#living with adhd

Personal ramble post:

Thinking a lot about mental health in relation to my career and work-life balance lately.

Dealing with ongoing mental health issues like ADHD and depression can be a very uneven experience.

Sometimes you’re doing great, taking your meds, having what I like to call “good brain days”. And these might last a while! Long enough that you start to feel like you have a handle on things, even like you might be in something resembling remission.

Then you go downhill. Often you’re still taking your meds, still practicing the healthier coping mechanisms you’ve learned, all of it. Despite that, you’re really struggling again. You remember that no, this isn’t something you can be cured of. There is no silver bullet, and this struggle will continue to be a large portion of your life.

I’ve mostly accepted that, but it can be hard when a long good period is what’s been allowing you to get up and go to work like every one else. When that period comes to an end, what do I do? Am I ever going to be able to maintain a 40 hour week for more than a few months before I burn out?

The pandemic has really opened my eyes to this, because I’ve been working costuming jobs mostly from home, which requires me to keep close track of my hours. I’m realizing that left to my own devices, I struggle to put in more than 30 hours a week. Sometimes I can’t even make 20. And the ADHD can make it very hard to work as efficiently as another seamstress would.

I think actually working around other people again might help with that, but my career goal is costume designer, to which independance & time management is crucial. And in the meantime, the average wardrobe stitching job is often a lot more than 40h/week. How can I ever hope to make a good life for myself when I can only handle part-time hours?

I guess I just hope that it will become easier if I find a job I actually like that pays a living wage? But there’s no guarantee for any of it.

Me: *is in a hurry for an important work appointment*

Also me: *searches car keys at the exact place where I put it five seconds ago*

The place:

The Autism loves making schedules, drawing up planners, writing out every detail of everything that is and will happen

The ADHD forgets we even made the plan two days later even though we spent over four hours on it

Today was fine until I had two meltdowns and a seizure all because I can’t find a top that I really like and want to take to Scotland with me

Dsps means Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and it means that you’re sleep is delayed by two hours or more and you have a harder time waking up at the desired time you want.

Alt-text: [Start text: Is DPS related to ADHD? Prevalence of ADHD

Some scientists now believe that Adhd and DSPS are linked and believe that an estimated 73-78% of children and adults with adhd also have dsps. In recent years, scientists have begun investigating whether treating dsps in people with comorbid adhd and dsps improves adhd symptoms. End text]

Alt-text: [Start text: Can ADHD lead to bipolar?

Research studies show that about 70% percent of people with the condition also have adhd, and that 20% percent of people with adhd will develop Bipolar Disorder. The tragedy is that, when the disorders co-occur, the diagnoses are often missed. It can take up to 17 years for patients to receive a diagnosis of BD. End Text]

And this is why I have insomnia

Alt-text [Start text: Does Adhd interfere with sleep?

Adults with adhd rarely fall asleep easily, sleep soundly through the night, and then wake up feeling refreshed. More often, Adhd’s mental and physical restlessness disturbs a person’s sleep patterns – and the ensuing exhaustion hurts overall health and treatment. End text]

Comorbid means that medical conditions or diseases are present in a patient together

Alt-text: [Start text: Is OCD comorbid with ADHD?

OCD and ADHD are distinct but also comorbid disorders that can share similar symptoms, behaviors, and outcomes – for opposing reasons. This overlap can complicate diagnosis and treatment for patients with both conditions. End text]

Everyone’s favorite, rsd!

Alt-text: [Start text: Is RSD a symptom of ADHD?

RSD is, in fact, a common ADHD symptom. When this emotional response is externalized, it looks like an impressive, instantaneous rage at the person or situation responsible for causing the pain. End text]

And for fun because I got carried away

Alt-text: [Start text: What is happening in the brain of someone with ADHD?

Brain development is also slower in people with ADHD. The neural pathways don’t connect and mature at the same rate, making it harder to pay attention and focus. The can impair executive function, which handles organization and routine tasks. ADHD impacts brain chemistry too. End text]

Adhd is getting distracted from what you’re doing and hours later you realize that you were supposed to be doing something else instead of jumping down the Google rabbit hole of interesting things

Here’s some more, these two first ones are more or less about perfectionism & adhd

Adhd is doing something last minute becuase you felt that anxiety of the approaching deadline and you’re rushing around trying to do everything before times up.

So I did a little digging into why my reactions are slow and…

And then I found one about emotions…

Then, guess this, Misophonia

Mmm, hypersensitivity

That adhd mood when you get into the Work Zone™ and then something/someone interrupts you and now you can’t get back into your groove.

3 hours after taking 15 mg of Ritalin and 18 mg of Concerta and feeling like I want to stare at a wall and do nothing. I thought it supposed to make me more focused to carry out my work duties, not put me to bed!

Neurotypicals: Everybody has a bit of ADHD :)

Actual ADHDers: bitch stfu; does your brain also play random music pieces ON REPEAT literally from the moment you wake up till the moment you go to bed?? cause I’d like NOT to have that

“It’s either perfect or unacceptable”

Source

adhd culture is trying to do some work and then one minute into the work you go on an hour long distraction spiral and don’t realise time went by once it’s over