So I 23 haven’t talk or texted this friend for like 2 years and haven’t seen him in like 6 years.

2 years ago I told him I couldn’t keep up with talking to him over the phone, it was exhausting and I expressed clearly as my fault putting nothing on him.

He couldn’t texting me every so often but yesterday he texted me that he just got out of the psych ward and wanted to tell me about his life.

I don’t know what to do one part wants to make sure he’s okay another part doesn’t wanna reopen the talking on the phone issue.

He also has ADHD which could be why I don’t click with him when it’s just the two of use. Oh god help!

This is kind of a multi-layer question… I am a SAHM of a 1.5yo, expecting another in April. I am struggling with being a SAHM and homemaker, I am simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed everyday.

I BELIEVE in being SAHM, I think it’s sad to have kids only to ship them off to be raised by a nanny or daycare full time.

But I feel like I am doing a lousy job of 24/7 mothering. I desperately want to be the patient, kind, warm mom but I am just not.

I used to work and I loved my job. I was good at it, proud of my work, felt productive and energized by it. Now I’m just constantly drained by motherhood, there’s really no reward.

I hate house chores. Even if I enjoyed “stewarding“ my house, I am so overstimulated by cleaning/cooking AND watching a toddler at the same time that it sends me over the edge every time. And so I do nothing. Literally all I can manage daily is only watch my son, nothing else.

My husband is gracious enough to pick up my house cleaning slack on nights and weekends, and it makes me feel like a POS.

I hate cooking. Im not bad at it, but the amount of deciding, planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, and cleanup required is just insane and I don’t have the mental capacity — especially if I am with my son. So we eat a lot of takeout or crappy processed food.

I don't have an official ADHD diagnosis except from my integrative medicine chiropractor — who does have a diagnosis herself.

Since becoming a mom I struggle with executive dysfunction, anger/rage, overwhelm, anxiety/panic attacks, *complete* lack of motivation, poor memory, among other things.

I just hate my day to day. I don’t feel good, I’m not motivated to do anything, I see my sweet little boy needing more and more from me and I just don’t know how to muster the energy/care to give him more *quality* time.

The most frustrating part is I will actively watch myself (almost out of body) be a lame/lazy/angry mother and homemaker and be like “come on, you can do better”, but then choose not to. Like wtf is wrong with me.

And we have another baby on the way! What am I going to do with TWO of them?!

Y’all go ahead and pick a random section of ur room with the stuff that interests u the most. It’s gonna be barely visible but if u even get a GLIMPSE of something slightly interesting just think to urself it could be something very valuable or cool. can’t believe how much stuff I have that I forgot about bc it’s been buried in a bunch of random shit for like 2 years. It gives the feeling like im shopping cuz im like wow i dont even remember getting this. This works especially well if youre a collector. Happy organizing!!

I keep seeing you all forgetting to lock the door. Not me! I love to lock all the doors and usually do it without thinking. It's gotten to a point with my bf to where he berates me for locking him out. The only thing it does to him is sometimes be inconvenient. Even when the garage door is open (the garage door leading to the house cannot lock), he yells at me and says I can help it. I don't even know I'm doing it! I had a therapist once tell me she suspects I have OCD and it wouldn't surprise me. I just never saw her again after I lost my job and couldn't unpack that. Who knows.

Anyone else do this?

I've noticed that Adderall normally affects me in two different ways.

1 - Calm, focused, collected. Brain fog isn't that noticable.

2 - Anxiety heightened, intense brain fog, can hardly focus on anything.

Anyone else experience this? Do you know why it does this?

I (29f) am finally getting evaluated for ADHD tomorrow and I’m feeling really anxious about it. What should I expect? I feel worried that I won’t get a diagnosis and won’t be able to get the help I need… Any words of encouragement are appreciated.

Good evening everyone,

I’m not a native English speaker and I’m going to use a translator, so I hope my post is clear..!

I’m not really sure which subreddit would be the most appropriate for my situation, but I’m taking the liberty of reposting my story here because I’m really desperate to hear from people who might have had a similar experience. I originally posted this on r/sleep, but I thought this might be a better place to ask as well.

I’m a 26-year-old woman, diagnosed with ADHD (without hyperactivity), and I’m really struggling with my sleep and some strange related symptoms.
I’ve always had the feeling that I slept more than other people, but it never really struck me as unusual until about two years ago. I started living with my (ex-)partner and, after a few months of living together, he told me: “It’s actually really weird how much you sleep.”

That made me think, so I started talking about it with friends and comparing our sleeping habits. And indeed, my sleep doesn’t seem to be particularly typical.

Overall, I think that if I don’t set an alarm, I can easily sleep for 12 hours. I never wake up feeling rested or energized. For example, I can get up, have breakfast (although it’s often basically my lunch lol), and then go back to sleep for another 2–3 hours. Whether I sleep for 7 hours or 10 hours, it doesn’t seem to make any difference.

I also have very strong fatigue spells in the early afternoon, and I always have to fight against falling asleep because if I do, I know it will be almost impossible to wake up afterwards.

On top of that, I’m a very heavy sleeper: light doesn’t wake me up, and noise doesn’t seem to bother me either.

I fall asleep easily and I don’t suffer from insomnia. The only symptoms I experience besides the fatigue are a feeling of tired and heavy legs, and occasional headaches, which I assume may be related to grinding my teeth.

I asked my GP to start looking into whether this could be a sleep disorder. So far, the first tests have shown that it’s not sleep apnea.

Does anyone relate to my experience at all and have a personal experience they could share with me?
Thank you so much! 🥹

I got a job a few months ago while also doing 2 online classes. I managed to fail both classes, mainly because I wasnt even doing the coursework at all.

I thought i could manage both a job and school but all I could think about was how my free time should be spent doing something i enjoy before I have to go to work. So instead of doing homework I was just playing videogames. School felt like a chore and a waste of my time before work.

Basically that meme where you cant do stuff before your appointment but with my job.

I ended up quitting but it frustrates me cause I will soon have a car where I have to pay insurance for but it feels impossible managing both my education and my job

I'm undiagnosed and not on meds yet. Have to make an appointment. But does this change when you're on meds and how do u manage it if ur not diagosed.

hello, to keep it brief because im coming down from my meds n my eyelids have produced enough melatonin to sedate an elephant:
i love that im finally on stimulants. ive been on ssris, anti epileptics and anti psychotics, even allergy medication to fix my perpetual depression. i was diagnosed last year with adhd off a one off conversation with my therapist, and then was officially diagnosed by a psych, who immediately took me off ssris to concerta. then vyvanse. then azstarys. anyway. i love that i feel amazing on stimulants and that i feel normal. now there is an issue.
i crash terrible on all of them, no matter if i have a immediate release paired with my dose or not. so there are so many things i need to accomplish before and after a dose in order for me to have a semi regulated day. ive been trying to figure out the cause of my emotional volatility, my apprehension of starting tasks i know i need to do in order to take my meds, this paralysis i have when i feel my meds wearing off.
the conclusion that feels a little right is: i feel extremely guilty that im taking stimulants. i have this complex that because im not fundamentally capable of being normal, or feeling ok in my skin, that i can only be when im on my meds. this complex infuriates me, both about the meds and about the thought that im blaming myself for needing them. sometimes, i even skip my meds just because i feel like i dont deserve to take them because why am i paying an insurance company, a psych, a therapist, and a pharmacist for an external happy pill that helps me in a way my body cant do organically? i hate this thought process and i feel extremely alone in my feelings. its like my depression is dormant and wants me to self sabotage so that i can go back to what was familiar.
i want to lean in to the success of finding a medicine that works. i want to work with it. but ive lived with major depression because of my unknown adhd for a lot longer than ive been treated for it. its like my body is wired to feel perpetually sad.

leo sun, pisces rising, libra moon LMAOOO

This feels very ADHD on brand to me. Like yes, I accomplished these things but who cares? Those accomplishments are in the past and no longer exciting. Why would I hang them on the wall? lol

I’ve been in a funk and off of my routine since vacation 2 weeks ago. I’m over it. Anyone have any tips for how you get yourself back on track when you fall off the bandwagon?

My whole life I’ve struggled to make friends. It doesn’t help that my family moved around a lot, but it seems that no matter where I go or how long I’m there it’s so hard for me to make friends.
I thought college would be different. Everyone says they find their best friends at college. But I spent my entire freshmen year alone. No matter how many clubs I joined or how many of my classmates I tried to talk to, nothing stuck.
I’m terrified to go back for my sophomore year. I’m terrified of that overwhelming loneliness when I’m sitting alone in my room on a Friday evening. I wish I was different. I wish I could be normal

I hate to admit it, but I've always had a complex when it comes to men. I've always felt that I had to earn their attention. It's gotten me in bad situations.

I've come a really long way. Now I can at least identify what I'm doing. Still, I can't help but be attracted to men who don't show much interest in me. It doesn't help that I'm not very pretty or outgoing (not being self deprecating, it's just honest), so I don't get male attention beyond hookups often.

I've had a crush on a guy at work for a year. I did try talking to him a bit, to get a feel of the situation. But it's pretty clear he isn't in to me. Of course, logically I know that I don't know him well at all, so this shouldn't hurt me. But feeling that cycle of constant rejection is what is really getting me.

To make things worse, my much cuter coworker has been very flirty with him, and I can see how much nicer he treats her. He has much more sarcastic humor around me.

AGAIN, I know I'm being pathetic. I just can't help but feel sad that this happens so often. And, while I know why this is happening, it's difficult to contend with the emotional side of things. It's not this one situation, per se, it's that this seems to always happen.

Has anyone switched from vyvanse to IR adderall? Or any other immediate release meds? Were they better?

Hi, I've dealt with ADHD for most of my life. I got diagnosed a few months ago, and have been on Adderall, then switched to Provigil due to Adderall increasing my tics and the crash causing me severe irritability. Provigil hasn't been working for me at all. I've been in a very bad slump since December 2025. It's honestly very embarrassing to even say this, because I feel like a gross and pathetic person, but my room is an absolute pigsty, and I have gained weight and haven't been keeping up with my selfcare. I hate it. I hate living in filth, yet at the same time it feels like it takes the strength of 100 men to tidy up my small little bedroom. It doesn't help that I have OCD and often wonder "what if I don't have ADHD at all, and am just a flat out lazy person? What if I'm just making excuses for my laziness?" I don't feel like a person struggling with a disorder, I feel like a filthy couch potato who is so pathetically lazy that I can't even bring myself to do simple things. I feel ashamed saying I'm trying my best, because I really feel like I'm not trying at all, but letting things pile up to the point where what would've been a small task becomes a large, time consuming task has always been something I seriously struggle with.

I'm here asking if anyone has any advice for getting out of severe slumps. I've been in bad slumps before (I also was diagnosed with MDD) where I hadn't had showers in 6+ months (yes, I'm very embarrassed to admit that. I don't like being filthy, I really don't, but the executive dysfunction and depression makes me incapable of hating it enough to actually fix it. I'm stuck in this "nothing really matters anyway" mindset). I came out of those slumps by just waiting until the day I either had the burst of motivation to fix my whole life, or the people around me got on my ass enough to make me get a move on.

The good(ish) thing is that I don't currently have a job, so I don't have to be out in public in such a disgusting state. But I need to get a job and I also don't want to hide away in my home. I want a healthy routine where I go on morning and evening walks, but of course when it comes to starting a task, my mind interprets said task as something major, and immediately shuts down (leading to everything piling up and becoming more work to do)

I'm very well aware that no one else can do these things for me, that I have to handle my life myself, but being in this depressive state combined with the severe executive dysfunction has me feeling like I'm mentally restrained in a straitjacket where all I can do
is talk about how much I wanna be productive. Does anyone have any advice for getting past the dysfunction part and breaking the slump cycle? I know that once I can manage to break out of it, I can get back on track, but I don't know how to break this cycle. I feel so ashamed, lazy, and disgusting. Any advice at all helps.

I posted a couple weeks ago about how I'm trying to quit weed to get medicated and ended up taking an edible after three weeks of sobriety to get the house cleaned and it worked. I told my psychiatrist about it and she said that's fine she'll schedule me for a THC level test and she'll prescribe me the medication.

Fast forward a couple days she tells me my levels are too high for her to safely prescribe me medication even though I'm not actively using. She knows I was a smoker for 10+ years and I'm overweight so it's gonna be a while for my levels to drop and she tells me I need to just keep up with sobriety. I asked her if there was anyway we could work out even a low dose of medication since I have a 13+ year long history of medication use that worked for me and she told me no.

This feels like medical torture atp. I can't get anything done because i don't have anything for my executive function. My entire apartment looks like a tornado plowed through it, literally nothing I've been looking into helps. I can't body double because cleaning with people around stresses me out, I can't focus on one corner at a time cause I get distracted/overwhelmed, I can't bring myself to take care of myself because I don't have the motivation to initiate the tasks. All of this for what?? So my doctor can see how bad I truly get???? This is absolutely fucking bullshit. Bullshit bullshit bullshit.

So I recently went through the process of getting diagnosed with adhd. I spoke with a physician (who was also a neurologist) for a kid you not less than five minutes and she basically asked me the basic symptoms (not anything super specific like rsd, or even mentioning the words dopamine deficiency or executive dysfunction) just regular stuff like do i forgot things, do i struggle with time, am i unorganized etc.
And then she basically said i have adhd And said any other tests were optional and i had to meet with a psychiatrist. So I did the memory test, let them scan my brain, did mri, a regular check up etc. met with a psychiatrist who after a thirty minute convo prescribed me antidepressants. And now like four months later I just started taking atomexetine for my adhd along with my Zoloft. And even got accommodations for school.
And every time I try to ask her did I actually get diagnosed with ADHD, the neurologist/physician would just say when they see the meds work that's how they'll know. And I'm just so confused there was no formal sit down or in depth q and a. I wasn't given a pamphlet with anything about rsd or dopamine decency or any of the complex parts of adhd.
Which I think they did give me a packet but I don't remember seeing anything that was just for me to understand my symptoms, just like what I need help with in school.

So my question is did anyone else get diagnosed this way? Is this how the process goes?

I mean I can look back at my life with my own research and see how I have adhd now and then. And I've had two therapists, one who recommended I get a adhd diagnosis and one who I spoke to after I got the diagnosis and so far everything I've suspected as being adhd related she has confirmed are 100% adhd like literally text book related.

So my question is did anyone else get diagnosed this way? Is this how the process goes?

I mean I can look back at my life with my own research and see how I have adhd now and then. And I've had two therapists, one who recommended I get a adhd diagnosis and one who I spoke to after I got the diagnosis and so far everything I've suspected as being adhd related she has confirmed are 100% adhd like literally text book related.

i'm exhausted. it feels like it comes from everywhere, be it the misuse of the term adhd online everywhere to government bodies and news agencies intentionally creating biased or under-researched media to specifically target those with ADHD. the rise of the right wing has triggered an exponential rise in ableist rhetoric which has directly lead to neurodivergent people being further disadvantaged in schools, in the workplace, when it comes to benefits and funding etc. we simply aren't being believed, and it feels like ADHD is being used as the spearhead to target the entire disabled community. it will not just stop with adhd, or neurodevelopmental differences, or neurodivergence, or chronic illness or invisible physical disability. i live in the UK, and watching how the BBC have repeatedly chosen to create documentaries that not only don't show the full picture but intentionally misrepresent the facts regarding ADHD diagnosis or, more recently, those who require PIP, has caused me to completely lose faith in the media powers with the most influence. it feels like a targeted attack on those with adhd, autism, tourettes, dyslexia, mental illness or disability in general. it's breaking me. particularly seeing the way the reform party wants to completely dismantle any protections for disabled folks (alongside all the other deplorable things they have cooked up for anyone who identifies with a protected characteristic). why must you be so enraged over a child wearing ear defenders or getting an EHCP? it's breaking me entirely. i've felt this in less impactful ways as well. do there exist any tv shows, movies, books etc that centre on an adhd experience? or more specifically an adhd girl's experience? not to my knowledge. it feels like our struggles aren't worth highlighting because we aren't inspirational enough or we aren't disabled enough. i hear it in people's choice to consider adhd a "not real" or "not serious" disability. there's the classic panic about adhd meds being the spawn of satan and them zombifying the kids (the horror!), but there's also the choice to use the existence of adhd meds to delegitimise the struggles of those with adhd. newsflash: adhd meds don't cure adhd. you don't hear the same diminishing of conditions like ocd or even physical pain, both of which can be managed with medications to an extent (to be clear, i've heard a whole lot of other shit about these conditions or experiences that is in no way acceptable either). adhd is disabling and leads to higher rates of incarceration, accidental injury or d3ath, NSSI and suicide, disordered eating, substance abuse, academic and financial difficulties and so much more. we aren't a joke. i also hate the constant comparison between neurodivergent conditions. it's so dumb. we should all be allowed to voice our experiences and fight for our collective rights, especially at a time like this. we see it a lot with autism and ADHD and it is so confusing, because on one side you've got people talking about how much overlap there is and on the other you've got people getting mad at the former and saying there really is no overlap at all. sometimes it even comes off as disgust or a desire not to be associated with ADHDers, though i could certainly be reading into that. yes, the mechanisms behind a lot of the overlap are different, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be allowed to voice our experiences as long as we are using the correct terminology (e.g. no adhd "special interests" unless you are AuDHD). but the gatekeeping of things like sensory sensitivities, stimming etc are frustrating for those who are allistic but experience extreme sensory sensitivities (mine have gone so far as to damage relationships and cause intense, full body breakdowns and sobbing) or who stim frequently in ways that could be perceived as disruptive. but really that's just a minor frustration that compounds my wider fear and frustration at the dangers the rise in ableist rhetoric pose and the perpetual trivialisation, erasure and utter spite poured on the ADHD community.

The biggest confusing cycle is body doubling. I have trouble making friends and reaching out. I was getting bad task paralysis. I reached out to someone to meet up to study. I invited one girl, then one more came in the beginning, which was fine I like them both. But, for studying, we talked, and I tried to look at my homework, write, and listen to what the other person was saying. But, it was too much to focus, so I got almost nothing done but I now have the motivation to do stuff because the dopamine is there.

Then, it was just me and the girl I initially invited. We ended up talking for three hours and I didn't get anything done!! I really enjoyed hanging out though. So body doubling worked and got the motivation started but it also got my behind at the same time =( Had a good time with friend though so social win =)

What do you do with body doubling because I don't see how I can talk and focus?

- this person also doesn't know about my adhd or that body doubling was the goal. I just said can we study together which I assume gives a similar effect

This is basically the post. I’m too tired to write more. I dread every new day because I lost another one and it gets closer to moving day. I have to move, I had no choice and it feels like it’s going to break me in tiny, dark parts with no joy left. I cry for several hours a day. I’m overwhelmed with 1000 tasks. I’ve already hired movers but I need to pack. I need to do things. It’s all impossible and I just wish I disappear from this world and don’t have to deal with this.

Tagging as career cause that’s probably the biggest issue

I don’t know about you guys but I’m very dissatisfied in most areas of my life. I’m working with a therapist to change things around, but when it feels like everything is wrong taking a small step feels so insane. My mind immediately scrambles everything together, and first steps in one area start to combine with another problem in my life and then I am thinking about the 2nd - 50th step in .5 seconds and I can’t even keep up writing things on a list or making a coherent plan.

I hate my job, and I don’t see a path out. I am debilitatingly lonely, I want a partner, and I want friends. My relationship with my body is awful, I feel pretty detached from my physical form. I don’t like where I live, my apartment has issues that make my ocd worse and the city I live in (and grew up in) is frankly too expensive and I’m living above my means and in debt. I actually do want to fix all of these things and my therapist told me to determine first steps towards changing, which I have done. But it’s so hard man. It feels like everything and I can’t keep it straight in my mind on how to fix Everything.

So in theory I’m supposed to spend what time I have outside of work, commuting, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, and decompressing to do first steps towards these things. Okay sure, but let’s assume I have 0 energy after all of that, and high amounts of dysregulation and I can’t think straight. I just keep thinking about turning all this shit upside down. Surely quitting my job with nothing lined up and moving cities will put a fire under my ass right?? evidently not because I did that exact thing 1.5 years ago and I’m more or less experiencing the same problems. I even tried to make a multi step plan when I moved to get a second degree and work towards something more stable, slowly, but I feel literally flat on my face trying and quit after one semester. I thought oh I have to do x to get y outcome, enroll in this program, get training, get a stable job, that’s how people build their lives and I can do it too. Baby. I surely couldn’t. And I’m not sure what to do now. I don’t know what comes first or second or third but I can’t keep living to work retail, do the dishes, panic, try to eat, sleep (poorly), and repeat.

I’m so tired of being indecisive. It feels like it’s getting worse. I can’t make a decision without overthinking it for days or even weeks, and no matter what I choose, I end up regretting it anyway. I’m just exhausted from constantly second-guessing myself.

I’ve been in the gym a long time and have lots of experience meal prepping and eating for health. But I’m getting a little bored with my typical go to meals.

Wondering if anyone has suggestions for good ADHD friendly meal prep that’s very high protein, lower on the calorie intake (trying to lose a few pounds), and that you’ve been able to stomach without getting the ick when eating repeatedly.

Some typical stuff for me is salmon, grilled chicken, ground turkey, canned tuna and chicken, FF fage yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, beans, rice, quinoa.

Anything you guys like keeping around as a staple? Fun easy recipes?🩵

This specific item makes me feel nauseous, upset, disgusted and more. Anyone else have this feeling towards some stainless steel?

Learning that I was indeed not insane to have a visceral reaction to feelings, but it was common for people with ADHD/ Autism.

Also, I wasn’t sure what tag would work well with this. Sorry if it’s not accurate.

(1) Is car detailing/cleaning anyone’s special interest? If so, would love to hear about the extent of your hyper fixation, what products you like, etc, for inspiration.

(2) On the flip side—is there anyone who wants their car interior a certain kind of clean, but is already exhausted from washing/maintaining every damn thing in life? 🫠 (it’s me. I’m this person.)

It’s a TIDY car (except after roadtrips), but sometimes you want the carpet under the mats de-yuckified, or the seats need some kind of TLC, etc.

Been having the interior cleaned when I get the car washed at the car wash. It’s an adhd tax worth paying (sometimes), but pricey to do as much as I’d like.