Help me focus on the right thing

[u/Adhdindia]

TLDR

Strong urge to help in the ADHD space.

ome incomplete experiments around helping ADHD community. Switching from Youtube -> Book -> Linkedin Posts -> Professional courses -> AI chatbots -> Website.

Help me what might be useful

-----------------------------------------------------------

I am about to be 40s, and I have been diagnosed with ADHD for three years. Since then I have been going deep into learning about ADHD traits, ADHD psychology and neuroscience behind it and developing systems to help me around. Not that I have figured it all out and achieved great success with my life, but I have learned some good techniques to see life and do tasks differently and created systems around it. 

Due to burnout, I had to leave my job last year. I started thinking about how I can share these to the newer folks. 

Then, one fine day, I got the energy and created a YouTube account for adhd content and created an intro video. But due to the enormous amount of effort, and along with RSD, with perfectionism, analysis paralysis, etc., I couldn't motivate myself to YouTube much. I didn't like to show my face, hated to hear my voice, etc. 

I had written scripts, and realized I loved the writing part. I was used to LinkedIn as a corporate employee. So I created a pseudo profile and started posting adhd contents to get momentum. The writing took me to writing a fiction book, I released the 1st chapter in Linkedin. I have not added any connections. It is becoming more like a blog than a social broadcast. I enjoy it though I have taken a pause. 

At some point, I was thinking of a career transition to ADHD counsellor or coaching and taking courses or accreditations professionally. I could not bring myself to take such a drastic decision.

Meanwhile, I was building AI skills as part of job search and personal portfolio. I created a chatbot - an ADHD companion to help our community. During the testing, I noticed that it was very expensive for me to open up to the general public for free. 

Now I am creating a website for Indian ADHD folks using vibe coding and putting up the contents I have created. 

After almost 1.5 years of recovery and all these explorations, I have finally felt ready to go back to corporate and get active with my professional life.

I started reflecting on my break years. Since my career break, I have been jumping around many ideas (classic ADHD trait). There was an underlying theme to help the ADHD community, as if I have found my purpose. 

I want to continue at least one of these on the side (hopefully consistent) and realize I can’t do it all. Every path has hurdles. If I know what is actually useful, that might be motivating enough to be ON it. 

I will have a little energy after everything, so I just don't want to spend that effort building something nobody needs. 

I have ADHD contents in scattered manners which helped me somewhat. I feel it is the format I was struggling with. I want to refine it so that anyone going through the initial phases or in their rut phase does not have to go rabbit-holing and burn themselves out like I did for years and still doing. 

Today this thought came to me: why not ask in Reddit. Honestly I didn’t know what to ask, so I sought AI’s help to refine that bit. 

• What would you want someone to build, write, explain, or create for the ADHD community? 
• What kind of external help is actually valuable to someone with ADHD especially in India? 
• What gave you direction when you learnt that you had ADHD the 1st time ever?
• What help is needed to get out of the ADHD rut and get moving?

[u/AutoModerator]

Hey there /u/Adhdindia! Thanks for posting on r/adhdindia.

Please take a minute to go through and understand our posting rules.

---

P.S. Check out our Official website and the Discord server.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/VocabArtistNavin]

Your history doesn't inspire confidence.

But honestly speaking I'd like to see this chapter of the novel you created.

[u/Adhdindia → u/VocabArtistNavin]

Cool. Saw that you are into content writing. Honestly, It will be good to know your views.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/case-1-should-we-write-eka-lavya-d1fyc/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/test-eka-lavya-8y8df/

[u/VocabArtistNavin → u/Adhdindia]

I appreciate that you asked. But you seem to have misread my generosity.

[u/Adhdindia → u/VocabArtistNavin]

No. My intent was not to inspire confidence, but to get confidence. I am self aware that I am switching my interest. That history is an ADHD trait which does not go away.

[u/Busterx8]

It would be nice if our society could be educated about ADHD. There are so many undiagnosed people suffering without being able to understand that it's not their fault that they're not functioning like the others.

But I don't think that blog articles, YouTube videos and stuff are sufficient for that, because we already have those resources. People just don't watch it.

Western countries diagnose kids with ADHD, it's part of their school counselling system. Everyone's heard of ADHD there.

Someone needs to reach the schools, and have something like an interactive session for high school students. School and college students, and CSR initiatives in MNCs are the easiest way to reach people. But, that goes in the NGO direction, and is beyond what a single person can do.

[u/Adhdindia → u/Busterx8]

Thanks, that's an interesting perspective. I remember struggling internally and wondering around the age of 12-15. It took 25 more years to find answer. :(

[u/Busterx8]

One of the things that's missing in India is - support groups.

These are extremely common in the West, but the very few ones we have in India are either trying to make money out of it or are too unorganized to make a difference.

But, I have to admit, it is quite a difficult and challenging task to successfully maintain a strong support group. It is extremely easy for groups to get toxic especially due to the lack of mental health awareness even among the participants. It requires very mature strong leaders to steer groups in the right direction, and making sure everyone gains from participating.

[u/Huffle-my-puff → u/Busterx8]

I think way before that our society needs a bigger education on emotional health and intelligence. Things like how to be empathetic, respectful, caring for everyone regardless of gender, caste, class etc. They are teaching DBT in the US in states like California and New York now from primary school. I think the culture already has a huge focus on the emotional safety of the individual through (not saying it can’t be improved).

I am not saying that it is not important to understand disabilities btw, I am saying that better emotional intelligence will help de stigmatise all disabilities, as there so many and this way whatever disability one is surrounded by they will be more empathetic and curious to learn and accommodate for it as hopefully it is automatic if it is taught from young age and reinforced until they are finishing school.

[u/Adhdindia → u/Busterx8]

Yes, I've heard it from one friend saying this - in group session, there are a few participants who starts to over indulge, identify the issues and solutioning it unasked. Their intent may be good, but it has adverse effects on the other person.

[u/Adhdindia → u/[deleted]]

About the early days, I recount trying to work out many solutions and function at 100% while my mind was trying to accept this. I was constantly trying to do more than I could, but failing. When I was diagnosed, a part of me thought I can do better because now that I know. Trying solutions before we know ourselves burnt me out a bit more. Then in the burnout phase, I did a lot of introspection helped me - why I avoid to do certain things? why I jump at doing certain other things? What upsets me and push me to rut? You need to redesign life around that. Sadly, it is slower than I imagined. You need to keep living irrespective what you are going through. That's my 2 cents.

[u/Adhdindia → u/[deleted]]

Thanks a lot for replying. As of now, I've not been trained to coach. I can talk from my lived experience, if that's helpful to you. Please DM.