Struggling

[Sonias_777]

So I was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age and my mother refused to do any type of medication or connect me with any type of support through schooling. I barely graduated middle school and barely graduated high school now moving on in college I struggled and seek help for my ADHD as an adult. I am currently on my second attempt at college and still dealing with struggling with ADHD. I just recently found a mental health clinic recommended for my friend hoping it'll help me I even went to the extent of canceling my last mental health clinic just to help. I have been on Joe rogan's pills since January. I'm really struggling with schooling ,concentrating , focusing and personal life. I feel like I can't even eat a meal without you know getting distracted. I'm constantly doing five things at once and never accomplishing anything.

[Prussic]

Welcome! Sonias_777! You’re in a tough spot and I’m sorry for your pain.

I’m 48 and diagnosed and on meds for about a year. I also struggled in school. My brother had some pretty severe learning challenges and I did t want to make waves so I just stayed quiet and did the best I could. College took 3 tries. One public university actually helped me. The teaching and psychology departments developed a program where struggling students were given structured time to do homework and individual help. This was in the mid 90’s. My grades went from F’s and D’s to B and C’s. I learned that I really needed the outside help.

I don’t know Joe Rogan’s pills, I don’t know who he is really, but a few things aside from meds that have helped me are:

- rest. If I’m sleep deprived my brain will not work. At all. I might be able to muscle through a few hours but a crash is coming.

- diet. I try to avoid red dye and too much caffeine. I drink alcohol in moderate amounts. I try to eat regularly. I struggle eating due to meds and a lingering battle with food.

-timers. I’m time blind. The big joke at home is when my wife says we’ve got to leave in 10 minutes I have no idea what that means. It’s like she said tomato minutes. So timers, alarms on my phone, clocks etc. all help me.

-kind to myself. If I get distracted doing something instead of cursing myself I’ll stop. Remind myself it’s ok, my brain is different, then start again. Yeah, things take longer. But I feel much better about that than telling myself I’m a stupid ….

There are other strategies I use but everyone’s brain is different. I’d suggest watching How to ADHD or videos from the Holderness family or listening to podcasts from ADDitude magazine.

I hope your weekend can be restful!

[Mamamichl]

Know you are not alone. It took me about 10 counselors to find a good one. I had to google each one my insurance covered and read their online synopsis and which conditions they treat.

most doctors have you try a new med for 5 weeks before deciding if it’s working or not. Feel free to try a variety of them. If I recall stimulants have 2 families and you can try the non stimulants as well. If you end up with strong side effects, request a gene sight test to know which meds have less chance of side effects. Also, apps like pomodoro, modern sam and dubbii can help you stay focused. Also, set lots of alarms and reminders.

Oh! Also, colleges have to have a disabilities department that you can request accommodations through. It’s like getting an iep, but for college. Some require iep from school or a diagnosis.