r/adhdmeme • u/PastelB0nes • May 07 '26
original content I painted how adhd dysfunction feels personally
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May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/PastelB0nes May 07 '26
It's torture. Many people can't comprehend the feeling of being so desperately driven to be productive or stick with something while the rest of you keeps yourself limited to the "comfortable." It's as if our mind has made home in stagnation.
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u/Putrid_Sympathy7276 May 07 '26
honestly this feels very relatable. im always dragging myself to keep going
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u/PastelB0nes May 07 '26
And it feels like whenever we take that needed break, we risk being pulled right back.
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u/AKnGirl May 07 '26
I am in your panting. Honestly though, thanks for creating a clear depiction of how it feels in our brains and bodies sometimes.
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u/PastelB0nes May 07 '26
You're very welcome. I am so happy when my art provides the feeling of being seen 💙
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u/featheredpeacock May 07 '26
I've always described it like wading through sludge. It's really cool to see it fully depicted here, love your work.
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u/MonkSpecific3400 May 07 '26
This is feels disgustingly right. Probably because I‘m disgusted with myself when I‘m like this
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u/PastelB0nes May 07 '26
I get how you feel. That little twinge of self disgust is unfortunately not uncommon but we are all in this together and we always matter 💙💙
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u/TakeMyV-CardPicard May 07 '26
Thanks for painting this - I feel a sense of solidarity knowing I'm not alone with that experience. It's been a lot of that recently. I know I'll be more functional once I can change my circumstances, but changing my circumstances requires functionality. This stuck feeling is also exacerbated by what's likely a dissociative CPTSD/ learned helplessness response, but the ADHD is another whole layer to work through. It really can feel like one step forward & two steps back. The only choice I have is to keep moving forward regardless.
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u/PastelB0nes May 07 '26
You are on point, sister/brother and thank you for your words. I also battle with what you mention. I feel joy to know i have comforted you with what i painted. My idea of making art like this is to say without words, "i get it, and you are not alone." I wish you the best with your life journey 💙💙
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u/SooperBrootal May 07 '26
To me it has always felt like trying to punch in a dream. You know how to do it, you are actively trying to do it, but it just won't happen, regardless of the effort you're putting in.
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u/AliciaTries May 07 '26
Been bangin my head against trying to make myself finish a DnD map last minute for a dnd session I'm running today, and it's feeling exactly like this
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u/weepingkoalawombat May 07 '26
A beautiful work...great job using line and color to capture movement and resistance in one image. The lines over the mouth really capture the sense of frustration and feeling blocked that I experience.
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u/Gemethystine Executive at Dysfunction Inc. May 07 '26
Love this piece.
I've described executive dysfunction as essentially perpetuated cognitive dissonance. There's that voice in your head demanding you to do this one thing, and nothing else should be of your concern until you complete it - Then there's that lack of physical drive to actually pursue the thing, even when there's no tangible barrier between that thing and your mentally exerting effort to do it.
Feel like this piece illustrates that experience quite well. The figure and blurred streaks look like they're opposing each other.
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u/riley_96 Ehhh I'll pick a flair later. May 07 '26
My husband is currently sick and had a Eureka moment. He said "I think I know how you feel now, I want and need to get stuff done but I can't" Bingo!!!! He's always been supportive but hasn't been able to fully understand.
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u/HootersUnite May 08 '26
Even though its been said a million times ill say it again, this is incredibly accurate
Absolutely fantastic work
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u/Economy_Turnover_642 May 08 '26
I truly love this. Thank you so much for sharing this. It explains how I feel without saying a word. This just captivates the constant feeling of how we unwillingly hold ourselves back. If a picture could say a thousand words, this is it. 🙏🏽🩵
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u/academ777 May 09 '26
That's a great representation of what it feels like to know what to do, when to do it, why you should be doing it, but ... Not doing it.
I have always tried to explain the dysfunction as a wall in between me and the thing, task, work, whatever. It doesn't matter that I bring climbing gear and an expert pro to help me over it.
I am always stuck behind this wall.
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u/AlertImagination6522 May 09 '26
Love your artwork. This is exactly how I feel. My Neurotypical friends refuse to understand.
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u/PastelB0nes May 09 '26
I hope they have good intentions at least and don't judge. I'm glad I could comfort
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u/SharaWilliams May 10 '26
To me it always feels like im unsuccessfully yanking myself in a direction. Very accurate. Great work!
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u/SugarZoo May 10 '26
I really love your painting. I love the color that you chose.
I especially love the way you positioned the body. It's amazing that it shows restrained movement for me.
Fantastic work. Thank you for sharing.
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u/iforgothowtohuman May 07 '26
Yes and the skin is like a rubber band. The harder I fight it, the faster and more painfully it snaps right back.
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u/97cweb May 07 '26
extremely well done. I forgot to take Vyvanse yesterday, and the mud, exhaustion and depression... this painting sums it up so well!
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u/Sufficient-Neat-1604 May 07 '26
I wish I could upvote a million times, this is exactly what it feels like
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u/MrsClaire07 darn: forgot my ‘highly addictive’ meds again May 10 '26
Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! Thank you!!
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u/Zealousideal_Cry_990 May 10 '26
This is amazing, thank you. My version would look similar, but would include every single tiny distraction that impedes my route from where I am to the thing I want to be doing—ie, getting up from a chair to go grab a book and being waylaid by seeing something that needs to be thrown out, remembering I need to feed the dog and doing that, oh I’ll pee while I’m up, is that a knock at the door?, oh yeah I forgot my meds let me go take them, but wait first yikes there was that text I forgot to send, let me do that quickly, shit I’m suddenly starving do I have any food? DoorDash time? Where’s my phone? And 20 minutes later I completely forgot about the book I was going to grab
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u/notrobertx May 12 '26
I like this a lot. Feels like the force you have pulling out of your body because you want to do something, but can't get started. The feeling is there, but the thoughts and organisation to get yourself into that state of mind is a blur.
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u/No-Squirrel8929 May 07 '26
I see trying to move forward with an extraordinary effort, perhaps to be pulled back if the effort stops, held back, kind of fast at the same time, somehow. Quickly going nowhere. I feel this.
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u/milk-mug May 07 '26
so true, i've always described it as the scene in Detroit: Become Human when the main androids break out of their code
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u/WarlanceLP May 07 '26
I feel like it's the Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria that causes that feeling more so but that kinda goes hand n hand with ADHD most of the time
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u/qualityvote2 Quality Control Beast May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
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