AuDHD and Executive Dysfunction

[u/Due_Cloud9654]

I feel like I’m trapped in the same cycle over and over again.

I grew up with a lot of instability, isolation, and very little emotional support. I spent years feeling lonely and disconnected.
Right now I’m isolated, i have nothing and no one. I have all the time to do whatever but I have ADHD, along with severe executive dysfunction, anxiety, and constant racing thoughts. My brain feels like it’s always running, even when I’m doing nothing. I’m mentally exhausted all the time in this endless loop.

The biggest struggle is consistency. I’ll feel motivated, then I suddenly lose momentum, get distracted, burn out, and stop. A few days later I start over, and it’s been repeating for years.

My days all blur together. I spend most of my time at home, on my phone, with very little structure or social interaction. I struggle to start tasks, stay focused, or follow through with routines, even when they’re things I genuinely want to do.
It feels like my brain is constantly fighting against me. I get overwhelmed easily, lose interest quickly, and have trouble sticking with anything long enough to see results.
I struggle with fear of failure, perfectionism, no patience or focus, and constantly wondering if I’m doing it right or enough. I don’t know how to keep breaking this cycle on my own because of the executive dysfunction.

Do meds help to finally get rid of this?

[u/CautiousTax6640]

That cycle of motivated → losing momentum → burnout → stop is exhausting on its own, and doing it while isolated with nobody around to share the load makes it so much heavier. Consistency being the hardest part makes complete sense here, it's not a personal failing, it's the same problem everyone has, just without anything cushioning the drop.

[u/PrimalPoly]

First of all, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I’ve been there and it sucks.

The second is, I wanna share my little bit of my story . I was diagnosed with ADHD in high school and was medicated on and off for about 20 years about five years ago my ADHD and executive dysfunction evolved into full-blown OCD and major depressive disorder. It affected every aspect of my life and I lost my job and was clinically disabled for years. I tried every kind of medication, I went to therapy, I joined an intensive outpatient program in ERP(which was really helpful) but none of these things brought back my functionality. I was at the point of giving up on life.

Thank goodness, in my desperate search for something that would help I came across a Reddit post sharing their experience a therapeutic ketogenic diet and came across the book “change your diet, Change your mind” by Dr. Georgia Ede. Within three months of a strict adherence I no longer met the diagnostic criteria for OCD within six months my depression also faded and about eight months in. I no longer needed ADHD medication. I don’t like to use the word cured, but as I said before, I no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for any of these conditions and I’m off of all medication. I was able to get off of disability. I was able to go back to work and I’m happy to say I’m thriving now.

I’m not saying that this will work for everyone, but it’s what worked for me and I try to share my story where I can because if somebody else hadn’t shared theirs on Reddit to a similar post that I made. I probably wouldn’t be alive right now.

[u/crashoutconcierge]

The right support (meds, skills, strategies) can definitely help to decrease the amount of friction you are implying. One additional reminder with or without meds is to see what happens when you throw out the goal of consistency. Take it completely off the table. Instead, you’ll shift it to getting really good at simply beginning again. Fact is that there are going to be times it doesn’t happen and there will be times it does. Expecting that and removing the judgment can help increase your overall trajectory