A couple of years ago, I started to suspect I have ADHD. The signs were clear, but I never sought professional help. I don’t sit well with medications, so I’ve been trying different natural nootropics instead.
ADHD is self-defeating at its best. Though I have good concentration, my ADHD leans toward hyperfixation. When something grabs my attention, I’ll obsess over it for days or weeks. Then, once it’s done, I’m bored with it.
Sounds great, right? Not so much when hyperfixation hits in the middle of something important.
I’ll be at work and suddenly obsessed with a jigsaw puzzle, a programming language, a book, or a personal problem... or even writing this comment. All my mental resources go into that one thing until it’s done. I find great joy in it, while everything else feels mundane and forced.
I work GREAT under pressure. My best designs are always completed 24 hours before the deadline. I do love that side of me, even if my stress levels are through the roof.
To cope, I give clients shorter ETAs. What takes others a month usually takes me a week. I’ll tell the client two weeks because I know I’ll spend the first week ruminating on the problem and the second week actually doing the work.
I’ve tried Caffeine-Theanine and Bacopa Monnieri to manage my ADHD. Caffeine messes with my sleep, no matter how I balance it with Theanine. Bacopa helps me focus and manage anxiety but gives me weird dreams. I had to avoid it after being diagnosed with hypertension.
We can’t beat this; we can only manage it. We need to design a life that works with our kind of brain instead of forcing our brains to fit a mold. Neurodivergents just have to—oh wait, sh*t, I have to get back to work. Thanks for sharing!
A lot of ADHD symptoms can also mimic other disorders like PTSD, depression, bipolar, etc. that's why sometimes professional help can also help with determining/confirming the condition - not just necessarily for the purpose of getting medications. I personally don't like to experiment with stuff since I don't want to risk spending money on things that may not work for me (same with skincare lol) but whatever works for you!
Same with me with hyperfixation. To the point that that's the only thing I think about on that given time. Then you invest time and money for the new found hobby but then you lose interest and you feel guilty for spending so much.
We are opposite with caffeine effects. Caffeine makes me sleepy! 😂 Do you think you are hyperactive in that case? I think it's the hyperactive ones who can get more active with caffeine.
It's so hard to make a structure for ourselves when our whole life we've been taught to function like neurotypicals.