M

23 | she/her | taurus | English BA

[dxmxuse]

If you had told 13 year old me that at 23 years old I would be watching Dan and Phil (canon) dress up as classy bunnies and bake glazed buns while in my childhood bedroom after a 10 hour long EMT class I think I would have had a stoke and yet here we are

[dxmxuse]

Life has been so dark and so scary, but watching the Artemis launch has stuck with me all day. I’m so proud of us. I’m so proud of everyone involved. It’s such a bright moment in humanity and is truly such an amazing feat, I cannot believe I get to see the start of the beginning in my lifetime

This mission is such a game changer in space exploration and I cannot wait to see what happens next

[dxmxuse]

I’m so late to the party but drop some anime recs please!!!

I’m currently on season 3 of My Hero Academia. I watched sword art online years ago and loved it but that’s really the only two I’ve gotten into

[ohxxlapetitemort]

I both want to experience everything life has to offer and never leave my house ever again

[bunniope]

watch the fuck out

[catchymemes]

[my-dailydreams]

[dxmxuse]

I fell asleep with my audiobook playing

[pukicho]

Any advice for a young programmer?

Quit. Get a job teaching people how to catch trout at your local Trout Hole. Retire at the ripe age of 80, rake in that sweet sweet trout retirement fund and coast until you pass away painfully at the age of 81.

[pukicho]

NONE. YOU’RE SET

[dxmxuse]

Funny story but my brother has been coding ever since he learned what a computer was and is currently in his last semester of college as a CS major. I just asked what he wants to do after college and he said park ranger

Anyway I'm convinced all tech nerds just had a weird fascination with computers but at the core want nothing more than to just escape into the forest

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

please please please do NOT give up on medicating your adhd because you have a bad experience during your first attempts. finding the right medication/dosage combo takes trial and error, but it can feel like a MIRACLE once you do.

Being medicated isn’t for everyone, but it is a powerful tool in our toolbox. and I am seeing way too many people giving up that option prematurely, because they are unware that:

there are different medication options. they do not all have the same side effects, and not all are amphetamines 

dosage matters. if you are discontinuing bc of side effects, consider trying a lower dose first

a good doctor will be willing to work with you to find a regime that works

finding the right meds/dosage combo will take trial and error. and it will be worth it once you do.

[witchylittlebabe-deactivated202]

Also, once you find something that works, KEEP TAKING IT!!

I know that’s such a “duh” statement but so so many people assume the high they feel for the first few days on a stimulant that works is how it’s always going to be and it’s not. Once your brain gets used to the new “normal” on meds, you lose that high feeling and get to a “hey, I can actually get shit done, lookit that” kind of place.

It amazes me how many people never had anyone explain that to them. I’ve been on some sort of SSRI for the last 20 years so when I started Adderall I knew what to expect. I had so many people (in a group for ADHD) tell me that the “holy shit look at me go!!!” feeling would wear off and it would stop working after a week or two and I had to walk them through just how wrong they were and quite a few had no idea that that feeling isn’t supposed to last long term. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I explained it like this:

Your unmedicated brain is used to operating at a 4 on a good day. It sucks, you’re all over the place, a hot mess. Then you get on a medication that works (antidepressant, stimulant, non-stimulant, whatever) and the first few days are incredible! You can’t believe that this is how it’s supposed to be! Your brain is now holding steady at an 8 or 9 and you are one productive bitch! But then your brain gets used to operating at an 8 or 9 and it becomes your new normal. It’s harder to recognize that the medication is still working because there’s no noticeable high anymore. You get bummed because you assume it’s not working and you either request a med change or a bump in dosage. Then 8 months later you’re frustrated and depressed because you’ve maxed out on the dosage of whatever med it is and you think nothing is going to work but really you’ve unknowingly self sabotaged.

Because the truth is, the first dose worked perfectly, but your squirrelly ADHD brain is so used to searching for the next dopamine hit that you failed to recognize that you were able to get through the tasks you needed to just fine. You weren’t hyperfocused on researching the nuances of plant breeding, you didn’t spend 5 hours in executive dysfunction while staring at your vacuum, you actually remembered to thaw out chicken for dinner. You missed all of that because you were looking for that high feeling that you had at first.

So, how does one figure out if the med is working or not when you can’t tell because your brain is a dopamine fiend? Personally, I make daily “ta-da” lists. Not lists of things I need to do, but lists of things I did. Before meds, I’d have maybe 5 things on a ta-da list. After meds, I’d have 15-20 things on my list! So it does work, even if I don’t feel like I’m on cloud 9 when I take it.

Tl:dr Your brain is a fucking liar and your medication is likely working even if you don’t feel like it is anymore.

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

^^^^^^ i’ve had this experience too. not realizing that the meds are working once ‘working’ becomes your new normal is, unfortunately, a reason many of us start skipping medication. hint: the results are not good!!!

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

also a shout-out to 90s/00s kids who were over-medicated by their doctors & parents (widespread phenomenon).

I hope you are brave enough to explore your options as an adult. I am giving you full permission to firmly state your concerns to your healthcare providers and to insist on a low starting dose if side effects are your major worry.

[dxmxuse]

Shout out to my medicated baddies!!

Now how does one go about getting medicated as an adult bc I was only diagnosed in my early 20s and despite admitting that I not only was more productive but also felt better after taking recreational meds I was still denied bc I "got a college degree"... I had a 2.6 and was on probation but ok

[anxietyproblem]

[dxmxuse]

I found out recently that my ancestors fled from Ireland to Germany and then to America... I'm convinced fleeing from America to Ireland might make a good full circle moment

[dxmxuse]

Within a span of 5 minutes my dad went from telling me writers should be using AI more to telling a coworker to "stop using AI garbage"... I'm dumbfounded

[dxmxuse]

Hey so it’s actually criminal that they don’t stay tiny for long!

[dxmxuse]

Any advice for posting personal essays when you’re anxious af? I made a Substack last month and have yet to post bc nothing is good enough 😭

[dxmxuse]

Growing up sucks why is a single cute outlet cover $13 😭

[dxmxuse]

Someone tell me the US didn’t just do that.. SOMEONE TELL ME THE US DIDNT DO THAT

[dxmxuse]

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

[dxmxuse]

Someone tell me the US didn’t just do that.. SOMEONE TELL ME THE US DIDNT DO THAT