On the topic of ADHD ... it's still something I'm rolling around in my brain; it's
only been in the last 6–8 months that I've really settled with the idea that I may
most likely have inattentive ADHD ... I don't have a way of getting assessed for it (not
until I move out anyway), but my head has been deep into videos and research and what not, and
helping a friend realize she also most likely has it (and her scoring high on an actual
assessment test) also settled it in my own brain.
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It's kinda funny cause I've had someone point out some posts I've made (on
tumblr) align a lot with ADHD in the past, and I was there like 'haha it's a mood,
but I don't have it' while also finding myself nodding and agreeing with other posts
people made about their ADHD/neurodivergent moods and experiences ... and while thinking
'yeah, I feel that a lot, but I probably don't have it as bad as other people'.
At least until I saw
this post
and something made it click in a way where I was like 'oh'.
Because ... I've had a lot of systems I put in place over the years. Reminders for my
'subpar memory' even for minor tasks like showering, setting tiny work amounts
(pomodoro), always relying on background noise, running timers for even small things like my
tea steeping, doing things on call with my friend, schedules, doing things half-way and at
least taking stride in that over nothing at all, subconscious fidgeting, putting things in
easy access and view, and probably other things I can't quite think of.
And it's funny because my long-term bestie of 8+ years now told me 'I always thought
you had it' or something akin to basically having it like a red stamp on my forehead
LOOOL. On top of other people also pointing it out, and that the love and fixation I have
for Sylvie is definitely beyond the norm (for a normal, neurotypical person anyway).
Obviously growing on the internet, being fixated on your own OCs and fictional faves
wasn't unusual to me so it's why that didn't seem weird to me, and that
normal not-online people either way aren't weird about their own characters (if they
even make any) but yeah. Never really clicked.
But it feels like an answer to a lot of things of how I am.
My memory is terrible, yesterday blends into the past, and it's blurry. I
remember going to a cool food festival event with some coworkers and having the time of my
life ... but as soon as I get home/the next day, the event feels like it happened so long
ago, like years. Things don't feel real in particular, even though I know I was there,
there's some weird disconnect that I never really have been able to change. And I'm
sad because many fun events I know I've enjoyed myself at, I have no memories of if I
never noted them down in some form (pictures, writings), or if they were significant enough.
And even those blend: ex. we've been to Cuba multiple times on vacation and I remember
general strokes and chunks like me finding a living starfish, but if you asked me which of
those trips it was, I could not tell you.
I remembered a friend's birthday once because she shared it with my favourite fictional
character at the time, otherwise I need to write them down in my reminders to remember, even
if I love them.
Time blindness is a bitch, and so is task paralysis (spinning random
wheels/coin flips are a nice solution for that).
I am cursed to enjoy staring new projects and the hype and fixation rush (to be fair, this
site is one right now!!), but to not have the capability to carry most projects to their
completion without either working in a team, or having deadlines imposed on me with
consequences due to stress overwriting the ADHD part of the brain (I do not look at the
amount of projects I began around Sylvie, like a visual novel and RPG Maker game that are
half done).
My thoughts are jumbled and messy and jump in places, I can go from topic to topic without
finding it weird, I like using my own experiences to connect to situations. To be fair,
recognizing that it most likely is ADHD that is causing this has helped me view things in a
different light. Why I struggle to want to start something, why I like having an item here
but not there, what works for my focus and when my focus is absolutely shot (I usually try
to do 10–20 minutes of work even then, sometimes even just starting is enough
to get me to do a little more work than planned).
I tried to journal, but both physical and digital journals flopped for me (I know I do not
have to write in them every day, but if I don't try to keep consistency in some form, I
then forget to do the thing ... as soon as I slip, I usually stop doing it). Audio
journaling has been good to thought dump without feeling some looming pressure to write, or
want to decorate, and I don't feel the need to do it daily.
Aside from that, I usually rely on my phone reminders and timers to keep some semblance of
organization in my life, and I like organizing things in other facets of my life to scratch
an itch (like this site, my tumblr blog, my Notion, etc).
But here are some of the tools I've liked to use:
-
Structured — a scheduling app, I use it on
and off, but I really like how it visualizes your free time + how your day is filled;
it's indie made as well
-
ScreenZen — to avoid the time blindness
pitfall and to just help scrolling habits in general (or not getting lost in Cookie Run
games for 2—3 hours), also an indie app
-
Untold — my audio journaling app,
sadly only for iOS
-
Habitica — I've fallen off using
Habitica and already migrated my whole system to iOS's native Reminders, but
it's honestly a pretty good interactive habit tracker/to-do for those who'd like
a little RPG aspect to it
-
Brown noise
(sometimes
with rain) — good
for anything I need to focus on intensely and don't want voices for (since otherwise
I rely on YouTube videos), case in point with me writing this blog
Some of my favourite YouTubers for information:
And some of my favourite (standalone) videos:
Not too sure what else to say outside of ... adult ADHD being hard to diagnose sucks!! I
think I know where mine came from if it is genetic (staring holes into my own dad), but
it's definitely not something like I feel like I can bring up with my own family.
Thankfully the online sphere is full of wonderful people, and information to see and get
from people who genuinely have it as well, so ... I am glad I've learned a little more
about myself and understand myself a little better through it. Perhaps one day I can get a
full confirmation (hard not to have the lingering doubts about faking it eugh), but until
then I learn what works for me, and helps my brain a little more.
(It's actually the 13th as I finish writing this, but it's ok, shh.)