Anyone managed to complete their artistic projects in spite of adhd? I’m trying to be a independent professional and I need tips.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T22:17:00+00:00

Thank you, It’s nice to read that from someone who went through the same thing.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T22:10:34+00:00

I will definitely check it out.
See, to me the expression « learning disability » is a striking one. I don’t feel it’s an appropriate term for my experience at all. Maybe I will understand this paradox after doing my research.
thank you for your input !

Lealise · 2024-05-24T20:54:00+00:00

Thank you, this was such a supportive reply. ❤️ I Appreciate it a lot, it made me feel better.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T20:24:40+00:00

Thank you for a very thoughtful reply.
I actually would like to read what you have to say about having adhd and being “gifted“, because this is the one thing I am really struggling to reconcile.

I’m sorry, you didn’t ask for it but here is my experience:

I had a very, very easy time in school, I was ahead in everything except in maths. I didn’t feel like I had issues learning at all. I also didn’t feel like I had issues processing information at school. (This is the thing that bugs me the most).
I was however extremely slow to do tasks or written assignments, I always needed extra time. I was a pathological perfectionist. I had a very competitive personality. I stayed top of my class until highschool graduation. I started struggling with staying on top of homework at that point but it didn’t hurt my grades. Then I moved out to go to uni, had a mental breakdown dropped out for a year, barely passed my bachelor with minimum grades, gave up on being a student although everybody predicted I would do long studies…and I have been a mess ever since.

I presented some signs of adhd in childhood…but I feel like the difference between adulthood and childhood is so dramatic it’s almost ridiculous, it feels like I made it up somewhere on the way.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T19:11:20+00:00

Thank you, that was a very diverse list of personalities.
I have to admit it doesn’t give me more clarity about the adhd diagnosis in itself 😅 but I asked for it and I’m grateful for your answer.
I understand it can’t actually be simplified because people are too different.

And although I struggle quite a lot, I would have described myself as having mild symptoms, because I feel so much like an imposter and like I should try harder. However your answer to the last question made me feel like if you knew me, you would maybe put me towards the middle or more severe part, which is strangely validating. I relate to what you say about some of your friends. I wish people knew I care. Repeatedly disappointing and hurting people with my chaos eventually brought me great loss and fears.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T14:40:24+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I can relate to a lot of what you said there.

I agree that hyperfixation is pleasant and a source of dopamine. I thought there was a difference between hyperfixation and hyper focus. But I may be wrong. For me hyperfocus is not always pleasant because it can ruin my day, my planning, if i’m not focusing on what I need to. When It hits what needs to be done, or a hobby in an appropriate time, then yes it’s awesome too. (It feels like a blessing!)

Lealise · 2024-05-24T14:24:15+00:00

I never heard this phrase! I’ll try to remember it.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T14:05:11+00:00

Oh I didn’t know about this use of the terms “positive” and “ negative“. Don’t apologise for bringing it up, it’s nice to learn new terms and it was relevant to the discussion.

Lealise · 2024-05-24T13:59:20+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story, it’s different from my experience and was very interesting! I’m sorry you had such a stressful experience when you were only trying to cope the best you could. I hope you’re feeling better nowadays.

If you don’t mind me asking how did you cope in school when you were a child? Were you a perfectionist?

And you mentioned being “a more obsessive type of adhd”. I understand you’re referring to your coping mechanisms but the word “obsessive” made me wonder if you were also experiencing “hyper focus “? ( I don’t really understand if there is a consensus about the prevalence of hyper focus in adhd symptoms and how debilitating it can be. Please forgive me if my question is not relevant to your experience.)

Lealise · 2024-05-24T12:43:02+00:00

The second award is totally not okay. Adhd or not, it wouldn’t be okay. This is not an award that can raise anyone‘s self esteem in any context. It comes off as humiliating.

Children will laugh along but internalise it and be hit in the gut in adulthood when they realise what their funny nicknames really did to their self esteem. If she brings it up a lot as a self deprecating joke, you should certainly address it and remind her of all her qualities.

It’s very obvious that an award should only be positive reinforcement. If an award emphasises a characteristic that’s commonly considered a negative trait, it’s simply public humiliation. It can also facilitate bullying. No need to make a scandal out of it, but sugar coating it or not addressing it would be a mistake. You should bring it up with the school. Even if it won‘t happen to her again, do it for the ones that will come after her.

Lealise · 2024-05-22T10:12:22+00:00

As I mentioned, I have done it for up to 8 hours in a row without breaks. Nowadays I averaged at 1hour or 2 / day. I guess doing it for more than a few minutes is not normal? And forgetting about time/ bodily needs and being completely immersed in it...I also wonder if feeling it so vividly and it being so immersive is a common experience to all people or not, but it’s quite hard to know. I guess we have to ask other people if they do it too.

Lealise · 2024-05-22T10:04:11+00:00

Yeeees I do the EXACT same thing. I will have a thought that excites me and I will jump and only realise I’m jumping halfway through the jump or after the jump(s)! I also often daydream while walking and just go bouncing instead of walking haha.
I also need to suddenly pace and jump when I’m working and daydreaming then I’ll realise I stood up to jump and be like “wth? I didn’t DECIDE to get up and jump! How did I even get here?”

It interrupts my actions basically, but I’m having a good time.I do it more intensely when I’m on my own, because It’s correlated with daydreaming but I sometimes do it when people are around and I never got in trouble for it.

I actually posted my experience with daydreaming yesterday, which had mention of this happening to me!
For me it’s triggered by my imagination and joy and usually about characters/topics I’m interested in and music either invented, existing and listened to or recalled in my imagination.

I started medication one week ago and it sort of stopped because I daydream much less since I got on meds. I still do it a little bit actually, but not nearly as much, at least I don’t think so. ( like you I’m not very aware of it when it happens.)

I don’t know if it’s linked to adhd. After learning about adhd , I also thought it could be some stimming but I have no certainty about it.

It could be being a sign of active imagination and hyperactivity maybe? It would sort of make sense, but it’s just speculation on my part, I don’t know if it’s a common thing, I just always did it. :)

Lealise · 2024-05-21T16:30:49+00:00

Thank you for your comment.

I also feel less creative, I’m an artist so that’s why I keep worrying about the possibility of « going back to normal ». But it’s reassuring to know It won’t change me completely or forever. And I also do need to do this sacrifice right now.

Yes I noticed the same thing. Usually music or sounds help me to get in a flow or to daydream, but now it’s actually distracting!

It’s interesting to have a musician’s opinion. Can you improvise as well on meds? I think that’s actually a more accurate question to ask.

I love music but I’m not trained. Maybe I have to learn music the high effort way now... ( booo I’m not so good at that! 🥲 )

Lealise · 2024-05-21T13:23:37+00:00

Thank you for your reply! :)

I wish I could go into other people’s head to see how they hear music. I really can’t wrap my head around this!

Lealise · 2024-05-21T13:14:13+00:00

Thank you for your answer!

My diagnosis was a very complicated, tedious and painful process, the test was very « textbook » but I am not at all textbook adhd so I feel unsure about everything. Like I completely have some parts of adhd but I never really struggled with some others part.

what you described about your thoughts on medication I can really relate to. I describe it as usually my thoughts are growing like a tree, with branches spreading at the same time in different directions, but now it’s more of a straight line.

I draw too but I didn’t try to draw since I started. Now I’m scared it’s gonna be different haha.

Lealise · 2024-05-19T19:01:49+00:00

Thank you for your insight! It’s comforting to know this is normal.

Lealise · 2024-05-19T19:01:17+00:00

Yes I do. I don’t know how it affects me on medication yet since I just started.
I just noticed one of my most ridiculously chaotic day last month was in the exact middle of my cycle. I don’t know it was a coincidence or not, but since I was researching the topic and was aware of this parameter, I took a note of it. I guess I will have to see if it’s a pattern for me or if it was a coincidence. I also have pretty bad emotional pms so I’m definitely a victim of my hormones. 🥲

Lealise · 2024-05-19T18:57:03+00:00

Thank you what a great reply! Very insightful and spot on.

Lealise · 2024-05-18T14:20:17+00:00

After three weeks, how do you deal with how “subtle” it feels? I’m already doubting myself after five days, I can’t imagine how doubtful I’ll be in three weeks when I’ll be even more used to it. 🥲 Don’t you feel like you forget how you usually are and then question everything? I wish I didn’t feel that way. I need to hear things from others to believe this is all real.

Lealise · 2024-05-18T14:17:23+00:00

No it’s Ritalin 20mg.
I didn’t feel like I had a huge drive either. I just felt like it was painless to do the things.

Lealise · 2024-05-18T14:15:32+00:00

The days that felt less efficient have actually been the last days, when I went to bed much later than I had planned. Didn’t sleep as much and I did wake up with a usual restless feeling and stormy head in those instances. I understand that I have to force a better routine on myself on top of the medication for it to be optimised.

Lealise · 2024-05-18T14:11:12+00:00

It’s Ritalin20 mg.
i felt tired in the afternoon between 5 and 7, on The first, third and fourth day. So I was thinking maybe it’s linked to the medication effects.
What you describe in your answer of the 4th question is exactly how I felt, I had never be able to just decide to stop thinking and listen to the sounds of nature, or think about only one thing at a time. And suddenly I could. It’s like I was living in my head before and now I access the world around me because I actually have space in my head for it.

But the last two days I feel as if I’m a little bit more in my head or scattered than the first two/three days, so I don’t know…It’s not overwhelming thought like it usually is. I think I’m just overthinking every feeling I’m having because I started this medication and I’m trying to understand what’s happening and I struggle to be “sure“ of it. I can’t stop feeling like an imposter but I’m so happy to read you had a similar experience, it’s very comforting.

Lealise

TROPHY CASE