ADHD & Resources
ayantiel
I can absolutely recommend watching "the neuroanatomy of ADHD" by Russel Barkley, you can find the entire thing on youtube and I found it very informative in both explaining common issues and where they come from, and also giving direction in how to address those or where to start looking for coping mechanisms
Oh, thanks for the recc! Readers, part one is here. I’ll check it out! (Probably while doing something else with my hands. :D)
froofie
I do not have ADHD, but you mentioning needing something MENTAL to do when focusing on like meetings, etc...reminded me that I have ALWAYS, AUTOMATICALLY done the person speaking's hair in my head. I have zero interest in becoming a hairdresser. But my brain will brush hair or straighten hair or shave someone's face. It's very soothing actually. This isn't to suggest that you do this, but I am reminded that it's something I just....do.
It’s a fun idea though. A lot of times if I don’t have to be on video I’ll do cross-stitch or assemble very simple "microblock” toys (my parents gave me this set as a gift a while ago). If I have to be on video usually I’m either leading the meeting or taking notes, and taking notes does a pretty good job of keeping me paying attention. I’m never sure if I’m supposed to allow as much digression as I do when I’m leading a meeting, but usually the meeting is like me and three people at work I really like, so. A five minute digression into childrearing (they all have kids at different ages so it’s helpful for them to compare notes) isn’t gonna kill anyone.
wandererriha
Mood. I have employed about all the life hacks I can manage. I refer to it as “stacking dominos” in that I am setting things up for Future!Riha to knock down later. This includes things like a laundry triage system that takes place at the hamper, packing lunch and prepping breakfast the night before, to making my own diy blister pack of supplements for the week.
Oh, I do the laundry triage and the make-your-own-pill pack too! I use a pillbox -- it’s hard to find a bit because it’s Japanese, but the Container Store makes a similar one that I’m loving for travel.
I never thought about meal prep as an ADHD thing but I suppose the massive stack of identically-sized tupperwares that used to populate my fridge when I worked outside the house should have been a clue.
shamelesslymkp
hey! my dad also got diagnosed with ADHD later in life, and I'm not sure if he'd already started doing this or started later, but what he does in meetings etc. is origami, which is kind of a mix between a body and brain fidget. the reason I bring it up - I know you do origami! - is because of the reactions he's gotten - if you doodle in meetings, people get annoyed. because he does origami and gives them to people, everyone thinks it's just a super cool quirk!
Oh that’s a good one! I used to do origami in part because I was a receptionist and it was something to do when nobody needed me (which was often). I’ve only got two or three “figures” memorized but if I memorized a few more I bet that would work pretty well.
froggybangbang
Dunno if she's been recced to you but catieosaurus has good stuff about papers on adhd on youtube.
Oh good to know! I’ll check her out. Though I do find it a bit funny that ADHD makes watching youtube rather difficult and yet that seems to be where all the resources are. At least they’re not instructional....
I do absolutely understand why so much is on YouTube, because talking to a camera is significantly easier than writing up a document with diagrams and such, but good lord I hate video instructionals.
killerzebras
Could you link to the resources people suggested, or maybe point to the posts where the suggestions were made? I don't have my shit together anywhere near as well as you do and I'm always looking for things that might help.
I’ve added links to a couple of new reccs above, and also I was recommended “How To ADHD” (specifically I was watching this one about Target). I was recommended a number of books but most of them I can’t find in a quick jaunt through my history, so The Smart But Scattered Guide To Success is the only one I can link. I haven’t read it because it looked like it answered a question I already answered for myself a while ago but it comes highly recommended.
If you have the time/ability, I’d look through comments and reblogs-with-notes on my posts in the “Sam Has ADHD” tag. There are definitely other resources recommended there in various places but also just the comments in general may be helpful. GOOD LUCK!
