I have a question for u, do you think it's alright to self diagnose for ADHD specifically (with research)
Because I am self diagnosed for about 3 or 4 years)(my mothers opinion and multiple of my autistic sisters therapists and my mother's) another of my sisters has add (basically ADHD but not the hyper part) and I reckon I have add and ADHD (I've researched and my school therapist has helped) and I'm getting an official diagnosis in winter (for me) this year. Alot of my friends say "your overacting" or "stop trying to be quirky". That had lead me to think that self diagnosing is bad. Sorry for rambling but do u think it's bad to self diagnose??
Heya anon! I don't think it's bad to self diagnose at all. I know plenty of people who self diagnose for a variety of things. Some are waiting for (& desire) an official diagnosis, some are chill with just a self-diagnosis. Both are cool!
Glad to hear your family is supportive though! And I hope your friends will realise they are being very unkind & unhelpful. Best of luck!
[cracks knuckles] alright here are the things that work the best for me:
General study tips:
Study in a library/study area/empty classroom. I’m more likely to actually study because other people are there + it’s usually a very organised space.
COVID version: if public areas are closed try to study in a room that is not your bedroom. Only bring the things you need for studying)
Study with other people!!!
COVID version: videocall your friend/partner/study buddy. If their ‘people noises’ (breathing, typing) distract you too much you can both mute your microphone and just wave at each other sometimes.
Study in time blocks! I personally study for 20 minutes, take a short break, then study for 20 minutes again. You can do shorter or longer blocks if you prefer!
Figure out a reward system. I give myself gold star stickers when I finish a chapter/complete an exercise/etc. It sounds childish but it works for me!
Tips for reading:
Read texts out loud.
Figure out the best medium for you. I started printing texts instead of reading them from my laptop because it was easier for me to focus on actual paper.
If you have to read long texts, use markers! Use one colour for every date or year, another colour for every name. Use a third colour for important sentences. Scribble your notes in the margins!
Tips for writing essays/papers:
Puke words first and don’t worry too much about structure or proper grammar. Go back and edit it later.
Set (very) small goals. I am currently working on my thesis and I try to write 100 words a day. That is not a lot & that is good because it means I can still reach my goal on bad days!
hi! how are you? i hope you're having a good day! i have self-diagnosed adhd and i was wondering if you have tips specifically for online classes? i'm lucky to only be taking physics online but the prerecorded classes are so understimulating and the exams are like 3 hours long? and so i just end up on twitter or tumblr and it's now at the point where i think i might fail if i do nothing about it :// sorry for the long ask
I’m doing alright thank you! I hope you are having a good day too :)
Online classes SUCK but! there are the two things that helped me the most:
Find something stimulating to do while you are listening to your classes! The only good thing about online classes was that I could finally use fidget toys as much as I want because my professor could only see my face and not my hands. It’s even better if your classes are prerecorded - your teacher can’t see what you are doing at all! Stimulation could come in the form of fidget toys (if you need to take notes while you are watching the classes find something that your feet can fidget with! Maybe a small ball to kick around or squeeze?) You could also do other activities while you are listening to the classes. Think of stuff like preparing food orwhile doing your chores (I always listened to classes when I was doing laundry it was v nice).
Video-call friends/classmates while you are studying! The hard thing for me with online classes was that no-one was keeping me accountable. So me and my girlfriend started doing this thing where we would video-call, mute our microphones and study ‘together’. Even if she only glanced at me once every minute or so, it still helped!
I shared some more general study tips in another ask a while ago which I will link here, a lot of people left useful tips in the comments too so check those out!
I hope this helps a bit? And feel free to share your own tips below!!
Quite some people in my inbox where asking if certain things are ADHD symptoms/related to ADHD/common in people with ADHD so I have grouped all of those asks together! Most of my answers are fairly short but I used a keep reading thing anyways for your convenience!
List of asks:
ADHD & sugar
ADHD & tics
ADHD & depression
ADHD & voice/tone regulation
ADHD & communication with other ND people
ADHD & stims
ADHD & hyperfixation
1. ADHD & sugar
You’re right, caffeine boosts dopamine levels, which probably explains why a lot of people with ADHD drink coffee!
As far as I can find candy doesn’t have the same effect though. If anything, it seems as if scientists are still debating if sugar makes ADHD symptoms worse* or not. It’s possible you just have a sweet tooth! (which yknow, same, candy is so good)
* This source is about dieting with ADHD, so trigger warning for dieting & things! Also please note that you don’t have to treat your ADHD with a diet, that’s entirely your choice!
2. ADHD & tics
I didn’t know anything about tics and ADHD but I dug into a bit and it seems that tics are not caused by ADHD! Tic disorders and ADHD are definitely co-morbid thought. (Sources here and here.)
However, it seems as if tics can also be a side effect of ADHD medication. (But if you don’t take medication I’m guessing you might have a tic disorder.)
3. ADHD & depression
This ask was in my inbox for quite some time, sorry for taking so long! You can find some good articles about ADHD & depression here and here.
And thank you for the compliment, that made me really happy!
4. ADHD & voice/tone regulation
Hi anon! Sorry it took me a while to respond to your ask. You’re never a bother!! I’m just a bit bad at answering asks, sorry again.
Normally I try to find sources for my answers, but I couldn’t really find anything this time! I’m pretty confident many people with ADHD struggle to regulate their tone of voice though! That’s because people with ADHD often have a harder time regulating their emotions (here is a video about it!) and it would make sense to me if that also comes with struggle to regulate their voices.
5. ADHD & communication with other ND people
In the end, please know that it’s okay to have trouble with it sometimes! Struggling to regulate the tone of your voice doesn’t make you a bad or a broken person, nor does it make you rude or unkind. It’s just a bit harder for you and that’s okay!
I personally don’t know too many neurodivergent people, but in my experience I usually communicate a bit better with the other scatterbrained people I know! Probably because we all like to (and are able to!) change subjects really quickly and have really rapid conversations?
If it makes you feel a bit better, I do the same thing too! If I am excited about something I start talking really fast and sometimes I get a bit too loud too. My aunt (who also has ADHD) does this too. But I also know people who don’t have ADHD who also struggle with regulating their tone!
I’m sure it really depends from person to person though! ADHD manifests differently in everyone and it’s possible it might take a bit more work to find the a way to communicate that works for everyone! (You sound like a really sweet friend for being worried about it btw, good luck with everything!)
6. ADHD & stimming
I don’t know that much about stimming but I think so, yeah! Sometimes it’s just really nice to walk around in circles you know??
7. ADHD & hyperfixation
Another ask that has been sitting in my inbox for a long time - sorry anon!!
I haven’t had such a strong hyperfixation in a while, but this does kinda sound like hyperfixation to me!! I do still hyperfocus sometimes and I definitely recognise the whole ‘spending hours on the thing and being a bit sad when the hyperfocus ends’ thing!! So you might want to get yourself tested for ADHD? (If you haven’t done so already of course, sorry again for taking such a long time to answer!)
Here is an article where people with ADHD describe what hyperfixation feels like if you want to read a bit more about the subject!
I honestly think that really depends per person and per relationship so I’m afraid I can only really tell you about my experiences if that’s okay?
What affects my relationships (both romantic and platonic) the most is
forgetting things
getting distracted when being talked to
forgetting to react to texts/reach out to people
getting excited about something and then talking a l o t
These things aren’t too bad tho as I have found some good coping mechanisms + I am super lucky to have great friends and a wonderful girlfriend who are all really understanding.
I hope this maybe kinda answers your question? Again, I think it really depends per person and per relationship!
I graduated high school two years ago and I really struggled to keep up and stay on top of everything because I couldn't make myself focus or keep up (and this was before I knew I have ADHD). I've decided to take the plunge and enroll in a local community college which I start at in January. Do you have any tips on how I can help myself stay on top of everything and doing well? I'm especially nervous because I have to take online classes. Thank you in advance!
Hi! First of all, I think it’s super cool that you decided to enroll in college! Good luck with everything!
I recently shared my fave study tips here, but here are the things that specifically helped me with college/online classes!
Check if your college has a student disability service! After I was diagnosed with ADHD I was able to get 33% more time on tests and I was allowed to ask for more time for assignments.
Print out your syllabuses! Read them twice (underline/mark the important stuff) and put them on a Special Syllabi Pile. If you have any questions, ask your professor!
Make a big overview of your semester/term! I would print out empty calendar pages for every month of the semester & copy all the important dates (papers, presentations, exams) from the syllabuses on there in bright red. I would then put the pages on my wall above my desk.
Make a list (per course) of all the chapters/articles you have to read. I took 4 courses every semester, so I had four lists on my wall with all the readings on them. If I finished a chapter/article I would mark it green.
Ask for help if you are falling behind! This is scary (I still struggle with it to be honest) but in my experience professors are very often willing to help if you notify them that you are having trouble.
Try to keep a daily rhythm. This can be really hard, so don’t be scared to ask for help! Eg: when I lived with my friend we would always have breakfast at 8 o’clock on weekdays. It made sure we got out of bed on time (and it was also really fun to start the day together)
I hope this helps! (As always please feel free to comment your own coping mechanisms because what is my blog if not a big crowdsourced body of adhd advice.)
alright- I just HAD to tell someone bc omg. I had an online quiz due today and had ignored it then forgot about it, so right before bed I was like “oh yeah that thing, guess i’ll do it now” and there were only FIVE MINUTES LEFT to complete it 💀💀💀 cue absolute panic- bruh I did the whole thing in 2 minutes and got every question right
my pal??? that is insane & i am so impressed this is now the official ADHD Good Luck Post
