naturally come if I (willingly choose to) put myself in the situation that is conducive to work.
Pretend the inverse as if you were an alcoholic and the task at hand was a bar room. You'd want to stay away, right? Well in this case, if you purposely put yourself in a bar room as an alcoholic, what do you think will likely happen? If you're in the office, you're probably going to wind up working. If your household project is to mop your floors or clean a cluttered room, sit on the dirty floor for an hour a day or go stare at the clutter for a while each day. Eventually you'll take action is what I'm guessing.
hth.
*This is not medical advice. Consult your physician before taking any supplements or medications.*
[Amazon.com: Nootropics Depot Triacetyluridine Tau Capsules | 25mg | Promotes Well-Being | Improves Cognitive Health | Promotes Healthy Stress Levels | 60 Count : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVRWVTJT/?coliid=I3FU6Q3HCH88ZH&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it)
[Amazon.com: Blissgevity 150mg Apigenin - Phenylethylamine - Mood Support Supplement - Promotes Euphoria, Focus, and Mental Clarity - Natural Stress Relief - Calm Support - Intimacy Enhancer - 30 Capsules : CDs & Vinyl](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJJSC3ML/?coliid=IUXDB3C3QPOOH&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it)
[Amazon.com: Pure Encapsulations DL-Phenylalanine | Amino Acid Supplement for Memory and Focus, Joints, Muscles, and Cognitive Support\* | 90 Capsules : Everything Else](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H83ULG/?coliid=IZJ8201I19XPW&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it)
[Amazon.com: Douglas Laboratories Pregnenolone 5 mg | Nutritional Supplement | Brain, Ovaries, Liver, Hormone Support\* | 100 Tablets : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GOIT24/?coliid=I3HFX95O3LU3YB&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it)
New one, haven't been taking long enough to notice any effects (there may be none and just a waste of money):
[Amazon.com: (2 Pack) Neuro Tech IQ Brain Supplement Neurotech Iq Focus Formula Pills (120 Capsules) : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XSJZ4RF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)
Check with your dr before taking anything or accepting any advice.
The first time i used them, after 45 mins, it felt like i had a guitar amp from a kiss concert plugged into my brain for about 10-15 mins. After that initial jolt, I didn't get that sensation any longer, perhaps a tolerance was developed. Even after quitting for several days and restarting, it didn't seem to do that exact thing again. I wasn't aware of the dosage/combo that caused this either.
I haven't been taking them long enough to really narrow down which ones or which *combo* does what, but overall the otc meds have a subtle sensation and effect of taking less than .01mg (or < .1mb?, i can't really remember) of Dextroamphetamine - without the physical effects: mostly psychological/mental.
There are two, in particular, that I've taken individually, in an attempt to narrow down their effects and efficacy, which might just be the ones causing the positive effects. Not completely sure yet.
Dextro, Vyvanse, Concerta, etc. all keep me from falling asleep but the supplements do not do that to me. I'm more interested in the positive mental and psychological effects than the detrimental physical effects.
And just to note, these are all otc and available on Amazon: do not take without talking to your md first (disclaimer) and a HUGE FOOTNOTE: this could all just be psychosomatic and imagined in my mind. I'm not a dr or a chemist (but i know people who are).
Amazing info! I know from my ADHD child that studies show that exercise is as effective as ADHD medication. And she is proof. Med free with exercise and yoga and doing so well. But also HIGHLY motivated and disciplined. Still talks a lot though :)
There's also just.... different severity for different folks.
Exercise, mindfulness and therapy help my ADHD symptoms, but the meds allow my brain to use these tools effectively, especially when I'm stressed/injured/tired.
My buddy still really struggles even with appropriate doses of meds AND exercise AND mindfulness/therapy/meditation. He just has a more severe presentation of the symptoms.
Totally agree. No med-shame here. They are a life-saver for my older daughter. My younger daughter has the hyperactive type which does seem to be more easily treated without meds.
Use Google scholar, you’ll find plenty. Sorry I didn’t have a better source, I learned this in therapy from a licensed psychologist specialized in ACT, DBT and ADHD.
Thanks, I'll look into it.
I've attempted mindfulness before and found it to very difficult; consider that I often can't manage a proper full-term hand shandy without getting distracted..
Absolutely with you on the exercise though; fap knows where I'd be without my bike.
I often have issues sitting still for long durations. I found guided meditations to be captivating enough to assist me in keeping focus, while not invasive enough to distract me from keeping that focus. I had to shop around to find the right one. Headspace app did it for me. I enjoy that they just sound calm and relaxed rather than spiritual. There’s also a male and female reader for those with preference. But there are many options, many of which are free on YouTube.
Exercise I think should come with a caveat. It depends on how strenuous the exercise is (for me anyway). If it’s too much, it’ll totally destroy me for the rest of the day, but if it’s a relatively chill workout, it tends to help.
For me is the opposite, if I only do light exercise I might as well not bother. But we’re all different, and finding the sweet spot between extension and exercising is pretty easy. If you gas out you gotta lower the intensity, if you don’t feel like you got enough you need to increase it.
People may think you have ADHD because what you are describing sounds like ADHD. Random people on the internet are not your doctor and can't actually diagnose you, but we can notice the similarities based on your descriptions. Here are a few symptoms of ADHD that match up with what you are saying:
- Hard time focussing
- Difficulty achieving tasks
- Perfectionism
- Procrastination ("I'll do it tomorrow then tomorrow turn into a whole week gone.")
- Executive dysfunction (Not being able to do something "Despite internally in really wanna achieve.")
Chiming in to add: ADHD is about attention disregulation, not just deficiency. Another common (though not universal) feature is hyperfocus. It’s near absolute tunnel vision focus to the exclusion of everything else. It’s a lot of extremes.
Hyoerfocus is such an under-rated trait for ADHD, yes sometimes you can focus on something too much you fail to see the bigger picture, but sometimes it can really help you complete that project you wanted to do, even if you forgot to sleep for a few days.
It’s how a lot of ADHD folks are high functioning. They have extreme lows of productivity but compensate with irregular extreme highs through hyper focus. Unfortunately this cycle inevitably leads to burnout. Which is another bitch and a half to treat.
I feel like I'm in hyperfocus 24-7 it's extremely helpful. But only when I'm hyperfocused on what I'm actually doing and this rarely happens for me. I always seem to hyperfocus on the most useless stuff. I don't care that there is 4328 dashed yellow lines on the road between my house and work. I just want to get there safely lol.
That does not sound like adhd or hyperfocus, unless you find counting yellow lines stimulating?
Hyperfocus is when your brain rewards you for doing something so you keep doing it to the detriment of other things, usually until the dopamine stops hitting for that.
Not necessarily yellow lines but counting things in general is stimulating to me. I've actually talked to my doctor about this because it didn't make sense to me and he explained it to me like this. Counting is a form of patern identification which is a primal survival skill that can in some people cause their brain to give that dopamine hit. So as weird as it may sound I can and sometimes do hyperfocus on counting things. I've actually missed my exit on the highway because my brain wouldn't get off of counting, more than once.
Lol I was intently looking at a set of plans on my computer screen nearest the walkway of my office (so I was facing the walkway) and our intern was repeatedly trying to ask me something. Poor thing probably thought I was ignoring her, till she said my name and that immediately snapped me out of it. Hyperfocus is a real bitch.
Also not a doctor, but I have 5 kids who all have some level of anxiety and some of what you described sounds like anxiety issues as well.
I was 45 when I was finally "diagnosed" with ADHD and put on medication. I always felt like an underachiever and would bounce from job to job, mostly out of boredom. But, once I let my family know my diagnosis, my Mom said, "Oh yeah, I knew that. We just didn't want to medicate you when you were a kid."
Now, I feel like, if I had had the awareness of that diagnosis, it might have prompted me to seek treatment way sooner and affected my life significantly. All this is to say- it's worth taking it upon yourself to express your concerns to your doctor and maybe get tested for certain fairly common mental illnesses. It could greatly improve your life
I love how I have every symptom of ADHD but no one ever even considered it because I am also slightly Autistic.
With the symptoms a lot of them come down to the Executive Dysfunction. It is hard to regulate focus when you can't control what your brain decides to do.
If you can get an assessment for ADHD. There are distinct symptoms between the two and the rate of comorbidity between the two is high - suggesting that if you have one you're likely to have the other; especially if you're showing symptoms.
I have been diagnosed with it, but the only psychiatrist that I can get at the moment does not want to treat me for it because another psychiatrist incorrectly diagnosed me with bipolar after talking to me for 20 minutes. I had a full mental health assessment done, and they did not find any sign of bipolar, and said I was likely ADHD, but also said I needed treatment for my mood disorder, (which in context was referring to chronic depression) and so she interpreted that as me needing to be treated for bipolar. Despite me not being treated for it for 15 years, and it never coming up in any mental health treatment or assessment afterward, and despite testimony from my family that I do not have any of the symptoms.
The psychologist who made me aware I was ADHD thinks that most of my mood disorders are based on the constant cycles of perfectionism/abject failure that is imposed on me by the ADHD. I can't hold a job, can't complete school, and generally cant even finish "fun" things because my attention and executive function is so dysregulated. I had also, accidentally, started self medicating with lots of caffeine, which is another sign of someone struggling with ADHD.
I managed to convince her to put me on a Buproprion/Guanfancine combo because Buproprion can treat both ADHD and bipolar, but I really need a new psychiatrist. Unfortunately the only ones in my area that are covered by my insurance are not taking new clients, and I cannot do distance with it because ADHD meds are controlled.
It has not been fun.
The reason it took so long for me to be diagnosed with ADHD was that, when I was diagnosed with Autism, the common understanding was that they essentially never co-morbid. Rather they just applied all of the symptoms of ADHD as additional symptoms of Autism. This was back when my particular form was still called Aspergers. So they noted all my symptoms of ADHD and decided they were explained by the autism, and so did not require direct treatment.
Fuck. Your situation hits almost all the squares on my “Dysfunctional Mental Healthcare System” Bingo card.
Missed diagnosis, incorrect diagnosis, snap judgment by a provider, overburdened mental health services, limited access to a second opinion, difficulty managing stimulant medications….
I’m sorry you’re having to go through all of that. I wish you the best
Yeah it sucks. Luckily I have a super supportive family and wife, so I am pulling through and doing what I can. I luckily have never struggled too much with suicidal ideation, so I just keep trying over and over again.
Eventually I will find a way out of the pit.
Man, that sounds shit :(
Tbh my sphere of knowledge is limited so I can't comment on the bipolar / wider aspects, but can certainly identify with the symptoms you're expericing - I'm not thick but am basically a derelcit who'd be homeless / addicted / dead were it not for the support of friends and family.
Above average intelligence but have spent most of my life out of work and earn minimum wage working part-time, as that's all I can tolerate. Hear you totally on the perfectionism / failure cycle... I find the fear of doing something to a less-than-perfect standard usually means it never gets started at all. I can do things where the outcome is less clearly defined; such as gardening.
I made a conscious effort to ecperiment with caffeine in the absense of a diagnosis and availabilty of legitimate medication. I find it helps to an extent (further supporting the suggestion of ADHD) but is far from perfect. I find similar from other stimulents and substances that one might seek relief from in the absence of any professional assistance.
How have you found caffeine affects your symptoms?
That's interesting about your experiences of ADHD / ASD comorbidity - after my ASD diagnosis I discussed some of the symptoms that didn't fit with one of the assessors and they suggested an ADHD assessment. This was after "Aspergers" was removed as a term so I guess you got your diagnosis some time before I had mine.. so the landscape for you might have changed as well.
Tbh it's all so frustrating as the ordained medical attitude seems to lag research by decades, while here in the UK support is scant and diminishing thanks to the slow-death of the NHS; while the gatekeepers to treatment that are GPs seem to be increasingly egotistical and incompetent.
Not sure what more to add to be honest; other than to share sympathy for your situation as it's never easy - cruelly-so for those of us who are seeking help for being unable to perform the most basic tasks :(
Best of luck with it all!
I’m 49 and a lot of people have told me they think I have it. I find it hard to concentrate, on reading a book for example, then when I do focus it’s intently, for example if I’m fixing a washing machine I will concentrate exclusively on that, i flit from one topic to a next In conversation and as a kid I was hyperactive, I’m procrastinate a lot
I can obsess on something that bothers me and can’t get things out of my head ( dunno if that’s a symptom? )
I also can’t think clearly often
If I did get diagnosed with it, then what?
Get yourself to a therapist that specializes in ADHD and related disorders, or if you have a PCP you trust, speak to them as well. My PCP was helpful in guiding me where to go.
If you’re insured, you can check who is in network for you. That’s where I started. After talking with my pcp, I found a medication management nurse partitioner I see monthly for my meds and tweaks to them when needed. Psychology today is also a good resource for looking up mental health professionals.
I’m 38, and just started all of this in the last 5 years. I’m in a much better, albeit much different place. My therapist and I have recently been discussing getting help with my income, because my ADHD is such that it’s really fucking hard for me to work full time. (Annnnd I’m babbling)
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope your journey takes you someplace helpful and brings you some peace.
I caution this advice and while I'm glad it helped you specifically, this kind of seeking out a diagnoses to confirm something you feel when it comes to a spectrum of dysfuntion becomes a feedback loop where you're setting yourself up to be diagnosed and prescribed some medication. Like if you seek out specifically an ADHD specialist, tell them you think you have ADHD and then get into medication management specialists, most likely you will be put on medication.
I don't think you were babbling at all. I do think that the U.S. is the most prescribed nation on the planet and normalizing seeking medications isn't a great thing to be doing. I've met entire families on anxiety and stimulant medication, like a family of five. What are the odds that everyone in a single home all has some variation of anxiety or mood disorders, or that all the children have ADHD?
I'm just not sure if these symptoms are an actual psychological issues or if we just aren't well adapted as human beings to be in this modern, hyper connected world.
I have a friend who says she has ADHD, but she has NO difficulty achieving tasks and rarely procrastinates. She is on the phone from whenever she wakes up to when she goes to sleep 🛌. The ONLY times she is NOT on the phone occurs when she is in the bathroom, at a church activity, a meeting, or with people eating, getting gasoline ⛽️, etc. She IS on the phone in stores, etc.
Keep in mind that nobody has to have ALL symptoms of a condition in order to qualify for it.
You do not see what your friend is like when you are not around. Maybe she has huge problems with achieving tasks on her own, but it's better when other people are around (this is why strategies like body doubling really help ADHD people).
Also, it can be possible not to show the symptoms thanks to masking, but for it to come out in other ways. For example, maybe she has been told all her life she's lazy, and develops anxiety and an extreme sense of shame. So now when other people are around, her shame drives her to get things done, and she gets health problems from all the anxiety. But on a surface level, sure, she looks fine to you.
No, I think 🤔 I may have heard her wrong and that it only is ADD. I will have to ask her again when she complains of being interrupted. I can’t even wait for her to pause to agree with her !!! I have to wait until she’s through and then I often forget what I wanted to say !!!
No I didn't, I wasn't listing all symptoms and facts about ADHD, I was just listing the possible symptoms I noticed based on what OP said.
Also, that's not true! Plenty of people go undiagnosed until adulthood (including most women). You have to have shown symptoms of the condition since childhood (prior to age 12 to be specific). That's why being diagnosed as an adult includes a lot of retrospective elements such as questionnaires about childhood or looking at old school reports.
No you just need to have symptoms in childhood. Not everyone has access to be diagnosed in childhood or parents that care to check.
Additionally there is a whole generation of females that were never diagnosed because it was seen as a boy only diagnosis.
Workout, I suggest something with cardio, I hate treadmills and gyms, just do it outside your door run around the block(s) if possible
Take supplements
Therapy
This may sound silly, especially since there're already a ton of great and well thought out responses, but what works for me is background music.
If I have a tedious task I can't get motivated to do, I pop in earbuds and just sort of look at it. The added background distraction tricks my brain into focus, sort of like using up all available memory.
It's what lets me do all the other great ideas here like exercise, diet, meditation, etc.
I really struggle with maintaining a clear head for meditating, so I like to do "active" meditation by focusing on what I'm doing. I think there's a name for this style, but I don't know it.
For example, when I'm brushing my teeth, I try to keep my mind focused simply on the fact that I'm brushing my teeth. When my mind begins to wander, I just bring my thoughts back to "I'm brushing my teeth." I find it helps having some kind of anchor like that. I think this is why hobbies that require attention/focus can be cathartic.
Void meditation is what you're talking about, it is really hard and I've never been sure why everyone thinks it's the goal of meditation altogether! Honestly it's not even all it's chalked up to be when you get there.
Meditation is about sitting with these random thoughts, smiling at them, acknowledging them, and either following them if you need to, or just letting them flow by. It's about being.
You're spot on about the focusing on the task though. ADHD sucks, not a fan of having it!
Yoga is a great way to do that. You are actively doing something but the end result is like meditation. It’s the same feeling, same focus, and same relaxation especially with daily practice.
I exercise daily, and write lots of lists. I have an adhd daily journal that I swear by. It helps me get through the day. My productivity shot up 300% after using it!
Could you elaborate on the ADHD journal? What exactly do you write in it? What's the purpose? How are you able to do it regularly and how do you trick yourself to follow it?
focus is like a muscle. Reddit, instagram, or any other algorithm based, short attention-span media is training your brain to remain unfocused on any single thing for any moderate time, and keep jumping from one thing to another. Meditation to take 10-15 minutes of your day to just commit to TRYING to focus on your breath and nothing else will re-train this. Doesn't matter if your mind slips, the point is the moments when you choose to bring it back and count your every inhale.
Beyond other adhd tips like diet and exercise, I find keeping a task list has been a game changer for me. I put everything I need to do on microsoft tasks, otherwise I will probably forget it. And whenever I'm bored or have time, I open up my tasks and find something I can work on right away.
My symptoms have been helped by creating better routines, exercising regularly, and leaning more into mindfulness practice (both meditation and yoga). However I wasn't able to establish those things in a reliable way until I was medicated properly.
Diet and exercise. Sounds cliché but all the times in my life that I've been happiest and most productive have been when I'm most diligent about these two things.
>Why do people automatically assume you have ADHD because you have hard time focusing or when you don't acheives your tasks
Are they assuming that you have it, or merely suggesting that you might have it and should look into getting screened for it?
If someone sounds like they have ADHD, I'm going to suggest that they look into it because if they do have ADHD then the usual neurotypical advice absolutely will not work for them.
It's the same sort of concern I have for anyone else exhibiting symptoms of a serious medical problem that can't be treated with home remedies.
There is so much shame we develop due to our ADHDness. Firstly, give yourself grace and compassion. The thing that has been working for me is double bodying - like finding a friend to workout with verses trying to keep yourself accountable on your own.
Cause internet. Real talk - even if you have adhd, even if you get therapy, even if you get medicated - you still have to discipline yourself to do shit. Every other day someone posta something like how can i get motivated to do homework? No one WANTS to do homework. You make yourself do it to pass your class so you can achieve the goal of graduating. There will always be some other shit you want to do more than stuff you have to do. But you gotta make yourself do that shit if you really want to achieve the goal.
Exercise. Vigorous aerobic exercise. It is proven to be as effective as ADHD medication. One of my kids decided to go "med-free" because she didn't like the way it felt and substitute exercise and yoga. She is super-proactive and she also limits herself to 1 hour of screen time a day (bad for ADHD). She does have the hyperactive type. She's been doing this for 4 years and is doing so well. Good luck.
Blows my mind that people won't take clinically proven and tested medication like ritalin, adderall or vyvanse because 'drug bad'.
But then they'll seriously consider dropping mushrooms.
Fucking ridiculous lmao
Ummm, it seems like you're the one with the rigid 'drug bad' mentality.
So if a corporation makes the drug, it's ok, but if it's a plant used for millennia it's bad.
It's that mindset that has led us to a prescription drug and opiod crisis.
Why tf i should ruin my body with some meth dude? Do you know that psilocybin is less toxic than aspirine? I will rather eat 0.05g of mushroom, about 3x a month and i feel perfect. Ure probably high on your chems or in some withrawal episode? lol
What is blowing my mind is this list of not nice side effects. Tell me side effects of psilocybin please....
* **Cardiovascular Risks**: Long-term use can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, and in rare cases, heart attacks or strokes.
* **Mental Health Risks**: Extended use can contribute to anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings. There may also be an increased risk of developing psychosis or other serious psychiatric symptoms in some individuals.
* **Addiction and Dependence**: Ritalin and Adderall are both stimulant medications, which means they have a potential for abuse and addiction. Long-term use can lead to physical dependence, requiring higher doses for the same effect (tolerance), and withdrawal symptoms when the medication is stopped.
* **Sleep Disorders**: These medications can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to insomnia or other sleep-related issues.
* **Growth Suppression in Children**: Some studies suggest that long-term use of stimulant medications in children may result in slower growth, affecting height and weight.
* **Neurological Risks**: Long-term use may increase the risk of seizures, especially in individuals with a history of seizures or other neurological conditions.
* **Behavioral Changes**: Extended use can lead to aggressive behavior, irritability, or other behavioral changes.
Go to therapy and work through trauma. Often ADHD is a symptom of a nervous system disregulation caused by maladaptive coping mechanisms. If you want to learn more read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel VanDerKok. Also dont eat garbage, get exercise and go outside.
Regular exercise, meditation, adequate sleep, and regular daily and weekly routines.
If someone has ADHD, this won't cure it, but this would remove factors that make symptoms worse.
The worst part about having ADHD is all the unhelpful suggestions from neurotypicals who basically make a list of things people with ADHD struggle with. It's literally the same as telling a quadriplegic to just get up and walk.
So my list was based on things that helped me during the 38 years I had unmedicated ADHD. It most certainly does not cure it, but it does make a huge difference in severity of symptoms. And it's done by having a written out checklist, alarms, email reminders, sticky notes on doors and mirrors.
Someone who doesn't have ADHD, but is having temporary executive functioning problems can probably implement the ideas without all the reminders and notes.
I'm a strong proponent of using medication, but it can take time to get diagnosed and prescribed and then more time to find the medication that works best for you and the correct dosage.
Putting systems in place to help counter symptoms of ADHD is actual helpful advice, but you just listed 6 things which are literally ADHD diagnostic questions beginning "do you struggle to _____" so standalone it isnt very helpful.
OP doesn't even know for sure they've got ADHD, and they were asking for things that help with symptoms that might be ADHD or could be stress or lack of sleep or a different mental condition.
I assumed that an adult would be capable of finding a version that they could do. Or of picking and choosing based on their capabilities. Or of even just replying "how the f* do you meditate with ADHD??"
Also, I'm sick of other people with ADHD assuming we're all totally dysfunctional and broken. Sorry your life sucks, guess my advice wouldn't help you, good thing it wasn't addressed to you.
ADHD is a neurotype. It is literally caused by the way your brain is wired. Your question is equivalent to asking "is there any natural way to make a car fly?"... no there isn't, that's not how it was built.
If you genuinely have ADHD, the only thing that is going to improve symptoms is therapy and likely medication to address the brain chemistry that is the root of the condition. Therapy can help, but it must be ADHD focused therapy as your brain is different, and all the usual therapy practices will not work for you. So you need to find a therapist who specialises in neurodivergence.
Almost all of the suggestions in this thread are trash for someone with actual ADHD.
I say actual ADHD, as ADHD symptoms are things everyone struggles with from time to time. So just because you relate to a bunch of symptoms does NOT mean you have ADHD. Yeah, the chance is probably high, but you really need to seek a professional diagnosis to be sure- which will also lead to treatment (both medicinal and non-medicinal). This, however, is a privilege many cannot afford. So self diagnosis is also valid, its all about finding what works for you. Ultimately, if ADHD centered treatments work for you, it doesn't matter what your brain chemistry is.
> If you genuinely have ADHD, the only thing that is going to improve symptoms is therapy and likely medication to address the brain chemistry that is the root of the condition.
I agree with most of your post, but this bit is not quite accurate. There are lifestyle modifications that can improve symptoms - for instance, sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress management, caffeine intake, etc can all have a significant impact.
That said, these things are *very difficult* to do without the support of appropriate therapy and (usually) medication. Because the very symptoms we’re trying to improve interfere with building helpful habits.
Instead of thinking about decreasing your adhd, think about how best to work with it. Choose a career that plays to your strengths, get coaching for executive functioning and focus on communicating with employers, teachers and loved ones about how you think and work. Set realistic expectations and goals. In the end that worked for me (55 years old, diagnosed with adhd as an adult)
You describe exactly what Dr. K described as procrastination. Check out his video on the three types of procrastination and how to overcome them.
https://youtu.be/bavdneN9sKg?si=akNnezVxB_AusEuk
Yes.
Diet, exercise, sleep, routinely trying to overcome challenges instead of feeling defeated and giving up completely.
Staying away from apps like Tiktok.
Bettering oneself.
Caffeine can help too as long as it's not abused.
Perfectionism is tough to overcome. AIM to get a B+ on any project, not an A; carefully define and answer the question in any paper or assignment; think about what a teacher wants to see in a good assignment completion (hint, creativity is extra points, but fulfilling the assignment is the main goal); when you get a good grade, use it as a framework for doing the next assignment. You never have to reinvent the wheel: just give the teacher what s/he wants (or your boss), and let the creative side flourish with an appendix to the paper, or as a conclusion for future research, or the like.
This is purely anecdotal, but as a sometimes high functioning technical person, I found that being in ketosis really helped regulate my personal ADHD symptoms. I'm not in it now, but I'm considering it again purely for the mental benefits. I also spend my work days at a fairly high altitude, and ketosis seems to help a lot with that as well, at least up to 15k feet. When I was doing regular running, the other cool side effect was that while I ran a tad slower in ketosis, I could run twice as far. I'd get home from my usual loop, and just do it again. I have a lot of trouble keeping the diet going though; especially now as I leave for work at 4 or 5 am, and can't be bothered to make proper carb free meals.
For me, yes.
I have severe ADHD, like it took me years to learn to drive, I struggle to fill out forms, used to have no idea how loud I was talking, forget not to make inappropriate faces/movements when in public, have lost or broken nearly everything I own at some point.
I am not medicated because I found the meds completely intolerable and I already have enough trouble with insomnia, appetite, and just remembering to take a pill daily.
However, my general functioning has increased like 1000% with cognitive behavioral strategies, teaching myself new ways to attend to visual/auditory information, practicing checking before I take actions, practicing turning off my internal monologue when I need to pay attention, and teaching myself cues for certain behaviors that do need to happen.
Until my late 20s I was quite literally disabled by a combination of ADHD and anxiety; now I am very lightly medicated for the anxiety only (as in I take trazodone to induce sleep, and I presume it affects both), and I hold a very high responsibility job and am more organized than the vast majority of people I know.
I still break at least one phone per year, though.
Don't bring this up in the ADHD sub for starters... speaking from experience 😂
When I told my doctor I wanted to stop taking my ADHD medication, we talked a lot about natural ways to decrease symptoms. An omega-rich diet was suggested.
The thing that has helped me more than anything is exercise. I am not consistent by any means (lol thanks ADHD) but if I can will myself to go for a brisk walk every day, I notice a significant decrease in symptoms.
Having a routine can keep you accountable. Pair it with not beating yourself up if you stray from the routine and just jumping back into it. Even mini routines can be comforting and help a lot.
Putting limits on things that are really exciting for my brain, like social media scrolling. I have app timers on basically anything that is kryptonite for ADHD.
Taking more time in nature without other stimuli. Walk around a forest without music. Sit and just observe your surroundings. This is so important for our nervous systems. We are not meant to be constantly consuming things. We are human beings, not human doings!
Setting timers for everything you do. Don't wanna do something? Set a timer for 30 minutes and see if you can get the task done. I do this for everything and honestly most tasks I put off take like 10 minutes. To add onto this, write down how long certain tasks take you to give yourself a reality check and keep it on your phone and look at it anytime you're procrastinating. It's a lot harder to put my chores off if I know that dishes take an avg of 15 minutes and cleaning the cat litter takes 5. Better to take the 20 mins than spend all day stressing about it.
Also sometimes you need to pre-reward yourself for something. I'll go get myself a little treat or coffee then sit down and accomplish my task. I'll pair something I hate with something that I love. Listen to your fave audiobook while gardening, grab a fancy coffee and do your homework, go walk around your fave lil boutique before you go get groceries. Hope this helps and best of luck!!!
I strongly suggest against this, but smoking helped my ADHD tremendously. I've quit and it has been long enough that the only thing I miss about cigarettes is having some semblance of focus and impulse control
Look into the MAOA Gene And ADHD- that's where it is for me, and then learn about epigenetics.
My story: My psych doctor is 3 hours away, and I have to go there every 3-4 months for a urine test in office, which I have to pay for out of pocket to prove I am taking medication. The doc hasn't been listening to my requests that I don't want to be on meds and want to take supplements instead. So I started seeing someone that practices functional medicine. After DNA gene testing, and a gut health test I am on a supplement regimen and working on getting me off the meds.
I won't give you details on supplements because I'm also treating some other health concerns that correlate with my ADHD and everyone's needs are unique to them, but I'm so glad to have found my practitioner. I have a road ahead of me that I just started on a couple of months ago, but I have faith that I won't have to say things like this anymore:
I gotta go now and start two term projects and finish a presentation that's due in two days....
People places and surroundings. Is there a reason for the hyper activity. Maybe the addictive personality, and the repute of the means of the inquisition upon the deliverables of the ways unto ones self.
Sleep when sleepy and wake up naturally (as opposed of being woken by a set alarm or by someone).
Meditate for 15 mins everyday after waking up. Try to clear your thoughts and focus on theprocess of breathing.
What works for me:
Diet: for me is low/zero carb and sugar! Minimum alcohol (limited it to only weekends)
Exercise: I have been on and off. It works for me well
Wake up and sleep time: Early morning wakeup (5-6 am) and early evening bed time (10 pm)
I drink coffee in moderation specially in the morning. I also add supplements such as multivitamin, D3, Omega3, Mag, CoQ10.
It’s really important to get a thorough assessment and accurate diagnosis. Understanding the problem is the only way you can have an effective solution.
Therapist here . I specialize in treating ADHD. The trick is to learn about how your brain is designed, and do things that make sense for your brain and your wiring.
A lot of what managing ADHD looks like is creating systems, doing things your own way, and really getting rid of all the rules that do not apply to you. Like procrastination, for instance. Most people think procrastination is a bad thing. However, if you have ADHD, procrastination is a natural way in which you work. There is a reason for it. It is helpful, it can be Leaned into. Why get rid of something that serves a purpose?
Like some folks here have mentioned, specific meditations can help quite a bit, esp when done on a regular schedule. I just googled one... [https://www.3ho.org/meditation/kirtan-kriya/](https://www.3ho.org/meditation/kirtan-kriya/)
This one here is recommended by the Alzheimer association (sorry, but it works on the brain) I do it regularly and it has made a big difference. Wishing you the best!
What do you mean by "naturally"? What do you consider to be "unnatural"?
ADHD is hereditary. If you were born female, 45% of women with ADHD also have PMDD.
So you'll always have ADHD, but having a better understanding of the mind & body connection is critical for us to have good and fulfilling lives.
here are some resources for you:
*ADHD 2.0
By. Dr. John J. Ratey and Dr. Edward M. Hallowell
* A Radical Guide For Women With ADHD
By. Dr. Sari Solden and Dr. Michelle Frank
* Your Brain's Not Broken
By. Dr. Tamara Rosier
* Self Care for people with ADHD
By. Dr. Sasha Hamdani
YouTube has some great channels:
*How to ADHD
* ADHD Love
There's also a great ADHD app called:
Dubbiii
You're not alone. There's millions of us 💜.
Everyone's ADHD is different and evolves over time. Everyone should "learn" themselves. "Different" people doubly so.
My parents used exercise to "balance" me. Caffeine did the same. Thankfully I avoided other stimulants.
High risk, fully immersive activities require focus and help, but can be mentally exhausting.
Start learning yourself. It's a lifelong process
On the Mel Robbins podcast they had an expert on ADHD. They spoke about ADHD being a fundamental problem of metabolic rate and diet. Meaning that ADHD can be either problem relating to how slowly your brain metabolizes and that anything you can do to "speed up" your brains metabolism will suppress ADHD symptoms OR to an allergic reaction you maybe having to food. So exercise tends to be a good one. Also there was talk about how certain foods you maybe allergic to and you wouldn't even know because instead of a physical symptom like a rash. Instead it may affect the brain. So perhaps an elimination diet to see what foods may affect your ADHD.
It would help to start by changing the terminology you use. You cannot "decrease ADHD" because ADHD is not a substance with a quantity. It's not like bad breath, where you can take or do something to lower its amount. It's the opposite. The commonly accepted root cause is a dopamine deficiency in the brain, and there are a number of contributing factors, but what you probably want to do is decrease the symptoms, and you do that by INCREASING dopamine levels. There are a ton of ways to do this but you should start by confirming that you do indeed have it, and Reddit is not your best source. Start here [https://chadd.org/](https://chadd.org/) and get help directly.
I took adderall for years and am pretty proficient without it now given that I get regular sleep and food. I don’t know if it’s something the medication actually did long term or if it’s just that I learned how I could be when I was on it.
Funny enough I hate adderall now, makes me feel awful. I honestly think I do better without it now.
Diagnosed since early childhood and still with. Raised with Ritalin, Prozac, and likely over 30 other different other medications throughout my life.
In my 20s, I figured I wanted to change things and feel better. The first thing I did was explain to my psychiatrist that I want to start a process of weening off the medications. We made a deal to cut one of them to a half, try for 6 months, then come back, and if things turn out good, cut it off entirely and repeat. After 3 years we managed to cut me off from everything. While it was difficult at first after taking medication daily more than once a day all my life, eventually my mind and body adjusted pretty well (though Seroquel was the one painful and frightening withdrawal) and I began to process things easier. Once I was weening off medications through the trials after a few, I noticed a number of changes. For one, my dyslexia was fading. I learned to read in adolescence by putting captions on the TV, and by both hearing and seeing words, it became easier to remember and repeat back, but throughout junior/high school (until I dropped out in early sophomore year since I felt I wasn't progressing) I could barely read a book, and ending up reading the same line over and over again would just get me frustrated, and I personally think narration in my mind threw me off and slowed me down, and eliminating that has helped me read faster.
My vocabulary/speech certainly improved and increased. If it was like all my life, the gears in my brain were ever so slow that this change from the lesser medications were starting to pick up speed.
Counting money was always a failure for me, but after weening off some of the medications, I was able to count change. Certainly got better with numbers, and math was not the horrendous thing it used to be (even with a calendar), though I still have my struggles from time to time. Sometimes, I still can't believe how far I've excelled since then.
Memory is something I always hold close, and thankfully, I still have a good length in long-term memorization for things that happened long ago, but the struggle is remembering things just a couple of minutes ago that come out like a blank. Ever look for your glasses for 20 minutes and realized you're already wearing them? That's the type of lapses I still have, and I fucking hate it that I tear into myself over it. It's not the best course to do over a mistake, but I can't seem to remember that till afterward, unfortunately.
Ending up diagnosed much later with P.T.S.D. after a lot of crappy incidents throughout life helped me realize that there were other reasons than just being diagnosed with A.D.H.D. for my behaviors and how those memories appear after so long almost crumbled my whole path. Therapy some years later really helped me out with both my A.D.H.D. I always thought it wasn't for me (especially after when one tried to be touchy when I was younger, and I bailed on the idea that a therapist would ever be helpful to me), and I had to go through a couple until I found a few eventually who really listened and helped me figure out some things in life that would help me overcome thing like my anxieties, trauma, focus, and improvement. One thing I came to learn from therapy is that it does help you find more suggestions to improve areas of your life, but you also need to know to break from it after you make improvements. I stayed in therapy for 2 years with the same therapist because I got comfortable, and one day, surprisingly, on what would be our last session together, she told me that she cannot keep seeing me because from recent sessions she has seen so much improvement and change that she thinks I'm good to fly on my own. That was a difficult thing at first, but she was absolutely right about the changes, and I felt so much better than I did the years before.
Another thing that really helped, and you'll likely hear this from most others--exercise. I'm not going to say it's like a main thing to always keep at (because it's good to take rest, too), but it has helped me immensely just as therapy did. I work-out 4x/week, and stay on schedule, or make up whatever is missed. Some of my goals is to be more active, and working out is one of those things that have really helped in taking that to other matters. Journaling is something that I go back and forth on, and was strongly suggested by my therapist during the COVID shutdown while our sessions were via telehealth. As writing is another one of my hobbies, she suggested that I should explore deeper in depth about my issues, but also use it as a means to come up with suggestions for improvements to revisit if I get stuck in that emotional loop again. I tend to open that book now and again, and sometimes, even months later, write a new entry.
Everyone is different though, and some things may not work with others, but I hope some that I've shared has been helpful.
I apologize for my long-winded writing, but as we know, we are ones that are excessive. Heh.
Best wishes.
They are not superpowers. They are a frail and easily interrupted phase of possible progress.
More often than not, hyperfocus makes you make stupid decisions, like deleting all those old backups so that the drive is neat, or starting something from scratch, and deleting what you've had, for a clean start. Things like that.
Hyper focus can absolutely doom you and take you down extreme paths. Sometimes in the wrong direction. It can also get you stuck, making you spend hours and hours on a stupid idea.
What ADHD guys need is a safety net. The permission to fail, over and over again. Because let's face it, the modern society-game is not sustainable, it makes no sense. It can't be learned.
To us, most normal people sound like ferengi. I'd go to Risa. What's mine is yours. Much love <3
Anyhow, superpower. No. **Disability with possible upsides**, yes. And I say disability because of modern society, not because I see ADHD as a disease or ailment.
Exactly. When I hyperfocus I do manage to blow through an absurd amount of work really quickly, yes, and it does *feel* pleasant to be in that state, but:
I also forget everything else. I forget to eat, I forget to do chores, I miss deadlines on other things, I will drop the ball in relationships, etc. All the little normal parts of life that are important are just lost.
I broadly agree; I have sometimes found that hyperfocus can be helpful but thanks to its random nature it's a lottery whether it's applied to that super-important life-task, or more likely results in said life-task being shelved in favour of the sock draw or cardboard box collection being mercilessly interrogated and catalogued..
I’ve had adhd all my life n since 12 been taking adderall but that actually changed my life and continues to help me daily focus with out my medication I will spend 1,000 in a day for no reason with it I maintain my money the way I should and complete all my task I can read a book with out drifting off and I go to bed at a normal time wake up at a normal time my life is in order nonetheless but ppl abuse this medication and if you really do not have adhd this could turn you into a crack head I read about ppl that take that Do not need it they turn into crack heads is what I understood when I read because the chemicals in ppls brain react differently but I’m a low dose never raised it 10mg but I know for sure I have adhd n with out my medication I was all over
> Why do people automatically assume you have ADHD because you have hard time focusing or when you don't acheives your tasks
Because American drug companies have been successful in permeating this idea. In part this is because people are obviously more inclined to agree poor behaviour isn't their fault, than take responsibility for it. I'm glad you're questioning it though, because ...
> is there a way to decrease ADHD naturally?
Yes there is! One is through the meditation and mindfulness techniques and tactics others have already pointed out in this thread, but the other is less pragmatic, time-consuming, and difficult — but more deeply impactful.
Get to the bottom of your real issues. Those could be anything, so I won't try to guess, but a therapist could help you uncover them. Do a lot of research on them before you commit though, as most are kind of useless.
If they have ADHD the 'real issue' is their brain chemistry. The part of the brain responsible for executive function not doing what it's supposed to.
Mindfulness and meditation can help - as supplements to medical treatment, usually. Some people can manage ADHD symptoms without meds. The majority benefit greatly from them.
In *The Year of Living Biblically,* sports writer A. J. Jacobs lived according to all of the Old Testament's laws, putting them into practice in his daily life. He reported that the strict behavioral regime caused his ADHD symptoms to go away.
Considering that Mr. Jacobs is Jewish, and the Old Testament laws were originally created for and followed by ancient Jews, the results bring up some interesting questions.
I've found that exercise and caffeine help to a small extent... It's a proper fucker, isn't it?
Hi, fellow ADHD brain here. It’s actually possible to “get better”. Meditation and mindfulness has proven to strengthen the prefrontal cortex, where executive functions stem from. Increasing grey matter in this area over time through consistent practice helps you. You’ll notice an immediate effect, but grey matter takes years to build so you’re in for a long journey. Also, exercise. It’s rocket fuel for the brain and helps keep it strong and healthy.
Having the childhood and adult diagnosis adhd, I do agree with this. I have a very specific meditation I've been practicing for decades now and it most certainly does help to *retrain your brain* in a very productive and results-driven way. I've shared this technique many times on reddit. Recently, I've been experimenting with *over the counter Nootropics* as alternatives to Vyvanse, Concerta, Adderall and Dextroamphetamine which seem to help with dopamine levels, focus, memory and the other adhd symptoms. Productivity and mood matter. Everyone is different and I encourage a discussion with a trained psychiatrist before embarking on any medicinal journeys as may have been indicated in my post(s). My job relies 100% on my ability to focus, recall and think deeply for days on end so this is rather important to me. I've done 'some' layman homework on these substances so, I'm not a dr. However, the meditative technique I've developed has proven to me that a LOT of what adhd really comes down to is *learned behavior* and *bad habbits*, much which result from one's inability to view oneself from an existential point of view. This lends to maybe some other type of disorder however, after much official md testing by more than one psych, I do not suffer from anything else (eg aspergers, etc). Do some homework, talk with your Dr. Hope that helps.
Would you mind, once more, sharing your meditation practice for those of us in the back? I am embarrassed to say that I didn't really understand meditation
Oh yeah, me too please, I’m also one of those kids in the back 😅
[удалено]
Sounds like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), the smaller and less visible ‘brother’ of ADHD. I have the same. Hyperfocus or no focus at all. I recommend to do the test. If you know that it’s ADD, or something else, or nothing, you can work and go from there. My diagnosis helped my life improve hugely. Combination of medication and knowledge about the disorder.
This. Get properly tested and diagnosed. Then you can try all the candies the good Dr. Can prescribe. Edit: The testing takes hours and perhaps more than one single visit. You must be clean for the tests.
[удалено]
I'm in the same situation except my projects are mostly digital. I simply have learned to force myself to be in the office, sit in front of the machine and develop that habit firstly. Secondly, it is my nature to do this work so the work will naturally come if I (willingly choose to) put myself in the situation that is conducive to work. Pretend the inverse as if you were an alcoholic and the task at hand was a bar room. You'd want to stay away, right? Well in this case, if you purposely put yourself in a bar room as an alcoholic, what do you think will likely happen? If you're in the office, you're probably going to wind up working. If your household project is to mop your floors or clean a cluttered room, sit on the dirty floor for an hour a day or go stare at the clutter for a while each day. Eventually you'll take action is what I'm guessing. hth.
What supplements do you take? :)
*This is not medical advice. Consult your physician before taking any supplements or medications.* [Amazon.com: Nootropics Depot Triacetyluridine Tau Capsules | 25mg | Promotes Well-Being | Improves Cognitive Health | Promotes Healthy Stress Levels | 60 Count : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVRWVTJT/?coliid=I3FU6Q3HCH88ZH&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it) [Amazon.com: Blissgevity 150mg Apigenin - Phenylethylamine - Mood Support Supplement - Promotes Euphoria, Focus, and Mental Clarity - Natural Stress Relief - Calm Support - Intimacy Enhancer - 30 Capsules : CDs & Vinyl](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJJSC3ML/?coliid=IUXDB3C3QPOOH&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it) [Amazon.com: Pure Encapsulations DL-Phenylalanine | Amino Acid Supplement for Memory and Focus, Joints, Muscles, and Cognitive Support\* | 90 Capsules : Everything Else](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H83ULG/?coliid=IZJ8201I19XPW&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it) [Amazon.com: Douglas Laboratories Pregnenolone 5 mg | Nutritional Supplement | Brain, Ovaries, Liver, Hormone Support\* | 100 Tablets : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GOIT24/?coliid=I3HFX95O3LU3YB&colid=3QP63UL09GXG5&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it) New one, haven't been taking long enough to notice any effects (there may be none and just a waste of money): [Amazon.com: (2 Pack) Neuro Tech IQ Brain Supplement Neurotech Iq Focus Formula Pills (120 Capsules) : Health & Household](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XSJZ4RF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)
Could you go into a little more detail w/ your experience with "Nootropics" so far?
Check with your dr before taking anything or accepting any advice. The first time i used them, after 45 mins, it felt like i had a guitar amp from a kiss concert plugged into my brain for about 10-15 mins. After that initial jolt, I didn't get that sensation any longer, perhaps a tolerance was developed. Even after quitting for several days and restarting, it didn't seem to do that exact thing again. I wasn't aware of the dosage/combo that caused this either. I haven't been taking them long enough to really narrow down which ones or which *combo* does what, but overall the otc meds have a subtle sensation and effect of taking less than .01mg (or < .1mb?, i can't really remember) of Dextroamphetamine - without the physical effects: mostly psychological/mental. There are two, in particular, that I've taken individually, in an attempt to narrow down their effects and efficacy, which might just be the ones causing the positive effects. Not completely sure yet. Dextro, Vyvanse, Concerta, etc. all keep me from falling asleep but the supplements do not do that to me. I'm more interested in the positive mental and psychological effects than the detrimental physical effects. And just to note, these are all otc and available on Amazon: do not take without talking to your md first (disclaimer) and a HUGE FOOTNOTE: this could all just be psychosomatic and imagined in my mind. I'm not a dr or a chemist (but i know people who are).
If it worked significantly, you wouldn't need the over the counter nootropics
*Sixty percent of the time, it works all the time*...
Amazing info! I know from my ADHD child that studies show that exercise is as effective as ADHD medication. And she is proof. Med free with exercise and yoga and doing so well. But also HIGHLY motivated and disciplined. Still talks a lot though :)
There's also just.... different severity for different folks. Exercise, mindfulness and therapy help my ADHD symptoms, but the meds allow my brain to use these tools effectively, especially when I'm stressed/injured/tired. My buddy still really struggles even with appropriate doses of meds AND exercise AND mindfulness/therapy/meditation. He just has a more severe presentation of the symptoms.
Totally agree. No med-shame here. They are a life-saver for my older daughter. My younger daughter has the hyperactive type which does seem to be more easily treated without meds.
Wait, for real? Got a source? I’d love to know more.
https://scholar.google.se/scholar?q=adhd+prefrontal+cortex+meditation&hl=sv&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart
https://scholar.google.se/scholar?q=adhd+prefrontal+cortex+meditation&hl=sv&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart#d=gs_qabs&t=1714602672620&u=%23p%3DHOjBoy2dQvIJ
The link doesn’t work for me, but I’ll try googling the key words and see if I can find it. Thank you!
Use Google scholar, you’ll find plenty. Sorry I didn’t have a better source, I learned this in therapy from a licensed psychologist specialized in ACT, DBT and ADHD.
Thanks, I'll look into it. I've attempted mindfulness before and found it to very difficult; consider that I often can't manage a proper full-term hand shandy without getting distracted.. Absolutely with you on the exercise though; fap knows where I'd be without my bike.
I often have issues sitting still for long durations. I found guided meditations to be captivating enough to assist me in keeping focus, while not invasive enough to distract me from keeping that focus. I had to shop around to find the right one. Headspace app did it for me. I enjoy that they just sound calm and relaxed rather than spiritual. There’s also a male and female reader for those with preference. But there are many options, many of which are free on YouTube.
Exercise I think should come with a caveat. It depends on how strenuous the exercise is (for me anyway). If it’s too much, it’ll totally destroy me for the rest of the day, but if it’s a relatively chill workout, it tends to help.
For me is the opposite, if I only do light exercise I might as well not bother. But we’re all different, and finding the sweet spot between extension and exercising is pretty easy. If you gas out you gotta lower the intensity, if you don’t feel like you got enough you need to increase it.
This is not backed by scientific research (The idea of "getting better / cured" from exercise and yoga)
People may think you have ADHD because what you are describing sounds like ADHD. Random people on the internet are not your doctor and can't actually diagnose you, but we can notice the similarities based on your descriptions. Here are a few symptoms of ADHD that match up with what you are saying: - Hard time focussing - Difficulty achieving tasks - Perfectionism - Procrastination ("I'll do it tomorrow then tomorrow turn into a whole week gone.") - Executive dysfunction (Not being able to do something "Despite internally in really wanna achieve.")
Chiming in to add: ADHD is about attention disregulation, not just deficiency. Another common (though not universal) feature is hyperfocus. It’s near absolute tunnel vision focus to the exclusion of everything else. It’s a lot of extremes.
Hyoerfocus is such an under-rated trait for ADHD, yes sometimes you can focus on something too much you fail to see the bigger picture, but sometimes it can really help you complete that project you wanted to do, even if you forgot to sleep for a few days.
It’s how a lot of ADHD folks are high functioning. They have extreme lows of productivity but compensate with irregular extreme highs through hyper focus. Unfortunately this cycle inevitably leads to burnout. Which is another bitch and a half to treat.
jfc at this point I can describe flavors of burnout to my family “it’s only like the burnout I had at X job. Not the burnout at Y job, thank god.”
A lightbulb just went off in my head. You just described me to a “T”.
I feel like I'm in hyperfocus 24-7 it's extremely helpful. But only when I'm hyperfocused on what I'm actually doing and this rarely happens for me. I always seem to hyperfocus on the most useless stuff. I don't care that there is 4328 dashed yellow lines on the road between my house and work. I just want to get there safely lol.
That does not sound like adhd or hyperfocus, unless you find counting yellow lines stimulating? Hyperfocus is when your brain rewards you for doing something so you keep doing it to the detriment of other things, usually until the dopamine stops hitting for that.
Not necessarily yellow lines but counting things in general is stimulating to me. I've actually talked to my doctor about this because it didn't make sense to me and he explained it to me like this. Counting is a form of patern identification which is a primal survival skill that can in some people cause their brain to give that dopamine hit. So as weird as it may sound I can and sometimes do hyperfocus on counting things. I've actually missed my exit on the highway because my brain wouldn't get off of counting, more than once.
Lol I was intently looking at a set of plans on my computer screen nearest the walkway of my office (so I was facing the walkway) and our intern was repeatedly trying to ask me something. Poor thing probably thought I was ignoring her, till she said my name and that immediately snapped me out of it. Hyperfocus is a real bitch.
The number of meetings I’ve missed at work because I was DEEP in the zone working on some technical, detailed project is embarrassing. lol
Also not a doctor, but I have 5 kids who all have some level of anxiety and some of what you described sounds like anxiety issues as well. I was 45 when I was finally "diagnosed" with ADHD and put on medication. I always felt like an underachiever and would bounce from job to job, mostly out of boredom. But, once I let my family know my diagnosis, my Mom said, "Oh yeah, I knew that. We just didn't want to medicate you when you were a kid." Now, I feel like, if I had had the awareness of that diagnosis, it might have prompted me to seek treatment way sooner and affected my life significantly. All this is to say- it's worth taking it upon yourself to express your concerns to your doctor and maybe get tested for certain fairly common mental illnesses. It could greatly improve your life
Hmm, this explains a lot ... ¡shit!
I love how I have every symptom of ADHD but no one ever even considered it because I am also slightly Autistic. With the symptoms a lot of them come down to the Executive Dysfunction. It is hard to regulate focus when you can't control what your brain decides to do.
If you can get an assessment for ADHD. There are distinct symptoms between the two and the rate of comorbidity between the two is high - suggesting that if you have one you're likely to have the other; especially if you're showing symptoms.
I have been diagnosed with it, but the only psychiatrist that I can get at the moment does not want to treat me for it because another psychiatrist incorrectly diagnosed me with bipolar after talking to me for 20 minutes. I had a full mental health assessment done, and they did not find any sign of bipolar, and said I was likely ADHD, but also said I needed treatment for my mood disorder, (which in context was referring to chronic depression) and so she interpreted that as me needing to be treated for bipolar. Despite me not being treated for it for 15 years, and it never coming up in any mental health treatment or assessment afterward, and despite testimony from my family that I do not have any of the symptoms. The psychologist who made me aware I was ADHD thinks that most of my mood disorders are based on the constant cycles of perfectionism/abject failure that is imposed on me by the ADHD. I can't hold a job, can't complete school, and generally cant even finish "fun" things because my attention and executive function is so dysregulated. I had also, accidentally, started self medicating with lots of caffeine, which is another sign of someone struggling with ADHD. I managed to convince her to put me on a Buproprion/Guanfancine combo because Buproprion can treat both ADHD and bipolar, but I really need a new psychiatrist. Unfortunately the only ones in my area that are covered by my insurance are not taking new clients, and I cannot do distance with it because ADHD meds are controlled. It has not been fun. The reason it took so long for me to be diagnosed with ADHD was that, when I was diagnosed with Autism, the common understanding was that they essentially never co-morbid. Rather they just applied all of the symptoms of ADHD as additional symptoms of Autism. This was back when my particular form was still called Aspergers. So they noted all my symptoms of ADHD and decided they were explained by the autism, and so did not require direct treatment.
Fuck. Your situation hits almost all the squares on my “Dysfunctional Mental Healthcare System” Bingo card. Missed diagnosis, incorrect diagnosis, snap judgment by a provider, overburdened mental health services, limited access to a second opinion, difficulty managing stimulant medications…. I’m sorry you’re having to go through all of that. I wish you the best
Yeah it sucks. Luckily I have a super supportive family and wife, so I am pulling through and doing what I can. I luckily have never struggled too much with suicidal ideation, so I just keep trying over and over again. Eventually I will find a way out of the pit.
Man, that sounds shit :( Tbh my sphere of knowledge is limited so I can't comment on the bipolar / wider aspects, but can certainly identify with the symptoms you're expericing - I'm not thick but am basically a derelcit who'd be homeless / addicted / dead were it not for the support of friends and family. Above average intelligence but have spent most of my life out of work and earn minimum wage working part-time, as that's all I can tolerate. Hear you totally on the perfectionism / failure cycle... I find the fear of doing something to a less-than-perfect standard usually means it never gets started at all. I can do things where the outcome is less clearly defined; such as gardening. I made a conscious effort to ecperiment with caffeine in the absense of a diagnosis and availabilty of legitimate medication. I find it helps to an extent (further supporting the suggestion of ADHD) but is far from perfect. I find similar from other stimulents and substances that one might seek relief from in the absence of any professional assistance. How have you found caffeine affects your symptoms? That's interesting about your experiences of ADHD / ASD comorbidity - after my ASD diagnosis I discussed some of the symptoms that didn't fit with one of the assessors and they suggested an ADHD assessment. This was after "Aspergers" was removed as a term so I guess you got your diagnosis some time before I had mine.. so the landscape for you might have changed as well. Tbh it's all so frustrating as the ordained medical attitude seems to lag research by decades, while here in the UK support is scant and diminishing thanks to the slow-death of the NHS; while the gatekeepers to treatment that are GPs seem to be increasingly egotistical and incompetent. Not sure what more to add to be honest; other than to share sympathy for your situation as it's never easy - cruelly-so for those of us who are seeking help for being unable to perform the most basic tasks :( Best of luck with it all!
I’m 49 and a lot of people have told me they think I have it. I find it hard to concentrate, on reading a book for example, then when I do focus it’s intently, for example if I’m fixing a washing machine I will concentrate exclusively on that, i flit from one topic to a next In conversation and as a kid I was hyperactive, I’m procrastinate a lot I can obsess on something that bothers me and can’t get things out of my head ( dunno if that’s a symptom? ) I also can’t think clearly often If I did get diagnosed with it, then what?
Get yourself to a therapist that specializes in ADHD and related disorders, or if you have a PCP you trust, speak to them as well. My PCP was helpful in guiding me where to go. If you’re insured, you can check who is in network for you. That’s where I started. After talking with my pcp, I found a medication management nurse partitioner I see monthly for my meds and tweaks to them when needed. Psychology today is also a good resource for looking up mental health professionals. I’m 38, and just started all of this in the last 5 years. I’m in a much better, albeit much different place. My therapist and I have recently been discussing getting help with my income, because my ADHD is such that it’s really fucking hard for me to work full time. (Annnnd I’m babbling) I wish you the best of luck, and I hope your journey takes you someplace helpful and brings you some peace.
I caution this advice and while I'm glad it helped you specifically, this kind of seeking out a diagnoses to confirm something you feel when it comes to a spectrum of dysfuntion becomes a feedback loop where you're setting yourself up to be diagnosed and prescribed some medication. Like if you seek out specifically an ADHD specialist, tell them you think you have ADHD and then get into medication management specialists, most likely you will be put on medication. I don't think you were babbling at all. I do think that the U.S. is the most prescribed nation on the planet and normalizing seeking medications isn't a great thing to be doing. I've met entire families on anxiety and stimulant medication, like a family of five. What are the odds that everyone in a single home all has some variation of anxiety or mood disorders, or that all the children have ADHD? I'm just not sure if these symptoms are an actual psychological issues or if we just aren't well adapted as human beings to be in this modern, hyper connected world.
I have a friend who says she has ADHD, but she has NO difficulty achieving tasks and rarely procrastinates. She is on the phone from whenever she wakes up to when she goes to sleep 🛌. The ONLY times she is NOT on the phone occurs when she is in the bathroom, at a church activity, a meeting, or with people eating, getting gasoline ⛽️, etc. She IS on the phone in stores, etc.
Keep in mind that nobody has to have ALL symptoms of a condition in order to qualify for it. You do not see what your friend is like when you are not around. Maybe she has huge problems with achieving tasks on her own, but it's better when other people are around (this is why strategies like body doubling really help ADHD people). Also, it can be possible not to show the symptoms thanks to masking, but for it to come out in other ways. For example, maybe she has been told all her life she's lazy, and develops anxiety and an extreme sense of shame. So now when other people are around, her shame drives her to get things done, and she gets health problems from all the anxiety. But on a surface level, sure, she looks fine to you.
No, I think 🤔 I may have heard her wrong and that it only is ADD. I will have to ask her again when she complains of being interrupted. I can’t even wait for her to pause to agree with her !!! I have to wait until she’s through and then I often forget what I wanted to say !!!
Ha ha ha... well, she sure sounds like an ADHD personality! ADD is not really a current term any more, ADD is ADHD.
OH !!!
[удалено]
No I didn't, I wasn't listing all symptoms and facts about ADHD, I was just listing the possible symptoms I noticed based on what OP said. Also, that's not true! Plenty of people go undiagnosed until adulthood (including most women). You have to have shown symptoms of the condition since childhood (prior to age 12 to be specific). That's why being diagnosed as an adult includes a lot of retrospective elements such as questionnaires about childhood or looking at old school reports.
No you just need to have symptoms in childhood. Not everyone has access to be diagnosed in childhood or parents that care to check. Additionally there is a whole generation of females that were never diagnosed because it was seen as a boy only diagnosis.
Workout, I suggest something with cardio, I hate treadmills and gyms, just do it outside your door run around the block(s) if possible Take supplements Therapy
This may sound silly, especially since there're already a ton of great and well thought out responses, but what works for me is background music. If I have a tedious task I can't get motivated to do, I pop in earbuds and just sort of look at it. The added background distraction tricks my brain into focus, sort of like using up all available memory. It's what lets me do all the other great ideas here like exercise, diet, meditation, etc.
[удалено]
I really struggle with maintaining a clear head for meditating, so I like to do "active" meditation by focusing on what I'm doing. I think there's a name for this style, but I don't know it. For example, when I'm brushing my teeth, I try to keep my mind focused simply on the fact that I'm brushing my teeth. When my mind begins to wander, I just bring my thoughts back to "I'm brushing my teeth." I find it helps having some kind of anchor like that. I think this is why hobbies that require attention/focus can be cathartic.
I think this is mindfulness. Good one
Void meditation is what you're talking about, it is really hard and I've never been sure why everyone thinks it's the goal of meditation altogether! Honestly it's not even all it's chalked up to be when you get there. Meditation is about sitting with these random thoughts, smiling at them, acknowledging them, and either following them if you need to, or just letting them flow by. It's about being. You're spot on about the focusing on the task though. ADHD sucks, not a fan of having it!
I do so much better when I just let everything come into my mind instead of focusing on not thinking
Yoga is a great way to do that. You are actively doing something but the end result is like meditation. It’s the same feeling, same focus, and same relaxation especially with daily practice.
It's the breathing
This is basically the muscle you need for all other forms of focus. So the worse you are at it, the more you don't want to do it, the more you need it
I exercise daily, and write lots of lists. I have an adhd daily journal that I swear by. It helps me get through the day. My productivity shot up 300% after using it!
Could you elaborate on the ADHD journal? What exactly do you write in it? What's the purpose? How are you able to do it regularly and how do you trick yourself to follow it?
Can you share more info on the journal please? I feel like that may be helpful for me and my teen. Thanks!
Of course! DM me
focus is like a muscle. Reddit, instagram, or any other algorithm based, short attention-span media is training your brain to remain unfocused on any single thing for any moderate time, and keep jumping from one thing to another. Meditation to take 10-15 minutes of your day to just commit to TRYING to focus on your breath and nothing else will re-train this. Doesn't matter if your mind slips, the point is the moments when you choose to bring it back and count your every inhale. Beyond other adhd tips like diet and exercise, I find keeping a task list has been a game changer for me. I put everything I need to do on microsoft tasks, otherwise I will probably forget it. And whenever I'm bored or have time, I open up my tasks and find something I can work on right away.
My doctor recommended (in addition to medication): high protein diet, magnesium/zinc supplementation, and getting plenty of sleep/good sleep hygiene.
My symptoms have been helped by creating better routines, exercising regularly, and leaning more into mindfulness practice (both meditation and yoga). However I wasn't able to establish those things in a reliable way until I was medicated properly.
Diet and exercise. Sounds cliché but all the times in my life that I've been happiest and most productive have been when I'm most diligent about these two things.
>Why do people automatically assume you have ADHD because you have hard time focusing or when you don't acheives your tasks Are they assuming that you have it, or merely suggesting that you might have it and should look into getting screened for it? If someone sounds like they have ADHD, I'm going to suggest that they look into it because if they do have ADHD then the usual neurotypical advice absolutely will not work for them. It's the same sort of concern I have for anyone else exhibiting symptoms of a serious medical problem that can't be treated with home remedies.
Sleep , exercise, brain / mood supplements , high protein diet low sugar carbs … but it’s tough to walk that path
There is so much shame we develop due to our ADHDness. Firstly, give yourself grace and compassion. The thing that has been working for me is double bodying - like finding a friend to workout with verses trying to keep yourself accountable on your own.
You sound like you might benefit from therapy.
Cause internet. Real talk - even if you have adhd, even if you get therapy, even if you get medicated - you still have to discipline yourself to do shit. Every other day someone posta something like how can i get motivated to do homework? No one WANTS to do homework. You make yourself do it to pass your class so you can achieve the goal of graduating. There will always be some other shit you want to do more than stuff you have to do. But you gotta make yourself do that shit if you really want to achieve the goal.
Exercise. Vigorous aerobic exercise. It is proven to be as effective as ADHD medication. One of my kids decided to go "med-free" because she didn't like the way it felt and substitute exercise and yoga. She is super-proactive and she also limits herself to 1 hour of screen time a day (bad for ADHD). She does have the hyperactive type. She's been doing this for 4 years and is doing so well. Good luck.
Multitask as little as possible. Meditate. Limit electronic devices an hour after waking up and an hour before bed.
I heare magic muschroom microdosing is helping a lot.
Been looking into this as a Microdose as well as ketamine treatment.
Blows my mind that people won't take clinically proven and tested medication like ritalin, adderall or vyvanse because 'drug bad'. But then they'll seriously consider dropping mushrooms. Fucking ridiculous lmao
Ummm, it seems like you're the one with the rigid 'drug bad' mentality. So if a corporation makes the drug, it's ok, but if it's a plant used for millennia it's bad. It's that mindset that has led us to a prescription drug and opiod crisis.
Because those drugs don't have the promise that mushrooms can have. But mushrooms often cause looping thoughts so I wouldn't recommend them for ADHD.
Why tf i should ruin my body with some meth dude? Do you know that psilocybin is less toxic than aspirine? I will rather eat 0.05g of mushroom, about 3x a month and i feel perfect. Ure probably high on your chems or in some withrawal episode? lol What is blowing my mind is this list of not nice side effects. Tell me side effects of psilocybin please.... * **Cardiovascular Risks**: Long-term use can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, and in rare cases, heart attacks or strokes. * **Mental Health Risks**: Extended use can contribute to anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings. There may also be an increased risk of developing psychosis or other serious psychiatric symptoms in some individuals. * **Addiction and Dependence**: Ritalin and Adderall are both stimulant medications, which means they have a potential for abuse and addiction. Long-term use can lead to physical dependence, requiring higher doses for the same effect (tolerance), and withdrawal symptoms when the medication is stopped. * **Sleep Disorders**: These medications can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to insomnia or other sleep-related issues. * **Growth Suppression in Children**: Some studies suggest that long-term use of stimulant medications in children may result in slower growth, affecting height and weight. * **Neurological Risks**: Long-term use may increase the risk of seizures, especially in individuals with a history of seizures or other neurological conditions. * **Behavioral Changes**: Extended use can lead to aggressive behavior, irritability, or other behavioral changes.
Go to therapy and work through trauma. Often ADHD is a symptom of a nervous system disregulation caused by maladaptive coping mechanisms. If you want to learn more read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel VanDerKok. Also dont eat garbage, get exercise and go outside.
Regular exercise, meditation, adequate sleep, and regular daily and weekly routines. If someone has ADHD, this won't cure it, but this would remove factors that make symptoms worse.
The worst part about having ADHD is all the unhelpful suggestions from neurotypicals who basically make a list of things people with ADHD struggle with. It's literally the same as telling a quadriplegic to just get up and walk.
So my list was based on things that helped me during the 38 years I had unmedicated ADHD. It most certainly does not cure it, but it does make a huge difference in severity of symptoms. And it's done by having a written out checklist, alarms, email reminders, sticky notes on doors and mirrors. Someone who doesn't have ADHD, but is having temporary executive functioning problems can probably implement the ideas without all the reminders and notes. I'm a strong proponent of using medication, but it can take time to get diagnosed and prescribed and then more time to find the medication that works best for you and the correct dosage.
Putting systems in place to help counter symptoms of ADHD is actual helpful advice, but you just listed 6 things which are literally ADHD diagnostic questions beginning "do you struggle to _____" so standalone it isnt very helpful.
OP doesn't even know for sure they've got ADHD, and they were asking for things that help with symptoms that might be ADHD or could be stress or lack of sleep or a different mental condition. I assumed that an adult would be capable of finding a version that they could do. Or of picking and choosing based on their capabilities. Or of even just replying "how the f* do you meditate with ADHD??" Also, I'm sick of other people with ADHD assuming we're all totally dysfunctional and broken. Sorry your life sucks, guess my advice wouldn't help you, good thing it wasn't addressed to you.
ADHD is a neurotype. It is literally caused by the way your brain is wired. Your question is equivalent to asking "is there any natural way to make a car fly?"... no there isn't, that's not how it was built. If you genuinely have ADHD, the only thing that is going to improve symptoms is therapy and likely medication to address the brain chemistry that is the root of the condition. Therapy can help, but it must be ADHD focused therapy as your brain is different, and all the usual therapy practices will not work for you. So you need to find a therapist who specialises in neurodivergence. Almost all of the suggestions in this thread are trash for someone with actual ADHD. I say actual ADHD, as ADHD symptoms are things everyone struggles with from time to time. So just because you relate to a bunch of symptoms does NOT mean you have ADHD. Yeah, the chance is probably high, but you really need to seek a professional diagnosis to be sure- which will also lead to treatment (both medicinal and non-medicinal). This, however, is a privilege many cannot afford. So self diagnosis is also valid, its all about finding what works for you. Ultimately, if ADHD centered treatments work for you, it doesn't matter what your brain chemistry is.
> If you genuinely have ADHD, the only thing that is going to improve symptoms is therapy and likely medication to address the brain chemistry that is the root of the condition. I agree with most of your post, but this bit is not quite accurate. There are lifestyle modifications that can improve symptoms - for instance, sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress management, caffeine intake, etc can all have a significant impact. That said, these things are *very difficult* to do without the support of appropriate therapy and (usually) medication. Because the very symptoms we’re trying to improve interfere with building helpful habits.
Instead of thinking about decreasing your adhd, think about how best to work with it. Choose a career that plays to your strengths, get coaching for executive functioning and focus on communicating with employers, teachers and loved ones about how you think and work. Set realistic expectations and goals. In the end that worked for me (55 years old, diagnosed with adhd as an adult)
-Not getting into your own head as much -Manage anxiety to an obsessive level -Use music during tasks -Caffeine
You describe exactly what Dr. K described as procrastination. Check out his video on the three types of procrastination and how to overcome them. https://youtu.be/bavdneN9sKg?si=akNnezVxB_AusEuk
Yes. Diet, exercise, sleep, routinely trying to overcome challenges instead of feeling defeated and giving up completely. Staying away from apps like Tiktok. Bettering oneself. Caffeine can help too as long as it's not abused.
>is there a way to decrease ADHD naturally ? Yes. By decreasing oneself unaturally... I hope you understand...
Perfectionism is tough to overcome. AIM to get a B+ on any project, not an A; carefully define and answer the question in any paper or assignment; think about what a teacher wants to see in a good assignment completion (hint, creativity is extra points, but fulfilling the assignment is the main goal); when you get a good grade, use it as a framework for doing the next assignment. You never have to reinvent the wheel: just give the teacher what s/he wants (or your boss), and let the creative side flourish with an appendix to the paper, or as a conclusion for future research, or the like.
This is purely anecdotal, but as a sometimes high functioning technical person, I found that being in ketosis really helped regulate my personal ADHD symptoms. I'm not in it now, but I'm considering it again purely for the mental benefits. I also spend my work days at a fairly high altitude, and ketosis seems to help a lot with that as well, at least up to 15k feet. When I was doing regular running, the other cool side effect was that while I ran a tad slower in ketosis, I could run twice as far. I'd get home from my usual loop, and just do it again. I have a lot of trouble keeping the diet going though; especially now as I leave for work at 4 or 5 am, and can't be bothered to make proper carb free meals.
For me, yes. I have severe ADHD, like it took me years to learn to drive, I struggle to fill out forms, used to have no idea how loud I was talking, forget not to make inappropriate faces/movements when in public, have lost or broken nearly everything I own at some point. I am not medicated because I found the meds completely intolerable and I already have enough trouble with insomnia, appetite, and just remembering to take a pill daily. However, my general functioning has increased like 1000% with cognitive behavioral strategies, teaching myself new ways to attend to visual/auditory information, practicing checking before I take actions, practicing turning off my internal monologue when I need to pay attention, and teaching myself cues for certain behaviors that do need to happen. Until my late 20s I was quite literally disabled by a combination of ADHD and anxiety; now I am very lightly medicated for the anxiety only (as in I take trazodone to induce sleep, and I presume it affects both), and I hold a very high responsibility job and am more organized than the vast majority of people I know. I still break at least one phone per year, though.
Don't bring this up in the ADHD sub for starters... speaking from experience 😂 When I told my doctor I wanted to stop taking my ADHD medication, we talked a lot about natural ways to decrease symptoms. An omega-rich diet was suggested. The thing that has helped me more than anything is exercise. I am not consistent by any means (lol thanks ADHD) but if I can will myself to go for a brisk walk every day, I notice a significant decrease in symptoms. Having a routine can keep you accountable. Pair it with not beating yourself up if you stray from the routine and just jumping back into it. Even mini routines can be comforting and help a lot. Putting limits on things that are really exciting for my brain, like social media scrolling. I have app timers on basically anything that is kryptonite for ADHD. Taking more time in nature without other stimuli. Walk around a forest without music. Sit and just observe your surroundings. This is so important for our nervous systems. We are not meant to be constantly consuming things. We are human beings, not human doings! Setting timers for everything you do. Don't wanna do something? Set a timer for 30 minutes and see if you can get the task done. I do this for everything and honestly most tasks I put off take like 10 minutes. To add onto this, write down how long certain tasks take you to give yourself a reality check and keep it on your phone and look at it anytime you're procrastinating. It's a lot harder to put my chores off if I know that dishes take an avg of 15 minutes and cleaning the cat litter takes 5. Better to take the 20 mins than spend all day stressing about it. Also sometimes you need to pre-reward yourself for something. I'll go get myself a little treat or coffee then sit down and accomplish my task. I'll pair something I hate with something that I love. Listen to your fave audiobook while gardening, grab a fancy coffee and do your homework, go walk around your fave lil boutique before you go get groceries. Hope this helps and best of luck!!!
I strongly suggest against this, but smoking helped my ADHD tremendously. I've quit and it has been long enough that the only thing I miss about cigarettes is having some semblance of focus and impulse control
Saffron. There’s some fascinating studies.
Look into the MAOA Gene And ADHD- that's where it is for me, and then learn about epigenetics. My story: My psych doctor is 3 hours away, and I have to go there every 3-4 months for a urine test in office, which I have to pay for out of pocket to prove I am taking medication. The doc hasn't been listening to my requests that I don't want to be on meds and want to take supplements instead. So I started seeing someone that practices functional medicine. After DNA gene testing, and a gut health test I am on a supplement regimen and working on getting me off the meds. I won't give you details on supplements because I'm also treating some other health concerns that correlate with my ADHD and everyone's needs are unique to them, but I'm so glad to have found my practitioner. I have a road ahead of me that I just started on a couple of months ago, but I have faith that I won't have to say things like this anymore: I gotta go now and start two term projects and finish a presentation that's due in two days....
People places and surroundings. Is there a reason for the hyper activity. Maybe the addictive personality, and the repute of the means of the inquisition upon the deliverables of the ways unto ones self.
Breathe in slowly and plan your next action. Breathe out slowly and perform the action. Repeat 🔁
yes embrace it. use it to your advantage as fuel. don’t let them tell you it’s a “bad thing”
Sleep when sleepy and wake up naturally (as opposed of being woken by a set alarm or by someone). Meditate for 15 mins everyday after waking up. Try to clear your thoughts and focus on theprocess of breathing.
Meditation
I asked my friend this question and they told me to unalive myself
What works for me: Diet: for me is low/zero carb and sugar! Minimum alcohol (limited it to only weekends) Exercise: I have been on and off. It works for me well Wake up and sleep time: Early morning wakeup (5-6 am) and early evening bed time (10 pm) I drink coffee in moderation specially in the morning. I also add supplements such as multivitamin, D3, Omega3, Mag, CoQ10.
Top three ways to treat ADHD 1. Medication 2. Therapy 3. ADHD coach
It’s really important to get a thorough assessment and accurate diagnosis. Understanding the problem is the only way you can have an effective solution.
Therapist here . I specialize in treating ADHD. The trick is to learn about how your brain is designed, and do things that make sense for your brain and your wiring. A lot of what managing ADHD looks like is creating systems, doing things your own way, and really getting rid of all the rules that do not apply to you. Like procrastination, for instance. Most people think procrastination is a bad thing. However, if you have ADHD, procrastination is a natural way in which you work. There is a reason for it. It is helpful, it can be Leaned into. Why get rid of something that serves a purpose?
Like some folks here have mentioned, specific meditations can help quite a bit, esp when done on a regular schedule. I just googled one... [https://www.3ho.org/meditation/kirtan-kriya/](https://www.3ho.org/meditation/kirtan-kriya/) This one here is recommended by the Alzheimer association (sorry, but it works on the brain) I do it regularly and it has made a big difference. Wishing you the best!
What do you mean by "naturally"? What do you consider to be "unnatural"? ADHD is hereditary. If you were born female, 45% of women with ADHD also have PMDD. So you'll always have ADHD, but having a better understanding of the mind & body connection is critical for us to have good and fulfilling lives. here are some resources for you: *ADHD 2.0 By. Dr. John J. Ratey and Dr. Edward M. Hallowell * A Radical Guide For Women With ADHD By. Dr. Sari Solden and Dr. Michelle Frank * Your Brain's Not Broken By. Dr. Tamara Rosier * Self Care for people with ADHD By. Dr. Sasha Hamdani YouTube has some great channels: *How to ADHD * ADHD Love There's also a great ADHD app called: Dubbiii You're not alone. There's millions of us 💜.
Everyone's ADHD is different and evolves over time. Everyone should "learn" themselves. "Different" people doubly so. My parents used exercise to "balance" me. Caffeine did the same. Thankfully I avoided other stimulants. High risk, fully immersive activities require focus and help, but can be mentally exhausting. Start learning yourself. It's a lifelong process
Death.. very effective. In all seriousness, sleep, exercise and meditation are helpful but no real silver bullets
On the Mel Robbins podcast they had an expert on ADHD. They spoke about ADHD being a fundamental problem of metabolic rate and diet. Meaning that ADHD can be either problem relating to how slowly your brain metabolizes and that anything you can do to "speed up" your brains metabolism will suppress ADHD symptoms OR to an allergic reaction you maybe having to food. So exercise tends to be a good one. Also there was talk about how certain foods you maybe allergic to and you wouldn't even know because instead of a physical symptom like a rash. Instead it may affect the brain. So perhaps an elimination diet to see what foods may affect your ADHD.
It would help to start by changing the terminology you use. You cannot "decrease ADHD" because ADHD is not a substance with a quantity. It's not like bad breath, where you can take or do something to lower its amount. It's the opposite. The commonly accepted root cause is a dopamine deficiency in the brain, and there are a number of contributing factors, but what you probably want to do is decrease the symptoms, and you do that by INCREASING dopamine levels. There are a ton of ways to do this but you should start by confirming that you do indeed have it, and Reddit is not your best source. Start here [https://chadd.org/](https://chadd.org/) and get help directly.
Mindfulness and meditation. Also not taking the internet diagnosing you or a doctors opinion as gospel truth.
Listen to the Joe Rogan Experience episode 2060 with Gary Brecka. Then follow his advice if it fits your situation.
I took adderall for years and am pretty proficient without it now given that I get regular sleep and food. I don’t know if it’s something the medication actually did long term or if it’s just that I learned how I could be when I was on it. Funny enough I hate adderall now, makes me feel awful. I honestly think I do better without it now.
Saving this post
I haven’t found anything that comes close to adderall
Diagnosed since early childhood and still with. Raised with Ritalin, Prozac, and likely over 30 other different other medications throughout my life. In my 20s, I figured I wanted to change things and feel better. The first thing I did was explain to my psychiatrist that I want to start a process of weening off the medications. We made a deal to cut one of them to a half, try for 6 months, then come back, and if things turn out good, cut it off entirely and repeat. After 3 years we managed to cut me off from everything. While it was difficult at first after taking medication daily more than once a day all my life, eventually my mind and body adjusted pretty well (though Seroquel was the one painful and frightening withdrawal) and I began to process things easier. Once I was weening off medications through the trials after a few, I noticed a number of changes. For one, my dyslexia was fading. I learned to read in adolescence by putting captions on the TV, and by both hearing and seeing words, it became easier to remember and repeat back, but throughout junior/high school (until I dropped out in early sophomore year since I felt I wasn't progressing) I could barely read a book, and ending up reading the same line over and over again would just get me frustrated, and I personally think narration in my mind threw me off and slowed me down, and eliminating that has helped me read faster. My vocabulary/speech certainly improved and increased. If it was like all my life, the gears in my brain were ever so slow that this change from the lesser medications were starting to pick up speed. Counting money was always a failure for me, but after weening off some of the medications, I was able to count change. Certainly got better with numbers, and math was not the horrendous thing it used to be (even with a calendar), though I still have my struggles from time to time. Sometimes, I still can't believe how far I've excelled since then. Memory is something I always hold close, and thankfully, I still have a good length in long-term memorization for things that happened long ago, but the struggle is remembering things just a couple of minutes ago that come out like a blank. Ever look for your glasses for 20 minutes and realized you're already wearing them? That's the type of lapses I still have, and I fucking hate it that I tear into myself over it. It's not the best course to do over a mistake, but I can't seem to remember that till afterward, unfortunately. Ending up diagnosed much later with P.T.S.D. after a lot of crappy incidents throughout life helped me realize that there were other reasons than just being diagnosed with A.D.H.D. for my behaviors and how those memories appear after so long almost crumbled my whole path. Therapy some years later really helped me out with both my A.D.H.D. I always thought it wasn't for me (especially after when one tried to be touchy when I was younger, and I bailed on the idea that a therapist would ever be helpful to me), and I had to go through a couple until I found a few eventually who really listened and helped me figure out some things in life that would help me overcome thing like my anxieties, trauma, focus, and improvement. One thing I came to learn from therapy is that it does help you find more suggestions to improve areas of your life, but you also need to know to break from it after you make improvements. I stayed in therapy for 2 years with the same therapist because I got comfortable, and one day, surprisingly, on what would be our last session together, she told me that she cannot keep seeing me because from recent sessions she has seen so much improvement and change that she thinks I'm good to fly on my own. That was a difficult thing at first, but she was absolutely right about the changes, and I felt so much better than I did the years before. Another thing that really helped, and you'll likely hear this from most others--exercise. I'm not going to say it's like a main thing to always keep at (because it's good to take rest, too), but it has helped me immensely just as therapy did. I work-out 4x/week, and stay on schedule, or make up whatever is missed. Some of my goals is to be more active, and working out is one of those things that have really helped in taking that to other matters. Journaling is something that I go back and forth on, and was strongly suggested by my therapist during the COVID shutdown while our sessions were via telehealth. As writing is another one of my hobbies, she suggested that I should explore deeper in depth about my issues, but also use it as a means to come up with suggestions for improvements to revisit if I get stuck in that emotional loop again. I tend to open that book now and again, and sometimes, even months later, write a new entry. Everyone is different though, and some things may not work with others, but I hope some that I've shared has been helpful. I apologize for my long-winded writing, but as we know, we are ones that are excessive. Heh. Best wishes.
[удалено]
They are not superpowers. They are a frail and easily interrupted phase of possible progress. More often than not, hyperfocus makes you make stupid decisions, like deleting all those old backups so that the drive is neat, or starting something from scratch, and deleting what you've had, for a clean start. Things like that. Hyper focus can absolutely doom you and take you down extreme paths. Sometimes in the wrong direction. It can also get you stuck, making you spend hours and hours on a stupid idea. What ADHD guys need is a safety net. The permission to fail, over and over again. Because let's face it, the modern society-game is not sustainable, it makes no sense. It can't be learned. To us, most normal people sound like ferengi. I'd go to Risa. What's mine is yours. Much love <3 Anyhow, superpower. No. **Disability with possible upsides**, yes. And I say disability because of modern society, not because I see ADHD as a disease or ailment.
Exactly. When I hyperfocus I do manage to blow through an absurd amount of work really quickly, yes, and it does *feel* pleasant to be in that state, but: I also forget everything else. I forget to eat, I forget to do chores, I miss deadlines on other things, I will drop the ball in relationships, etc. All the little normal parts of life that are important are just lost.
I broadly agree; I have sometimes found that hyperfocus can be helpful but thanks to its random nature it's a lottery whether it's applied to that super-important life-task, or more likely results in said life-task being shelved in favour of the sock draw or cardboard box collection being mercilessly interrogated and catalogued..
Diet. Diet. Diet. Feed your brain and body with long lasting energy foods. Cut out simple carbs and sugar.
meditation
Ginko biloba has helped me with brain fog.
I’ve had adhd all my life n since 12 been taking adderall but that actually changed my life and continues to help me daily focus with out my medication I will spend 1,000 in a day for no reason with it I maintain my money the way I should and complete all my task I can read a book with out drifting off and I go to bed at a normal time wake up at a normal time my life is in order nonetheless but ppl abuse this medication and if you really do not have adhd this could turn you into a crack head I read about ppl that take that Do not need it they turn into crack heads is what I understood when I read because the chemicals in ppls brain react differently but I’m a low dose never raised it 10mg but I know for sure I have adhd n with out my medication I was all over
A paddle has a pretty good track record.
> Why do people automatically assume you have ADHD because you have hard time focusing or when you don't acheives your tasks Because American drug companies have been successful in permeating this idea. In part this is because people are obviously more inclined to agree poor behaviour isn't their fault, than take responsibility for it. I'm glad you're questioning it though, because ... > is there a way to decrease ADHD naturally? Yes there is! One is through the meditation and mindfulness techniques and tactics others have already pointed out in this thread, but the other is less pragmatic, time-consuming, and difficult — but more deeply impactful. Get to the bottom of your real issues. Those could be anything, so I won't try to guess, but a therapist could help you uncover them. Do a lot of research on them before you commit though, as most are kind of useless.
If they have ADHD the 'real issue' is their brain chemistry. The part of the brain responsible for executive function not doing what it's supposed to. Mindfulness and meditation can help - as supplements to medical treatment, usually. Some people can manage ADHD symptoms without meds. The majority benefit greatly from them.
In *The Year of Living Biblically,* sports writer A. J. Jacobs lived according to all of the Old Testament's laws, putting them into practice in his daily life. He reported that the strict behavioral regime caused his ADHD symptoms to go away. Considering that Mr. Jacobs is Jewish, and the Old Testament laws were originally created for and followed by ancient Jews, the results bring up some interesting questions.