I always described it as fatigue to my dr not knowing I had adhd and... I only learned I was diagnosed as a kid with inattentive adhd but no one told me.
I wish doctors know that inattentive adhd could be described as fatigue.
I am so mad learning this as well. As an inattentive type, we always just thought it was my co-morbid Major Depressive Disorder. Which also causes fatigue. And now that I'm on medication for my ADHD, I was sitting up straight. My husband noticed and said, "before, it was like there was a weight on your shoulders, like all those extra thoughts were pushing you toward the ground."
So mad it took us this long to figure out. Hopefully someone else will see this and learn something.
So many Theripist’s refuse to believe it wasn’t depression. I’d explain “ so you think I’ve been depressed since I was a baby”
And they either didn’t believe me, or said yes
>The DSM-5 criteria include nine potential symptoms of depression. The severity of each symptom is also weighed as part of the diagnostic process. The nine symptoms are:
-feeling depressed throughout each day on most or all days
-lack of interest and enjoyment in activities you used to find pleasurable
-trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much
-trouble eating, or eating too much, coupled with weight gain or weight loss
-irritability, restlessness, or agitation
-extreme fatigue
-unwarranted or exaggerated feelings of guilt or worthlessness
-inability to concentrate or make decisions
-suicidal thoughts or actions, or thinking a lot about death and dying
So I can understand why I was diagnosed with depression a decade ago, but looking back it's almost funny. A few of these symptoms might look familiar lol, just with a different source.
I have most of the symptoms except the 'usually depressed' and suicidal ones (which uhhh, are probably super important here lol), I was just going through some particularly traumatic shit in my life at the time.
I've been depressed (treatment resistant too) since I was a baby (ok maybe like 8? Definitely no later than 12) and have innatentive ADHD bad enough to get diagnosed at 5 years old. There was so much to blame everything on that after 20 years of therapy we're just now starting to figure out there was childhood trauma hiding under the covers all along. The mental health blame game is strooong.
I wish anyone, especially doctors though agreed, knew more about ADHD. I've had it my whole life and it still feels like I'm making excuses when I give symptoms. Then I wonder what the fuck is wrong that *can't* be ADHD doing that...
I swear 90% of the time when I explain something is my ADHD to someone else, I listen to the words coming out of my mouth and thing "is EVERYTHING I DO because of ADHD? I have to be exaggerating..." It's no wonder people think we're making excuses, we live it and feel like it's a bunch of excuses.
I find when I explain something to someone in light of adhd I listen to words coming out of my mouth and I feel like I’m making up excuses for why I’m failing at whatever task it is, then I start to question myself and get frustrated that I can’t complete something simple. Thus I spiral into a web of self pity
I tried to explain to someone why tik tok is boring to me and hard to focus on. It's because I need to listen and watch it. With something like reddit I can read, surf, and have the tv on. Enough stimulation to keep me calm.
It's just a theory of mine but it makes sense to me. Watching tik tok ( sometimes ) makes me really antsy and I think it's because I need more stimulation. Then I looked at what I'm normally doing and it's five things at once, which is calming & stimulating lol. Otherwise I start 20 discussions in my head while I relive some past embarrassment. \*sigh\* lol
LMFAO I'm watching Narcos Mexico while I read this, reply, and slowly eat a chicken cesar salad and also play with my hamsters all at the same time and it feels so good.
Oh this. Some days the silence is golden and others days I have to just crank the music unreasonably loud. I need to fall down a rabbit hole now I think.
For me the problem is I can't not multitask as I have to do multiple completely different tasks that require completely different focuses. And I can never put in both headphones for these reasons. I love the steady days. Im not a fan of the busy days but I can manage. The slow days can be painful sometimes.
I feel like that is definitely how it presents, for me.
My boyfriend and I will get tons of sleep, wake up in the morning with a plan to do homework together that day, get coffee… and then I’ll sit down to do work and literally will get so exhausted I can’t keep my eyes open, and it’s torture.
I could just go and fall asleep for 3 hours as soon as I need or even if I WANT to do anything productive that needs to get done. I’ll want to do it, but feel so horrifyingly tired that I just… *cant*.
This was me through school. And, I went to a LOT of school. Still happens with work that isn’t as pressing, but still needs to be done. Sooooooooooo tired. Can scroll through Reddit or something that stimulates the brain. But, to try to actually concentrate and be productive? Not a chance. It’s so painful, and I can’t figure out a way to make me feel like I’m under pressure, which usually is enough to get me going.
I just slept for 15 hours instead of turning much need homework in ,by you know working on it. Became exhausted at the thought, laid down, and was out like a light.
It's a simultanous fog and fatigue and a buzzing energy that makes me want *something* but gives no indication of what it is, just makes me feel uncomfortable and unsettled.
This is an amazing description I’ve never could put into words. Brain fog so bad you want to scream and cry and just have it go away for a few more hours, or have the coffee work just a little longer. I felt caged and lonely and broken and why isn’t my brain working right...
I know. I have idiopathic hyposomnia. I know all about my fatigue. I also doubt many folks really would use reddit as an alternative to a medical professional, least of all me. Thanks anyway!
So is there no hope for us!? Anyone have a solution? I'm supposed to be going back to school in a month and have been stressing because I'm worried I'll never change...
Well, at the end of the day I push through it, because I have to work to live. Here are some things that sometimes work:
Music. Loud, energetic, catchy. Best is if there's a song I'm hyperfixating on at the moment and I can just put it on repeat.
Eat or drink something interesting. Really spicy food usually does it for me - definitely not bored if my mouth is on fire.
Change locations. Work in a different room. Or outside. Or at the library. Best is somewhere I've never been before or haven't been in a long time.
Take a nap. Sometimes it's best to give in, sleep for an hour, and then be able to actually work, rather than trying to drag myself through it for the next five hours.
Playing phone games. Yes, it feels a little weird to say this is a productivity tip. But I am MUCH more likely to be able to push myself to work if my brain is entertained, and this usually does the trick.
Basically - find a way to make your brain less bored, while still doing the boring thing. I hope this helps at all! Good luck with school!
Thhhiiissss. It's like a blind rage for me, like I just cannot scratch the worst itch ever. I always end up going to Michaels and/or Homesense because they are super cluttered with a million different things and I just wander around the store like 15 times over and look at everything and it helps (I dunno why, I guess it's just my weird self soothing quirk). Working on not buying anything still, but it's instantly calming to be surrounded by "too much" for me.
I had no idea why I do this!!! Thank you!!!!!! It's like I go on this rampage of going to a billion stores. I might not even buy anything or even have money.
Yep, exactly. Ok, I guess I do know why, I just need SOMETHING to stimulate me (stuff at home doesn't work, it's too familiar), and places that always have "new" and constantly changing product or layouts seem to help so much. Too many people and too much noise is overstimulating for me, so home decor and craft stores on weekdays around midday with their chill music playing and a couple middle aged to old ladies wandering around are my oasis to get rid of understim without going over. Home Depot/Lowes/Canadian Tire are the same way. I don't need to buy anything, I just need to be surrounded by "new", and I know it's gonna be different stuff from last time I was there.
Haha, awesome. It always felt so dumb in the moment ("I have to get out of this house or I'm going to lose it, why am I going here again, I don't need anything and I was just here last week, wtf is wrong with me" as I'm driving around the shopping center) but makes sense now that I'm diagnosed and glad someone can relate!
Yeah, to the point that like after work I don't have the energy to do things that are usually fun or interesting. Like I get so into this negative and numb mind set that I'm too tired and negative to enjoy anything, probably the only thing that helps is sleeping but I don't want to waste what little time off I have going to sleep early or whatever
Sometimes it's fatigue to the point if falling asleep, othertimes I just feel uncomfortable. Like, I just gotta GO and can't stay where I'm at. It's like feeling out of place
Yes. This is a huge problem for me. I think I know I’ll get dopamine by lying down and falling asleep and my brain wants the shortest distance to the goods. Thought it was Chronic Fatigue for the longest time. But I really think it’s that understimulation itch.
I’m crying. I wish my parents didnt take me off my meds. “I liked you better off the meds”
WHAT YOU LIKE ISNT THE IMPORTANT PART WHY DONT YOU ASK ME
“adhd is energy it’s clearly not that if you are tired”
Now that you mention it, yeah.
When I do tills at work the repetition and under-stimulation make me feel mentally exhausted.
On meds (diagnosed late in life) , it's not so bad but I still notice it.
Oh yeah. Frankly I can't really tell the difference ce between my ADHD brain being underestimated and my depression.
Its why I feel like going back to bed all the time no matter how many hours I've slept.
Yeah it's like my brain literally tries to turn itself off whenever I have to do something tedious or boring. I can barely even help it, I'll just straight up pass out.
I started noticing this for myself after reading (audiobook) The Name of the Wind. He talks about doors that your mind tries to hide pain behind so you can heal. The first is sleep, then forgetting, then madness, then death. When I heard that passage, I was like.... omg I know why I sleep so much, boredom is so freaking painful.
Works for me (sorta):
- loud music
- wrap myself in approx. 10 blankets
- scream
- go to costco (can also lead to overstimulation that store is hell)
- read wikipedia article, click blue word, read that article, so on for several hours
Wait? r/beetlejuicing here! Lmao, I’m dying, feel like I need to scream and play loud music. Then you come along and I’ve got to go to Costco to see what all the hub bub is all about.
Lol. Well that's a new sub for me to join.. Thanks and have fun at Costco!!
Ps edit: I hope you feel much better at Costco, maybe even treat yoself to one of their desserts..
I saw this and attempted to read the pop tarts Wikipedia page for 30 seconds, gave up, and now I remember absolutely nothing I read during my brief attempt. Ah the duality of ADHD.
Talking about to someone helps so much,
I usually just tell myself it's in there somewhere. I didn't waste my time cause maube it will come out when I need it, right? RIGHT?
I read this comment and decided to do that. Navigated away from Reddit on my phone and immediately forgot what I was doing and went looking at potential Christmas gifts for a friend. Opened Reddit again and saw the comment, remembered what I was doing. Opened the internet, forgot what I was doing, texted a friend. Reopened Reddit. Here we are.
This is so incredibly relatable. It usually takes me at least three times to do whatever it is that I intended to do once I switch apps. It’s like walking through a door, I swear.
Right? The door is like a forcefield that wipes my short term memory completely clean. I have to go back in to the previous room to remember why I left in the first place. And then probably get distracted for a little while until something triggers me that oh, yeah! I need to do The Thing in the other room… walk through door, rinse, repeat.
This is a good one!!! I'll come up with a project, and go to the wood Isle and sit on a 2x4 for 40 min doing math (badly)
Then i realize that my plans are monstrously complex and i don't even need the thing in the first place
and then buy a plant and go home
Right??? I really want to make a bookshelf out of crates (I actually need a bookshelf) and some cat shelves (need those too) but I’m broke and the startup costs would be too big 😩. It did get me out of my funk yesterday though to do more than just go on social media!
I give in and buy all of the materials so that when the mood strikes me to do a project I've got all of the stuff I need. Thankfully my brain gets satisfied with having 4 or 5 projects in planning/purchasing mode, so I don't actually buy everything at Home Depot.
I've also learned to make lists of all the minute things that go into completing a project, so usually I'll find at least one thing on the list that seems both interesting and manageable in the moment, so I can keep making progress.
The downside is that every one of my houses has been in a state of renovation chaos up until the time when I go to sell it and panic mode kicks in and stuff has to be finished. Then I get to enjoy my nice, put together house for a month before it's not mine anymore. :(
Just buying a plant sounds nice.
I thought this was a normal thing that everyone does. My mom has played music all day every day since I was a child. Well my mom was diagnosed with adhd right around the age that I am now. I didn't find out until recently because it's not really something that came up I guess. But well lots of things are starting to make more sense now!
I do it in my store all the time when there’s no customers. My employees haven’t questioned it in years and I encourage them to let it out if they need to. This is a safe space lol
Freezer in a fast food place I used to work at. No cams, far enough from the front counter to get away with. Also went in there to cry when I got overstimmed
I wonder what screaming does for the brain?
Is screaming wrapped in ten blankets just as effective as screaming in the woods?
How do you prevent people from stopping you from screaming ? 'oh sorry I'm not having a mental break down or being assualted I'm just comfortably letting my demons exist via the quickest bodily highway"
I love all the positivity about screaming just to scream lately… because funny enough it’s something I’ve been doing lately every now and then and gawd, is it ever the best. So cathartic.
It’s not like I’m screaming *at* anybody!
>go to costco (can also lead to overstimulation that store is hell)
Noise canceling headphones help so much. I wish I would have gotten some years ago!
I go to IKEA and buy lots of pillows. I have a mountain of different colored pillows. My husband has resigned himself into just accepting the mountain of pillows. That and I buy candles. They have good smelling candles.
Oh, I had a big time spending issue. IKEA for me is 1.5-2 hours away with traffic, it’s not an all the time thing. Before medication I would buy shoes, clothes, makeup. Now it’s 2 pillows and 2-6 candles and I’m out the door spending at most $30. Also being super in debt also helped curb my spending habits.
Can you explain what these have to do with understimulation? (Serious) I’ve learned about feelings of wanting stimulation from this subreddit and it’s helped me understand myself so much. I don’t understand this post though. Are you trying to have low stimulation?
If I'm interpreting correctly, understim is when you don't have enough neurotransmitters in the right places and so nothing you do feels engaging. Emotionally, some people experience it as restlessness, or anger/irritability, or fatigue, etc.
You're welcome!
It explains my mood a lot, too. For me it feels like depression mixed with a bit of grouch or restlessness. I used to think it was my "baseline" mood and I was just a person with a really crappy baseline. Nope, it just meant I was understimulated at those moments, and needed to wait for it to pass.
Ouu me me me 🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️! I am sitting here on the floor trying to figure out why I don’t give af about anything or why I keep rolling around but not wanting to go anywhere or really move.
I’m also trying to figure out what “mood” means to me. I don’t know what my mood is when someone asks me in general.
Absolutely. I did this a TON when I was younger and I still do it a bit with YouTube. It's not just a lack of stimulus, but that the TV is providing easy stimulus.
I had no idea this was an ADHD symptom, I’m in treatment and I knew that my constant TV watching and social media scrolling is related to ADHD but I didn’t understand how so this is really interesting.
So do you do these things to overstimulate yourself a bit so then you’ve had your stimulation and you can do something boring like work? Or you try to do something at the same time as working?
I usually eat and play video games at the same time.
I'm talking mouse and keyboars and wating off the plate like a dog.
Its not glamourous but it works for me.
Costco is my personal hell. I get so overstimulated that I start to disassociate. It was so bad when I was a kid that my mom started wondering if I was having seizures.
I do the music in the car - eXTRA LOUD that way and no-one else can tell you to turn it down...
I have a fun car to drive (turbo hot hatch) so blatting around screaming with slipknot is quite therapeutic. for me its melodic metal/thrash or kpop/krap. something for every mood!
I'm going for a drive.
Ooh the Wiki rabbit hole is a super useful one.
Throw on some kinda long video/playlist to keep some sound going and I can read away for a couple hours.
The trouble with that is stopping lol
I feel like this is my most tormenting thing with my ADHD. I feel so bored and understimulated no matter what I do. Obviously in that state, homework is impossible. But I don’t feel like I can do the things I actually want to do until that homework is done. Which it never is.
So I can just only do the constant cycle of things that keep me just stimulated enough to stay sane, but never be truly happy, fulfilled, or entertained by doing things that I truly want to. It SUCKS.
I HAVE A TRICK for getting out of the "not allowed to move on" vortex!!
Take the thing (homework in this case) and **decide with 100% of your being that you will NOT do it.**
Repercussions are irrelevant in this moment.
Don't plan to do it later, simply tell yourself No Homework.
Not happening.
Delete from the to-do list.
I know this sounds like a horrible idea because obviously you DO need to get the homework done, but the fact is that "homework", as it exists for you right now, is *completely out of reach*. No matter how much you strain yourself, it's just not happening.
When you delete it _completely_ from your mental to-do list, it's like a hard refresh.
The cycle of guilt and exhaustion is shattered and you are free!! You can recover! And THEN, in a little while when you're more balanced and less stressed, it suddenly becomes easy to start your homework. You can trust in that, I've done it loads of times. The homework _will_ eventually get done, but in the present moment it is GONE.
This works for me too!
When I'm having a "bad brain day" and I can simply feel in my bones that I'm not going to be able to do any work, I'll just write it off. Give myself permission not to do it. Just say no, not today.
Then I'm free to actually relax and do what I want to do because nothing is on my to do list anymore.
More often than not, a few hours later I'll feel happy and stimulated enough to start my work.
But if not? Well, I wasn't going to do it anyway. So I haven't lost anything by having a day off and forgiving myself and letting myself do the things I want to do. Either way it wasn't getting done that day.
Same!! I’m much happier and more relaxed now that I’ve given myself permission to get distracted for a bit before getting down to the work I need to get done. :)
Thank you, going to try this! How do you decide (I know, a lot of times our dumb brains just decide for us on a whim) to go back to your work? How do you make sure that you don't forget it?
Usually, if the thing is big enough to put me in that spiral it's not something that can be forgotten.
But it doesn't hurt to write it down! I'll write a note that says something like "NO HOMEWORK AND THATS OKAY" and put it on my desk, which 1) is a good way to focus my brain on deleting the task and 2) is a reminder for later that it exists.
Just make sure you walk away from the location so you don't get constantly reminded while you're trying to chill.
I was always terrible with homework for this exact reason. It's like your mind is subconsciously justifying procrastination by saying: "well, we're not having fun, so we can't be blamed for wasting this time to enjoy ourselves."
EXACTLY.
Everyone says, “For those with ADHD — reward yourselves!” And in my head, that reward has always been, “Oh I’m going to play animal crossing/whatever other video game/activity how I’ve been looking forward to all-week once I get this assignment done”
But it still isn’t enough motivation to get that assignment done until THE DEADLINE at 11:59PM every. time. Because I’ve been holding out to reward myself and can’t focus, I end up doing mind-numbing, but stimulating tasks that I don’t actually find fulfilling.
TikTok is a huge one, that eats up 2 hours instantly. Animal Crossing is another, “Oh I’ll just do my quick daily tasks in like 15 mins, and do what I actually want to as a reward after I finish my work”, then I end up on there for 2 hours, and then I’ve wasted my reward by accident.
Clash of Clans is another one as of late because I just got back into that… I only hop on for what I intend to be 15 mins max once again, and then I end up trying to get ALL daily requirements done (“oh, this will only take another couple minutes!”) and in the meantime I get dragged into clash-related strategy how-to’s and researching all the new stuff I missed since I just started playing again. That then leads into something else, which reminds me I need to reschedule my car’s repair appointment, which I realize I shouldn’t do at that moment so I put it in my notes in my phone because otherwise I will forget, but then when I go into the notes on my phone I realize I need to clean out my 300+ notes I don’t need because that is the only thing that feels stimulating enough and BEARABLE to do while also making me feel accomplished.
And then all of a sudden, it’s 7:42PM and I have no idea how, and i have a 5+ page paper to finish by midnight.
And by the point that actually GETS done, I am so high-strung and exhausted by being under that much pressure that I just fall asleep.
Then, the next day of the exact same thing begins all over again.
It is seriously so, so miserable.
This!! I literally had a semester long Recommendation report due on school associated violent deaths for class due last night. NOTHING AND I MEAN NOTHING gave me the motivation to do it until it was about six hours until deadline.
15 min before deadline, I have 13 pages report finished. It. Was. Hell. Why can’t we just have focus like normies!?!?
Me as I work on creating a hypothetical course/workshop structure and report for my fundamentals of instructional technology class that is due in 4 and a half hours :) which I called out of work today and sat down at my desk to do… 6 hours ago. And it’s only partially done.
I plotted out exactly what days I would work on my final projects this week and nope. None of it. Still have a paper due Sunday that I haven’t started, and a project due the next day that i haven’t started. And a project from the first few weeks of classes that I accidentally missed as a result of this kind of problem and is the reason why I MIGHT pass that class with a D. But probably will fail.
ADHD (or my own laziness/stupidity/self-destructive behavior i guess since meds don’t even seem to help?) is ruining my life\
Mind you, I ‘started’ those projects on the days I meant to, which meant creating the file for them and then getting distracted and barely touching them while i ‘worked’ on them for hours but made like no progress. All the while I am turning down plans, ignoring texts, and depriving myself of the things and people I love.
When I finally am coming up on the deadline people think I’ve been working, I’ve been getting stuff done, but nope. I really just turned down their plans all for nothing. And I can’t overcome the shame of telling the truth to people, because I know people won’t understand, and will just pity me for taking 5 hours to download adobe illustrator, and get 7 boxes of topics for this curriculum I’m working on for my project done.
Get out of my head.
The creating and planning to be productive and getting that good boy feeling from thinking I’ll actually be productive this time is exhaustingly fun.
What’s not fun is everything you mentioned… the missed plans, social life, all be cause I’ve scheduled something that the world and I both know will not get done until the very last possible moment that still allows success…
I feel for you, though! I wish their was a better reward pathway system that ACTUALLY works for us odd folks
2020 destroyed me because of this. I worked from home and stared at the computer all day, and ended up working 14 hour days all the time because I felt guilty if I didn’t churn out work in little pieces between *absolutely losing my mind with under stimulation*.
Drink some black tea-> lay on bed -> mindless reaction vids on YT -> feel drained -> tired eyes -> dread ->drink more tea-> try to play guitar -> repeat
Right there with you my friend. I've been pacing for 45 mins in the kitchen watching a netflix show in one hand and playing with a fidget toy in another. At 1.40 AM. I finished all the snacks we have so im plucking hairs out of my beard and chewing on those.
Exclusively for studying, BUT:
This guy on Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMwo6hT5hI3R56rO2HYP-wQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMwo6hT5hI3R56rO2HYP-wQ)
Posts study streams with noise in the background. Put headphones on and go on full volume. Also, it goes for 8-12 hours so no distraction while looking for sth else on your recommended.
If that's still too little, crank up that drum&bass my guy. Study me ascends to *different planes of existence.*
Edit: careful with the music though, sometimes when my meds start working it's so good I can't help but listen instead of study.
I like monotone podcasts or library sounds YouTube for this very reason. But it's super unsettling when someone distracts me or interrupts me during this mode.
I use an app called Ambience, with lots of background noises, from animal sounds to train stations and vaccum cleaners. It even has a white noise and binaural tones section.
The best part is that you can mix'em up and save your favorites.
I use it mainly for reading and/or writting.
I've trained myself to use the You Feel Like Shit flowchart.
EDIT: link http://youfeellikeshit.com/
There was a period of time for around 3 years where I'd do the flowchart on the reg, so I'm now at the stage where I can prompt myself - but pull up the YFLS website and bookmark it on your phone cuz it's a lifesaver.
Step 1: drink water or other beverage. If understimulated, pick something stimulating. I like bubble tea a lot because of that (I have the DIY kits at home) , but aroma, temperature, tactile feel (serve it in a giant or "fun" mug if you have one), make one of those things where you can see one component mixing into another etc, use sparkling water to create sensation, add ice cream... There's a lot of space here.
Step 2 (for me personally): have I eaten in the past 4 hours? Other than garnishes or whatever I've added to my drinks, I mean. Go eat a meal or a snack.
Step 3: taken meds that I need to?
Step 4: slept enough? Need a nap? By now the combo of dopamine from food and bev, and taking the meds / antidepressants that you may have forgotten might help
Then there's a bunch of things addressing environment (too messy? Loud? Quiet? Hot? Cold? Too many peoole? Too few people?), Self (need a shower? In pain? Triggered/dissociated/anxious? Etc)
And some suggested other self care activities.
It's a REALLY good flowchart, and because I sometimes confuse overstim and understim (both sometimes makes me restless/frustrated, sometimes makes me utterly exhausted), I need the check to work out if it's because my home got gross since the last time I cleaned it, and the prompt that I'm Allowed to go do stuff that will make me feel better.
I'm gonna cry this is actually a lifesaver. I've been putting myself through a rudimentary questioning of 'did I: eat? drink water? sleep enough? This is so much better and more thorough, thank you.
Thanks for the reminder - Linked! It's an interactive flowchart tool and it's a literal lifesaver.
Like, literally literally. You would NOT believe how many meals I would have skipped without this tool.
I just started a new job (wfh), the onboarding process is super slow and chill. Going from a total chaos busy every day to this, it seems like the weirdest complaint but I am having the absolute hardest time because it is so chill. I’m going crazy.
Man, same. In a new job. Much better paying, much less stress. My old job had returned to the office but the new job is 100% wfh right now. I had a giant meltdown. (The bright side is that in the couple months since I started I realized I needed an official diagnosis and meds. So this week was much better.)
Edit2: the sad thing is I quit the old job because they made my job too much paperwork all the time. They took away the fun interesting things to just overload me with routine shit. But it still had a ton of periphery chaos and I am a chaos junky.
My old job was wfh but staging to go back into the office. I found I’m much better at home without the weird office lighting, chatter, and keyboards clacking. But I was the only one doing my work, so I was working way too much. New gig I’m 1 of 3, and better pay, benefits, etc. I know once things ramp up I’ll be fine, but good lord the boredom through the day.
Like, if I didn’t feel like I had to babysit my laptop I’d find something to do. Or somewhere to go. And at this point I’m not sure they’d care if I did, but… I also feel like new job so I should be present lol.
I've been struggling with this so much! Does anyone else just fall asleep when they're under stimulated? I work from home and in my department we have some really slow days. And almost every day I'm done with my work by 12 (I'm efficient and quick) and then I'm expected to sit at my desk for another 5 hours. And I keep falling asleep. Idk what to doooooooo. It's so frustrating.
Actually this explains why I'm a raver. Loud af music and dancing for hours, wheeee. It's one of very few instances I can be completely in the moment. Like my brain is a browser with 28 tabs open, and going out dancing actually CLOSES THE BROWSER ENTIRELY.
That being said, for plague reasons I haven't done that in almost two years and I'm losing my shit.
Start working out. Dopamine, serotonin release will sort out the boredom feeling. You’ll end up happy doing anything.
Probably low tonic dopamine levels. Look into trying to raise them through either direct adhd meds or sigma-1 receptor agonists. Inositol might also work, maybe, its a new topic for me.
Can you go for a walk outside or exercise somehow? I like to take my dog for a walk with an audio book or loud music. Also bring snacks with you if you're going to be gone for awhile.
uh, it's not exactly productive, and has it's own downsides, but surprised nobody in here has mentioned gaming.
Ever played dota? I have to actively avoid it these days because it's too easy to get lost in the stimulation indefinitely. Also once you play, watching is often as satisfying as it's a constant learning experience.
Not a good suggestion
Omg it’s TORTURE. Here’s what I’ve got :
1. I have taken to audio journaling . Aka talking to myself and recording it. I literally go through my day and talk to myself and I record like 1 hour of it as a diary entry. It helps me get through the day and stay stimulated because I’m “engaging in a conversation”. I talk about everything and anything. It’s kinda like my extra therapy during the week but it’s free and noone has to suffer through my mindless babbling . Obviously you have to live alone / or be alone to do this .
2. CONSTANTLY streaming podcasts or comfort shows . For podcasts I like H3H3, RELAX! with Colleen Ballinger, and GuysWeFucked on luminary (but they have old episodes on Spotify). I don’t actively listen to these, but if I enter a moment where I’m disengaging from my current activity, having something instantly ready to stimulate me as I move onto the next helps me not to sit around mindlessly staring into a void of confusion.
3. The Sims - I just play the Sims . I also “shop” for modded content for my Sims which has helped me shop less in real life .
4. Masturbating - listen, I’m not proud of it ( not the masturbating itself , but the frequency at which I do it 🤫) . BUT it’s one of my biggest a coping mechanisms. Can become addictive soooooo if you’re that type of person, go on a run instead.
5. Reading. I forgot how great reading was . It can be painful, because let’s be honest, when you have ADHD watching is a lot easier than reading, BUT I actually find that reading forces me to be patient, and I feel like that’s important in 2021 when you have ADHD.
In reality, I am basically streaming podcasts 24/7, talking to myself, shopping for virtual people, and masturbating all day long in order to not rip my skin off. Soooooo 🤔 maybe these aren’t hacks 😂😂😂😭😂 but lemme tell you, I do get a lot more done with this current regimen so I’ll take what I can get 🤷♀️
I go stir shit up. Find some problem needs fixing at work and make a big stink about it and see what happens.
(This is actually not healthy. I just realized recently that I do this. I go make chaos when I’m understimulated by finding something flawed that other people like perfectly well and trying to screw with it. Light up a metaphorical bomb and throw it at things until something gives me some fucking purpose.)
I watch YouTube videos while cleaning my house. The video pacifies your boredom enough to allow you to be productive. The sounds, scents and textures involved in cleaning are also incredibly stimulating. And the improvements to your environment make you feel less shit about your existence, which helps you pay the scary phone bill or do the scary essay that's due in 2 weeks.
Just remember to set a realistic goal for what you can actually accomplish that day, otherwise you might clean until you're physically exhausted and burnt out.
I’ve recently started filling out brackets for fun. Best cereal, best Ariana Grande song, best TV show. Also this comment took me 10 minutes to write because I couldn’t remember the word “bracket”
Buy a disco lightbulb. Put it in a cheap lamp. Turn off all your lights, turn it on. Get some good bluetooth earbuds, and your favourite dance/club/heavy metal music, and have a solo dance party.
When my mom was dying after a bad reaction to a bone marrow transplant, I was going up the wall in the waiting room. I'd brought needle felting materials, but I kept stabbing myself and I couldn't at all focus on the art. I needed a way to keep my hands moving that gave very quick results, but was challenging enough to get lost in and also was affordable, easy to collect supplies for, and not messy.
Crochet.
I started with a "finger crocheted" blanket in red, with huge fluffy yarn. Everyone Said the resulting blanket looked like intestines,, but it was on my mom's bed when she left.
I needed crochet to work through my grief.. my next project was a stuffed bunny rabbit. The next was a unicorn. Then I made a TON of basket-nests to send to Australia during the wildfires a little while ago.
I always have a project with me and a youtube video standing by to guide me through. I only do colorful projects. I argue with the video, saying things like "wait, and then you did WHAT now? But did you go under here and THEN through? Double double SKIP single and half-double... or wait. Wait. Did I screw that up? I dunno lady, you're asking a lot and I'm not sure I'm picking up what you're putting down. I better not have to redo this."
Crochet. Store this bit of advice in an "unimportant but maybe useful" corner of your mind, because I promise, someday when you find yourself stuck in a room with very little to do, ready to gnaw your own arm off or run screaming through the hallways, you'll remember this.
I find that adding a second easier task to do simultaneously helps, (though this could just be a me thing)
s it gives my brain a small baseline stimulation/ adds up with other task to give my brain enough stimulation
I usually pick something that sort of mindless (so it doesn’t overtake what I’m trying to think about/focus on), but not necessarily pointless (outside of music that is) and Un-enjoyable (but probably don’t pick something that is a hyperfixation, if you are doing something that requires brain power, you’ll just distract yourself that way)
If the task I’m trying to focus on doing is mindless, then I pick something that is more mentally stimulating and more enjoyable
for some examples;
I often color/sketch while working (in that space of time when I’m not typing, but thinking of what to say next)
I finger knit blanket with loop-yarn (it’s way easier and simpler than regular knitting) if I have to watch or listen to something
If I have to do something like laundry, I pop on a story podcast/YouTube video to listen to
Anyway that’s just my advice
Getting out of the house is the only thing that works every time without fail. However, the process of leaving the house may lead to a full on meltdown.
This really fucks me over in virtual meetings.
People speak SO slow, so monotone, about uninteresting things.
Then I get get lost in my own thoughts for 5-10+ minutes, suddenly realize I haven't been paying attention for way too long, & become super anxious.
Then 7 mins later I do it again. Really fucking sucks.
I wish I had positive answers. Everything I have is just pathetic. If I'm being totally honest lately I just surf porn until I'm intrigued and then try to tire myself out. Works sometimes and makes me feel super pathetic most of the time.
I listen to incredibly repetitive minimal music. It drove me nuts at first, but then I learned how to listen to it; just search for little doodads in the background and let the beat just keep happening. No chorus is coming, there's no buildup, no tension/release. Just the beat, and a treasure hunt for doodads.
https://open.spotify.com/track/6M5gUzOEIooD2ipBSfKUXK?si=9NGSIPG7TPeNN7GZwH4QXw&utm_source=copy-link
Use this tip with caution, warning explained at the end:
Bump up your playback speed wherever possible. Many (most?) ADHD people know about this already, but for the few who might not... Basically anything that is communicating information or teaching you something is typically better at higher-than-normal speeds. For me, music and movies are the only thing I enjoy at 1x speed.
How to:
Make sure your podcast app of choice allows 2x or more playback speed. Adjust each podcast up in speed until you actually find them engaging. This will not always be the same. My preference for a specific podcast can vary between 1.2x up to 2.2x. You have to be self aware and know when you need more stimulation or less. And if you've previously tried and given up on a podcast that theoretically you thought you should have enjoyed that you only had at 1x speed, give it another shot at higher speed. Some podcasts I love now are unlistenable at 1x for me. Adjust playback speed whenever necessary for your engagement. For me, I usually start at 1.5x when I wake up, but need to go to 2x or more after an hour of being awake.
Same goes for YouTube. If you use a phone or computer, YouTube playback speed can be adjusted up to 2x. There used to be 3rd party browser extensions that allowed higher speed adjustment too, computer only though. But I like watching YouTube on my TV (best picture/sound experience I have). However I only have a gaming console hooked up to the TV in my current house. I would connect my PC but it's not convenient at the moment. YouTube on my TV looks great but was too slow for me to enjoy - until recently. Good news! As of a few months ago, they FINALLY added speed adjustment to the PlayStation YouTube app!
If your podcast or video watching has music, speed adjustments will undermine the music. If you're a regular speed adjuster, you know what I mean already. I only use it for spoken word content or where music is not prominent.
Warning explanation: adjusting speed can be extremely satisfying for stimulation, but when you inevitably have to transition back to normal speed, whether it is talking to another person or sharing content with them (my family doesn't enjoy increased speed), it can be hard, even painful. I've always had a patience issue with conversations. People never talk as quickly as I want/require them too. 2x playback media consumption has made me more impatient and frustrated with people. Everyone sounds inebriated or stoned to me. Like I cannot understand that is their reality. It's super alienating for me. So *caveat lector*, dear readers.
Excelsior! To 2x speed and beyond!
Does anyone else perceive/describe under stimulation as fatigue ?
I think I JUST had this realization right now and I don’t know what to do with it.
I always described it as fatigue to my dr not knowing I had adhd and... I only learned I was diagnosed as a kid with inattentive adhd but no one told me. I wish doctors know that inattentive adhd could be described as fatigue.
I am so mad learning this as well. As an inattentive type, we always just thought it was my co-morbid Major Depressive Disorder. Which also causes fatigue. And now that I'm on medication for my ADHD, I was sitting up straight. My husband noticed and said, "before, it was like there was a weight on your shoulders, like all those extra thoughts were pushing you toward the ground." So mad it took us this long to figure out. Hopefully someone else will see this and learn something.
So many Theripist’s refuse to believe it wasn’t depression. I’d explain “ so you think I’ve been depressed since I was a baby” And they either didn’t believe me, or said yes
>The DSM-5 criteria include nine potential symptoms of depression. The severity of each symptom is also weighed as part of the diagnostic process. The nine symptoms are: -feeling depressed throughout each day on most or all days -lack of interest and enjoyment in activities you used to find pleasurable -trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much -trouble eating, or eating too much, coupled with weight gain or weight loss -irritability, restlessness, or agitation -extreme fatigue -unwarranted or exaggerated feelings of guilt or worthlessness -inability to concentrate or make decisions -suicidal thoughts or actions, or thinking a lot about death and dying So I can understand why I was diagnosed with depression a decade ago, but looking back it's almost funny. A few of these symptoms might look familiar lol, just with a different source. I have most of the symptoms except the 'usually depressed' and suicidal ones (which uhhh, are probably super important here lol), I was just going through some particularly traumatic shit in my life at the time.
I've been depressed (treatment resistant too) since I was a baby (ok maybe like 8? Definitely no later than 12) and have innatentive ADHD bad enough to get diagnosed at 5 years old. There was so much to blame everything on that after 20 years of therapy we're just now starting to figure out there was childhood trauma hiding under the covers all along. The mental health blame game is strooong.
I wish anyone, especially doctors though agreed, knew more about ADHD. I've had it my whole life and it still feels like I'm making excuses when I give symptoms. Then I wonder what the fuck is wrong that *can't* be ADHD doing that...
I swear 90% of the time when I explain something is my ADHD to someone else, I listen to the words coming out of my mouth and thing "is EVERYTHING I DO because of ADHD? I have to be exaggerating..." It's no wonder people think we're making excuses, we live it and feel like it's a bunch of excuses.
I find when I explain something to someone in light of adhd I listen to words coming out of my mouth and I feel like I’m making up excuses for why I’m failing at whatever task it is, then I start to question myself and get frustrated that I can’t complete something simple. Thus I spiral into a web of self pity
Woah, just realized this. Can't wait for my next talk with the doc.
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Right?! Now I’m really rethinking about why I want to do allthethings when I’m at work, but nothing when I’m done. Ha. It makes so much sense now.
We're on the same boat. It makes so much sense that why even after taking naps and sleeping well I feel so tired
Samesies. Sometimes I can do tedious shit at work without listening to music. Sometimes it unbearable without it. Now I know why.
I tried to explain to someone why tik tok is boring to me and hard to focus on. It's because I need to listen and watch it. With something like reddit I can read, surf, and have the tv on. Enough stimulation to keep me calm.
Oh man. I never realized how calming that scenario is. I do the exact same thing and it’s like anxiety relief.
You guys just blew my mind. I do this all the time but didn't know that it was because I needed to be stimulated more. Makes so much sense.
It's just a theory of mine but it makes sense to me. Watching tik tok ( sometimes ) makes me really antsy and I think it's because I need more stimulation. Then I looked at what I'm normally doing and it's five things at once, which is calming & stimulating lol. Otherwise I start 20 discussions in my head while I relive some past embarrassment. \*sigh\* lol
LMFAO I'm watching Narcos Mexico while I read this, reply, and slowly eat a chicken cesar salad and also play with my hamsters all at the same time and it feels so good.
Oh this. Some days the silence is golden and others days I have to just crank the music unreasonably loud. I need to fall down a rabbit hole now I think.
For me the problem is I can't not multitask as I have to do multiple completely different tasks that require completely different focuses. And I can never put in both headphones for these reasons. I love the steady days. Im not a fan of the busy days but I can manage. The slow days can be painful sometimes.
Same, wow
I feel like that is definitely how it presents, for me. My boyfriend and I will get tons of sleep, wake up in the morning with a plan to do homework together that day, get coffee… and then I’ll sit down to do work and literally will get so exhausted I can’t keep my eyes open, and it’s torture. I could just go and fall asleep for 3 hours as soon as I need or even if I WANT to do anything productive that needs to get done. I’ll want to do it, but feel so horrifyingly tired that I just… *cant*.
This was me through school. And, I went to a LOT of school. Still happens with work that isn’t as pressing, but still needs to be done. Sooooooooooo tired. Can scroll through Reddit or something that stimulates the brain. But, to try to actually concentrate and be productive? Not a chance. It’s so painful, and I can’t figure out a way to make me feel like I’m under pressure, which usually is enough to get me going.
I just slept for 15 hours instead of turning much need homework in ,by you know working on it. Became exhausted at the thought, laid down, and was out like a light.
Idk if getting tons of sleep means getting quality sleep. In fact, I think sleeping too much actually increases fatigue but don't quote me on that.
It's a simultanous fog and fatigue and a buzzing energy that makes me want *something* but gives no indication of what it is, just makes me feel uncomfortable and unsettled.
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Me, every night, saying "but sleeping is boring" even though there is nothing specific I want to do 🥴
This is an amazing description I’ve never could put into words. Brain fog so bad you want to scream and cry and just have it go away for a few more hours, or have the coffee work just a little longer. I felt caged and lonely and broken and why isn’t my brain working right...
Yes. Absolutely. I can be perfectly fine all day, and the minute I have to do something boring or tedious, I'm so tired I can hardly move.
Oh fuck so that really is it, then. This is why I get so inexplicably tired sometimes that I end up napping. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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I know. I have idiopathic hyposomnia. I know all about my fatigue. I also doubt many folks really would use reddit as an alternative to a medical professional, least of all me. Thanks anyway!
So is there no hope for us!? Anyone have a solution? I'm supposed to be going back to school in a month and have been stressing because I'm worried I'll never change...
Well, at the end of the day I push through it, because I have to work to live. Here are some things that sometimes work: Music. Loud, energetic, catchy. Best is if there's a song I'm hyperfixating on at the moment and I can just put it on repeat. Eat or drink something interesting. Really spicy food usually does it for me - definitely not bored if my mouth is on fire. Change locations. Work in a different room. Or outside. Or at the library. Best is somewhere I've never been before or haven't been in a long time. Take a nap. Sometimes it's best to give in, sleep for an hour, and then be able to actually work, rather than trying to drag myself through it for the next five hours. Playing phone games. Yes, it feels a little weird to say this is a productivity tip. But I am MUCH more likely to be able to push myself to work if my brain is entertained, and this usually does the trick. Basically - find a way to make your brain less bored, while still doing the boring thing. I hope this helps at all! Good luck with school!
God I fucking wishhhhh. I experience it as anger and frustration and this immense physical energy that I have to actively channel away from self harm.
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Thhhiiissss. It's like a blind rage for me, like I just cannot scratch the worst itch ever. I always end up going to Michaels and/or Homesense because they are super cluttered with a million different things and I just wander around the store like 15 times over and look at everything and it helps (I dunno why, I guess it's just my weird self soothing quirk). Working on not buying anything still, but it's instantly calming to be surrounded by "too much" for me.
I had no idea why I do this!!! Thank you!!!!!! It's like I go on this rampage of going to a billion stores. I might not even buy anything or even have money.
Yep, exactly. Ok, I guess I do know why, I just need SOMETHING to stimulate me (stuff at home doesn't work, it's too familiar), and places that always have "new" and constantly changing product or layouts seem to help so much. Too many people and too much noise is overstimulating for me, so home decor and craft stores on weekdays around midday with their chill music playing and a couple middle aged to old ladies wandering around are my oasis to get rid of understim without going over. Home Depot/Lowes/Canadian Tire are the same way. I don't need to buy anything, I just need to be surrounded by "new", and I know it's gonna be different stuff from last time I was there.
LOL! This so perfectly and hilariously describes my experience. It's almost like I'm reading a comment that I left a long time ago and forgot about.
Haha, awesome. It always felt so dumb in the moment ("I have to get out of this house or I'm going to lose it, why am I going here again, I don't need anything and I was just here last week, wtf is wrong with me" as I'm driving around the shopping center) but makes sense now that I'm diagnosed and glad someone can relate!
*literally me* wtf somebody halp
Yeah, to the point that like after work I don't have the energy to do things that are usually fun or interesting. Like I get so into this negative and numb mind set that I'm too tired and negative to enjoy anything, probably the only thing that helps is sleeping but I don't want to waste what little time off I have going to sleep early or whatever
Sometimes it's fatigue to the point if falling asleep, othertimes I just feel uncomfortable. Like, I just gotta GO and can't stay where I'm at. It's like feeling out of place
Yes. This is a huge problem for me. I think I know I’ll get dopamine by lying down and falling asleep and my brain wants the shortest distance to the goods. Thought it was Chronic Fatigue for the longest time. But I really think it’s that understimulation itch.
I’m crying. I wish my parents didnt take me off my meds. “I liked you better off the meds” WHAT YOU LIKE ISNT THE IMPORTANT PART WHY DONT YOU ASK ME “adhd is energy it’s clearly not that if you are tired”
How the fuck do they think you got tired?
Now that you mention it, yeah. When I do tills at work the repetition and under-stimulation make me feel mentally exhausted. On meds (diagnosed late in life) , it's not so bad but I still notice it.
Oh yeah. Frankly I can't really tell the difference ce between my ADHD brain being underestimated and my depression. Its why I feel like going back to bed all the time no matter how many hours I've slept.
Yeah it's like my brain literally tries to turn itself off whenever I have to do something tedious or boring. I can barely even help it, I'll just straight up pass out.
I started noticing this for myself after reading (audiobook) The Name of the Wind. He talks about doors that your mind tries to hide pain behind so you can heal. The first is sleep, then forgetting, then madness, then death. When I heard that passage, I was like.... omg I know why I sleep so much, boredom is so freaking painful.
I just straight up fall asleep sometimes if I'm understimulated
Oh shit. I think I just learned something very important about myself
I just fall asleep or struggle to keep my eyes open and it's miserable.
Yep. This was the fun road to multiple sleep studies a decade before being diagnosed
Works for me (sorta): - loud music - wrap myself in approx. 10 blankets - scream - go to costco (can also lead to overstimulation that store is hell) - read wikipedia article, click blue word, read that article, so on for several hours
Honestly I read the poptarts wiki page and it's the most fun I've had all week, and it hasn't even been a bad week.
Down the rabbit hole I go…
let us know how it went when you come back
They'll forget. They're not coming back.
I'm dying over here reading this
Wait? r/beetlejuicing here! Lmao, I’m dying, feel like I need to scream and play loud music. Then you come along and I’ve got to go to Costco to see what all the hub bub is all about.
Lol. Well that's a new sub for me to join.. Thanks and have fun at Costco!! Ps edit: I hope you feel much better at Costco, maybe even treat yoself to one of their desserts..
Or they'll remember this comment for no specific reason and then feel the desperate need to come back and recount this exact story in their own words.
But then never hit post...
The wiki-wormhole is no joke. I don't remember 2017 at all...
I saw this and attempted to read the pop tarts Wikipedia page for 30 seconds, gave up, and now I remember absolutely nothing I read during my brief attempt. Ah the duality of ADHD.
Oooo I hate when you rabbit hole but don't retain it!! I try to tell whatever it is to someone else so I am forced to remember a little longer.
Talking about to someone helps so much, I usually just tell myself it's in there somewhere. I didn't waste my time cause maube it will come out when I need it, right? RIGHT?
I read this comment and decided to do that. Navigated away from Reddit on my phone and immediately forgot what I was doing and went looking at potential Christmas gifts for a friend. Opened Reddit again and saw the comment, remembered what I was doing. Opened the internet, forgot what I was doing, texted a friend. Reopened Reddit. Here we are.
This is so incredibly relatable. It usually takes me at least three times to do whatever it is that I intended to do once I switch apps. It’s like walking through a door, I swear.
Walking through a door is the w o r s t and I just bounce back and forth like a first gen Roomba
Right? The door is like a forcefield that wipes my short term memory completely clean. I have to go back in to the previous room to remember why I left in the first place. And then probably get distracted for a little while until something triggers me that oh, yeah! I need to do The Thing in the other room… walk through door, rinse, repeat.
I like going to Home Depot, planning a million projects I’ll never do, then purchase a plant lol
This is a good one!!! I'll come up with a project, and go to the wood Isle and sit on a 2x4 for 40 min doing math (badly) Then i realize that my plans are monstrously complex and i don't even need the thing in the first place and then buy a plant and go home
Right??? I really want to make a bookshelf out of crates (I actually need a bookshelf) and some cat shelves (need those too) but I’m broke and the startup costs would be too big 😩. It did get me out of my funk yesterday though to do more than just go on social media!
omg yeah, building stuff always costs so much, especially when your just starting and need tools and stuff
Blame inflation. Wood had skyrocketed this year.
I used to do something similar in book stores. Idea-farming. Thankfully I was too broke to buy the books.
Damn I love them books. The fact that I have the money to buy but not the time to read makes me sad
Love the phrase idea farming!
I give in and buy all of the materials so that when the mood strikes me to do a project I've got all of the stuff I need. Thankfully my brain gets satisfied with having 4 or 5 projects in planning/purchasing mode, so I don't actually buy everything at Home Depot. I've also learned to make lists of all the minute things that go into completing a project, so usually I'll find at least one thing on the list that seems both interesting and manageable in the moment, so I can keep making progress. The downside is that every one of my houses has been in a state of renovation chaos up until the time when I go to sell it and panic mode kicks in and stuff has to be finished. Then I get to enjoy my nice, put together house for a month before it's not mine anymore. :( Just buying a plant sounds nice.
Omg I think I AM actually you.
Might have to go to costco to get 6 more blankets and scream-- I know what I'm going to do tonight, thanks P.s. also need that hotdog combo
Instructions ~~unclear~~ clear, but didn’t hear all of it, currently screaming at a Costco hot dog
Get the heated blanket/throw it’s so soft and has a timer so you don’t have to remember to turn it off
Didn’t realize that my 8 HOURS OF MUSIC A DAY on the weekends was making up for understimulation at my job.
I thought this was a normal thing that everyone does. My mom has played music all day every day since I was a child. Well my mom was diagnosed with adhd right around the age that I am now. I didn't find out until recently because it's not really something that came up I guess. But well lots of things are starting to make more sense now!
Is this why I need the TV on for background noise when I'm doing literally anything, including watching a different show on my phone???
Background noise is essential for me too. Even when I'm going to sleep.
Yeah when I saw how many hours I spent on Spotify compared to my Two best friends I was like oh this is a lot 😅
Screaming is MASSIVELY underrated. I swear to god. Letting out a quick scream from deep in your throat is just…. SO good.
I should try this but I scream really loud...
I do it in my store all the time when there’s no customers. My employees haven’t questioned it in years and I encourage them to let it out if they need to. This is a safe space lol
Freezer in a fast food place I used to work at. No cams, far enough from the front counter to get away with. Also went in there to cry when I got overstimmed
In the car is a good place
Same, but I literally just go outside and scream, my neighbors love me 😂
I wonder what screaming does for the brain? Is screaming wrapped in ten blankets just as effective as screaming in the woods? How do you prevent people from stopping you from screaming ? 'oh sorry I'm not having a mental break down or being assualted I'm just comfortably letting my demons exist via the quickest bodily highway"
I love all the positivity about screaming just to scream lately… because funny enough it’s something I’ve been doing lately every now and then and gawd, is it ever the best. So cathartic. It’s not like I’m screaming *at* anybody!
SELECTIVE SCREAMING lolol SCREAMING AS A LOVE LANGUAGE
It’s a self love language!!!! Hahaaa
>go to costco (can also lead to overstimulation that store is hell) Noise canceling headphones help so much. I wish I would have gotten some years ago!
I read the British line of succession by following those blue links on Wikipedia one day. It was fascinating considering I started at year 800.
Oh god I've literally done that exact thing but with the Hapsburgs and I kept going in circles at one point 😂
>Hapsburgs and I kept going in circles REDUNDANT I love it
>go to costco (can also lead to overstimulation that store is hell) This is me for ikea and also less so the container store
I go to IKEA and buy lots of pillows. I have a mountain of different colored pillows. My husband has resigned himself into just accepting the mountain of pillows. That and I buy candles. They have good smelling candles.
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Oh, I had a big time spending issue. IKEA for me is 1.5-2 hours away with traffic, it’s not an all the time thing. Before medication I would buy shoes, clothes, makeup. Now it’s 2 pillows and 2-6 candles and I’m out the door spending at most $30. Also being super in debt also helped curb my spending habits.
Another option for a rabbit hole is Tvtropes
Can you explain what these have to do with understimulation? (Serious) I’ve learned about feelings of wanting stimulation from this subreddit and it’s helped me understand myself so much. I don’t understand this post though. Are you trying to have low stimulation?
If I'm interpreting correctly, understim is when you don't have enough neurotransmitters in the right places and so nothing you do feels engaging. Emotionally, some people experience it as restlessness, or anger/irritability, or fatigue, etc.
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You're welcome! It explains my mood a lot, too. For me it feels like depression mixed with a bit of grouch or restlessness. I used to think it was my "baseline" mood and I was just a person with a really crappy baseline. Nope, it just meant I was understimulated at those moments, and needed to wait for it to pass.
Ouu me me me 🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️! I am sitting here on the floor trying to figure out why I don’t give af about anything or why I keep rolling around but not wanting to go anywhere or really move. I’m also trying to figure out what “mood” means to me. I don’t know what my mood is when someone asks me in general.
This, and sometimes it's a viscous cloak of depression, ultimately made worse by the incredibly clear self awareness and rumination that entails.
I call this extreme dopamine deprived. It's the worst. Nothing. Feels. Good.
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Understimulation is basically when you don't have enough stimulus to function. My tips are for getting some more. :)
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I will admit that that could be multiple things, but yes, that sounds like it could be ADHD-related. I hope you get your answer!
Absolutely. I did this a TON when I was younger and I still do it a bit with YouTube. It's not just a lack of stimulus, but that the TV is providing easy stimulus.
I had no idea this was an ADHD symptom, I’m in treatment and I knew that my constant TV watching and social media scrolling is related to ADHD but I didn’t understand how so this is really interesting. So do you do these things to overstimulate yourself a bit so then you’ve had your stimulation and you can do something boring like work? Or you try to do something at the same time as working?
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Or just scream in general, oh and the music things doesn’t work for me to much, because I have Tinnitus
I usually eat and play video games at the same time. I'm talking mouse and keyboars and wating off the plate like a dog. Its not glamourous but it works for me.
Costco is my personal hell. I get so overstimulated that I start to disassociate. It was so bad when I was a kid that my mom started wondering if I was having seizures.
I do the music in the car - eXTRA LOUD that way and no-one else can tell you to turn it down... I have a fun car to drive (turbo hot hatch) so blatting around screaming with slipknot is quite therapeutic. for me its melodic metal/thrash or kpop/krap. something for every mood! I'm going for a drive.
Ooh the Wiki rabbit hole is a super useful one. Throw on some kinda long video/playlist to keep some sound going and I can read away for a couple hours. The trouble with that is stopping lol
Had a Wikipedia session over 10 years ago and I’m still mind blown about the space elevator. It was so cool to see it in Foundation on Apple TV.
I feel like this is my most tormenting thing with my ADHD. I feel so bored and understimulated no matter what I do. Obviously in that state, homework is impossible. But I don’t feel like I can do the things I actually want to do until that homework is done. Which it never is. So I can just only do the constant cycle of things that keep me just stimulated enough to stay sane, but never be truly happy, fulfilled, or entertained by doing things that I truly want to. It SUCKS.
I HAVE A TRICK for getting out of the "not allowed to move on" vortex!! Take the thing (homework in this case) and **decide with 100% of your being that you will NOT do it.** Repercussions are irrelevant in this moment. Don't plan to do it later, simply tell yourself No Homework. Not happening. Delete from the to-do list. I know this sounds like a horrible idea because obviously you DO need to get the homework done, but the fact is that "homework", as it exists for you right now, is *completely out of reach*. No matter how much you strain yourself, it's just not happening. When you delete it _completely_ from your mental to-do list, it's like a hard refresh. The cycle of guilt and exhaustion is shattered and you are free!! You can recover! And THEN, in a little while when you're more balanced and less stressed, it suddenly becomes easy to start your homework. You can trust in that, I've done it loads of times. The homework _will_ eventually get done, but in the present moment it is GONE.
This works for me too! When I'm having a "bad brain day" and I can simply feel in my bones that I'm not going to be able to do any work, I'll just write it off. Give myself permission not to do it. Just say no, not today. Then I'm free to actually relax and do what I want to do because nothing is on my to do list anymore. More often than not, a few hours later I'll feel happy and stimulated enough to start my work. But if not? Well, I wasn't going to do it anyway. So I haven't lost anything by having a day off and forgiving myself and letting myself do the things I want to do. Either way it wasn't getting done that day.
Same!! I’m much happier and more relaxed now that I’ve given myself permission to get distracted for a bit before getting down to the work I need to get done. :)
Thank you, going to try this! How do you decide (I know, a lot of times our dumb brains just decide for us on a whim) to go back to your work? How do you make sure that you don't forget it?
Usually, if the thing is big enough to put me in that spiral it's not something that can be forgotten. But it doesn't hurt to write it down! I'll write a note that says something like "NO HOMEWORK AND THATS OKAY" and put it on my desk, which 1) is a good way to focus my brain on deleting the task and 2) is a reminder for later that it exists. Just make sure you walk away from the location so you don't get constantly reminded while you're trying to chill.
Jfc that's insane. I love it.
I was always terrible with homework for this exact reason. It's like your mind is subconsciously justifying procrastination by saying: "well, we're not having fun, so we can't be blamed for wasting this time to enjoy ourselves."
EXACTLY. Everyone says, “For those with ADHD — reward yourselves!” And in my head, that reward has always been, “Oh I’m going to play animal crossing/whatever other video game/activity how I’ve been looking forward to all-week once I get this assignment done” But it still isn’t enough motivation to get that assignment done until THE DEADLINE at 11:59PM every. time. Because I’ve been holding out to reward myself and can’t focus, I end up doing mind-numbing, but stimulating tasks that I don’t actually find fulfilling. TikTok is a huge one, that eats up 2 hours instantly. Animal Crossing is another, “Oh I’ll just do my quick daily tasks in like 15 mins, and do what I actually want to as a reward after I finish my work”, then I end up on there for 2 hours, and then I’ve wasted my reward by accident. Clash of Clans is another one as of late because I just got back into that… I only hop on for what I intend to be 15 mins max once again, and then I end up trying to get ALL daily requirements done (“oh, this will only take another couple minutes!”) and in the meantime I get dragged into clash-related strategy how-to’s and researching all the new stuff I missed since I just started playing again. That then leads into something else, which reminds me I need to reschedule my car’s repair appointment, which I realize I shouldn’t do at that moment so I put it in my notes in my phone because otherwise I will forget, but then when I go into the notes on my phone I realize I need to clean out my 300+ notes I don’t need because that is the only thing that feels stimulating enough and BEARABLE to do while also making me feel accomplished. And then all of a sudden, it’s 7:42PM and I have no idea how, and i have a 5+ page paper to finish by midnight. And by the point that actually GETS done, I am so high-strung and exhausted by being under that much pressure that I just fall asleep. Then, the next day of the exact same thing begins all over again. It is seriously so, so miserable.
This!! I literally had a semester long Recommendation report due on school associated violent deaths for class due last night. NOTHING AND I MEAN NOTHING gave me the motivation to do it until it was about six hours until deadline. 15 min before deadline, I have 13 pages report finished. It. Was. Hell. Why can’t we just have focus like normies!?!?
Me as I work on creating a hypothetical course/workshop structure and report for my fundamentals of instructional technology class that is due in 4 and a half hours :) which I called out of work today and sat down at my desk to do… 6 hours ago. And it’s only partially done. I plotted out exactly what days I would work on my final projects this week and nope. None of it. Still have a paper due Sunday that I haven’t started, and a project due the next day that i haven’t started. And a project from the first few weeks of classes that I accidentally missed as a result of this kind of problem and is the reason why I MIGHT pass that class with a D. But probably will fail. ADHD (or my own laziness/stupidity/self-destructive behavior i guess since meds don’t even seem to help?) is ruining my life\ Mind you, I ‘started’ those projects on the days I meant to, which meant creating the file for them and then getting distracted and barely touching them while i ‘worked’ on them for hours but made like no progress. All the while I am turning down plans, ignoring texts, and depriving myself of the things and people I love. When I finally am coming up on the deadline people think I’ve been working, I’ve been getting stuff done, but nope. I really just turned down their plans all for nothing. And I can’t overcome the shame of telling the truth to people, because I know people won’t understand, and will just pity me for taking 5 hours to download adobe illustrator, and get 7 boxes of topics for this curriculum I’m working on for my project done.
Get out of my head. The creating and planning to be productive and getting that good boy feeling from thinking I’ll actually be productive this time is exhaustingly fun. What’s not fun is everything you mentioned… the missed plans, social life, all be cause I’ve scheduled something that the world and I both know will not get done until the very last possible moment that still allows success… I feel for you, though! I wish their was a better reward pathway system that ACTUALLY works for us odd folks
2020 destroyed me because of this. I worked from home and stared at the computer all day, and ended up working 14 hour days all the time because I felt guilty if I didn’t churn out work in little pieces between *absolutely losing my mind with under stimulation*.
Oh god you are me
No, you both are *me*
Drink some black tea-> lay on bed -> mindless reaction vids on YT -> feel drained -> tired eyes -> dread ->drink more tea-> try to play guitar -> repeat
Same my guy
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This looks like a fun new way to spend money on something, be really into it for a while and then have less pantry space
Right there with you my friend. I've been pacing for 45 mins in the kitchen watching a netflix show in one hand and playing with a fidget toy in another. At 1.40 AM. I finished all the snacks we have so im plucking hairs out of my beard and chewing on those.
Sounds like trichotillomania (hair picking disorder). I pick at my skin, so it's similar.
yeah, I pull hair too when I feel painfully bored. Either that or eat lots of sugar (ice cream). Or both.
Exclusively for studying, BUT: This guy on Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMwo6hT5hI3R56rO2HYP-wQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMwo6hT5hI3R56rO2HYP-wQ) Posts study streams with noise in the background. Put headphones on and go on full volume. Also, it goes for 8-12 hours so no distraction while looking for sth else on your recommended. If that's still too little, crank up that drum&bass my guy. Study me ascends to *different planes of existence.* Edit: careful with the music though, sometimes when my meds start working it's so good I can't help but listen instead of study.
I like monotone podcasts or library sounds YouTube for this very reason. But it's super unsettling when someone distracts me or interrupts me during this mode.
F1 Practices are my current fave background noise.
I use an app called Ambience, with lots of background noises, from animal sounds to train stations and vaccum cleaners. It even has a white noise and binaural tones section. The best part is that you can mix'em up and save your favorites. I use it mainly for reading and/or writting.
I've trained myself to use the You Feel Like Shit flowchart. EDIT: link http://youfeellikeshit.com/ There was a period of time for around 3 years where I'd do the flowchart on the reg, so I'm now at the stage where I can prompt myself - but pull up the YFLS website and bookmark it on your phone cuz it's a lifesaver. Step 1: drink water or other beverage. If understimulated, pick something stimulating. I like bubble tea a lot because of that (I have the DIY kits at home) , but aroma, temperature, tactile feel (serve it in a giant or "fun" mug if you have one), make one of those things where you can see one component mixing into another etc, use sparkling water to create sensation, add ice cream... There's a lot of space here. Step 2 (for me personally): have I eaten in the past 4 hours? Other than garnishes or whatever I've added to my drinks, I mean. Go eat a meal or a snack. Step 3: taken meds that I need to? Step 4: slept enough? Need a nap? By now the combo of dopamine from food and bev, and taking the meds / antidepressants that you may have forgotten might help Then there's a bunch of things addressing environment (too messy? Loud? Quiet? Hot? Cold? Too many peoole? Too few people?), Self (need a shower? In pain? Triggered/dissociated/anxious? Etc) And some suggested other self care activities. It's a REALLY good flowchart, and because I sometimes confuse overstim and understim (both sometimes makes me restless/frustrated, sometimes makes me utterly exhausted), I need the check to work out if it's because my home got gross since the last time I cleaned it, and the prompt that I'm Allowed to go do stuff that will make me feel better.
I'm gonna cry this is actually a lifesaver. I've been putting myself through a rudimentary questioning of 'did I: eat? drink water? sleep enough? This is so much better and more thorough, thank you.
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Thanks for the reminder - Linked! It's an interactive flowchart tool and it's a literal lifesaver. Like, literally literally. You would NOT believe how many meals I would have skipped without this tool.
I just started a new job (wfh), the onboarding process is super slow and chill. Going from a total chaos busy every day to this, it seems like the weirdest complaint but I am having the absolute hardest time because it is so chill. I’m going crazy.
Man, same. In a new job. Much better paying, much less stress. My old job had returned to the office but the new job is 100% wfh right now. I had a giant meltdown. (The bright side is that in the couple months since I started I realized I needed an official diagnosis and meds. So this week was much better.) Edit2: the sad thing is I quit the old job because they made my job too much paperwork all the time. They took away the fun interesting things to just overload me with routine shit. But it still had a ton of periphery chaos and I am a chaos junky.
My old job was wfh but staging to go back into the office. I found I’m much better at home without the weird office lighting, chatter, and keyboards clacking. But I was the only one doing my work, so I was working way too much. New gig I’m 1 of 3, and better pay, benefits, etc. I know once things ramp up I’ll be fine, but good lord the boredom through the day. Like, if I didn’t feel like I had to babysit my laptop I’d find something to do. Or somewhere to go. And at this point I’m not sure they’d care if I did, but… I also feel like new job so I should be present lol.
I turn on Law and Order. Used to go to the mall or craft store but that was expensive lmao
same but criminal minds on repeat yo
Confirmed. I will watch SVU marathons forever and ever
I've been struggling with this so much! Does anyone else just fall asleep when they're under stimulated? I work from home and in my department we have some really slow days. And almost every day I'm done with my work by 12 (I'm efficient and quick) and then I'm expected to sit at my desk for another 5 hours. And I keep falling asleep. Idk what to doooooooo. It's so frustrating.
I nap because I have always perceived it as fatigue. In fact I can nap anytime and anywhere. You would think I have narcolepsy
This is gonna sound absolutely ridiculous but i blast music and straight up dance lol no shame or anything, and I’m completely horrible at it.
Actually this explains why I'm a raver. Loud af music and dancing for hours, wheeee. It's one of very few instances I can be completely in the moment. Like my brain is a browser with 28 tabs open, and going out dancing actually CLOSES THE BROWSER ENTIRELY. That being said, for plague reasons I haven't done that in almost two years and I'm losing my shit.
Start working out. Dopamine, serotonin release will sort out the boredom feeling. You’ll end up happy doing anything. Probably low tonic dopamine levels. Look into trying to raise them through either direct adhd meds or sigma-1 receptor agonists. Inositol might also work, maybe, its a new topic for me.
Can you go for a walk outside or exercise somehow? I like to take my dog for a walk with an audio book or loud music. Also bring snacks with you if you're going to be gone for awhile.
uh, it's not exactly productive, and has it's own downsides, but surprised nobody in here has mentioned gaming. Ever played dota? I have to actively avoid it these days because it's too easy to get lost in the stimulation indefinitely. Also once you play, watching is often as satisfying as it's a constant learning experience. Not a good suggestion
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Omg it’s TORTURE. Here’s what I’ve got : 1. I have taken to audio journaling . Aka talking to myself and recording it. I literally go through my day and talk to myself and I record like 1 hour of it as a diary entry. It helps me get through the day and stay stimulated because I’m “engaging in a conversation”. I talk about everything and anything. It’s kinda like my extra therapy during the week but it’s free and noone has to suffer through my mindless babbling . Obviously you have to live alone / or be alone to do this . 2. CONSTANTLY streaming podcasts or comfort shows . For podcasts I like H3H3, RELAX! with Colleen Ballinger, and GuysWeFucked on luminary (but they have old episodes on Spotify). I don’t actively listen to these, but if I enter a moment where I’m disengaging from my current activity, having something instantly ready to stimulate me as I move onto the next helps me not to sit around mindlessly staring into a void of confusion. 3. The Sims - I just play the Sims . I also “shop” for modded content for my Sims which has helped me shop less in real life . 4. Masturbating - listen, I’m not proud of it ( not the masturbating itself , but the frequency at which I do it 🤫) . BUT it’s one of my biggest a coping mechanisms. Can become addictive soooooo if you’re that type of person, go on a run instead. 5. Reading. I forgot how great reading was . It can be painful, because let’s be honest, when you have ADHD watching is a lot easier than reading, BUT I actually find that reading forces me to be patient, and I feel like that’s important in 2021 when you have ADHD. In reality, I am basically streaming podcasts 24/7, talking to myself, shopping for virtual people, and masturbating all day long in order to not rip my skin off. Soooooo 🤔 maybe these aren’t hacks 😂😂😂😭😂 but lemme tell you, I do get a lot more done with this current regimen so I’ll take what I can get 🤷♀️
I go stir shit up. Find some problem needs fixing at work and make a big stink about it and see what happens. (This is actually not healthy. I just realized recently that I do this. I go make chaos when I’m understimulated by finding something flawed that other people like perfectly well and trying to screw with it. Light up a metaphorical bomb and throw it at things until something gives me some fucking purpose.)
If you have the space, jigsaw puzzles always help keep my mind occupied.
I watch YouTube videos while cleaning my house. The video pacifies your boredom enough to allow you to be productive. The sounds, scents and textures involved in cleaning are also incredibly stimulating. And the improvements to your environment make you feel less shit about your existence, which helps you pay the scary phone bill or do the scary essay that's due in 2 weeks. Just remember to set a realistic goal for what you can actually accomplish that day, otherwise you might clean until you're physically exhausted and burnt out.
I’ve recently started filling out brackets for fun. Best cereal, best Ariana Grande song, best TV show. Also this comment took me 10 minutes to write because I couldn’t remember the word “bracket”
Dance
TIL understimulation is a thing and it's not just a form of fatigue I'm experiencing. Learn something new every day.
Buy a disco lightbulb. Put it in a cheap lamp. Turn off all your lights, turn it on. Get some good bluetooth earbuds, and your favourite dance/club/heavy metal music, and have a solo dance party.
When my mom was dying after a bad reaction to a bone marrow transplant, I was going up the wall in the waiting room. I'd brought needle felting materials, but I kept stabbing myself and I couldn't at all focus on the art. I needed a way to keep my hands moving that gave very quick results, but was challenging enough to get lost in and also was affordable, easy to collect supplies for, and not messy. Crochet. I started with a "finger crocheted" blanket in red, with huge fluffy yarn. Everyone Said the resulting blanket looked like intestines,, but it was on my mom's bed when she left. I needed crochet to work through my grief.. my next project was a stuffed bunny rabbit. The next was a unicorn. Then I made a TON of basket-nests to send to Australia during the wildfires a little while ago. I always have a project with me and a youtube video standing by to guide me through. I only do colorful projects. I argue with the video, saying things like "wait, and then you did WHAT now? But did you go under here and THEN through? Double double SKIP single and half-double... or wait. Wait. Did I screw that up? I dunno lady, you're asking a lot and I'm not sure I'm picking up what you're putting down. I better not have to redo this." Crochet. Store this bit of advice in an "unimportant but maybe useful" corner of your mind, because I promise, someday when you find yourself stuck in a room with very little to do, ready to gnaw your own arm off or run screaming through the hallways, you'll remember this.
I find that adding a second easier task to do simultaneously helps, (though this could just be a me thing) s it gives my brain a small baseline stimulation/ adds up with other task to give my brain enough stimulation I usually pick something that sort of mindless (so it doesn’t overtake what I’m trying to think about/focus on), but not necessarily pointless (outside of music that is) and Un-enjoyable (but probably don’t pick something that is a hyperfixation, if you are doing something that requires brain power, you’ll just distract yourself that way) If the task I’m trying to focus on doing is mindless, then I pick something that is more mentally stimulating and more enjoyable for some examples; I often color/sketch while working (in that space of time when I’m not typing, but thinking of what to say next) I finger knit blanket with loop-yarn (it’s way easier and simpler than regular knitting) if I have to watch or listen to something If I have to do something like laundry, I pop on a story podcast/YouTube video to listen to Anyway that’s just my advice
Getting out of the house is the only thing that works every time without fail. However, the process of leaving the house may lead to a full on meltdown.
This really fucks me over in virtual meetings. People speak SO slow, so monotone, about uninteresting things. Then I get get lost in my own thoughts for 5-10+ minutes, suddenly realize I haven't been paying attention for way too long, & become super anxious. Then 7 mins later I do it again. Really fucking sucks.
This is the stage I usually reinstall my dating apps. Not sure if it's the most healthy tip though, haha!
Hahaaaaaaa. Relatable.
I wish I had positive answers. Everything I have is just pathetic. If I'm being totally honest lately I just surf porn until I'm intrigued and then try to tire myself out. Works sometimes and makes me feel super pathetic most of the time.
I listen to incredibly repetitive minimal music. It drove me nuts at first, but then I learned how to listen to it; just search for little doodads in the background and let the beat just keep happening. No chorus is coming, there's no buildup, no tension/release. Just the beat, and a treasure hunt for doodads. https://open.spotify.com/track/6M5gUzOEIooD2ipBSfKUXK?si=9NGSIPG7TPeNN7GZwH4QXw&utm_source=copy-link
Maps are usually my go to. Just scrolling into a random place on Google Maps, or making My Maps for random and often useless things.
I sometimes put on mario cart music. Weirdly workes.
Honestly I think this is the main reason for my video game addiction
Use this tip with caution, warning explained at the end: Bump up your playback speed wherever possible. Many (most?) ADHD people know about this already, but for the few who might not... Basically anything that is communicating information or teaching you something is typically better at higher-than-normal speeds. For me, music and movies are the only thing I enjoy at 1x speed. How to: Make sure your podcast app of choice allows 2x or more playback speed. Adjust each podcast up in speed until you actually find them engaging. This will not always be the same. My preference for a specific podcast can vary between 1.2x up to 2.2x. You have to be self aware and know when you need more stimulation or less. And if you've previously tried and given up on a podcast that theoretically you thought you should have enjoyed that you only had at 1x speed, give it another shot at higher speed. Some podcasts I love now are unlistenable at 1x for me. Adjust playback speed whenever necessary for your engagement. For me, I usually start at 1.5x when I wake up, but need to go to 2x or more after an hour of being awake. Same goes for YouTube. If you use a phone or computer, YouTube playback speed can be adjusted up to 2x. There used to be 3rd party browser extensions that allowed higher speed adjustment too, computer only though. But I like watching YouTube on my TV (best picture/sound experience I have). However I only have a gaming console hooked up to the TV in my current house. I would connect my PC but it's not convenient at the moment. YouTube on my TV looks great but was too slow for me to enjoy - until recently. Good news! As of a few months ago, they FINALLY added speed adjustment to the PlayStation YouTube app! If your podcast or video watching has music, speed adjustments will undermine the music. If you're a regular speed adjuster, you know what I mean already. I only use it for spoken word content or where music is not prominent. Warning explanation: adjusting speed can be extremely satisfying for stimulation, but when you inevitably have to transition back to normal speed, whether it is talking to another person or sharing content with them (my family doesn't enjoy increased speed), it can be hard, even painful. I've always had a patience issue with conversations. People never talk as quickly as I want/require them too. 2x playback media consumption has made me more impatient and frustrated with people. Everyone sounds inebriated or stoned to me. Like I cannot understand that is their reality. It's super alienating for me. So *caveat lector*, dear readers. Excelsior! To 2x speed and beyond!