Ask HN: Those with ADHD, how are you doing?
I’m mostly okay, probably. I think my main problem is procrastination; can get stuck for days in some kind of suspended mental state until I force it.<p>I have been fired once for it though. Not proud of that. Don’t be like me and do nothing then get fired. I’ve had a successful 7 years of employment after that though.<p>I can relate to the things you mention. My approach has been to go with the flow and embrace the weirdness, though sometimes have to pull it back a bit. Not many people in the world get to see the world in a different light, like we do through the lens and experience of ADHD. I’m not saying it’s all fluffy rainbows but we’re kinda privileged to have a unique perspective. It makes me enjoy life more.<p>I do have bipolar and autism too though. Some stuff overlaps but I can identify where ADHD starts and ends mostly.<p>You mention mood problems. I have those too sometimes, most often intense irritation and frustration for no real reason, which is tough to control and not let it affect others around me.<p>I have come to learn that I am a very mood-dependent person, so I usually factor my current and future mood into decisions. Do I only want this ice cream now, but in reality I will eat it later, when I probably won’t want it because I don’t like ice cream when I’m in that mood I predict? But then, I can freeze the ice cream and wait for a 10pm ice cream craving. Anyway, you get the point. Sub ice cream for almost anything. Does future me or present me want that, and if it’s only present me, will I enjoy it now or is it a waste?<p>That being said, waking up the next day and remembering impulsive decisions from yesterday (maybe talked too much, ordered spontaneous takeout, bought a new guitar, whatever) makes me feel some regret and I need to work through it.<p>Mostly I realise I am gonna die (relatively, geologically) soon so me ordering takeout is probably okay. When I’m dead I can’t order takeout so I should probably try to make the most of my freedoms while I have them, within limits.<p>If I can’t focus on an episode of series (I frequently watch 10&#x2F;15 minutes then start feeling physically compelled to do something else), I will either make myself watch it because I know I actually like it (usually enjoy watching it in the end), or I will leave and do something else, which usually ends up being a video game. Books used to hold my attention and still can but reading them now kinda feels like I’m wrestling a swarm of bees in my brain for a sliver of focus. I find games to hold my attention longer, perhaps because you control your game’s input and it changes frequently so getting bored is harder. That being said, I swap and alternate games very frequently, but that is also fun because I can (as above) pick a game for my mood.<p>I quite enjoy being so excited by new things and also being very good at learning new things because it happens naturally so often. Going to a market you’ve always been but discovering cracks on the wall up high you never saw previously then spending 5 minutes staring and 30 minutes thinking about it is fun for me. Same happens with textures of things, or sounds and smells. Sometimes super small things are so amazingly fascinating. My wife thinks I’m weird but do you know how many man hours of work went into the table mat at a restaurant, just to be a little sliver of plastic we don’t even think about? It’s cool. Stare at it a bit and you might notice little details we never thought of that make a big difference. Btw table mat crafting&#x2F;factory processes are super cool.<p>I wrote a lot but yeah. Verbosity helps me when I am looking for information like this.<p>Anyway, it’s part of you and you can find a way to embrace it, merely live with it, or squash it. I don’t think squashing it works out long term though, but YMMV.<p>Meds do help but I don’t take them unless I know I will need them, since I get really tired after they wear off, plus feeling like that isn’t nice for me. I take methylphenidate, kinda playing with the dose (cleared with my psychiatrist first) depending on what I need&#x2F;how much of a bump I want. It hasn’t been this magical portal into productivity for me, but it quiets my mind and sharpens my thoughts&#x2F;responses, which enables me to perform much better in situations that need quick thinking and response, or intense short-term focus. Usually joke that I’m taking my “meth*” when I do.<p>If I have any advice it’s this:
- Get a good psychiatrist and trust their work
- Think of the bigger picture when you get stuck into stressful details