Help with focus for ADHD

[Jtalk4456]

So I was diagnosed back as a kid when it was still called ADD, and back then some adderal helped to a degree, but as an adult, it dulls me so much I can't be bothered to do much of anything. I've always just kinda coped with it as best I can, but for anyone with ADHD, they'll know will power is not enough sometimes. I'm often not very in control of my own focus, even for things I genuinely WANT and/or NEED to focus on. I've survived this for many years, but I'm now going for an online IT degree and this semester has kicked my butt. There's been a lot of external factors at play that made this time hard, but I've passed that and can't seem to force myself to sit down and do what's needed. I'm working with my primary dr to get help with coping and techniques, but 1st appt for that isn't available until after the semester is over. Surprise, surprise, there's been an uptick in people needing counseling from quarantine...I'm hoping someone here has some techniques they know of that work for them or someone else that they can share with me. I genuinely love learning and the topic, but reading black and white text off a screen is practically begging my ADHD to kick in with some distractions, and I'm drowning right now with the inability to get this done. Any help and ideas are greatly appreciated!

[sub68]

Umm relaxing music while your doing it.

Ok personal time I personally have autism and music though headphone somehow makes me focus

[Lairlair]

Yeah online learning causes even a neuro typical person to lose focus regularly so I can't imagine what it's like with ADHD. A dear friend of mine has it too, and we've sometimes planned online working sessions. We'd set a time or start a session spontaneously. It started with writing a to do list for the next hour or so (actually typing it and sending it to the other person helps). We would be on camera but the mic was often off so we didn't disturb each other but still felt observed and held accountable. Maybe that helps you too.

Do you know the YouTube channel how to ADHD? I really like it and they're full of tips and tricks like the pomodoro technique and some fidget toys recommendations etc...

It sucks all the psychological / counceling support is overwhelmed at the moment. I mean it's good people are getting help but yeah... Hang in there!

[Levent]

I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 21. Until that point I never had taken ritalin or adderall and only thing that would be any help me was constant intake of antidepressants. After I was prescribed ritalin and I would only take ritalin when I was overwhelmed with course work/classes/exams. Ritalin makes you feel extremely mentally exhausted after it wears off and I bet Adderall is much worse. I tried everything from leaving every single device I have at the car, going to study groups, studying with purely pen and paper, studying in one person rooms in my universities library. Nothing did the trick, I could only study 4-5 minutes at once. Sadly I still haven't found a way to not rely on ritalin when I need to be focused (or when I got a lot going on). I can imagine how hard it is for you right now. Wishing you good luck.

[Energycore]

Oh yeah. HUGE hyperactive guy here.

 

My ADHD is so bad I can't ever stop moving my fingers and I also can't ever stop music from playing in my mind, but I think I've managed to learn focus very well despite that, so here's some things I learned along the way

 

• Choose the right music to listen to. I choose something that pumps me but isn't complex enough that my brain feels compelled to listen to it intently. The other option is some album I like a lot, but I've heard enough times that I don't have to pay attention to it. I'll leave my recommendations for albums here.
  Spoiler

   

   

• When it's getting particularly hard to focus and I'm under pressure / stress, I get rid of ALL DISTRACTIONS. No tolerance on this. This means I'll close every single tab I don't need AND move every single item I'm not using off my desk. It's nice to have a space already dedicated to this, I use a drawer for this specific act.
• Time your work. For many people, the moment you start that timer your brain changes into "Ok I'm getting stuff done" mode until the timer runs out. I do 50 minute segments and 10 minute breaks
• Get yourself informed and talk about this to your friends. I can't stress this enough. Every problem in life is much easier to solve if you talk about it with someone you trust. Especially look for friends who also might have ADHD or are neurodiverse in any other way, as it'll be very easy to empathize with them.

I hope these help!

 

 

[Jtalk4456]

2 hours ago, sub68 said:

Umm relaxing music while your doing it.

Ok personal time I personally have autism and music though headphone somehow makes me focus

I Love music, but I don't often use headphones, I'll give that a shot

2 hours ago, Lairlair said:

Yeah online learning causes even a neuro typical person to lose focus regularly so I can't imagine what it's like with ADHD. A dear friend of mine has it too, and we've sometimes planned online working sessions. We'd set a time or start a session spontaneously. It started with writing a to do list for the next hour or so (actually typing it and sending it to the other person helps). We would be on camera but the mic was often off so we didn't disturb each other but still felt observed and held accountable. Maybe that helps you too.

Do you know the YouTube channel how to ADHD? I really like it and they're full of tips and tricks like the pomodoro technique and some fidget toys recommendations etc...

It sucks all the psychological / counceling support is overwhelmed at the moment. I mean it's good people are getting help but yeah... Hang in there!

that's a really cool idea. not sure who I would get to watch me work for an hour, but definitely seems like a good idea for me!

I haven't heard of that channel, but I will have watched a few videos by tomorrow for sure!

2 hours ago, Levent said:

I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 21. Until that point I never had taken ritalin or adderall and only thing that would be any help me was constant intake of antidepressants. After I was prescribed ritalin and I would only take ritalin when I was overwhelmed with course work/classes/exams. Ritalin makes you feel extremely mentally exhausted after it wears off and I bet Adderall is much worse. I tried everything from leaving every single device I have at the car, going to study groups, studying with purely pen and paper, studying in one person rooms in my universities library. Nothing did the trick, I could only study 4-5 minutes at once. Sadly I still haven't found a way to not rely on ritalin when I need to be focused (or when I got a lot going on). I can imagine how hard it is for you right now. Wishing you good luck.

i haven't tried ritalin, I might get to the point of trying if the dr recommends at some point, but right now I'm looking more to find coping mechanisms so i don't need the medicine, or need it only on occasion. 

 

2 hours ago, Energycore said:

Oh yeah. HUGE hyperactive guy here.

 

My ADHD is so bad I can't ever stop moving my fingers and I also can't ever stop music from playing in my mind, but I think I've managed to learn focus very well despite that, so here's some things I learned along the way

 

• Choose the right music to listen to. I choose something that pumps me but isn't complex enough that my brain feels compelled to listen to it intently. The other option is some album I like a lot, but I've heard enough times that I don't have to pay attention to it. I'll leave my recommendations for albums here.
    Reveal hidden contents

   

   

• When it's getting particularly hard to focus and I'm under pressure / stress, I get rid of ALL DISTRACTIONS. No tolerance on this. This means I'll close every single tab I don't need AND move every single item I'm not using off my desk. It's nice to have a space already dedicated to this, I use a drawer for this specific act.
• Time your work. For many people, the moment you start that timer your brain changes into "Ok I'm getting stuff done" mode until the timer runs out. I do 50 minute segments and 10 minute breaks
• Get yourself informed and talk about this to your friends. I can't stress this enough. Every problem in life is much easier to solve if you talk about it with someone you trust. Especially look for friends who also might have ADHD or are neurodiverse in any other way, as it'll be very easy to empathize with them.

I hope these help!

 

 

I'm at work so i'll wait til later to open the playlists. Sadly distractions is gonna be tough. I have 5 kids, so there's always some sound or something going on in the background, but maybe with some good headphones, I can try to tune things out at specific times and have someone else watch the kids.

Not to be a downer but as an adult with kids, I don't really have many friends. My best friend who's not my wife is a childhood friend who lives a few hours away now. But I can certainly get my wife to learn with me as I go along to help

1 hour ago, CircleTech said:

1. The negative effects of ADHD fade into adulthood.

2. You need to build HABITS.

3. create artificial deadline

4. use your Hyperfocus to your advantage

5. Pay for Chegg study - I would’ve failed last semester if I didn’t have worked out problems to reference

6. I believe ADHD is over diagnosed, so pretend it doesn’t exist

1. I've definitely gotten far better at it than I used to be. I've gotten over most social issues I have at this point. But this schoolwork issue is my biggest crux, and I can't seem to get past it. 

2. F*** yes, exactly! Once I start something I get heavy into it. The college I'm at (WGU) is do it at your own pace, however you need to structure it. I had a required excel course and finished in about a week, passed the test no problem. But right now I've been on this class for 3 months and barely gotten anything done. If I can focus enough to start it, I should be done super fast, but starting is the killer for me

3. I'm trying this now, just gotta get myself to commit and feel the timelines more

4. same here, I can focus when i want to, but if it's forced, good luck, even if i like the topic

5. not sure what that is, I'll look into it

6. agreed, it's not that I Can't do it, I just have to find ways to do it that work to my strengths. 

[sub68]

7 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

I Love music, but I don't often use headphones, I'll give that a shot

Yeah it closes the outside world and pulls you in.

Also you are getting @Den-Fi headphones.

[sub68]

Note for music I choose mostly non lyric songs and low BPM songs like around 60 BPM.

Lofi is great.

DJJO does some anime lofi and it is good.

Studio Ghibli is awesome too.

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/2vkcA 

(Use adblock for SoundCloud it is less frustrating)

Ballads are also good I have some LiSA(unlasting, shruishi, and no more time machine) in my study playlist.

31 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

But I can certainly get my wife to learn with me as I go along to help

It's nice that your wife cares about you

[Red :)]

This one works pretty well:

Good for commuting, too.

[Lairlair]

5 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

that's a really cool idea. not sure who I would get to watch me work for an hour, but definitely seems like a good idea for me!

Just a clarification, it was more like a joint study session. If I had things to do on the computer and my friend needed to do some life admin, we would both watch each other haha

Good luck!

[Master Disaster]

9 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

So I was diagnosed back as a kid when it was still called ADD,

Important clarification, ADD & ADHD are not the same thing.

 

Attention Deficit Disorder is when a person struggles to concentrate on a task for more than a few minutes.

 

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder is when a person with ADD is also very hyperactive and not able to sit calmly for extended periods.

 

Both can be a factor in people who struggle with learning disabilities and can also be linked to OCD in a lot of cases.

 

I have ADD and honestly, I haven't really found anything that helps (at least not that I can suggest here).

 

The thing with personality disorders though is that they're rarely identical from person to person, I couldn't listen to music while trying to focus on a task as the music would be a distraction but the fact it doesn't work for me does not mean it won't work for you.

 

Also random fact: A large number of people who suffer from ADD/ADHD report that caffeine doesn't affect them. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said that is very common (almost normal).

[Guest]

6 hours ago, sub68 said:

Yeah it closes the outside world and pulls you in.

Also you are getting @Den-Fi headphones.

Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, I knew there was a reason I turned my PMs back on. Thanks for the reminder.

@Jtalk4456 PM me your shipping address.

[sub68]

1 hour ago, Den-Fi said:

Thanks for the reminder.

Your welcome

[D_3MO]

14 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

So I was diagnosed back as a kid when it was still called ADD, and back then some adderal helped to a degree, but as an adult, it dulls me so much I can't be bothered to do much of anything. I've always just kinda coped with it as best I can, but for anyone with ADHD, they'll know will power is not enough sometimes. I'm often not very in control of my own focus, even for things I genuinely WANT and/or NEED to focus on. I've survived this for many years, but I'm now going for an online IT degree and this semester has kicked my butt. There's been a lot of external factors at play that made this time hard, but I've passed that and can't seem to force myself to sit down and do what's needed. I'm working with my primary dr to get help with coping and techniques, but 1st appt for that isn't available until after the semester is over. Surprise, surprise, there's been an uptick in people needing counseling from quarantine...I'm hoping someone here has some techniques they know of that work for them or someone else that they can share with me. I genuinely love learning and the topic, but reading black and white text off a screen is practically begging my ADHD to kick in with some distractions, and I'm drowning right now with the inability to get this done. Any help and ideas are greatly appreciated!

i force myself to focus like really force and i still get distracted LMAOOO

[whm1974]

8 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Also random fact: A large number of people who suffer from ADD/ADHD report that caffeine doesn't affect them. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said that is very common (almost normal).

I did not know this. Do People with these Conditions get Racing Thoughts? Those are Random Thoughts that pop up in your Mind that Race one after another. Very unpleasant to have.

[Energycore]

14 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

I have 5 kids, so there's always some sound or something going on in the background, but maybe with some good headphones, I can try to tune things out at specific times and have someone else watch the kids.

Honestly, in that position with 5 kids and a home office environment, I would probably rent a space out to do my job then lol.

 

If you look for a shared office service (I think even airbnb does that kinda thing), people who use that kinda service tend to be quiet and respectful of others. You can go to this kind of space whenever you're feeling distracted and need to get work done, then come back. Just gotta figure out where there's one.

14 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

Not to be a downer but as an adult with kids, I don't really have many friends. My best friend who's not my wife is a childhood friend who lives a few hours away now. But I can certainly get my wife to learn with me as I go along to help

I get that. Talk to your wife about this, and be sincere. You're a team with her, so talking about your ADHD has the potential to make your relationship better on top of helping you focus.

[Jtalk4456]

9 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder is when a person with ADD is also very hyperactive and not able to sit calmly for extended periods.

Both can be a factor in people who struggle with learning disabilities and can also be linked to OCD in a lot of cases.

 

I have ADD and honestly, I haven't really found anything that helps (at least not that I can suggest here).

 

The thing with personality disorders though is that they're rarely identical from person to person, I couldn't listen to music while trying to focus on a task as the music would be a distraction but the fact it doesn't work for me does not mean it won't work for you.

 

Also random fact: A large number of people who suffer from ADD/ADHD report that caffeine doesn't affect them. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said that is very common (almost normal).

honestly not sure which I have, it was diagnosed way back when. They started using ADD primarily for Anxiety now, though add is technically a spectrum with anxiety as one of the 7 versions, doctors like to make it all confusing XD
probably ADHD cuz i have trouble sitting still.

I can't listen to music with words if I wanna focus cuz i love to sing so i'll join in, but lofi or classical should be fine for me

So caffeine doesn't affect me much, I've never really guessed that was from the add/adhd. 

9 hours ago, Den-Fi said:

Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, I knew there was a reason I turned my PMs back on. Thanks for the reminder.

@Jtalk4456 PM me your shipping address.

Done  Thanks again!

7 hours ago, sub68 said:

Your welcome

Thx for reminding him, cuz I forgot to mention it XD

1 hour ago, whm1974 said:

I did not know this. Do People with these Conditions get Racing Thoughts? Those are Random Thoughts that pop up in your Mind that Race one after another. Very unpleasant to have.

Are you saying there's such a thing as thoughts that DON'T race?? I wasn't aware that was a thing lol

 

20 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Honestly, in that position with 5 kids and a home office environment, I would probably rent a space out to do my job then lol.

 

If you look for a shared office service (I think even airbnb does that kinda thing), people who use that kinda service tend to be quiet and respectful of others. You can go to this kind of space whenever you're feeling distracted and need to get work done, then come back. Just gotta figure out where there's one.

I get that. Talk to your wife about this, and be sincere. You're a team with her, so talking about your ADHD has the potential to make your relationship better on top of helping you focus.

That's money I simply don't have right now, but further down the line, I can definitely see doing that! didn't know that was really a thing, thanks for the idea!

[Energycore]

9 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

That's money I simply don't have right now, but further down the line, I can definitely see doing that! didn't know that was really a thing, thanks for the idea!

Oh dude, there's places that charge as little as 2-3 bucks per day, I think it's worth a shot. What do you do btw?

[Jtalk4456]

46 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Oh dude, there's places that charge as little as 2-3 bucks per day, I think it's worth a shot. What do you do btw?

SMB Tech support for ISP, I make alright money, but paying for a lot of past mistakes with money right now. $2-3 isn't bad though. I could probably do that a few times a month depending on how close one is to me

[Energycore]

5 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

SMB Tech support for ISP, I make alright money, but paying for a lot of past mistakes with money right now. $2-3 isn't bad though. I could probably do that a few times a month depending on how close one is to me

Ohhh alright. IT is a well paying industry, from what I've seen. It's also a really good place for ADHD people to do well in hehe

[whm1974]

3 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

Are you saying there's such a thing as thoughts that DON'T race?? I wasn't aware that was a thing lol

This a Type of Involuntary Thoughts. Those just pop in your head at random and unwanted. And Thoughts that Race one after another? They simply don't stop at all. Until you can refocus you Mind doing some intense Mental Activities. 

 

Video Games can help depending on the Game. Last time I had this, I avoided Caffeine completely after downing 2L Bottles of Diet Mt Dew for a week and a half. What Ended them was finding a left over 150mg of Trazidone pill. I was taking but quit in January this year.

[Jtalk4456]

2 hours ago, whm1974 said:

This a Type of Involuntary Thoughts. Those just pop in your head at random and unwanted. And Thoughts that Race one after another? They simply don't stop at all. Until you can refocus you Mind doing some intense Mental Activities. 

 

Video Games can help depending on the Game. Last time I had this, I avoided Caffeine completely after downing 2L Bottles of Diet Mt Dew for a week and a half. What Ended them was finding a left over 150mg of Trazidone pill. I was taking but quit in January this year.

oh yeah, I get random and unwanted thoughts all the time. Sometimes it's very helpful, I can quickly run through many possibilities and options in my head, only problem is I can't turn it off, not good for focus. never messed with that medicine, not sure what it is, but I'm assuming you're implying forgetting things or accidentally or intentionally overdosing... In any case, man I hope you're OK
I'm actually trying to get off soda in general for my health

[whm1974]

2 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

oh yeah, I get random and unwanted thoughts all the time. Sometimes it's very helpful, I can quickly run through many possibilities and options in my head, only problem is I can't turn it off, not good for focus. never messed with that medicine, not sure what it is, but I'm assuming you're implying forgetting things or accidentally or intentionally overdosing... In any case, man I hope you're OK
I'm actually trying to get off soda in general for my health

It is a antidepressant that is widely prescribed for Folks who have serious trouble sleeping. My Regular antidepressant does help with Racing Thoughts but Trazodone helps better.

 

After mention this to the Nurse I see before my Primary Care Doctor and now he prescribed me a new Pill. I have that written down somewhere.

[Tech Jebus]

I have ADHD, to focus on anything boring or important I listen to music at full volume.

[Master Disaster]

15 hours ago, whm1974 said:

I did not know this. Do People with these Conditions get Racing Thoughts? Those are Random Thoughts that pop up in your Mind that Race one after another. Very unpleasant to have.

That is my mind almost all of the time, I also have slight OCD which is a problem when you have random thoughts popping in your head pretty much constantly.

13 hours ago, Jtalk4456 said:

honestly not sure which I have, it was diagnosed way back when. They started using ADD primarily for Anxiety now, though add is technically a spectrum with anxiety as one of the 7 versions, doctors like to make it all confusing XD
probably ADHD cuz i have trouble sitting still.

I can't listen to music with words if I wanna focus cuz i love to sing so i'll join in, but lofi or classical should be fine for me

So caffeine doesn't affect me much, I've never really guessed that was from the add/adhd.

That's actually very interesting and something I was not aware of. Currently I take Sertraline for anxiety but at no point have any of the doctors I've spoken to related anxiety to ADD.

 

I avoid caffeine where possible since I get none of the positive effects from it (it does not make me more awake or alert) but all the negative effects are somehow amplified (it makes me VERY jittery and even more unfocused than I am normally). It probably doesn't help that for half my life I was pretty much addicted to Coke. I'm not joking on that either, I had to have at least one small bottle (500ml) a day otherwise I started to feel very weird, it reached the point that I was drinking a full 2 litre bottle everyday to myself. I quit about 5 years ago and haven't touched it since, these days I drink nothing but water.