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Do you have thoughts about dealing with your ADHD without medication? I'm in Europe where the laws are different and its haaaaard to access meds. (Immigration is very bad for consistent health care)

Yeah, I mean, caffeine. Caffeine in the mornings and propranolol if I overdo it or have too much caffeine after 1pm. Caffeine has a variable half-life depending on your genetics, so for some people they can have caffeine within about 4-5 hours of trying to sleep and for me if I have it within 9 hours of when I want to sleep I'm a little fucked. (5-9 hours is a relatively typical range for half-life.) Caffeine has active metabolites, which means that as your body processes it to break it down it creates different molecules which are still stimulants, so it's not as simple as "caffeine in, break it down, inert molecule out." You also need to be aware that your brain WILL develop tolerance, so taking drug holidays where you have a chaotic, disorganized day will help when you go back to work.

Another alternative is Strattera, generic name atomoxetine, which gets marketed as a "non-stimulant" ADHD medication. In my opinion it does still have stimulant qualities and the classification has more to do with legal status than medical reality. However, it does have a tendency to cause nausea, so I usually start people low (10mg) and ramp up to 80-100mg, which is target range for efficacy for most people. It doesn't seem as effective as the stimulants but it also doesn't have the legal implications of the stimulants.

Wellbutrin, generic name bupropion, is an antidepressant, but it's not the same as SSRIs or SNRIs--it has its own combination of effects on neurotransmitters that makes it a cousin rather than a sibling drug. It can be used (off-label) for ADHD.

In terms of other things I do to help myself cope, setting and maintaining a sleep schedule is critical. I definitely always feel like I'm being asked to wake up at the equivalent of 3am for other people. This means I need to make sure I go to bed and get up at consistent times, including days off. Bed needs to be for sleeping and intimacy and not for being activated--not for reading, not for hanging out. "Sleep hygiene" is about training your brain that when you go to bed, you go to sleep. The bedroom needs to be quiet, cool, and dark. You can Google sleep hygiene for more information on that.

Learning how to learn was critical for surviving med school. I didn't struggle that much with the material even in grad school, though I was more miserable overall in grad school. The sheer volume meant I couldn't just read everything once and figure enough would stick; I had to read, listen, watch, and eventually I figured out that I really needed to draw pictures and make myself flash cards if I wanted to actually force my brain to retain anything. Making sure I was physically comfortable, including that I was fed, hydrated, and didn't have to pee, was also part of the process. Getting there involved lots of tears and failing multiple tests.

Cleaning can't be an all or nothing proposition or nothing ever gets cleaned. When I start cleaning, I just grab whatever I'm walking by that catches my attention. Fuck doing whole tasks at a time consistently. Move those three bowls to the sink, in the kitchen realize I need to take out the recycling, take out the recycling and realize on the way back in that I have a load of laundry to start, start the laundry and realize I need to pee, while I'm in the bathroom realize I need to clean the counter, clean the counter and realize I need to take out the bathroom trash, take out the bathroom trash and realize I still didn't pee, continue until I'm too tired and then sit down and have a snack and a nap. My house is still a black hole but it's infinitely better than my apartments when I was younger.

Accepting that you can't do things the neurotypical way is a big part of it. Giving up on how things "should" be and recognizing what you can do and how you can do it is critical. I will never stop crashing into things so I've bought rounded furniture that hurts less when I crash into it. I'm slowly designing a life and a home where I'm playing to my strengths, and although it's a work in process, I'm slowly becoming happier.

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Carrie Fisher tells what is quite possibly the best story about the filming of Star Wars. (x)

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i’ve literally never been more obsessed with a tiktok comment

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Anyone here remember Bindi's Bootcamp?

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Year four

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Its tomorrow

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Tumblr is a no context zone

You mean to tell me a band of misfits are teaming up to save senior prom??? Well that’s just fucking phenomenal, that’s great, fuck off

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No one is born good at public speaking because no one is born knowing how to speak

-ACW jan 25th 2021

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I’ve never been anything like you. Trust me I’d remember, especially that shirt.

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DIY Crochet Hat Patterns from the Mind of The Twisted Hatter

Are you looking to crochet something more adventurous? Natalie Allen, The Twisted Hatter, has a bunch of projects for you.

Top Photo: $8 Pattern Twisted Kraken Hat on Ravelry here.

Here is the help video on the Twisted Kracken Hat here. 

$7 Pattern Gas Mask Gone Twisted on Ravelry here.

$7 Pattern Twisted Unicorn Hat on Ravelry here.

$6.50 Pattern Luna Rae Dragon Hood here.

$6.50 Pattern Twisted Jellyfish here.

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DIY Crochet Flower Patterns

Happy Patty Crochet on Etsy

See our #Etsy or #DIY tags

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People who are supposed to be taxed 15% often pay an accountant to find tax loop holes and they don't actually end up paying their 15%

The thing about the rich of this country is that billionaires have more money than is humanly possible to spend. So like, I really do not give any amount of a shit if increasing their taxes is “faaair” because I care more about no one starving to death or going without medical care in fucking 2015 than I do about the great grandson of the guy who invented some crappy toy being able to buy his 17th yacht. We can fucking print out organs and we have people dying of the flu because they are too poor to go to the er. Like??? Tax the shit outta the rich. Take half their money. Idgaf.

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HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY! Tuning an assignment into a meme

Tell us 1) how YOU define happiness 2) what makes YOU happy 3) what is your secret to happiness And where you come from. People who count the things that they have to be happy about tend to be happier so share the love with your followers and with me for my composition 1 class on Monday the 28th!

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HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY! Tuning an assignment into a meme

Tell us 1) how YOU define happiness 2) what makes YOU happy 3) what is your secret to happiness And where you come from. People who count the things that they have to be happy about tend to be happier so share the love with your followers and with me for my composition 1 class on Monday the 28th!

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kickasseditor codycorycorkycookie

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY! Tuning an assignment into a meme

Tell us 1) how YOU define happiness 2) what makes YOU happy 3) what is your secret to happiness And where you come from. People who count the things that they have to be happy about tend to be happier so share the love with your followers and with me for my composition 1 class on Monday the 28th!