Adhd Struggles - Tumblr Posts
ADHD’s worst enemy. RED DYE.
OTHER PEOPLES ENEMY. ADHD + RED DYE.
I AM HAVING SUCH A TIME- like im so so excited jittery holy fuck- so im projecting on phineas since he’s so ADHD coded
Red dye has a chemical in it that makes me very hyper and like- nuts and i cannot for the life of me stay still (also not happy a lot of the times)
Unfortunately that’s a good thing-
The experience can and will be horrible (I hate it it always makes me mentally unstable)
ADHD’s worst enemy. RED DYE.
OTHER PEOPLES ENEMY. ADHD + RED DYE.
I AM HAVING SUCH A TIME- like im so so excited jittery holy fuck- so im projecting on phineas since he’s so ADHD coded
Red dye has a chemical in it that makes me very hyper and like- nuts and i cannot for the life of me stay still
Got out of bed before 14:00 today, I expect a standing ovation and at least two medals for this incredible feat. You can leave it at my incredibly cluttered, yet meticulously organized desk.
In the meantime, I will be busy on a call with both the king and the prime minister.
It's floor time, friends
Update:
Floor time is now over, but only because I - unfortunately - have basic human needs, such as drinking water or whatever
Nothing is triggering the happy hormones wtf
I have to tidy up my room, which means we're busting out the big guns™
(the big guns are Monster Energy[mango loco this time], my favourite fragrance in my entire arsenal of smells[coconut], and m u s i c)
(and the promise of a usable desk but that's less compelling)
Setting boundaries is hard. Not letting what others say about you affect you can be even harder.
I never knew I could be on the verge of a Panic attack from being understimulated but here am I in my therapist waiting room almost crying haha fml
I don't know how to navigate the world i just keep going thinking things would get better but I'm just tired of struggling, I wish I could understand myself sooner i wish my ADHD and autism was something healthcare professionals would understand guiding me instead i needed to fight for my own diagnosis because i just couldn't keep going thinking " what's my problem" "why I can't be like everyone else " " why I struggle so much with simple things "
Ughgfhfh ,, I just got really over stimulated because I lost my AirPods and couldn’t find them anywhere ,, so when I shut down I space out and get very sleepy ,, luckily I was texting my bestie when this was happening and we called and I slept and unwinded with her ,, I appreciate her so much love you bestie 💞💞
Never doubt I don’t love ya girly ,, your my bestfriend
i don’t know which autistic/adhd/any kind of neurodivergent person needs to hear this but: make a “just in case” bag
this is a pic of mine. it contains:
loop earplugs on the zipper
prescription glasses with a clip on sunglasses attachment
my public transport discount card
a pen
a glasses cloth + wet glasses wipes (which can also be used to clean my hands if needed!
wireless earbuds in case my headphones give out
tips for my apple pencil + silicon covers if i need a different texture/the sound is too loud
a sanitary pad (not for me, as i had a hysterectomy, but i like carrying one around for my menstruating friends)
a pouch with hair ties for when my hair bothers me
autism lanyard (not pictured, as i put it in after i took it)
will i use these every day? not necessarily. but it’s good to have these all in one place in a little pouch so it’s easy to throw into my bag as i use different ones for different occasions. that way i don’t have to think about all these things individually.
it might seem like common sense for some people, but i didn’t think of this until recently. so i wanted to share this in case it could be handy for other people. some more ideas for what to put in your bag under the break. you can make this as big or as small as you like so some ideas may seem a bit big
powerbank + cables (preferably a powerbank that has a LOT of charge)
snacks (do keep an eye on the expiration date)
painkillers/emergency meds (same thing about the expiration date)
sewing kit
deodorant/perfume
mini fan
hand warmers
scissors/nail clippers (for when tags/threads/your nails are bothering you)
tweezers
lucky charm (i have my lucky cat keychain. it just calms me to have)
plushie/stress ball/fidget toy
mints/a mini toothbrush and toothpaste
extra pair of underwear (for if you suddenly need to stay somewhere overnight or if an accident happens)
comb
band-aids + disinfectant
hand cream/soothing cream
soap/soap leaves
similarly, some mini shampoo or mini body wash (again for if you suddenly need to stay the night. there’s probably already some wherever you’re staying but again. this is a just in case bag)
q-tips
chapstick
makeup remover wipes
razors
hand sanitizer/general sanitizer
wet wipes/tissues
foldable bag
ruler/tape measure
this is a lot but keep in mind, these are just ideas. you don’t have to use everything, just pick out which things you think would be handy for you and make your bag accordingly. do feel free to add onto the list if you have any other ideas.
Motivation Glass Bridge
Doing stuff, in my opinion, is like crossing a glass bridge for those with ADHD
To cross it, you needs balloons (motivation) so stepping on it and crossing it doesn't break the glass bridge
The balloons are things that make you feel like you're floating : music, energy from working out, a good mood, a delicious meal, sugary drinks etc.
But with each thing that's missing, a balloon is missing. Sure, you might be able to do stuff with a good enough mood, or a few balloons missing
If the task is urgent, you run across the bridge, and it doesn't have time to break under you
But we need our balloons to cross our glass bridge
Cuz if it breaks, you get stuck. Until someone (or something) breaks you out of that Executive Dysfunction feeling
18 -
I was reminded today that I am not in control of much. That when I try to control every minute detail of my life….I’m constantly overwhelmed and anxious. Because it’s an impossible task.
That sense of control, feeling like I’m responsible for/in charge of everything that happens to me or other people’s lives/emotions/reactions— it’s heavy. It’s hard. It’s exhausting. And I carried it around for years.
Sometimes I reflect and I think “damn I really wanted to live on hard mode huh”. I refused to see another way. It was like I have two options: control my drinking/substance abuse or die.
I just want to laugh at that now. Only those two options. And now in sobriety, I feel like I have so many more.
Oh my god does it feel good to relieve myself of the pressure.
Also, I giggled while I typed out “relieve myself” (ha ha that means to potty!!!) because I’m 5 years old.
Sometimes I wish I was more concise.
My win for today was that I put away all of my laundry. Didn’t play musical chairs and move the little piles everywhere until a month later when I do laundry again. And it felt good. Like I have an actual genuine desire to take care of myself and my home because it makes me feel good. What a concept!!!!!!
Today in therapy I had to stop - mid-sentence - because I was thinking 5 things but wanted to say 10, and had to tell myself OUT LOUD “okay brain, just pick one”.
Well. I have ADHD. Clearly. Also it didn’t work.
Each day, a little better and brighter lol.
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.