Adhd Problems - Tumblr Posts - Page 3
Hey, so I need some help I need a podcast that's not boring about politics and that's upto date and explains it in depth but not over complicated. I've tried finding some but I find them all boring to listen to, so a recommendation for a UK podcasts on politics that's fun to listen to and engageing for someone with adhd would be extremely helpful.
Thxs
Lol, my favorite thing is an alarm, I need to take my meds, so set an alarm for it. Study Time puts the alarm at the beginning and the end so I don't over just in case I have something else to do. P.S. Not everyone needs to do this but I like to label the alarms so that remember what to do when the time gets there.
adhd study affirmations + tips to stray from discouragement by a stem student with adhd.
you’re not always going to be consistent. you’re not always going to be motivated. you’re not always going to be efficient. and that is okay.
and the fact that you even got this far is an accomplishment in and of itself. In this line of work, people aren’t always the kindest to neurodivergent people especially since our symptoms can often hinder our performance academically.
if you’re good to go after reading the above, I’ve also made a post regarding adhd study tips that I haven’t seen anywhere else. But, if you’re burned out like me, feel free to keep reading.
honestly, these might serve a bit more as reminders because they’re kinda simple but even I needed this, so, here we go.
do not seek advice from anyone neurotypical unless it genuinely helps you. I cannot tell you the amount of time and tears I could have saved if I just considered the fact that just because popular self-improvement tips or study techniques didn’t work for me, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid or useless. It simply means our brains isn’t motivated by the same things neurotypical ones are, and therefore a lot of popular self-improvement videos or study tips aren’t going to work for you because 90% of the time, they’re not designed to work for neurodivergent people. So if you’d like to seek help in this area, look for tips and videos that ARE for neurodivergent people.
you might experience burnout a lot more than others. again, that is fine. if this doesn’t apply to you, great! Feel free to skip to the next tip/affirmation. If this does apply to you, read this carefully; if you’ve had any sort of streak in studying right now, chances are you know at least a portion of your studies were led purely on interest, curiosity or even novelty, as these are what keep us engaged in our studies. Knowing this, it is natural for you to experience burnout more frequently than others due to the possible hyperfixations that have been forming around your work. If you get burned out, please remember to take a break for a day and make sure it is efficient. Like your studies, your breaks are the key to having efficient study sessions in the future. So please treat yourself, especially if you’ve been working extra hard!
do not admire studious fictional characters unless it genuinely helps you or they too are neurodivergent. I know this technically could have been thrown in with tip number 1 but I felt like this tip alone is so important, because nowadays I see a lot of study tips with the title, ‘how to study like (insert studious fictional character here)’ and when I look at the post it kinda repeats the same few study tips I see all the time like ‘stay organized’ or ‘time block your day’ and I feel like admiring fictional characters who do things that don’t work for you can be damaging for your mental health, because we’re already told by neurotypical people all around us that we’re slow or lazy just because we don’t do things the way they do, and I think idolizing neurotypical people that make us feel bad at the end of the day just further promotes that kind of toxic thinking.
expect that a routine/schedule/technique that has been working for a while now may not continue to work in the future. things will always have to be new for us to be interested or engaged, that being said, if you expect this in the future you won’t be frustrated with yourself because you already had this in mind. It doesn’t mean you’re not smart. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy. It doesn’t mean you’re useless. It just means that you’ve done what you could, and now it’s time to move on to another routine/schedule/technique.
keep doing the things you love alongside work. I find that because our symptoms may cause us to fall behind on our studies, we tend to neglect our other needs as human beings just to make up for the fact that we simply do not learn or pick things up the same way neurotypical people do. Your hobbies and interests need to be part of your day, just as your studies do, even if you may take longer to learn things or remember important concepts in your studies. Neglecting your hobbies or interests can lead to even more frequent burn outs and even a relapse in depression and anxiety, so please take care of yourself and recognize that you need and deserve these things just as much as anyone else.
regularly discover what works for you on your own. here’s the thing; neurodivergent or not, no two brains work the same. Of course it is good to try out advice or tips you find online because they’re backed up by experience, but they’re backed up by that person’s experience with working with their own brain. So naturally, you need to find what works with your brain. Be open to trying everything, even the tips that are discouraged like listening to lyrical music while studying. That was the only way I learnt that this tip actually does help me at times, even when many people have said that it negatively affects your focus.
that’s all I have right now guys, I think I’m experiencing burn out or probably falling back into depression again so more than anything this also served as a reminder for me, but I really hope it also helped you guys nonetheless.
As always, tell me if you guys would like more posts like these and I’ll be happy to make more <33 please take care of yourself guys, and remember that your studies is just one aspect of your life. There are other aspects that need your care and attention too.
A lot of times when I say I’m bored people think I’m just telling them that I feel ‘meh’.
But that’s not it.
I mean I feel like a star about to go supernova, so much energy forced down inside so I can sit still during a dull lesson that just can’t seem to get to the point I want to combust in an explosion of blinding light, heat and color. I want to see- I want to be the death and rebirth of a sun, the beginning of something new. But alas, the best I have to ease this woe is silly putty and computer solitaire.
my adhd is sometimes like
me: ok, so I've got two weeks to do this project. that's plenty of time. I'll start it now so I can finish it early and I won't have to worry about it anymore. but I'm hungry. I'll eat and then I'll start it.
me, 20 minutes later, just finished eating: ok, I don't have any homework, so I think I can watch tv.
my friend texting me at 9pm a day before a deadline: hey, did you do your project?
me: ...
me: fuck
ADHD thought #1:
I recall instances in order to remember information/facts
How I learned to write smarter, not harder
(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)
A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol) Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.
The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.
As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3) The other factors that have improved my writing are thus: 1. Writing nonlinearly. I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that. It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it. Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this. And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate. Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!
Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long. But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it. If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!! Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!
2. Rereading my own work. I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!) Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)
Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.
Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing. So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.
I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol) (Edit from the future: I answered an ask with more explanation on how I use Notion for non-linear writing here.) When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.
Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them. As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!
This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong. 3. Marinating in the headspace of the story. For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.
As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.
When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD
People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.
What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!
What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.
You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.
And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.
And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.
If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?
And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it! Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD
In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.
Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.
Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)
And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)
"adhd isn't a disability"
breaks down over trying to start tasks until he deadline is stupidly close
unable to do basic chores unless it's like 4am and then the whole damn house gets cleaned
speaks too fast
tangent and tangent and tangent. makes social situations hard
literally unable to stop themselves from interrupting people mid sentence (and the constant "*interrupts*- sorry, please continue")
knows what they want to say, cannot find the words, even if it's something basic
auditory processing disorder (pretty common with adhd), like how do you explain that you can hear but your brain has minecraft server lag and the chat will appear soon
hyperfixations, and people thinking they are special interests when they are not (they are short term, literally stops you from basic care like eating and drinking when in) edit: it was brought to my attention this comes across like special interests are easier to live with which is not the case, please do not take that away from this post!!!
impulse purchases making bank accounts cry
all or nothing. not hungry to pain. don't need to pee until pain. you get the picture
cannot sit still, like actually can't, constant moving and shuffling which people think would be cute but actually just pisses people off
doesn't have a fidget toy, not bc they are popular but bc they would have to put it away bc dylan over there got a fidget spinner and has been loudly playing with it (dylan is neurotypical)
cannot do anything if there is something else to do that day, must wait
just stfu it is a disability
Neurotypicals be like: Just use a planner broooo
Sir, you don't get it. If I got a planner 1 out of 4 things is going to happen.
1. My demand avoidance will kick in and I would rather rip out every single strand of hair on my body one by one than fill out a to-do list.
Or
2. I actually get everything done from my planner, but my imposter syndrome kicks in and since I set those goals for myself even though I accomplished them, they mean nothing and are therefore not worthy of acknowledgement.
Or
3. I will fill out the planner and then forget it exists. So like who is going to remind me to check my planner or use my planner to begin with?
Or
4. The worst of them all, I will end up with a planner filled with things I gotta do, remember it, not get anything done but with the extra guilt of not getting anything done.
just put some clothes over my pajamas. therapy fit
Pros of hyperfixiation:
Happy!
Art ideas
Life is good
Cons of hyperfixiation:
I am going to blow up
All my art is of the same guy
If I don't think about this 24/7 I get violent
A RANT ABOUT AUTISTIC/ADHD VOX
Fuck it, I’m rambling.
(THIS COMES FROM SOMEONE WITH BOTH ADHD AND AUTISM)
Autistic Vox, ADHD Vox, lots of people love it, but why?
I fucking hate autistic/adhd Vox with all my being. He doesn’t have either in what we get from the show.
“Oh but he’s obsessed with sharks! He loves sharks!” Okay? And?
“He hyper fixates on sharks!” No, he really doesn’t. He looked at the sharks once. ONCE and now people think he has adhd/autism.
From someone who has these, it feels like people don’t understand that autism and adhd isn’t just hyper fixating, it’s a fucking problem. I hate being on the spectrum, it’s hard with the way people look down on you. With adhd Vox, all that portrays him that he has it, is that he hyper fixates. That’s it. He has no other changes besides “taking meds” (I also do, so don’t take this the wrong way).
Overall I just fucking hate it
so i think i might be autistic, but don’t know how to get a diagnosis. figured i would wait until the pandemic got a little more under control because from my understanding in person screenings would be better.
but i’m trying to find tips for autistic people to see if they might help make things easier for me even if i don’t have a diagnosis, and most google searches i’ve tried have come up with results like “how to communicate with autistic people”
and anyway i just think it’s really telling how much of our society is geared toward making it easier for neurotypical/abled people to avoid frustration from interacting with neurodivergent/disabled folks, rather than giving neurodivergent/disabled people support and help for how to function in our society
obviously i’m just starting to research autism and the neurodivergent community, so if any of this is wrong/hurtful/offensive please let me know!!! and if anyone does have tips for college, executive functioning, focusing, etc i would really appreciate advice, i feel like i’m crashing and burning
adhd culture is wanting to learn Everything but being overwhelmed by how much Everything there is and not learning anything
I just so tired of living with this constant feeling of burn out while everyone wants something from me all the time I can rarely unmask and be myself even at home and I feel like I'm going to collapse at any given moment. I want to scream and punch the wall and I wish I could cry my heart out but i can't I'm to broken inside to cry anymore. Fuck this society that makes Nerodivergent people feel like shit for just existing
Having AuDHD is like having two different people in your brain that are polar opposites and are constantly in a fight to the death over how to do anything. And meanwhile NT people are asking how you get so little done.
Nearly 4am.
I decided to stay up in order to write a 2000 word portfolio that was due a month ago.
I still haven't started...
So the hyperfocus activated..
I've been playing Minecraft for over 4 hours now..
I made a cool villager trading hall and I have a monopoly on fish, sticks and wheat!
But y'know what I also have?
An 8am class. I need to be up in just over 4 hours. It's 1:45am. The hyperfocus has betrayed me.
no one talks about the rage you feel when u realize that every adult in your life has failed u
WHY AM I LIKE THIS
Me: So yeah. I've got an outline that covers the first 15,000 words or so. I'm not exactly sure what the rest of the novel looks like, but I know the general shape of it.
Pre-Reader Friend: Looking forward to seeing it.
Pre-Reader Friend: Have you read Romancing the Beat?
Me: No.
Pre-Reader: You should check it out. It's a great resource for structuring romance stories.
Me: Cool thanks. [immediately downloads eBook and devours it in one go]
Me: This is really helpful, but also doesn't completely work for a triad romance. Also there's some straight nonsense baked in.
---
The next day:
Me: Help. I've spent every free moment not parenting or doing family stuff plotting the novel.
Pre-Reader Friend: Maybe take a break?
Me: No, I'm fine now.
Narrator: No they weren't.
[Finishes plotting 80% of the novel in four days]
---
I'm very tired now.