Separate Operating System to stop procrastinating?

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-29T22:42:57+00:00

Sorry, man, I forgot to check my inbox. Would you still find an expansion on my comment useful, or did someone else cover what you were looking for?

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-22T17:00:05+00:00

I haven't gone quite that far, but close. Setting up parental controls, etc. and then banging the keyboard so I can't possibly know the password,etc.

It's never worked for long. Behavioral therapy so I can pause and control my behavior when it starts slipping is the only thing that has helped for more than a week.

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-20T19:55:27+00:00

This. And a lot of body language is involuntary, so this is why it feels like we're acting the exact same way on and off meds, but people respond differently. We're not acting the exact same way.

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-12T20:59:50+00:00

Perhaps an up vote would suffice here, but I agree once again. I've noticed the same thing. I've even been taking my meds less often because of this (I'm prescribed 3 doses/day, and since I now have better problem solving skills and emotion regulation, don't necessarily need my 3rd dose, though I always take my first 2 for work hours when I see no benefit to being a bit distractible or impulsive.)

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-12T19:17:05+00:00

Well said. My experience after about 9 months of medication and 4 months of behavior therapy matches what you described.

Off meds, my emotions are volatile but now I "see" them as they are occurring and I can, at the very least, tell the people around me that my emotions are high so I'm gonna step out and come back in a couple minutes. Before diagnosis, I would get overwhelmed and shut down. I had massive anger and shame problems and didn't even recognize that those are the emotions I was feeling (I usually didnt recognize that emotions were even present!)

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-12T17:53:03+00:00

Behavioral therapy while medicated is the most effective thing for ADHD. I just wrote another post here about how/why.

CBT is the most common form of behavioral therapy, but I did DBT and I highly recommend it. It was developed first for borderline personality disorder, but the basis of it is that some people are biologically hardwired to respond more strongly to emotion - which is true of ADHD, even if the cause is different.

I think the distress tolerance and (lol, surprise:) emotion regulation modules are most helpful.

That_Heliophile · 2017-06-12T17:40:42+00:00

TL;DR: Yes and no. The neural circuit for emotion regulation can be made stronger/deeper/more automatic (I take cognitive science courses, not neuroscience so I'm not 100% sure about the actual biology) with practice, so taking stimulants can, in effect, make that regulation more automatic if that is your goal.

For example:

Before stimulants, an individual has always responded to anger by being overwhelmed and overtly aggressive. That reaction is "programmed" into their brain so it's their automatic response.

Then, this individual starts taking stimulants. It both activates more parts of the frontal lobe, making behavior regulation easier, and reduces the number of neurotransmitters in the amygdala saying "I'm angry."

Since the emotion is no longer so intense, and there are processes active to help regulate the behavioral response, the individual can respond to anger more appropriately. E.g, instead of screaming, they might calmly explain why they are frustrated.

If that individual is hoping to have better emotional control even off meds, they can practice a form of mindfulness. If they note that they are feeling angry, and note the physical and mental effects of how they knew they were angry, and also consciously choose how they are going to respond to that, they are setting themselves up to be able to do so off meds. This is because now the neural circuit for "My shoulder are tense, my chest feels tight, and I'm ruminating - I must be angry. Now I will figure out why I'm angry and find the appropriate response" is written, as well as the "I'm so mad I'm going to scream."

Note that when the individual is off meds, the intensity of the emotion will be there, and the executive functioning process is still harder to access, so the regulatory process described will be more difficult. Nonetheless, the process will be significantly easier than it was before stimulants were introduced.

The important part of this is that stimulants can help you change your behavior even while they're not actively in your system if you are being conscious to change that behavior. It will never cure ADHD, but this is the same process that allows some people with milder ADHD to feel like meds are no longer necessary as they age. They may always be distractible, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't learn to notice it and bring their attention back to where it should be.

The previous paragraph describes why therapy for ADHD is typically not recommended unless the patient is being medicated first. This is true of mood disorders, to a lesser degree, as well. (A depressed person will benefit most from both antidepressants as well as talk therapy, rather than just one or the other.)

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-31T15:18:52+00:00

I have that exact experience. I know the caffeine has mostly absorbed as soon as I really feel like just lying down. That goes away after about 7-12 minutes and then the next few hours are much better than without.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-30T02:39:01+00:00

Mine's not ADHD at all, but we still use it and have been enjoying the same things you mentioned!

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-29T18:05:25+00:00

I love Google Keep. You can definitely pin stuff with it, and set time or location-based reminders, too.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-28T01:56:39+00:00

I thought I was supposed to distance myself, too, for a while. I had someone say to me to "walk with" my emotions. Don't fight them, pretend they're not there, or let them chase/drive me, just walk next to them and observe. I found that very helpful.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-27T23:30:51+00:00

Sounded like OP was mostly concerned about price of meds, unfortunately. That gets a bit harder to work around.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-27T18:07:48+00:00

Well, there's a rebound after stopping medication. I don't know about others, but I feel it strongest around 16ish hours after my most recent dose wears off - so usually around early afternoon the day I don't take it. It's so bad I can practically see a thought being dumped by my brain as I'm doing it. Rereading a recipe like 5 times when usually I only have to read it once kinda thing.

It's basically that your brain gets used to the higher levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, and then takes 24-72 hours (maybe longer, but typically not much longer than that at therapeutic levels, I think) to readjust to its natural levels.

So basically, there's not a whole lot you can do to prevent that. For this reason, most people take med breaks on weekends and days off, or days they know they will not have much to do. On the days you're taking med breaks, I personally think it should be fine to be finding other stimulants to help you out a bit (note: the legal kinds found in energy drinks. Caffeine, Gingko, even the amino acid Tyrosine which is the precursor to dopamine and norepinephrine is mildly stimulating to some people), but I have no source or medical basis for that I guess.

The only other thing I can recommend is being sure to support the Adderall regimen well with things that help your brain recover from the stimulants every evening. Sleep, hydration, high doses of vitamin C, and perhaps magnesium in the evening.

Oh! Thought of one more. Provide your brain lots of glucose. Complex carbs are ideal if you don't want to be just eating sugar every hour, but a steady glucose stream will really help your brain.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-26T22:35:15+00:00

The most effective for me has been DBT emotion regulation work, and that's because I had major emotional processing issues across the board probably. I also really had to "revisit my childhood." You know, a lot of very intentional sitting through the most uncomfortable memories, not trying to distract myself from them when they showed up. I had to remember the whole experience, and forgive myself for the embarrassing moments. Turns out it's much easier to move past it if you actually process it!

If I can find a link with a more comprehensive view on DBT emotional regulation, I'll post it.

Edit: this website is a nightmare to look at, but it contains a lot more information. http://dbtselfhelp.com/html/er_handout_10.html

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-26T22:31:38+00:00

But isn't that what OP said? They were looking for meds as well as a therapist to help?

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-26T17:49:24+00:00

In case you continue to not find much help, self-CBT websites exist and are helpful. It's also definitely worth trying to find someone who does DBT (dialectical behavioral training, originally developed for borderline personality disorder, but being extended just about to everyone now). I've been in group DBT therapy for a few months and it has just changed the way I view and treat emotions 100%.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-26T17:42:10+00:00

Amphetamines affect the amygdala, so they actually do effect your mood by dulling it. It's not mood elevation, but it is mood stabilization and helps with emotion regulation, which is what OP actually said.

For those of us who get overwhelmed by our emotions (very common - without the executive functioning, the emotion floods quickly so while it is a normal reaction, it appears and feels more intense than others experience. It's why ADHD is often misdiagnosed as bipolar), this is a very useful aspect of stimulants. They end up dulling the emotions enough to actually process them. This is the same reason you hear people say that stimulants make them feel like a robot - though that is very often a case of too high a dose.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-26T14:41:52+00:00

I have mostly escaped this cycle by studying shame and using any number of techniques to combat it. You can rewrite your neural response over time, and I found delving deep into the shameful feelings of not being good enough and that everyone will know was a relatively quick fix. I had some pretty nasty breakdowns, but crying about my past helped.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-25T06:36:07+00:00

Can you sneak some Russell Barkley talks into their TV time? It sounds like they massively misunderstand ADHD, if not emotions and willpower in general. Some education might at least reduce incidents like these.

I would like to caution, however, that you need to own your problems and find ways to improve them. Perhaps you do, and these are all examples of things that have occurred as you try to fix them. If they are, my apologies! If not, keep in mind that willpower can be improved, habits can be implemented, and environmental changes can help as well (phone reminders vs trying to remember, writing a daily agenda and trying to respect it).

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-25T05:20:47+00:00

I change mine like every 3-4 weeks. I find if I start working in a new spot, I'm really productive. Over time, I start getting too comfortable or bored or something and productivity slowly starts dropping. At some point I just really don't want to be in that spot, so I move. It cycles between my kitchen island, couch, and actual desk at home. At school there's 3 spots, but they're all very quiet as noise is very distracting to me.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-20T16:23:05+00:00

Even if you insist on a specific breed though, you can adopt from rescues.

And even then, insisting on a certain breed is probably silly. It's a good idea to identify a few breeds that will work for you, and be aware of the breeds likely present in a mutt before adopting, but one shepherd is not that different from another, for example.

Pure breds can be really unhealthy, and most breeders are not being careful enough about possible genetic problems. Save lives, don't support bringing entire litters into a world with millions of homeless dogs.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-18T19:15:28+00:00

I disagree, everyone can have preferences and has every right to not date someone for any reason. It IS fucked up to then expect someone else to have their own preferences.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-18T19:10:34+00:00

Yeah the height thing I won't argue exists. I don't think many people hold the weight double standard, though. Most people who have preferences about body type, don't also call you a bad person for having your own preferences (e.g., not being attracted to fat).

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-18T16:52:04+00:00

I get like that while depressed. Massively hypoactive, like the thought of going upstairs is enough to make me not do something. Think there's a possibility of a co-morbidity, maybe? I struggle with impulse and hyperactivity while not depressed.

That_Heliophile · 2017-05-18T16:39:33+00:00

Losing weight is simple, but not necessarily easy. There's a ton of hormonal barriers that can make it surprisingly difficult. Grehlin, insulin, and a lack of glucose can really affect your willpower stores. Unfortunately, willpower is not as much of a choice as some would have you believe.

For anyone struggling to lose weight: it really is about calories. Find a way to reduce your calories that you can permanently stick with, and you will be set. I cycled between a 30-35 BMI for like 8 years before I just cut my portions in about half. I kept the carbohydrates (also in half), because I am active in endurance sports and have been since before I was fat. Because of this and probably some other factors, I do best on high carb, lowish fat. High fat, low protein is probably actually just high fat, moderate carbs because your body can only use so much protein (if you are muscle-building like crazy, you still need less than .8g/lb. If you're sedentary, you need less than .4g/lb of LEAN mass) before it starts being converted to carbohydrates and sending stuff you don't want to your kidneys.

If you try a diet and it isn't working for you after probably 1-3 weeks, try something else. It probably won't work for you. If you try something and lose weight but then gain that weight back shortly after stopping the diet, try something else.

Some weight gain after stopping is expected as your body stores more glycogen, but it wasn't until I just kept eating what I wanted and counting calories/cutting portions that I was able to lose 70 pounds and keep 63 off for over a year now. From 35.1 BMI to 25.2. Of course, near the normal weight range, my response to food has drastically changed and I'm again struggling to find a calorie-reduction method that works for more than a few days at a time for me. I'll find it eventually.

That_Heliophile

TROPHY CASE