HELLO

[moreglitter]

STOP. moment of gratitude for those precious times of breathing from your nostrils when you don't have a stuffy nose

[paulgadzikowski]

Everyone who doesn't have a headache right now, stop right now for a moment and appreciate how good it is not to have a headache.

[myweirdadd]

How I deal with sensory overload (ADD/ADHD) in a healthy way

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Lemme begin by explaining what sensory overload is at its most basic level. Sensory overload occurs when the body's senses are...overloaded- you guessed it! Things that set off a sensory overload are loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes things that might make someone anxious; for me it's big crowds. They cause over stimulation (stimulation is activity in the brain) in my brain and I have sensory overload. It's not pleasant. Let's see what my symptoms of sensory overload look like! They are as follows:

Anxiety

Sweating

Generally overwhelmed mind

Short temper

Irregular heartbeat

Frantic scattered thoughts

Emotional/mental shut down (spacing out, apathy)

Over sensitive nerves (hair, skin, face, arms, anywhere with nerve endings- I'm feeling)

DISCLAIMER: These are MY symptoms and they may not be the same as everyone else's symptoms to sensory overload, everybody experiences things differently.

Now! Let's get on to the fun part!

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Dealing with sensory overload (In a healthy manner):

Since I get pretty aggravated when I have a sensory overload, it's natural to be a bit violent with yourself (pulling hair, pulling skin, etc), however this is NOT healthy and VERY damaging to your body. They don't even really help, and they often just make things worse! So here is a list of things that I do when I have a sensory overload:

Breathing exercises (they're highly recommended for a reason)

Leaving the stressful environment

If you can't leave the stressful environment, put ear plugs/headphones on and listen to calm music (or don't listen to anything, it works for me both ways)

Sit in a dark, quiet room, with ambient sounds (white noise, ocean waves, rain on window, etc), YouTube has a lot of ambient noises to choose from, and there are also apps that are available!

This sounds silly so bear with me; my favorite thing to to when I'm overwhelmed is to put my head into the collar of my shirt, stretch my shirt over my knees (my knees are pulled to my chest), close my eyes, and rock back and forth. This does well when coupled with ear buds/headphones. Make sure you're wearing a big shirt before doing this! Otherwise it'll get stretched out.

An alternative to that last one is lying under some blankets! Weighted blankets are life savers, and great to sleep with! A lot of people with ADD/ADHD and Autism use weighted blankets. If you don't have the means to buy a weighted blanket, you can just pile as many blankets on top of each other as you can! Works like a charm.

If you're feeling like weighted blankets are *too much* that's okay! I curl up in bed with one thin blanket over my head, I cover my ears, close my eyes, and recuperate!

Last but not least; I reassure myself. I tell myself that it is okay to be angry, it's okay to feel emotions, and it's okay to take alone-time to recover. Super helpful, especially after a sensory overload.

That is all I have for today, thank you for reading, and I sincerely hope that these healthy coping mechanisms can help you guys!!

– Dino :)

DISCLAIMER: I am ADD, but I am not a licensed doctor, so these are not guaranteed to work for everyone!

[myweirdadd]

ADHD and motivation, a thought.

I am not motivated to do things very often. When I am though, it will probably be at night. I'll paint for seven hours straight, retire to bed at three AM and wake up the next day feeling like a failure for sleeping in so late, because I went to bed late.

Motivation is fickle and fueled by the absolute absence of responsibility and expectation. My brain juices work best when I have zero responsibility.

Though rarely motivated, I manage to do chores, get minimal things done, plan for college, etc. It's slow, barely steady. I paint maybe once a month, during summer.

I find more motivation when I take medication for my ADHD. Unfortunately that stuff messes me up pretty bad so I took a few months off of it (it's okay to do that, it's just Adderall. If you take a non stimulant, on the other hand, talk to your doctor before taking time off of your medication). School is starts soon. Not looking forward to that. Starting a different stimulant medication, I hope that works better.

Motivation is. Motivation comes. Motivation was.

[myweirdadd]

Being ADD/ADHD and dealing with stress

Here are a couple of ways I deal with stress.

Tips, tricks, and reassurances!

What I find myself stressing over most often is The Future™.

It's terrifying, ever looming, and a constant stressor in the back of my mind. I can't ever completely stop the panic from ever coming back, or residing in the depths of my subconscious. What I CAN do, however, is live in the moment and try my best to take control of the panic before it takes control of me.

This is my process:

Stop spiraling. This is probably the hardest step, so don't beat yourself up if it's difficult. It's difficult for everyone.

Breathe in deep breaths, relax tense muscles. The best way to relax tense muscles is to tighten them up as much as you can, hold for five seconds, and then relax them all while letting out a deep breath. My favorite breathing pattern is: In for 4, hold for 4, out for 7, hold for 2, and repeat. I also like to close my eyes and focus on my heart beating with my breaths.

Slowly process why you're stressed, or identify the problem. By this point, I'm relaxed enough to think properly without feeling uncomfortable butterflies in my stomach, so I grab my phone, or a book and a pencil, and I write out key stressors that are making me feel overwhelmed. Once I've identified them, I can start working through them.

Write a list. Maybe you're stressed about the future, write a short and easy plan for what to do next (don't plan too far ahead, or anything unrealistic. Start small and easy). Or maybe you have too much on your plate and you feel like you can't finish it all. Write a list of the things you have to do and cross the items off one at a time.

Play some calm music, or anything that calms you down. I like Disney piano medleys.

Everyone gets stressed, so don't stress it, haha! Even if you get stressed over things that people call insignificant and unimportant, if it's important enough to you that it is making you stressed, then it's important enough to do something about. I hope that these might help you better deal with your stress!

Reminder: I'm not a psychologist, or certified anything. These are only my personal experiences dealing with stress, and what works for me. These are in no way guaranteed to work for everyone! That being said, have a lovely day/afternoon/night and I'll catch you on the flip side!

-Dino

[myweirdadd]

Have trouble sleeping? Some possible reasons (ADHD/ADD) and solutions:

You might need EXERCISE! Tire your body!! 20-30 minutes of exercise lets me sleep LEGIT.

Medication! I take Adderall and it totally messes me up. Every night I take dissolvable melatonin tablets an hour/thirty minutes before bed(2-5mg).

Mind too busy? Brain go brrr?? Drink some warm sleepy time tea and take half a 5mg melatonin(2.5mg). Do some stretches before bed and listen to some real chill music, or a sleep story! Knocks me right out.

Blue light! I turn the blue light, on my phone, down at 9pm every night. Try to turn off your phone 30 minutes before going to bed!

Remember: These aren't, by any means, the ONLY reasons you could be restless at bedtime. Though they are most likely and most common for me, they may not be true for everyone!

[viasai]

Omg, I want to try these tips! I have trouble sleeping too~ <D

[myweirdadd]

I sincerely hope that these work out for you! Wishing you the best of luck!

-Dino

[myweirdadd]

Something I experience:

I will hyperfocus on one/a few different Things™ at a time, then within a week, or a month, I'm bored of whatever I fixated on and I need to change things up.

i.e: for music it is, "I am totally bopping to these three songs! I'll love them forever." One week later, "I have exchanged showtunes, and Broadway musicals, for Brendon Urie and Ricky Montgomery."

For entertainment, specifically youtube, "I love watching Toast, Sykkuno, and Valkyrae play Among us!" One month later (after also being obsessed with a number of other youtubers), "I am now heavily invested in the Dream SMP. Lord help me."

And this pretty much repeats, even mixing them all together!

Week 1: obsessively reading.

Week 2: completely dropping the books and binging YouTube.

Week 3: reading and YouTube are things of the past, I'm going to constantly listen to music now.

My family has a hard time keeping up with my interests because they change so rapidly.

Anyone else?

-dino

[myweirdadd]

Random thought: Does anyone else ever wake up with song lyrics stuck in their head?

And like, it's not a song you know all the way through, it's thirteen words that cycle through your brain over and over.

Example: I've had Brendon Urie singing about 'closing G*ddamn doors' for HOURS. In my head. Looping.

[myweirdadd]

Do you have ADD/ADHD? Have you ever found it difficult to stay on task? Here are four things I do to stay on task:

Write a short and to-the-point list anywhere you see it most often and won't forget about it! (On your arm, a post it on you mirror/refrigerator, a list on your phone, etc!)

I keep my phone on me at all times, so I have like three alarms in the morning, one in the afternoon, and two at night! All reminding me to do things (eat, get up, go to bed, etc)

Listen to (this is weird, ik) a calming piano medley of Disney music(or any music that makes you calm! YouTube even has ADHD focus music)! It really helps me chill out and focus on what I'm doing. Though, sometimes I like to listen to my other music too B).

Make sure to eat protein! Seriously, it sounds weird, but without protein I'm totally drained of all energy and completely unable to focus! I always keep a little meat stick in my pocket (nicknamed 'Snack Pockets') or purse!

That's all for now! Remember, these are what I do personally, and probably won't work for everyone! Every ADD/ADHD individual is different and may require different ways to hyperfocus on productive things :)).

[myweirdadd]

PSA:

PLEASE BRUSH YOUR TEETH!!

That's all I have to say.

Goodnight lovelies.

[myweirdadd]

Mornings, with and without, Adderall:

Morning without Adderall —

Nothing gets done

I cannot get out of bed

Breakfast at noon

Less impulse control than usual

Easily distracted

Easily overwhelmed

Daily routine doesn't happen

Morning with Adderall —

Can get out of bed after an hour, sometimes sooner

I can make breakfast

Complete my daily routine with few distractions (wash face, brush teeth, take extra medicine, etc)

I only get overwhelmed when I have sensory overload

Daily routine takes about an hour and a half/two hours

Quiet and/or resigned

These are my experiences in the morning, on days with/without Adderall! It's chaos, haha. Everyone's experiences with ADD/ADHD are different and it's important to find personalized ways to stay on track!!

[myweirdadd]

Have trouble sleeping? Some possible reasons (ADHD/ADD) and solutions:

You might need EXERCISE! Tire your body!! 20-30 minutes of exercise lets me sleep LEGIT.

Medication! I take Adderall and it totally messes me up. Every night I take dissolvable melatonin tablets an hour/thirty minutes before bed(2-5mg).

Mind too busy? Brain go brrr?? Drink some warm sleepy time tea and take half a 5mg melatonin(2.5mg). Do some stretches before bed and listen to some real chill music, or a sleep story! Knocks me right out.

Blue light! I turn the blue light, on my phone, down at 9pm every night. Try to turn off your phone 30 minutes before going to bed!

Remember: These aren't, by any means, the ONLY reasons you could be restless at bedtime. Though they are most likely and most common for me, they may not be true for everyone!

[myweirdadd]

Step one: I forgot what I was going to write, so I'm testing

Fonts

Instead.