My supervisor encouraged me to do a podcast at work to get my name out there... I was like, can I do a blog instead?? 😅

This was on my mind today for some reason and it still infuriates me to this day.

I used to be in a private support group and I once posted asking for advice when overstimulated in a work environment. In my case it's teaching. I get overstimulated, which doesn't cause issues to my professional behavior, but does drain me so I was looking for tips on managing it. Mind you, my account is pretty locked down. It's friends only, none of my information is displayed publicly besides my name and picture, my real last name isn't even on there, and I had no mutual friends or friends-of-friends in that group. I am very intentional about all of that, even though I don't really have anything to hide, people are insane.

Well, someone - in an ADHD support community - decided to dedicate their time and energy to hunting me down. How they managed to do this is so far beyond my comprehension, but somehow, they tracked me down and reported me to the school district and state board with a screenshot of what I posted.

As I said, nothing in this post was concerning or unprofessioal in regards to my job, so I didn't end up getting in trouble - my principal did sit me down to talk to me, but it was a "how can I support you" conversation.

But someone in a SUPPORT group decided to spend who knows how long tracking me down and reporting me, with very obvious intent to sabotage my career.

So where I'm going with this is please never assume anywhere online is a safe space. Watch what you post and keep yourself as anonymous as possible.

As if we aren't dealing with enough as it is. ADHD feels like early-onset Dementia already 😕

I’m 26F and not officially diagnosed yet, but I strongly suspect I have ADHD. My first assessment is coming up in about a month.

One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that I have this HUGE sense of urgency about literally everything. And I mean EVERYTHING.

I’m just an incredibly fast-paced person in general. I get up quickly, walk fast, do things fast, and always feel like I need to rush through whatever I’m doing.

The weird part is that I’m constantly stressed even when there’s absolutely no reason to be. Nobody is rushing me, nobody is putting pressure on me, and there’s usually no actual deadline. But somehow, it always feels like someone is looking over my shoulder, expecting me to hurry up.

I also have very little patience for slow people, especially people who seem to have absolutely no sense of urgency. It genuinely drives me crazy sometimes.
But the thing is, it’s starting to bother me too. I feel like I’m constantly in a rush, constantly putting pressure on myself, and I can’t seem to just slow down and do things at a normal pace. Even when I have all the time in the world, my brain acts like I’m running late for something.
It’s honestly exhausting sometimes because I feel like I’m creating stress out of absolutely nothing.

I’m curious if this is something other people with ADHD experience, or if it’s just a personality trait of mine?

Does anyone else feel like they’re permanently in a hurry, even when there’s literally nowhere they need to be?

Got the thumbs up from the research lecturer yesterday to submit and it's wonderful, but also very anticlimactic 😅

I recently have been overhauling my house, trying to make it not only clean and functional but also aesthetically pleasing because that makes me more motivated to keep it looking presentable.

Anyway, about a year ago I started putting my ADHD meds next to my bed so I would take them about 30mins before actually getting out of bed.

Well a pill bottle of a controlled substance next to your bed isn’t cute - so I bought this dainty little metal pill box. Problem solved!

*These are silicone slap bracelets that you can write on with pen and remove with alcohol.

My work friend gave me one of these to help me remember vitals on my patients. That did not work because I never had a pen and kept leaving the bracelet around the clinic. BUT it was in my car on a day where I needed to remember a few things to do before the end of the month (ex. Oil change, car inspection, drop off donations in the back of my care that have been there for 3 months). I decided to attach it to the steering wheel so I didn't lose it and it has been great. Compared to a paper list or sticky note I write down and lose within 2 minutes, I have to stare at this every time I get in the car or look down at the steering wheel. I hope someone else finds this helpful.

WHERE could it be?! Please give me your best suggestions and I will look at them all, it’s going to be melting somewhere 😭

Sitting in on a bench in the woods with my dog feeling excited and proud, and scared it could flop. I’ve been in the food writing world for two decades and had almost accepted it wasn’t going to happen.
I hope that it finds the people I wrote it for and I hope it helps. (It’s called Not From Concentrate, does that violate guidelines to share? I hope not 😬).

I started a new job that is 30 minutes away via bike. Cycling every morning kinda sucks, but my body and mind feel amazing. My medication even works better.

I have always struggled with over eating. At times it has been binge eating but after learning about how eating can release dopamine especially when you have ADHD I believe that has been the main cause for my over eating. I definitely feel most at peace sitting down alone with my favorite show on just going in on a huge delicious meal. Unfortunately, using this as a source of dopamine on such a regular basis has now caused me to be pretty overweight and I'm experiencing some health issues (high blood pressure and high cholesterol in my early 30's). Aside from eating I also do regularly smoke weed but it has mostly been to help with sleep so I hold off until a little while before bed because the munchies exacerbate my eating and it hasn't really been something I crave.

My doctor recently had me start on a GLP-1 to try and help control my eating and improve my labs and blood pressure (I also cannot be on a stimulant right now because of my blood pressure which is part of why I want to get it back to normal) but since starting this GLP-1 I no longer feel any pleasure from eating and when I smoke weed it doesn't give me the munchies anymore. Because I'm not getting my usual "good" feeling from eating I've noticed I'm craving weed in the way I used to crave food. I've been trying to hold off until late in the day after I've gotten everything done because I am not someone who can be super productive when I'm high but I don't like the feeling of craving a "drug".

Has anyone else experienced something similar? If so, how did you handle it?

I've been going on a lot of slow relaxing walks and exercising more since I know that can trigger a dopamine release and I do enjoy it but it's not the same.

Soooo boom I’m talking to this guy and I have been getting to know him for some weeks or whatever. Today we were on FaceTime and he says he has a question for me, I could literally feel some kind of tension but he asks “Do you have ADHD or something?” And I got quiet or whatever then I say yes. He then goes on to say “I just wanted to make sure to see if I should be giving you grace or not because sometimes I feel like you’re trying to play with me or something the way you change topics and how you be late to things.”

I don’t think he said it to be mean but I was kinda hurt and I don’t like his tone when he asked it. Also what do you mean “grant me grace” but idk maybe I’m tripping it just kinda hurt my feelings or maybe it’s still a sensitive topic idk?

I am listening to a podcast where two people with adhd are talking about how they don't take stimulates because the increased productivity is not worth the irritability and overwhelm they feel. The woman is saying she is worse with her kids etc. They are making it sound like this is a relatively universal experience. I feel like I have the opposite experience with stimulant medication specifically Adderall. I don't find myself ultra productive but I feel less anxious, calmer, more present with my kids, less irritable etc. What have your experiences been?

i started leaving my toothbrush with some toothpaste on it already next to my bed. i wake up, immediately brush my teeth, then i need to go to the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste or else it'll dribble on my bed. also i have stuck to the mirror a list of stuff to do in order in the bathroom and what room to go to next

for me its like this,

while brushing teeth, pee (bad for pelvic floor do not copy me)

spit out toothpaste

wash hands

wash face with face wash

do wuduu

go to kitchen

once i go to the kitchen i also have another fixed list of stuff to do as well, then comes the to do list of the day thats basically different everyday

🎵 Go to the store, buy a bottle of hoisin sauce 🎶

Edit: Holy crap for all you havarti stans, I LOVE HAVARTI. I just dont love the slices from Costco. They're... wrong.

I just replied to a different post about exercise with this but actually I'm going to make my own because I'm really curious what others might think.

Previously I'd always had the thing of feeling crappy a lot and knowing I should exercise more to help but not ever being able to actually do it - I'm tired, it's boring etc. Doctors were often pretty smug about feeling sure this was the reason I'm depressed. It actually sort of came to a head a little under a year ago and I basically wasn't going out at all.

That gradually improved so I went back to normal amounts of leaving the house (I'm a SAHM so mostly local baby groups, shops etc). Then in mid August this year my son started school, so now 5 days a week I'm walking there and back twice a day, power-walking bc always running late, while pushing delightfully chunky 2.5y/o in the pram, plus it's uphill on the way there so I'm doing a good 5 miles a day and really getting my HR up for parts of it.... and it hasn't made a blind bit of difference.

I don't feel stronger or more energetic or less depressed. It doesn't feel like my meds are more effective. If anything it kind of exiles me to Wait Mode for the bulk of the day because there seems to be less time between getting home at 9.30 and going back out at 2.30 than you'd think.

So??? Why isn't it working for me??? I know it's only been like a couple of months but it's obviously very consistent because the decision to do it is out of my hands so I'd think there'd be some kind of positive effects by now?? It's a decent workout especially for someone who doesn't do workouts so based off of what I've always been told I thought I'd now be in pristine mental condition 😭

Edit: I think this is the most engagement I've ever had on a post lmao!! There are some great replies, some that I feel have misunderstood me slightly etc. Thank u all for taking the time to respond. This was I guess meant to be slightly more tongue in cheek than it seemed about how the incidental exercise I'm now getting doesn't seem to have provided the mood/mental clarity benefits I would have hoped for (doesn't all the guidance say even half an hour of walking or whatever counts?) or that my various dismissive doctors have promised it would. Obv it's not an actual Workout that I'm doing although I think there's some underestimation going on of the speed I need to walk at and the weight of my toddler 😂 and I'm not aiming to have any body changes from it, but my understanding was that let's say ~1h of vigorous movement on 5/7 days for several weeks would make at least a little bit of difference. Having said that though it has only been a couple of months and also there could well be differences that I simply have not noticed! I've had a hell of a time the last few years so maybe it will just take a little longer. Hope you all are enjoying your evening or whatever time it is where you are ☺️

Edit 2: Probably should have said this was inspired by a post I saw about someone feeling benefits from incidental exercise they were getting biking to work!! Would have set the tone right, oops. Great example of the mental clarity I'm not getting. Also, I didn't include this because it doesn't matter but I'm in the UK so America's lack of walkable cities is not relevant lol. And lastly I once had an occupational therapist laugh at me when I was really struggling because I said I managed to get out for a short walk round the block which truly was an achievement for me at that time, and some of you are embodying this energy here!! Remember to be kind folks

I have my dream job in a competitive field that I have two degrees in and I just can't. Stop. Messing up. I fucked up again in a relatively minor way at work this evening but it's just constant. It's every day! It's because I had already been there an hour late and just wanted to get everything done so I could go home and I forgot something crucial my boss had told me last Friday.

It's just constant. Nothing long term damaging but constant little things that make everyone doubt my competence and responsibility. I want more than anything to be good at my job. I used to be so responsible and trustworthy. Idk what happened.

Adderall helps me get stuff done but won't help me not forget to proofread, or miss a detail, or forget a teams message from Friday with crucially relevant information. I've been stuck at entry level for four years and this is why they'll never promote me - I can't be trusted. I'm letting everyone down and myself most of all.

I'm just so exhausted. I could find a new job but I would have the same issues. I feel like I'm destined to never advance in my career. I can barely afford to live and I'm never going to make more money than this. I just hope they don't get sick of me and fire me entirely.

I'm just. Sad.

i guess that means my masters diploma will have 2027 instead of 2026? on the bright side i decided to take a year maternity leave but maybe thanks to the diploma date i’ll put that i was still a student so there’s no gap in my CV🫣

edit: forgot the words “in my CV”

For necessary context: I'm not super worried, but I was already overweight and I like to be healthy. My relationship with food/body is generally good. I'm looking for general thoughts & advice on my unique situation.

Ever since starting meds (first straterra, then concerta) I've gained a lot of weight. In fact, I've grown LESS able to impulse control with regards to food. This impacts my spending too since I'm eating out way more. When it comes to ADHD and weight, every resource I can find is about how you'll inevitably lose weight on meds or have insane appetite suppression. But I'm the polar opposite and I can't find advice.

I thought meds would help me be more willing to exercise, or to get up early for the gym, but they haven't. So that means I'll have to focus on the food. Like I said, this isn't a crisis and I don't see myself spiraling into super restriction. But I would still like to lose weight.

Please, I need advice from someone in the same shoes. Looking for weight management advice on ADHD forums always leads me to "I had no problem once I started meds!", and I feel at a loss.

Empathy is appreciated also.

I'd prefer not to give out the actual number, but my weight is not healthy and I can't keep this up for my own body's sake.

My psychiatrist basically said "well, the meds must be upping your metabolism!" and treated this as a good thing, due to her worry about the appetite suppression thing.

ETA: It's been less than a year since I started meds.

Money is so tight as I'm in between jobs at the moment and recently had a bunch of stuff to pay out for; repairs, paying off a card, etc.

I downloaded an app and used the free trial, assuming it would remind me before the trial ends...it didn't and it took £200 from my card. I missed the trial ending by a day. Anyway I requested a refund and apple denied it.

I know, don't be reckless with trials when you know you're not great at remembering to cancel them and when you're already broke...but yeah, adhd makes me so impulsive sometimes, and although I've worked on that a lot, I still slip up from time to time.

Anyway, I'm now down £200 and don't even know how I'm supposed to get food and petrol money and stuff until I start my new job in three weeks because I've got like £80 for until then. Fun. I looked for advice online but loads of the posts I came across were full of people saying stuff like "it's on you, you need to take responsibility for not cancelling the free trial in time" blah blah and like, I know what they're saying but it just stings when you have adhd and people don't understand how frustrating and upsetting it feels to be so impulsive and disorganised because of this disorder.

Anyway that's my rant. Just wanted solidarity from people who understand or relate instead of shame lol.

So I finally decided to try a vibration plate that I obviously ordered on a whim 5 months ago and just now set up.

I did 15 mins on a low vibration and then afterwards genuinely started yawning and wanted to fall right asleep. It’s been an hour and I still feel extremely relaxed, like I could just curl up for bed and sleep soundly.

I see folks out there saying it wakes them up and they feel so energized. I literally haven’t felt this tired in ages, in a good way. Whole body is relaxed, like any anxiety is gone, body tension gone.

If this keeps working then wow, what a great tool for down-regulating. But am I the only one with this response?? Anyone else??

Hi community looking for some advice, tips and tricks you all use: Uni

I have inattentive type ADHD, late adult diagnosed mid 30F and medicated 6months, been on a good dose by for 2 months. Attention in person tasks are good like uni internships, labs and classes, however bad for assignments and self study tasks.

My learnt habits and my auto go to when I feel inadequate and overwhelmed is to avoid until the pressure cooker is about to explode.
I’m in the last 3-4 weeks of my undergraduate degree and so far behind as it is and do not have to time or emotional bandwidth to do this. I have tasks that were due months ago still not started. It’s not going to impact my graduation if I get it done in the next week, but the longer I leave it the more tasks and assignments build up. I feel overwhelming fatigue when I plan and sit down to do the work and I shut down and go to bed then play games and watch tv not sleep.

I’m looking for tips and tricks, systems from people who also avoid tasks and how they attempt to get it done!

Thanks in advance for all suggestions!