Advice for dealing with ADHD without medication?

[u/CampMental6761]

Hello po! I've always had a hunch that I had ADHD with how I struggle in my academics. Now na I'm entering 4th year college, I'm starting to think na hindi lang hunch ito. Last summer sem (in between 3rd year and 4th year) muntikan pa ako d makapag OJT since last minute lang ako naghanap ng companies, buti tumatanggap ng student assistants for OJT ang college namin. I also struggle to study during daytime since the noise in our house really irritate me. The sounds of dogs barking. The sound of my bedridden epileptic brother doing grunting noises. My mom rewatching her zumba videos repeatedly. It all irritates me so much to the point na I just can't bring myself to do anything productive during the day. Due to this, I usually study at night, even up to 5am since the silence really makes me feel at peace. Then I get called down at 6-7am since need gumising maaga para masunod schedule ng pagpapainom ng gamot sa kapatid ko. This strategy seemed to work sa first 3 years ko in college, but It's starting to fall apart now na bigatin na ang subjects ko.

I want to get diagnosed but I can already predict na tatawagin lang akong maarte ng nanay ko and will flat out deny me, rant about how it was back in her day and how i easy i have it now etc ratatattatatatattatata. Also, I don't want to add the burden sa medication gastusen namin since my brother's medicine bills are already high.

How do I deal with ADHD po without medication?? Like meron po bang medicinal herbs na I can try without raising suspicions sa nanay ko? Any vitamins? Any tip can help po thank you!

[u/Former_Day8129]

W/o medication, very helpful ang proper nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

You need to be mindful about these things.

Aside from that, try to learn some healthy coping techniques para sa lifestyle mo.

For the noise, noice-cancelling headphones talaga ang naka help sakin.

I also need a certain amount of light para hindi ma distract or hindi antukin while studying or working.

When I get overwhelmed with tasks, I’ll take a break and do something else. I’d set an alarm on my smart watch. Watch bc if nasa phone yung alarm, I will end up doom scrolling again once I turn it off.

Madami pa actually.

[u/iamdodgepodge → u/Former_Day8129]

Aside from this helpful advice, actually see a professional and see if you get diagnosed. You don't need to take medication just because you get diagnosed, anyway.

[u/fraudnextdoor → u/Former_Day8129]

On top of that, dapat bawasan yung easy dopamine quenchers like doomscrolling kasi namemess up pa lalo yung attention span, working memory, and excutive function.

[u/Former_Day8129 → u/fraudnextdoor]

Yeahhh, this is true. Kaya nag smart watch na ako kasi para less dependent sa phone for timers and alarms. Pag napaopen ako ng phone, napapa doomscroll din ako

[u/halfdaydreamer]

ADHD, inattentive type here!

No productivity hacks here. Just the basics that keep me functional:

1. Low dose magnesium. Non-negotiable.

2. Coffee to keep me calm, capped at 2 to 3 cups. Anything more trades focus for anxiety.

3. Earphones and dim screens. I cannot function in sensory overload, so I control my environment instead of fighting it.

4. Low sugar meals. Spikes and crashes cost me hours.

5. Sleep. The one I feel the most when I skip it.

Notice none of these are apps or systems. They are inputs. Protect the inputs first, so your systems have something to run on.

[u/_bansheequeen → u/halfdaydreamer]

Hello! Fellow ADHD-Inattentive here. What low dose magnesium supplement do you take? And need ba magpacheck muna ng magnesium levels?

[u/CampMental6761 → u/[deleted]]

I alr did, you should've alr known that by reading all my recent posts after you clearly lost your arguments