adhd is kinda wild, amirite ladies?

In my experience, reading with adhd can be really hard.

I love reading, in theory. I love the CONCEPT of it! Reading people’s writing, that’s wonderful! But even as an adult, sitting down to read is something I always dread.

Do what works for you!

If SITTING to read is too hard, try walking! Pacing! Marching in place! If getting your body moving helps, DO IT!

If being in a noisy (or even somewhat noisy) environment is too difficult, put in ear buds! buy earbuds! use headphones! go any extra mile you have to for yourself.

When I was in elementary school, I used to have to wear earplugs AND pace back and forth to read

most of my teachers didn’t appreciate this but they found a way to cope lol

On the OTHER HAND, if being in a completely quiet room is too difficult, put on some music or white noise that you can focus against

I need to do this for schoolwork and stuff, I need something to focus AGAINST

It might be difficult at first, but get to know yourself, and try new things out to figure out what you need.

it is absolutely possible.

i feel like there isn’t much else to add. it is absolutely possible and so so common, especially in females (if... you are). it is so common even if youre 20.

whatever your outcome, youre valid and deserve nothing but the best.

hi friends! i got diagnosed with adhd a little bit ago. i am an adult, and this goes to show that you can get diagnosed with anything at any stage of your life. people are constantly growing and learning new things about themselves.

that being said:

DUAL DIAGNOSES OF OCD AND ADHD IS A LOT MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK.

MISDIANOSES ARE A LOT MORE COMMON WITH OCD AND ADHD THAN YOU THINK.

Have you gotten your ADHD diagnose and thought, “is there something else? is something missing? i feel like i do some things that seem neurodivergentish but dont seem to fall under the ADHD category.” I URGE you to do some research about OCD.

Like all neurodivergencies, there’s a lot of overlaps. But if something resonates with you a little more than usual while doing your research, take it into consideration!

I am so happy I got this diagnoses. It’s answered so many questions about myself that have been driving me crazy my whole life.

jitters, shakes, the jumps, the zoomies, whatever you call it. just that URGE to get up and start jump or start kicking or waving your hands around?

sometimes i forget that a lot of people don’t do that. ill do it in public and my friends will ask, “are you okay?” the answer is yes, im okay, i just got the adrenaline similar to someone running away from an axe murderer and i needed to jump around.

i live in a dorm on the first floor. i get to jump around and don’t bother anyone underneath me. it’s great!

over stimulation, or sensory overload, can happen at any time and anywhere. a messy or colorful room, lots of different smells, lots of noises, can all be a cause for this.

my sensory overload has gotten worse over the last month or so. however, i know the exact reason. what do i do to help myself when i get over stimulated? and what can you do?

put on headphones and play music! this is self explanatory. its only one sound to listen to. sometimes, (when its really bad, ill just listen to white noise or a single tone. this helps too).

go to the bathroom and spend time in there. its quiet and all the walls are the same color. also self explanatory!

have fidget toys. these cost money, however. i wear a bracelet everyday, and it gives me something to fiddle with when i need to.

but what do you do if youre out in public?

i would apply these to being out in public. but something i want to say, and something ive realized recently:

when you are experiencing sensory overload, you're allowed to excuse yourself from showmanship. 

what i mean by this is you’re allowed to be upfront with the people you’re with. you are allowed to say, “im feeling a little overstimulated right now, thank you for understanding” or “im really overstimulated right now, im going to kind of shut off for a bit.” and youre allowed to STOP TALKING!! of course, let the people youre with know whats happening in your head, but you dont HAVE to push yourself, you dont have to keep presenting and being social when you cant handle it. stim in public! fidget! only speak using asl! whatever you need, yknow?

don’t be afraid to talk to teachers and be honest when you need extra help or accommodations! what’s the worst that will happen? the worst that happens is that they might not be understanding, but then you’re just back to square one!

be honest with teachers/professors about what you need in order to learn properly. being honest is better than struggling!

what the hell happens at the dump? what the fuck happens? are the people that work there called dumpmen/women/person/people? how do you get trained? do you think people that work at the dump are really into separating trash/plastic at home? are they passionate about it?

it is okay to have pride in your neurodivergence. but the amount of people absolutely faking trauma + nd is so weird and so frustrating.

there are days where my adhd weighs me down so much (including anything that im pondering could be undiagnosed). it’s such a weight sometimes. it’s not quirky to have tics, it’s not fun to have rsd, and my energetic overstimulated self doesn’t make me a manic pixie dreamperson stereotype.

preaching to the choir:

stop faking shit. you’re so weird for that. you don’t need trauma and nd to be special. you’re perfectly fine the way you are. you don’t need to fake things to fit in.

((all of this being said: if you have done research and genuinely need to self diagnose, ily youre valid))

it can be hard talking to people about your adhd. its valid to feel frustrated. 

That’s a normal thing for people with ADHD!!!

It is very common in people with ADHD that falling asleep doesn’t come easy. On average, a person with ADHD takes roughly 45 minutes longer to fall asleep than a neurotypical person! 75%-85% of ADHD-ers have problems fallin asleep. Isn’t that crazy??

With a fan blowing, it lowers your body temperate just slightly enough to trick your brain. ((A little context: when dying of hypothermia, your brain shuts down and sleeps before dying)). Having a fan blowing genuinely relaxes your body and brain, and is very helpful for ANYONE sleeping.

The funny thing about that is, people with ADHD need it even COLDER. COLD. Just a little bit more of a lower temperature to trick our brains to sleeping! We have so many thoughts running through our heads, it makes perfect sense that we’d need it to be even COLDER.

Anyways! If you have a hard tile falling asleep, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Stay cool, friends!

currently finding reliable sources:

add/adhd meds that act as stimulants (i.e., adderall, vyvanse, ritalin) can make you very dehydrated!

Get diagnosed by a professional (of course once this global pandemic has been dealt with)! It is important that you take that step before trying to get yourself medicated. It could be something completely different and you would never know unless you got tested. Disclaimer: I am not trying to say that self-diagnosis is a terrible thing, but it is important to be professionally diagnosed. If you feel like your ADD is taking that much of a toll, then I would 100% suggest you try getting prescribed medication (if you want to, and if money wouldnt be an issue(and when mrs.rona calms down)). Medication can be extremely helpful to a lot of people, and there is never a harm in trying! If you don’t like it, you just inform the person that prescribed you it and that’s the whole story! It’s all about what you need and how you feel. I want to emphasize ‘you’ so much because you know your body and mind the best. There isn’t really a “trick” to coping with it. Everyone is different. Some people need exercise so they can burn off some extra energy, some people need caffeine, stress toys, ear plugs, YOU NAME IT! There are all different things one can do to help it seem a little easier to live with sometimes. If your (possible) ADD or ADHD is effecting your mental health, grades or overall well-being, I would talk to a doctor and see what can be done. Don’t feel obligated to take medication if that is something you can’t do or don’t want to do. In my experience, I do not like taking medication. There are people that do take it. No one is invalid. As long as you are happy and healthy, that should be what matters.