The lighter side of ADHD
Anger and overdosing caffeine
Kickboxing
In my late 20s I was so anxiety-ridden I worried about carrying my food tray through the cafeteria in case I might get dizzy and pass out, even though that never happened. I thought a sudden heart attack was always right around the corner. Then I signed up for a community college acting class two nights a week. I forced myself to jump in with both feet and participate. The anxiety faded away almost immediately. I became a hardcore theatre guy - doing extra scenes, building sets for the actual production that was going on, learning how to do lighting, etc. I ended up having major parts in two plays and was part of more than 20 productions over the next 7 years.
I had friends, went to parties, threw my own parties, dated a lot, and because it turned out I was pretty decent at acting I became one of the actual cool people. Other students wanted to do scenes with me. People sought me out. Complete reversal of my teenage nerdy introvert past. I had a second adolescence and felt like I finally finished growing up and became my real self. My favorite role turned out to be stage manager, which taught me I could be responsible enough to handle having kids and being a dad. Getting together with my wife was a direct result of my theatre activity.
I'm sure theatre isn't everybody's cup of tea, but it worked out so well for me I HIGHLY recommend trying it out. Even if you don't get immersed like I did, the acting exercises and learning the whole process are a very good substitute for meds or therapy (which I've also done, so it's a legit comparison).
Running.
Anxiety is horrible with ADD and chasing negative thoughts.
Running helps me to focus and practice the mindfulness that they keep saying is good for anxiety but for people with focus issues is damn near impossible to realize.
Yes this! My anxiety and internal thoughts were driving me crazy during COVID and that eventually slipped into depression. My wife suggest we try biking to get out and get some exercise and it really helped re-align my thoughts, focus on something other than work, and helped me to set goals/tasks for my next ride.
Exercise is very beneficial imo so I’ve been recommending it to anyone that tells me they also suffer from ADHD
Here, these may help some others:
https://depts.washington.edu/fammed/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Katers-selfcare_printable.pdf
https://cursosdepsicologia.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/THEDIA1.pdf
https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/young-people/lincolnshire/about-us/whats-new/grounding-activity
The skill is learning how to identify these loops, how they are triggered and how to get out. The easiest way to get out of them is distracting your central nervous system. You can do this with those methods above, going for a walk or holding ice for 30 seconds. Things that recenter you out of your head into your body. Over time you will learn the triggers as you get better at stopping the loop. HALT is my best friend these days.
Stoicism
"What is dead can never die" no emotion having mother fuckers.
You should read more about it. The capital "s" Stoicism, not its malignant little brother, stoicism.
Less caffeine, less alcohol, sleep hygiene, less news cycle (I swore I wouldn’t get sucked into the trump bullshit, but when he’s making EOs that directly impact me…).
Moving my caffeine away from my medication (shifting meds 45 min later).
L-theanine, magnesium, B-complex.
Honestly though, caffeine and alcohol are bad. I didn’t have much caffeine, but the alcohol was a bit of a binge habit. None during week, but weekends were well above the national guidelines.
The weekly guidelines are not sufficient for a single night out.
Thats very true. If I average under the weekly guidelines but hammer through the weekly guidelines in 90 min, it’s quite unhealthy.
Binge drinking is defined differently depending on the jurisdiction. Some require a time window (5 drinks per 2 hr window) and some require it to be a “session” (6 standard units in one session). Some refer to it as “high intensity drinking”. Psychology of Addictive Behavior lists five drinks consumed on one occasion at least once in a two-week period.
Personally, what I mean is that I don’t drink Sunday-Thursday, then Friday I’ll have 3-4 pints of heavy beer, a glass or two of wine, and maybe again on Saturday. On average that puts me over weekly guidelines and also hits some binge thresholds. It’s social, not trying to get excessively drunk. Regardless, it’s unhealthy - no amount of alcohol is. (Just for the people around me, right?)
I can go months without drinking if i have no time for the bar but then smash 10-15 in a few hours.
I spent January dry just to reset and find my normal. It was really nice. I'm back to binge drinking occasionally. I used to really enjoy it but lately it's just making me sad.
I may have to change my name to Texas Mildly Inebriated.
Oh man the depression hits so much harder for me after I’ve gone dry for a while.
Depending on your poison, the NA beers are getting pretty decent. Or just soda water, honestly fits the bill for me.
I get that. I'm actually a bourbon guy. I prefer things with names like Old Tennishoe or The Devil's Scrotum. I can absolutely stop at one or two (I do that pretty regularly) and I can do without. I just really enjoy being hammered. And I enjoy the burn of terrible bourbon. I just don't enjoy this deep sadness lately while I do it.
I won't deny that I'm a problem drinker.
Uh
Well, i probably don't recommend this, but a concussion I had a few weeks ago seems to have really helped
Oh wow... this is definitely not something to consider.
My husband had two in quick succession, and it's made him worse.
I'm glad you found some relief!
Amazing, can you share where exactly I need to bonk my head for this?
Well, that's kind of tricky. I landed face first on ice. Must have stepped on glare ice and ate shit.
Forehead was all cut up and it hurt the most between my eyes for about a week and a half. It was actually bad enough that they made me take off work.
Oof I’m sorry, sounds super bad. It’s interesting because I think the frontal lobe is exactly what would make someone overthink stuff or worry too much. So, I’m still considering it ;)
Yeah, i don't recommend it.
I'm pretty sure it's temporary, as I've felt small bits of stress.
I'm also concerned about the effect it's had on problem solving. Mostly that some things that just don't make sense I don't bother learning more like I used to.
Wow, thats interesting!
The brain heals and changes, right? I wonder if theres an opportunity here to forge new mental habits (no idea if its too soon or not - rest was always a big thing with concussion, i gather that hasn't changed?)
I quit most algorithm based social media.
Mindfulness, breathing exercises, strenuous activity (I hike a few miles every week) and creative pursuits (as of 5 months ago I'm a full time artist and my anxiety has dropped to nearly 0 Oh, and learn to identify "skinner boxes" and limit your engagement with them, eliminating the dopamine dripfeed can help a ton for dealing with anxiety when you're disconnected from it.
Music and singing, nature and pets, laughing, hugs, sometimes crying if I'm able to. The main thing which makes it better is time, sometimes existing in discomfort is necessary for a while.
Hanging out with friends that are just as "non-punctual" as myself.
Accepting and embracing the fact that I'm very spontaneous in decision making.
Accepting that I am how I am and that my friends accept and like me that way.
Also, realising that this question was not about adhd in general and more about anxiety, but it's too late to rewrite everything. Sorry! I'm one of the lucky one who doesn't have anxiety on the bingo card...
Having taken high-dose medication, I understand that anxiety sucks, but I don't really have tricks to share against it...
Prepping. I've found some comfort in aquiring things and skills necessary to hopefully survive through various plausible scenarios. This initially started because of climate change but with current politics, I've tried to expand on those ideas. I'm not trying to go full doomsday crazy with it but I'll be a few steps ahead of the general population as things continue to get worse.
So... you've acquired a particular set of skills? Skills that nake you a nightmare for anxiety?
Box breathing, meditative mantras, using my anxiety journal
Box breathing, is that like breathing into a bag? Isn’t that destructive?
No, it's a technique where instead of breathing in and out normally, you inhale slowly for five seconds, hold with full lungs for five seconds, exhale slowly for five seconds, then hold with empty lungs for five seconds. Keep repeating, gradually increasing each of the four "sides" of the "box" evenly as you're comfortable. I usually do it in combination with a mantra, so instead of counting seconds I just say "Om" three times.
Repeating a lot of what's already been said here, but I'll list what's worked for me so far. Strenous exercise, lifting zone 2 cardio for an extensive period of time. Spending time in nature hiking/camping/going for walks in the park or around the neighborhood. Journaling has been a huge help for me personally, just helping me keep track of things I've done keeps me from feeling anxious about getting enough accomplished, and to get troubling thoughts off my chest. Prayer/Meditation/"Ritual activity", whatever you want to call it, bullshit or not, it helps calm the mind.
Meditation. Classic stuff. Hindu and Buddhist monks have figured it out thousands of years ago.
Exposition and cognitive behavioral therapy works well too. The more you expose yourself to anxiety inducing situations, the less of a problem it becomes. You simply get better at accepting these emotions and your mind also learns that there’s no real reason to be anxious about sth.
Maintaining paper notebooks and almanacs and a giant crazy-wall of Post-Its is very fruitful and calming.
Digging/hauling/lifting/mixing in the garden until my mind quiets. I have learned to stop before reaching the point of exhaustion when the anxiety actually returns and ramps up higher. I now have all the annual garden space I can manage by myself 10-15 hours a week, but I'm adding more space. Also therapy, venlafaxine and buspirone.
Talking to others about the things I'm anxious about, not just before or after the fact but also while I'm anxious about something.
Reminding myself it's ok to be me, it's ok to feel anxious and that I didn't choose to be anxious and am not to blame for my anxiety.
Taking moments during the day to just breathe, follow a guided meditation or write down my thoughts. It makes me feel calm which makes the anxiety much more bearable.
Internal Family Systems therapy and meditation.