/feels/ - Advice & Venting

>>122231
Honestly? It depends on what you’re doing. Maybe you’re too bored to focus? Maybe you drink coffee too much?
Maybe you don’t have enough fat in your diet. I think this fixed it for me more than anything. I started with fish oil/cod liver oil and noticed minor improvements. Now I eat sushi/sashimi regularly and eat raw liver (or cooked very rarely) with some soy sauce and lemon juice. Or even liverwurst if im in a pinch for real vitamin A because beta carotene is not vitamin A, retinol is.
Sounds crazy but the difference for me was drastic after only a few days of adding this stuff to my diet.
Also started taking 4000-6000iu daily of vitamin D3 calciferol(sp) along with vitamin k2 which together improved my mood, reduced anxiety, which made focusing much easier because for me distractions are a coping mechanism.

I havnt taken adderall or concerta or any of that crap in years. I felt my personality come back too. Something the medication took away from me.
While focusing isnt easy to me, it’s definitely something I can do when I need. This isn’t something I used to be able to say truthfully.

Not to be rude but you have to put in a lot of actual work even with meds. Meds aren’t a cure. You need to be self aware and you have to push yourself.

I don't know about ADHD itself, but ADHD symptoms may be caused by other things like trauma (cptsd) or nutrient deficiency. (like the first post nona said)
If you're always distracted by bad memories or are dissociating (spacing out) it could easily be trauma.

>>122231
I want to help you but we need more info. What does your day look like? What are you eating? How are you sleeping? I find my life is very heavily dominated by the main tenants of sustenance:
1. Eating well. Fast food, sodas, sugar, lack of vegetables, etc. hits us harder than neurotypicals. We must feed ourselves with care. High protein breakfasts are a necessity if you want your meds to work.
2. Sleeping. You must get consistent sleep and sleep at the same time every day. Obviously you can have a few days off, but I find the further I stray from my schedule the harder it is to get back. You’re also going to need more sleep than a neurotypical. Your brain works harder to do what our society requires of us, so we need more sleep.
3. Outside structure. We need to leave the house every day (which can be so hard with executive dysfunction). We also need outside structure… If you expect yourself to manage your life, you’re setting yourself up for failure. My grandpa has ADHD. When he was six years old, his teacher told his mother, your son is going to need a really good secretary! He’s lucky he’s been able to own his own business and do just that. He pays her extra to manage his whole life. Be upfront with bosses/professors/friends that you appreciate being held accountable. You don’t have to (I would even advise against it) share that you have ADHD.
4. Just stuff like exercise and socializing go a long, long way. Daily routines you can rely on and go back to but that don’t trap you. Learn how you learn, learn what helps you. Try new things. I find when I get stuck places putting on a TV show or some music helps immensely. It gives me just enough dopamine to get unstuck or stop doomscrolling. Stuff like that.

Life with ADHD is so, so fucking hard. It’s just enough of a disability to ruin your life but not enough for other people to believe it’s actually a disability. But there IS hope, and being medicated is a huge start. Is there something specific you are trying to do? I have various strategies I’ve developed for various things. They’re not foolproof. My biggest piece of advice is sleep. Everything for me comes back to sleep.

>>122250
youre so right this is a solid four point list to get my life in order. Food may be the biggest obstacle for me ngl i am very nervous of cooking meat … i will learn asap (my girlfriend is currently trying to teach me how to cook well)

the things i am trying to do? mostly academic things. i'm an undergrad student, i dislike my course (was pushed into it by family) but i'm finishing my penultimate year now so i might as well get the damn degree ..

i struggle with getting the coursework done because i really don't enjoy it. this is the biggest stressor in my life right now, i just don't like the stuff, so it's hard to get myself to do these things. Alas.
and i will keep sleep in mind. I've always known i sleep a TON .. never knew it could be cause of the adhd !

>>122246
forgot to respond to this one in my recent reply..
Yes i am also diagnosed w/ ptsd, though i never gave a thought to its 'interactions' with my adhd. working on finding regular counselling!