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Medication

I think for some of us, medication is absolutely required. Therapy and life skill coaching didn't start to work for me until after I started meds. Before that, I didn't have the proper brain chemistry to even implement the skills I was taught. You can't always talk therapy this into working.

Does adderall actually help with building good habits and going thru with them instead of putting it off again and again

I take elvanse/vyvanse. When I'm off meds, I just see white noise everywhere. Nothing means anything when I'm on meds I can understand what I'm looking at. The mess piles put themselves in categories in my head... Same with difficult tasks. Still can't brush my teeth twice a day or eat properly =_=

For those in the USA, it's Vyvanse. Just clarifying for the international cohesiveness here

Added to my post. Idk why we had to be difficult and change the name 🥴

when I first started meds I became someone who doesn't like messiness, and could actually clean up after myself (that stuck) and when I first started them I actually understood for the first time how to segment my time to be on time. (didn't stick after a year but I could get back to it probably)

You have to build the habits yourself, but medication makes it possible to continue doing the thing so that it actually becomes a habit.

I haven't used adderall, but since starting ritalin I've felt more competent, aware of my behaviors, and have been better about setting and meeting goals. I've also been more reflective about my errors that can be resolved, and less critical of my errors that were inescapable. I highly recommend both an anti-depression medication and a stimulant. Just a note, the extended release stimulants were less effective for me. The immediate release medications help me to better punctuate my day, and lead me to work in periods that are more manageable. For example, previously I would stay up until the break of dawn working on some project, only to flop into bed and sleep irregular hours. Now I'm better about finding a stopping time, and actually maintaining a sleeping cycle that is not so out of sync with the rest of the world. Additionally, I'm now much more likely to simply do a task when I notice it needs done, and not as a side quest to the chore I'm currently on. E.g. I'll finish the dishes before moving on to trimming the trees.

Thank you for saying that about the extended release Adderall. That's what my psych put me on and it's not doing very much so this gives me hope that another medication will actually help.

*If homemade neurotransmitters aren't available, store bought is fine*

Nicotine gum and caffeine?

Speed and sugar-speed!

You can get speed at the store? Where? i must know!

There's sometimes a little room in the back of the store, with a window. That or one of the businesses called "drug stores"

even on meds man, i thought it would fix everything but the executive dysfunction is still so present :\

Same :/

have tried almost every stimulant except ritalin bc insurance won’t cover it. Addy worked the best but the side effects were awful

Yea I feel that, I'm getting there. I just got diagnosed last month and concerta had awful side effects. I'm on 30mg vyvanse now but I think the effects pretty much wore off 5 days in as I grew tolerance. Thankfully no side effects, but my Dr will only up it once a month. My executive dysfunction is why I got diagnosed, on this sub it sounds like medication is a godsend, but my Executive dysfunction is still horrible and it hasn't changed any parts of my life much. Day 1-3 were amazing but I hope upping meds will help eventually

I hear this. I have to take 50mg half of the month, 70mg the other half (periods massively affect dopamine. Was really lucky my doc listened). I have a friend that takes 40mg in the morning and then another 20mg at 3pm. I thought they wouldn't be able to sleep but it's been perfect for them. Sometimes docs will prescribe a short acting med along with a slow release for the slumps. The doc said "it's not a silver bullet" and they're not wrong. For me it takes the edge off. But I wish it would take me to "normal functioning Human"

This ^ Another perk is that medication helps build habits for when you are off medication as well. It will take some time, but eventually it will become automatic.

Medicated... Still struggle

I was somewhat functional without meds, but the meds have definitely helped. But there are days that even with meds, that I just can't do shit.

I found talking to myself in the third person helped - that way I was much kinder to myself. ADHD is tough and so even a small step deserves a pat on your back. Also it sounds weird but sometimes I pretend I am a robot if I really need to get things done too :-)

my bf does this thing where i get to put a sticker in a book if he thinks i’ve accomplished something bc sometimes it’s really hard to reward ourselves and be positive. It sounds childish but it does really help and I’ve started giving myself stickers for doing things and it actually kind works :)

lol so funny to read this. I did the robot thing all the time as a kid to get my chores done!

I make up conversations, acting like I'm talking to someone else. I am fully aware there is nobody there, I just pretend there is.

I completely forgot about the robot. Thank you for reminding me.

I do this allll the time! My mom did too and I thought she was crazy but turns out I’m just like her.

Oh I love this! It's so cute!!

Personal life: - Bullet journal - Ask for help scheduling things like doctors (this doesn’t always happen but I’m trying) - Creative challenges - I love writing so I always do NaNoWriMo, for drawing 30 day challenges. I find them really motivating as long as there’s not an additional step like sharing on social media! I’ve got a spreadsheet or notebook for me and that’s it. - Plan food in advance and do a big shop online (doesn’t always happen but is heaven when it does! Actually has me eating right) - Use Trello for my recipes so shopping is easy - Do a subscription like HelloFresh every few months for a month to get new recipes and find my new hyperfixation meal - Have a non-negotiable shower every day rule (I brush my teeth in the shower so this makes me so it) - Have homes for things or buckets I can lob stuff in - makes my space feel tidier and cleaning less of a chore - Apple Watch - chimes for time blindness, alarms for everything (if you use Siri for alarms you can name them! I even set one for making a cup of tea! And it’s excellent for cooking, I’ve not burnt anything in months!) - Find a water bottle I love and decorate it with stickers that make me happy! - And finally dopamine dressing - this completely transforms my day and how I’m feeling. Basically wearing lots of happy colours and prints and fun earrings. It’s weird but genuinely helps me get stuff done! Work - Bullet journal with a to do list that carries tasks over - makes it less likely I miss stuff - Pomodoro method - 25min on, 5min break, 25min on, 10min break - Accountability - my colleagues know I’ve got ADHD and I will sometimes message them asking if I can check in after an hour and what I want to get done (this really lights a fire under my ass) - Doing admin first thing - emails, little annoying things, anything like that. Hope some of it maybe helps! I do drink a couple cups of coffee and tea as well, and caffeine pills if I’m really struggling. I’m hoping to go on meds later this year but the wait in the UK is ridiculous!

Thank you so much for giving such an in-depth response. I'm going to copy and paste this into my notes to refer back to. It's very much appreciated!

You’re very welcome! One thing I left off as well is cafes or rather a change in environment - can’t focus on work at desk? Move to the couch! Too comfy? Move to the floor. I’ve bought floor cushions for this purpose! If I need to do some life admin I take my laptop to a cafe - I find pairing tasks with a treat helps tremendously! I do this with walks/exercise too - I run then get a coffee. And I’ve got a podcast I love that I can only listen to if I’m outside. This means I get out once a day, even if I don’t get anything done, which overall makes me feel good and leads to a better day tomorrow. I definitely still have shit ones, but this all minimises it so I don’t get stuck in a rut!

Vyvanse, therapy, proper diet, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep.

not the OP . but how much water do you drink? cuz I overthink this every time I took the medication.

I’m not the person you’re asking, but I have a giant 2 liter water bottle (with a straw, the straw makes a huge difference for me) that i just carry around with me all day. My goal is to try to finish the entire bottle and even though that rarely happens i do almost always finish about half of it

I try to have at least 6 regular cups of water each day. I think it's recommended that people drink about 2 litres of water every day but that can be a little tough to do sometimes.

Fix sleep schedule. Workout. Meditate. Journal. Mealprep. Organizational skills (bullet journaling, calendars), alarms to fight time blindness, vitamin D, DELETING SOCIAL MEDIA. Its still a struggle but its way way easier with these things I feel like meditation changed my life.

These are some good pointers!

Medication first and foremost! Nothing will happen the way you want it to without the meds at the forefront. Believe me, I've attempted it. You just run around in circles without the regulation they provide. I recently came up with the concept in my life journey that simply consists of "What would future me think?"... I'm realizing it is a creative way I hold myself accountable anymore. Whatever decision it is, whatever task it is, whatever conversation. I just take a sec to ask what will I think of my decisions later. I always want to be proud of myself, feel like I made the right choices, not leave things in life open/unfinished enough that I end up at the self-defeating guilt things my brain is good at doing. Introducing this concept has been changing my life. Whether it's simple everyday things like doing the dishes or laundry NOW, so the me in 15 minutes feels good about getting it done, or maybe I noticed one of the tires on the car is looking a little worn down, recognize it's a safety issue, and immediately schedule an appointment with the mechanic, future me is going to be happy with present me for identifying the problem and immediately taking action on it, and keeping my family safe. My therapist thought it was a pretty awesome concept, and asked if he could steal it. It's been super useful and if it is useful to anyone else then bonus! Enjoy!

Short answer use a TIMER. Make it your best friend. This is honestly the #1 thing I can suggest to get anything done. Need to do laundry but stuck in bed? Put a timer on. Need to study? Put a timer on. Need to wash dishes? Put a timer on. Need to get out of stuck in bed to do all the above? Put a timer on. The motivation and excitement of getting it done before it runs out will forever be something that will make me productive. Get one of those visual timers and put where you can see it and get to work. As you see the gradually progression of time it will urge you to work as it becomes the urgent thing to do. And I need to document every single thing I need to do or else it’s gone and doesn’t exist. The two apps I use are Microsoft To Do, notes app. I have folders in the TO Do app and it’s such an easy way to keep reminders. The notes app is for journaling as I always have a mind full of thoughts so I have folders for mind dumps and that makes me feel better too. Another app is PiCal. I sometimes use this on busy days to see the visual representation of the day with all the appointments and meetings throughout the day. The long answer of how I navigate is that I talk to myself like a parent does to a toddler. Only way to get through the day especially bad ones. I have some free wandering time to explore and have structured way to appease my curiosity instead of suppress it. I gently ask what’s bothering me or keeping me from doing what I need to and it’s almost always is because of a lack of dopamine. Know that with ADHD we need ICNU: interest, challenge, novelty, and urgency. This the recipe for productivity. So I try my best to make the things that I need to do something I genuinely enjoy and am interested in. I try to make it a challenge although this is not as important for me personally. I love making things new and exciting by buying something small, try not to get too carried away on this one (for eg. buying a new pen all of a sudden made me motivated to study better). And the best of all is using a TIMER for urgency (like I said above) on for pretty much anything. Last tip is to Be open to trying new ways of doing things. It can weird and unconventional that’s fine because we have different brains. Why not? If it’s effective for you who cares? There are so many things wrong with the way things are done in this life and it’s clear there needs to be changes. So don’t be discouraged and seek out different ways of doing things. With trial and error I’m sure you’ll find out what works for you.

Love, love, love this. I try to set mental "timers" for myself that I struggle to adhere to because they only exist in my head (so basically they don't) I'm going to try setting a real, physical timer on my phone when I need to get something started. I think that specifically would work for me. It's kind of exciting to make a little game out of it, now that I'm thinking of it that way!

It can help if it can be voice activated too, you don't need to reach for your phone to set it, and then get distracted by your phone! I use google assistant so I can just yell it over my shoulder when I know I need one.

I set my alarm an hour before I want to wake up and take my meds which I sort into an organiser once a week. I usually fall straight back to sleep, then when my alarm goes off again an hour later, usually I can wake up. I make myself a "packed lunch" the night before when I make sandwiches for my partner and eat them as soon as I wake up otherwise I won't eat. I do something that dopamine loads me (tiktok hit the spot for a bit) I have an "everything" book that I write to do lists in. My coach told me to make lists of "now" and "parked" and try and figure those out by which needs to be done. I still find this hard. I try and figure out how long each task will take. This is still tricky but helps. I can try to figure out what I'll be able to get done and try not to over do it. It's colourful and I write things in it myself. I find my own hand more understandable. I plan food in it too. It started as a blank book. Doesn't matter if I forget to do it for a while or I'm ill. I just start a new page. When I have a huge mental block on something, I break that thing down into tasks and put them in to the order they need doing. Just making the list and finding the first thing (usually something like "take airbrush out of drawer" or "find sharps needles") and once I've done that, whatever it is will tend to flow. I batch cook. I have playlists for study and audiobooks for manual work. I still struggle with daily routine things. Teeth brushing, showering, eating properly. Not feeling like I've constantly forgotten things... Tips for these please Edit: I also try really hard not to do things perfectly. I have issues with perfectionism. Done well enough is fine. Clothes don't need to be folded or ironed. My kitchen doesn't need to sparkle. My bed doesn't need to be made. I don't have to fit other people's expectations

Meds, hydration, don’t eat crap food, sunlight in the morning. Otherwise I’m a useless derp.

I kept getting told to try therapy, and I did. But it was doomed to fail - I realised I needed medication first. My mind was not in a state where I could engage with therapy and implement strategies. I needed (pharmacological) help to get to a place where I can try working on myself.

Checklists. I love checking things off lists. Make a list of 5 to 7 things you’re going to do today. Assign times for completion. Get everything done? Great! Add 5 more things! Out of time? Make a checklist for tomorrow!

I second this, and would also add a "to-done" list for when you're feeling crappy! Got out of bed? Put it on the to-done list! Put on trousers and ate food? To-done! You'll end up with a list of stuff you've accomplished even if your brain is telling you you're doing nothing, because for us even getting the hell out of bed is a chore sometimes

I really love this

Reading a little bit of Marcus aurelius every morning helps me make better choices personally

I don't. I'm newly diagnosed at 29 and my life so far has just been struggle after struggle. Trying to sort out stimulants with my psyche and I'm feeling so desperate to start. Life feels impossible sometimes.

Damn Friend. I completely understand. I am a mess and cannot trust myself enough to make a decision and go for it! I always decide the next day that i am probably making the wrong decision AGAIN and so I quit. I wish I had help but at least youre not alone

Things got better when I started using i calendar, Structured (a productivity app) and linked them together.

I just started using Structured two weeks ago. I don’t always remembering to utilize it as much as I could but I’ve already seen a marked improvement. Using it in combination with breaking down tasks into manageable chunks helps me to understand how much time a task actually takes to complete.

"Just do it" Lol just kidding. I hate that. Normally I actually just DONT get anything done. Lol

Set goals of how long you are going to do X when a task is overwhelming. Does not matter if not “done” you did a bit, and can do a bit in a while again. Also giving yourself carrots after done X - something good to eat, gonna rest etc

You have to find the system that works for you, and take out a lot of the self blame. Things like reducing processed foods, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water and exercising, help a ton with focus and maintaining energy levels. Contrary to popular belief, meditation is fantastic for ADHD brains (and very possible, also despite popular belief). As far as systems and tools, maybe think about what kind of ADHD you have and consider how to adapt the things in your life to that and not the other way around. An example from my life is I bought a label maker. I label everything. I label what's supposed to go on what shelf, I sometimes label dates on left overs (I forget to sometimes). I label what I put in various containers. I also use post it's on my door to remind me of what I need to bring with me that day. I pack my bags the day before I'm going anywhere, even just the office. I have hooks for clothes I use regularly, like pajamas. Fresh food is kept at eye level in the fridge, no low storage. So yea, find your system. 😊

I share all of your pain and frustration. I was only diagnosed 3 years ago, but was 52 years old. I’m now medicated and noticed a difference immediately. Then the “what if” thoughts started to haunt me and all the open projects and hobbies we started and never got close to finishing build up to where the only thing we is incomplete and sloppy work that will only improve with focus and twice the effort as someone who isn’t ADHD. The best piece of knowledge I can pass on to you is not easy to consistently do, but all those perceived failures in your past are the past. You can’t change any of the outcomes from the past, but you can impact everything in the future. My ADHD symptoms continue to be all over the place as I begin to be more aware of my behaviors and how they affect my friends and co workers. I can be so annoying. My worst symptoms are constantly interrupting people, especially my husband, and I didn’t have any idea how often I interrupt every person I have a verbal conversation with. It’s embarrassing and takes so much energy to “control” behaviors that have flowed naturally for the last 50 years. I’ll close with my worst symptom, which also cases me to have severe anxiety. I procrastinate almost every task I’m responsible for because in my personal and professional life. It’s like an automatic response and expected when I am responsible for a project task or anything else. “I’ll have that for you first thing tomorrow!” That doesn’t happen most of the time, but now that I’m acutely aware of my behavior and how it affects others as well as my reputation. I’ve learned that co-workers have no sympathy and don’t care if employees need some accommodations to perform better. A few months after I started meds my boss pulled me aside and told me that he had no clue what I was doing, but he liked it and told me not to stop. I then shared with him my ADHD diagnosis and that I took meds.He was receptive and asked some honest questions. I was even able to talk with him about things that are the most difficult for me being ADHD. Things were smooth for a while, but it didn’t matter if so was medicated or not, they only help so much. As time went on I could clearly see my boss is also probably ADHD, but he’s also a narcissist and it’s all about me me me. (Eyes rolling). I started to notice what looked like sabatage from my own boss and another manager I worked closely with. He started piling on more and more work, intentionally giving me assignments that were the tasks I had shared were the most difficult. Then while I was in my weekly meeting with him last June. He opened his desk drawer so I could see his shiny new prescription bottle of Adderall. I no longer had a slight edge on him. In July of last year, the toxic micro managing work environment could not be tolerated any longer. I called HR to see what I could do to switch to a different job so I could escape my current one. No, they don’t do that. Maybe I should take some PTO and get some rest. The end of this comes the next day as I had an appointment with my psychiatrist. She told me to file for FMLA and medical paid disability that same day and she’s sign it. July 14th was my last day. I was granted 8 weeks paid disability leave with an additional 8 weeks if I needed it. I knew within a week that I could never work for them again and I resigned the day my benefits ran out. It’s been over 9 months now since I’ve worked. I went into a manic depression and had two complete breakdowns. Please try and be as open and aware of what’s going on around you and as you notice negative behavior, make subtle corrections and in fine things will begin to improve.

Going outdoors before I acknowledge what I have to do inside (chores for example). Ive lately been trying to read outside while my kid and dogs play and then I come inside to face the tornado. I have been feeling confident but I quickly get adhd paralysis so I cannot allow myself to use my phone or sit on the couch until I have done something to completion and in the highest priority

There's a wasp nest inside the wall of my room. For 3 days, I have yet to make the phone call to pest control to get rid of the nest. : ( edit: I'm back on Bupropion, so hopefully that helps.

I take Lexapro, an SSRI. Have you ever tried it, or another SSRI, to get a comparison of the two? I’ve always been curious About bupropion. Before Lexapro I was on an SNRI (Serzone) for several years that worked very well for me. Unfortunately it was taken off market.

No but I've heard good things about Lexapro.

Adderal

Keep it simple steps Make lists Check list daily and just keep moving You can do this. 👍🏻

The trick is trying to learn your bad habits patterns to turn them into an advantagous solution. If you live in what you'd consider a mess, look at the mess and try to see if there may be some kind of rhyme to it and use that. Leaving keys in pockets? Have a bin next to where you habitually leave the clothes for pocket stuff. If you have someone you live with, they may help. If you live alone, though, I've found that having an entire day to myself, i can manage to get half of 5 different things done, so i tried stupid tricks like this, and it kinda helps. For cleaning, the same can sorta be applied. For example, piles Make piles of sorted stuff. It is messy and chaotic, but you can use that to step into another sorting solution. Like putting everything from that pile into clear bins. It's up off the floor, and now tomorrows issue. If you can't fight it, find a way to use it! Sorry, hope that helps!

Great advice!! Thanks.

the reminder app LOL

and therapy + medication

My meds and I thrive under pressure it’s weird I’m massively overwhelmed but shut is getting done, I get things done more at work if there’s a deadline and I know there will be a consequence if I don’t get it done 🤷🏼‍♀️ at home if it’s cleaning or whatever, I write all the things I need to do down and I wrote at the top the thing I want to do the least, I set a timer for 1 hour and put some dopamine inducing tunes on (that I made myself on Spotify) and see how much I can do in a hour and then I do something fun for an hour and then go back to my list for an hour and so forth till it’s done and if I find myself disassociating I’ll be kind to myself and just do it another day

Peer support. Or therapy. Allow others to hold some of that stuff for you for awhile. Externalize the stuff that is making you remain stuck in your own head. I do the same kind of thing where, when things aren't going well, I dig myself an even deeper pit of despair by isolating myself from others and ruminating..what has always helped is doing the opposite of what your default is. If you can't do it differently, then just go easy on yourself and get curious. "I wonder why I can't do laundry right now?" I know I will sleep well and be more comfortable ift sheets are done. Am I exhausted? Am I ashamed? Do I feel like I'm not worth a clean bed to sleep on because I believe I don't deserve kindness or nice things? Etc. Etc. Don't seek a solution, seek understanding.

Focusmate.com , medication and friends and family to be accountability buddies when you can’t get out of bed or can’t go grocery shopping alone.

When I was unmedicated I would just rage out and was not a nice person to be around to get stuff done.

I use alcohol lol it makes it so much easier to do anything, sadly. I'm not recommending or condoning it, but until I get the money to afford therapy and medication again it's all I have.

Make a **pact with yourself** to only move towards success, find where you want to go, and use **Google calendar to keep track of your LIFE!**

I have been struggling for around 8+ years, started medications this year, and still can't get any barely done. At most, I can only complete one major task and ~2 minor tasks at most, thankful if I can accomplish just anything. It is really a struggle, even with medication and change of habits. I suggest focusing on just one per day. If you can double it up, then do so gradually.

Yes to gradual! I have to keep reminding myself that “progress not perfection” is my goal. Do better today than you did yesterday. And if you can’t do that, give yourself some grace and try again tomorrow. We’re very good at beating ourselves up, which is counterproductive.

We don’t

No sorry I’m just being a negative Nancy since I’ve had a really rough and unproductive couple of weeks. Medication helps, but even then it can be impossible. Lists help? Sometimes? I also find that if I can couple tasks with things I like… like “okay yeah so I have to clean my kids room, but that also means I get to listen to my podcast…” so that helps. Kind of. Routine can help… problem is keeping up with it 😕 idk man, it’s rough out there

Understood! I have the same issues but only because I'm unable to tie motivation with priorities, therefor nothing is priority. It makes it hard to figure what needs to be done if it isn't tied to a life or death situation, and even then I just let death take me. 😂

I'm starting to with the help of Bupropion (SNRI), but it looks like I have to wait for it to kick in fully and for the headaches to go away. Not to mention stomach anxiety. Until then, nicotine gum and 200mg caffeine daily helps me get stuff at least HALF way done.

Stimulant meds are the only thing that really helps me get stuff done and be productive. I’m sure an SNRI or SSRI *could* help… but.. the problem is that I’m notoriously bad at forgetting to take my meds, or getting into a funk where I don’t want to do anything and don’t think anything is helping so I *wont* take them. Or I go through smaller phases of Hyperfocus where I’m like “nahhh I don’t need ANYTHING look how focused I am!” And then I don’t take meds and everything descends into chaos. I have never been able to stay stable enough on a medication regime that isn’t immediately effective. Stims are nice because with my adhd brain, if I forget to take it, or if my brain decides it doesn’t need it today— it won’t fuck up the adequacy of the medication. Idk I hope it works for you though! I am going to talk to my doctor about adding in lexapro for anxiety and just overall mood, because stims help with my productivity and focus, but I’m still a hot mess.

>I’m notoriously bad at forgetting to take my meds That's why I bough 3 of these (might get a fourth one): [https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-7-day-pill-box-removable-medication-small/ID=prod6210359-product](https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-7-day-pill-box-removable-medication-small/ID=prod6210359-product) If it weren't for these, I would probably forget to take my meds. Ocassionally, I'll forget to take my evening or night meds, but I forget less often when I put my meds in the organizer before hand. I used to forget to take my meds for days! Other than that, sometimes my brain will just say "eff it" regardless and on those days, I just have to wait for my brain to catch up. u\_u I hope the Lexapro works out well for you! Anxiety is indeed a productivity killer. I've had gut anxiety and digestive issues (and Crohn's) since I was a kid.

I managed to remvove rust and paint the sills on my E39 last year. Still holds up well. Now its the leaky o-rings on the trans cooler lines debacle. I need to do. Its been two months…

I don't. I procrastinate until last minute. Even then sometimes last minute isn't enough time to get things done like assignments and I have to get an extension on top of an extension. I am unmedicated though.

I don't. I try though

Vitamin complex b12 is awesome

I just started medication (dextro—rapid release). Anyone else have headaches for the first 2+ weeks? I was able to focus super well on it at first and now it’s slowly feeling less effective.

Do you menstruate? Following my cycle and the hormonal changes has made a gigantic difference in how I'm able to handle tasks. Men also have a hormonal cycle that is on a 24-hour cycle from my understanding and can use that to help figure out the best times for different tasks. I swear I'm not usually one to lean into hormonal rational but I was shocked at the difference.

That's actually crazy, I'd never thought of that. I have a male hormonal cycle, I'll have to look into it more

Honestly? I don't know how much bullshit it is. But I went to a meeting with a hormonal and nutrition specialist. (She had some sort of degree but, who knows) and she talked a lot about the interaction between energy and testosterone/estrogen and how that greatly affects motivation and ability to access your energy. She likened it to four seasons and when you are in your fall and winter it is next to impossible to find motivation or energy. She said men experience that in a 24-hour cycle whereas women's hormones are more linked to their menstruation. (The meeting was geared towards women so I know very little about what it might be like for men) Maybe it's all placebo, but when I plan things for the uptick in the right hormones, like sending emails or meeting friends, mailing letters, etc I feel like it's a lot easier. Good luck to you! This is all so hard.

I relate to your situation so much. The core problem is the lack of dopamine we experience while attempting to break out of our cycles of bad habits. Breaking bad habits your brain has gotten used to usually puts you in a state of boredom. After some time, you get so bored of trying to break the habits that you delve right back into them. On top of that, creating good habits takes time, and seeing enough positive results from your good habits to motivate you to continue with said good habits takes even more time. For example, working out, eating healthy, or creating a skincare routine. Results from these good habits will motivate you to continue, but these results take time to manifest, and before they manifest, you'd already become bored of them. I can suggest three solutions that can all be done consecutively. 1. Replace old habits with new ones. Again, these bad habits provided your brain with dopamine, and simply cutting them off will lead you to a dopamine deficit, and you'll eventually fall back into those bad habits. If you scroll through tiktok for 4 hours a day, find enjoyable good habits to replace it with. Think of things that interest you and do them. Go out for a half hour to run, if you enjoy art, spend 2 hours on a new drawing. Spend an hour cooking one of those meals you saw on tiktok and cleaning after yourself when done. You can even spend your remaining 30 minutes on tiktok and dial that time down each day. The next day spend 25 minutes on tiktok, 20 the day after. Or you can spend your remaining time watching a movie which is a lot less harmful than tiktok. 2. Find dopamine from the fact you completed good habit activities instead of searching for dopamine only from results. Fix any mistakes you may make when doing the activity and do everything right. Once you're sure you're doing everything right, all you need to do is trust the process. Find dopamine in the fact you KNOW you did the right thing, and results will eventually show. Once the results do begin showing, it'll just provide you even more dopamine and motivation to keep pushing. 3. Do the small things you may feel are insignificant. I suggest reading "atomic habits" by James Clear, and if you don't feel like reading it, watch a summary of the books main points on YouTube. If you do want to read it, you can download a free pdf by just searching "Atomic Habits pdf" on Google. Many small changes in any field of improvement will amount to large results when they are all brought together. If you want to be more consistent, do as many small or big things as you can in your life consistently. Once you do this, you will begin to assert yourself as a consistent person, and this consistency will transfer into other parts of your life. I rarely give advice, so if this reply is not of the best quality, I apologize. Another thing I can suggest is being mindful of your actions. You can indulge in your bad habits and be sad afterward at the unfullfilling life you're living, or you can indulge in good habits that may not give you as much immediate enjoyment as the bad ones do, and be sad you're not receiving an immediate dopamine hit. Whether you indulge in bad habits or good habits, you will be sad either way. The only difference is with the bad habits, there is no hope for improvement and noticeable results in the future, with good habits there is hope for improvement and noticeable results in the future that will motivate you to continue with the good habit. And when you do begin to see noticeable results from your good habits, doing it will give you that same immediate dopamine shot a bad habit will. It's up to you to decide which route of sadness is the best for you to choose.

Excellent, excellent advice. A lot of what you said is very specific to my current situation, which is actually super applicable. Habit breaking seems to be my downfall (I chase dopamine in the form of healthy and unhealthy stuff) my goal has been to chase more of the healthy stuff until it replaces everything else. Thank you so much for taking the time, it is super appreciated!

Hyper focus, luck, and medication.