Because I am self diagnosed for about 3 or 4 years)(my mothers opinion and multiple of my autistic sisters therapists and my mother's) another of my sisters has add (basically ADHD but not the hyper part) and I reckon I have add and ADHD (I've researched and my school therapist has helped) and I'm getting an official diagnosis in winter (for me) this year. Alot of my friends say "your overacting" or "stop trying to be quirky". That had lead me to think that self diagnosing is bad. Sorry for rambling but do u think it's bad to self diagnose??

Heya anon! I don't think it's bad to self diagnose at all. I know plenty of people who self diagnose for a variety of things. Some are waiting for (& desire) an official diagnosis, some are chill with just a self-diagnosis. Both are cool!

[cracks knuckles] alright here are the things that work the best for me:

General study tips: 

Study in a library/study area/empty classroom. I’m more likely to actually study because other people are there + it’s usually a very organised space.

COVID version: if public areas are closed try to study in a room that is not your bedroom. Only bring the things you need for studying)

Study with other people!!! 

COVID version: videocall your friend/partner/study buddy. If their ‘people noises’ (breathing, typing) distract you too much you can both mute your microphone and just wave at each other sometimes.

Study in time blocks! I personally study for 20 minutes, take a short break, then study for 20 minutes again. You can do shorter or longer blocks if you prefer!

Figure out a reward system. I give myself gold star stickers when I finish a chapter/complete an exercise/etc. It sounds childish but it works for me! 

Tips for reading: 

Read texts out loud. 

Figure out the best medium for you. I started printing texts instead of reading them from my laptop because it was easier for me to focus on actual paper. 

If you have to read long texts, use markers! Use one colour for every date or year, another colour for every name. Use a third colour for important sentences. Scribble your notes in the margins! 

Tips for writing essays/papers: 

Puke words first and don’t worry too much about structure or proper grammar. Go back and edit it later. 

Set (very) small goals. I am currently working on my thesis and I try to write 100 words a day. That is not a lot & that is good because it means I can still reach my goal on bad days! 

I’m doing alright thank you! I hope you are having a good day too :)  Online classes SUCK but! there are the two things that helped me the most:  

Find something stimulating to do while you are listening to your classes! The only good thing about online classes was that I could finally use fidget toys as much as I want because my professor could only see my face and not my hands. It’s even better if your classes are prerecorded - your teacher can’t see what you are doing at all! Stimulation could come in the form of fidget toys (if you need to take notes while you are watching the classes find something that your feet can fidget with! Maybe a small ball to kick around or squeeze?) You could also do other activities while you are listening to the classes. Think of stuff like preparing food orwhile doing your chores (I always listened to classes when I was doing laundry it was v nice).

Video-call friends/classmates while you are studying! The hard thing for me with online classes was that no-one was keeping me accountable. So me and my girlfriend started doing this thing where we would video-call, mute our microphones and study ‘together’. Even if she only glanced at me once every minute or so, it still helped! 

I shared some more general study tips in another ask a while ago which I will link here, a lot of people left useful tips in the comments too so check those out! 

Quite some people in my inbox where asking if certain things are ADHD symptoms/related to ADHD/common in people with ADHD so I have grouped all of those asks together! Most of my answers are fairly short but I used a keep reading thing anyways for your convenience! 

List of asks:

ADHD & sugar

ADHD & tics

ADHD & depression

ADHD & voice/tone regulation

ADHD & communication with other ND people

ADHD & stims

ADHD & hyperfixation

I honestly think that really depends per person and per relationship so I’m afraid I can only really tell you about my experiences if that’s okay? What affects my relationships (both romantic and platonic) the most is 

forgetting things

getting distracted when being talked to

forgetting to react to texts/reach out to people

getting excited about something and then talking a l o t 

Hi! First of all, I think it’s super cool that you decided to enroll in college! Good luck with everything! 

I recently shared my fave study tips here, but here are the things that specifically helped me with college/online classes!

Check if your college has a student disability service! After I was diagnosed with ADHD I was able to get 33% more time on tests and I was allowed to ask for more time for assignments.

Print out your syllabuses! Read them twice (underline/mark the important stuff) and put them on a Special Syllabi Pile. If you have any questions, ask your professor! 

Make a big overview of your semester/term! I would print out empty calendar pages for every month of the semester & copy all the important dates (papers, presentations, exams) from the syllabuses on there in bright red. I would then put the pages on my wall above my desk.

Make a list (per course) of all the chapters/articles you have to read. I took 4 courses every semester, so I had four lists on my wall with all the readings on them. If I finished a chapter/article I would mark it green. 

Ask for help if you are falling behind! This is scary (I still struggle with it to be honest) but in my experience professors are very often willing to help if you notify them that you are having trouble. 

Try to keep a daily rhythm. This can be really hard, so don’t be scared to ask for help! Eg: when I lived with my friend we would always have breakfast at 8 o’clock on weekdays. It made sure we got out of bed on time (and it was also really fun to start the day together)