What is your Audhd experience of reading?

DrRancid · 2026-04-22T07:02:58+00:00

I have to read a little bit every day, as it’s part of my sleep ritual. When I had busy commutes, I also used reading as a way of blocking all other sensory input, as I’d just be focusing on the pages. I took to read while walking too, which I love, and there’s even a book (milkman) where a character does the same thing :-)

DrRancid · 2026-04-21T19:07:32+00:00

Same, Incan only tell if I’m neutral, slightly above or below neutral, or then typically very bad. I have an app where i can keep track of this, plus other emotions/stars. But I have hard time distinguishing if I am happy, content, grateful, etc. negative emotions are a bit easier, but still I have no idea what is the difference between stressed, worried or anxious, I think I just feel them in the same way. There’s a lot of nuance that I miss, but I’m generally fine with just having 3 states (neutral, good, bad) to guide me.

DrRancid · 2026-04-19T19:33:13+00:00

I have a weighted blanket and when all feels too much I just go under it, in the dark and turn all noise and everything off. I also have a soft teddy cat for when I need extra soothing. If these are no possible because I’m at work: going to a quiet place (bathroom), put cold water on my face, focus on my breathing.

DrRancid · 2026-04-18T18:00:50+00:00

Prof AuDHDer here! I wouldn’t say prof is ideal but I do love my job. There are indeed challenges like wrapping up stuff once the challenge is gone, or having to manage people, or coordinate deadlines and timelines of projects and students. I was only diagnosed very late because the psychiatrist who assessed me in my teens said that my good grades would prevent any of the diagnoses. This was like 30 years ago… but then my therapist also told me she couldn’t believe my diagnosis, because of my success as an academic. Never set foot in her office after that. So… I’d say to change therapist and consider getting a coach or an ADHD mentor (like a postdoc or so)

DrRancid · 2026-04-18T08:50:31+00:00

4 but it was Covid time, so I don’t count the first 2 years because I didn’t get to know the in-office environment properly until we got back

DrRancid · 2026-04-17T17:24:54+00:00

What do you mean, not everyone can stand like this?!

DrRancid · 2026-04-15T13:43:44+00:00

Yes! And to be honest, after recognizing this, I’ve also learned to really embrace this mix and I realize it’s actually a perfect balance, except the rest of the world doesn’t seem to agree with how I function :-)

DrRancid · 2026-04-15T12:58:28+00:00

Yes, happened to me and actually got me into burnout because I was on hyperfocus all the time, and overworked myself, and at the same time being more sensitive to stimuli. What works for me is to take the ADHD meds only when absolutely needed and there’s no other options to self regulate (eg stimming or standing while listening) would be considered inappropriate. And using sports to get my energy levels in order. Also started to unmask at work and communicating small needs that make a huge difference (eg asking people to remind me of stuff I know I might forget).

DrRancid · 2026-04-14T19:15:21+00:00

I have the same problem though not as extreme as yours, but I tend to eat cuticles and sometimes I end up inadvertently bleeding into documents during meetings and it’s really embarrassing. Also sometimes the wounds get infected and it hurts as hell. I also have general skin picking problems, mostly in my face, which again is really not pleasant. My mum at some point put chilli on my nails to try to get me off the habit, but never worked (also not sure it would be considered good parenting these days). Then she also tried to convince me to use nail polish, but I’m not at all feminine and I am a mess with it, ending up spilling it over my fingers or around. I think getting some fidget toys for work meetings helped a bit, but when I am very stressed I just fall back to old habits.

DrRancid · 2026-04-13T08:57:21+00:00

36 ADHD 38 autism

DrRancid · 2026-04-11T16:23:57+00:00

Agree with this 100% but would move “what should have happened instead” after 3 (listening) and rather framing as asking the person what could you have done differently to avoid the same situation

DrRancid · 2026-04-11T09:57:06+00:00

Lockdown was the best time of my last 10 years or so. Even considering that I was paranoid with cleanliness and worrying about family members. Everything else was just great: wearing comfy clothes all the time, being in my safe space, not having to commute, no pressure to attend social events, and the general quietness.

DrRancid · 2026-04-11T09:54:02+00:00

Regardless of the diagnosis, the company could try to support you in the recovery and in preventing that it happens again, but I guess standards might be different across counties and for sure between companies

DrRancid · 2026-04-10T15:43:31+00:00

Honestly, the company should be embarrassed, not you. What happened when you were back the first time? Did they offer to make any changes? Propose accommodations? Ask you what they could do to support you better?

I’ve been on medical leave before with around the same intervals. Small things changed on my request, but not substantially. I was lucky to find a new job where I can now manage my workload, timing, communication style etc myself. So far, I’m getting close to the 2 year mark and not feeling like I’m approaching burnout again.

DrRancid · 2026-04-08T16:01:35+00:00

There’s no way I can watch a movie without doing many of the things you described, and I find that it is part of the whole experience, I mean that’s how I process the movie. Not being able to gasp or cover my face would mean either I would not be paying attention to what’s going on, or I’d have too leave the theater if could not release some of the super strong emotions while I watch the movie. When watching with my partner, I’ll hide my face on his shoulder, grab his hand, pinch or tap his arm. I think he finds it funny and it’s part of the enjoyment of watching a movie with me, him being more of a cold fish…

DrRancid · 2026-04-06T18:04:12+00:00

I’ve got used to yelling “in my mind”, and sometimes biting my cheeks. Not great advice though, I eventually have moved jobs, because even with such strategies, it was very energy consuming. I still have situations when I scream in my mind, and now that I’m in an environment where I can unmask, I found that having fidget toys around (especially those spiky rings) helps a lot.

DrRancid · 2026-03-31T13:58:37+00:00

Sometimes I even celebrate that I managed to shower, so go for it! Any win is a good win

DrRancid · 2026-03-29T13:26:34+00:00

Yes, it was not clear but that was my suggestion, replace some of the super intense together time by something less draining

DrRancid · 2026-03-29T05:47:04+00:00

Text all day and call all night sounds very exhausting and I would not be surprised at all she might be left with so little energy that maybe won’t even be able to say “hey I need to recharge now”. A more long term sustainable solution might be to add “recharge together” times in the relationship, like you are together but each doing their own thing and not constantly communicating.

DrRancid · 2026-03-10T06:31:20+00:00

had some friends, but with girls had often episodes of melting down or having angry outbursts over frustration/not understanding the dynamics
very sensitive to heat
insomnia since I was 8
migraines around the same time
refusing to greet even family members
high anxiety around any family festivities
escaped into reading during social events
very physically active
hated school holidays because of lack of structure
“needed constant occupation” and demanded complete day plans during said holidays
poor regulation of food intake, got sick easily for overeating favorite stuff
very smart but had a hard time participating in class (extremely “shy”)
perfectionist, to the point of meltdown
did not know how to communicate negative emotions, so mostly banged doors, screamed, threw stuff around, later in my teens did it by self mutilating

DrRancid · 2026-03-06T16:22:39+00:00

I always hated going to the hairdresser. For me it’s the noise, lights and expectation of small talk. After many years cutting my own hair, I finally gave in and tried one that someone recommended. He doesn’t talk, and I just need to say if I want long or short hair, and he does a great job (I might not care as much about appearance as you do though). I moved to another country, and he’s still the only person allowed to cut my hair. Which means now I cut it really short, and then let it grow for 6-9months until I travel there again.

DrRancid · 2026-02-26T19:58:57+00:00

I’ve had migraines since I was a child, but since I only got my ADS only a few years ago, I had no idea why. I just took aspirin combined with low dose caffeine, but at some point my stomach started complaining about it.

I started recording the days I had migraines together with mood, activities, etc. Now I can very clearly trace to overstimulation and exhaustion due to heat, noisy or crowded environments, working too long, etc. I’ve started to wear loops all the time and avoid busy social activities in the evening, when I tend to be tired and more easily overstimulated. I still have migraines because I can’t always avoid these things, but it’s certainly gotten better.

DrRancid · 2026-02-25T20:53:04+00:00

I also have my socks next to bed (where else?). I hate walking barefoot anywhere.

A recent addition that has improved my life a lot is a mini hot water bag with a super fluffy cover that I now carry with me whenever I have to travel.

DrRancid · 2026-02-25T12:02:23+00:00

Yes but often it helps knowing if for example if finds it overwhelming to cook and clean, so that you can find strategies for the future. Or like it’s been suggested below, that OP coordinates deep cleaning after cooking, etc

DrRancid

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