a.b has adhd

23 | she/her i do not follow back if you are under 18 or if there is no age in your bio! i mention my adhd a lot

[groovybeachgurl]

sorry for being MIA i forget that i exist sometimes.

[candyforthecorvids]

This post is just like those "How to Study like a Harvard Student!" Things but for ND people with executive dysfunction who can't even START studying.

Listen to Music, seriously it works so well. If you speak multiple languages, listen to music in the one you ARE NOT using. Listening to music w/o words is good for things like essays and reading, but with things like math, I 100% recommend listening to anything you really like. I can leave song reccs for no word songs if anyone wants them.

Put on a movie, TV show, or video you've already seen a million times. It works the same as the music, but you're more likely to be distracted. It's important that you've already seen it. Otherwise, you'll just end up watching TV.

Buy stationary that you LIKE and ENJOY USING. If you see pens that you REALLY LIKE but the other pens are cheaper, get the ones you actually like. You will use them more. You will *enjoy* using them.

Not so much related to executive dysfunction, but I HIGHLY recommend getting folders for your classes. Even if it's only for a few, if you pull it out at the beginning, you'll have all your stuff inside and a place where you can put your papers instead of just shoving it into your bag.

Let yourself stim out loud while you do homework. Seriously, it can help you remember things and help you stay focused.

Eat your favourite snacks or drink something you enjoy drinking. It makes doing things so much more bearable, plus free dopamine.

I can't really think of anything else, but feel free to add stuff in the comments.

Disclaimer for the masses, I am not a doctor. These are from my own personal experience as someone w audhd. :)

[groovybeachgurl]

I just wanted to add that video game music is specifically composed to help the player focus on tasks. I can attest that listening to video game music while I study or do homework has been a serious lifesaver!

[stuckinapril]

I love being alone <- girl who has known nothing but loneliness her entire life and so has no choice but to take comfort in it

[groovybeachgurl]

My brain, hard at work, producing dopamine so I can do the laundry:

[groovybeachgurl]

my flavor of adhd is the one where i can spin a cow in my head but i can't make it stop which causes me to panic.

like i am being so serious rn a spinning cow in my head causes me anxiety

??!?

[groovybeachgurl]

someone clap for me i just paid a bill without crying.

[groovybeachgurl]

everyone is being so nice in their replies thank you 😭😭

[groovybeachgurl]

(OC)

[groovybeachgurl]

someone clap for me i just paid a bill without crying.

[groovybeachgurl]

my biggest tip to anyone with executive dysfunction trying to get homework/work done:

sit on a chair or bench in a boring space to do it! (example: a kitchen island)

i used to swear that i could only do my homework sitting on the couch, or in bed.

what i didn’t realize was that sitting in a space with a lot of distractions, while sitting on something comfortable, made completing my work take twice as long.

why? because my brain associated those spaces with relaxation and an escape from school/work.

so, after getting so frustrated with the amount of time it took to do my work, i experimented by doing it at my kitchen island instead.

and guess what?

IT TOOK ME HALF AS LONG TO FINISH!

without any distractions, i was able to focus all of my attention towards my work.

and although this may seem like an “obvious” thing to do, i am sharing this tip because it’s something i wish i had been told instead of taking 23 years to figure out on my own.

so if i can be that person to someone here, then my goal has been accomplished.

[groovybeachgurl]

i once heard a theory somewhere that people with adhd never fully developed object permanency in childhood, hence the reason we lose/misplace and forget things so easily. which makes a lot of sense to me? idk i just thought it was interesting!

[groovybeachgurl]

this might just be a me thing but does anyone else struggle to like. open their mail because they’re afraid of being in trouble??

is this common amongst other neurodivergent people???

help??!?

[groovybeachgurl]

for anyone who thinks that adhd is some fun little thing where you just forget things sometimes and are hyper, here is what completing a household task (let’s say, for example, this task is to wash my laundry) looks like in my brain:

*sees laundry hamper overflowing* ok, i should probably wash my clothes, but first i have to…

take my laundry out of the hamper

transfer it to a basket

pick up the dirty clothes that spilled onto the floor

transfer those to the basket as well

pick up the basket

walk down the stairs

walk to the laundry room with the basket, past the kitchen

oh no! there are dishes in the sink, i better get to those now so i don’t forget *puts down laundry basket* let’s see, i have to…

open the dishwasher

see if there are clean dishes inside (usually there are)

take clean dishes out

put each dish away one by one

rinse each dish in the sink, then put it in the dishwasher

put dishwasher detergent pod into dishwasher

put rinse aid into dishwasher

close dishwasher

choose wash settings

start the dishwasher

wow! that took a lot of time, now i’m kind of hungry *forgets about the laundry basket’s existence and walks right past it*

HOURS LATER

*in bed* i feel like i’m forgetting something… oh well, must not be important!

thus, the cycle restarts.

doesn’t that sound exhausting? having to map out an entire list of steps just to complete one task? now imagine that your brain just does this automatically, it’s not even a conscious decision!

the mental toll is excruciating and we can’t even stop it from happening.

so, no, adhd is not just “sometimes forgetting things” or “being hyper” - adhd is a perpetual state of being unable to functionally execute and complete tasks without significant mental planning and labor.

[a-hopeless-aromantic]

forgetfulness with ADHD is so fucking bad

i forget to shower until my hair is greasier than bacon

i forget to eat until my stomach hurts so much I can’t

i forget to drink until I’m so nauseous i can barely take sips

i forget to sit up straight until my back is in pain

i forget to use the bathroom until i have cramps so bad I can’t even walk

i forget to do my homework every single day. If I’ve miraculously remembered to write my assignments down, there’s only a 10% chance I’ll remember to check

i forget that i have tests. Without fail

i forget that i have a certain food that i love in the house for weeks until it goes bad

my medication helps a little bit if i even remember to take that

I feel like a lot of people don’t know how bad it really is

[groovybeachgurl]

is organization a new hyperfixation or is it the dopamine from shopping online for organization products?

[groovybeachgurl]

perhaps it is a bit of both

[westenraskiss]

Normalize going into people’s ask boxes and ask them random ass questions.

Tumblr used to be so much fun with all the asks (anonymous or otherwise), and we need to bring those back, especially now that we finally have a half-decent blocking feature in place.

Ask people things! Message them! Don’t let tumblr inbox die! It’s one of the features that made tumblr tumblr.

[groovybeachgurl]

pls

[permdaydreamer]

This is for the people who didn’t party in their teens and twenties. For the people who didn’t have that “coming of age” movie experience with shenanigans and revelations. This is for the people who mostly keep to themselves. Who maybe prefer things to be quieter and gentler. This is for the people who don’t feel like they belong in a culture that values loud parties and flashing lights. I see you. And you are valid.

[groovybeachgurl]

is organization a new hyperfixation or is it the dopamine from shopping online for organization products?