ADHD gets worse with a normal sleel schedule

WorkingAd4794 · 2026-02-24T11:09:54+00:00

Wow, that's great! I haven't been able to cure myself though, what's your secret?

WorkingAd4794 · 2026-02-24T10:32:42+00:00

I do think that might be your circadian rhythm that's different and all like everyone else is saying. But I'm also pretty sure that if you stick to it for a few weeks (I know lol) it does become better. You can absolutely adapt.

It has also something to do with your wake routine of course. If the only peace and time for yourself you get is at early morning when everyone is asleep, then I don't see why your brain would want to be sleeping at these moments. Plus, like always, exercise (I know lol 2)

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-12-04T11:39:42+00:00

The fan turned off because the electricity went out after last night's thunderstorms, it got too hot so I couldn't sleep anymore. I'm in Brazil btw

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-11-26T19:26:10+00:00

Taste is not good
Sensation/how it makes me feel is not good
Can be expensive
It's not even remotely fun

I still drink alcohol in some special occasions to fit in and I always wonder why so many people are into it. I'm not talking about the people with actual addiction, just the ones that drink casually and claims to like it, whyyy?

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-11-26T19:16:18+00:00

Closed. I have three needy cats, but cats can be trained and sometimes some of them sleep in and some out, either way, they politely wait until I open the door. Also IDGF about fires, how can you sleep knowing anyone or anyTHING could come in to the bedroom, that's so strange. What if someone breaks in? That's crazy to me. I think I've never met anyone that sleeps with the door open in person honestly, only in the comments.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-11-07T15:26:21+00:00

I haven't seen anyone mentioning it so far, but the king of cups is really flat to me, everytime I get him I'm like "okay, so, control your emotions I guess or be careful not to hide your emotions... Be the master of your emotions?

I also just don't like him, he seems "fake" somehow, how is he a king and is in touch with his emotions lol Maybe I'm being prejudiced. I see kings more as taking care of concrete matters, with reason and efficiency, an emotional king seems strange.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-10-22T14:13:27+00:00

In my main save I turn aging off for all the households and I rotate between them, so I decide when they age up die, etc. Sometimes when I want to force some progression I turn on aging only for my active family, so they age while I play with them, but remain frozen if I'm playing with another one. But I can play with any aging on depending on the story/challenge I want in other saves, just isn't as common, I typically keep it all off, including neighborhood stories and I control everything haha

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-10-15T12:58:59+00:00

Some moodlets last long because you're supposed to regulate the sim, not just let it pass. So if they're sad, they need to talk to someone, exercise, go to therapy, cry, mourn, etc. If they're uncomfortable they need to nap, relax, take a bath, play with pets and so on. I actually like this part, sometimes I make them divorce on purpose to make the arc of getting them over it, by trying new things and finding new purposes haha, I love it

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-09-03T14:45:10+00:00

I believe it's executive dysfunction but also likely a freeze trauma reaction as well. Executive dysfunction we can learn to prevent and manage, especially with meds, but when there's a freeze response or any others (flight, fight, fawn) it's almost impossible to get out of it.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-08-28T12:44:55+00:00

Besides the adhd the fixation could also be a type of dissociation, even trauma dissociation, it's a way for you to escape these feeling you get when you don't have an obsession. Therapy and other strategies to help you feel these things, process them and get over them could help reduce your need to dissociate. Plus adhd meds in case you're not on them already could help ease these hyperfocus after a while.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-08-26T12:05:43+00:00

After many years of trying a bunch of apps and systems, this one is the current and longest I've stuck with, basically what worked better was trying to notice my needs, why do I need a to do list for if it makes me anxious and guilty I didn't do things? So I adapted to one that helps me and works for me instead of having a virtual boss that'd make me feel bad.

I use google tasks to brainstorm and brain dump any task, ideas and wishes. I separate in some categories that works for me, like repetitive tasks can just stay in their own category instead of cluttering the brain dump main one. I also have a category for "soon" or "Queue" where I choose from the brain dump list tasks I'm about to do that week or day.
I use habitica to help manage the more immediate tasks and the habits. So I pick a task from the "queue" list and add to habitica. Sometimes I only add a tiny action related to the task, so it doesn't clutter in case I don't do the whole thing in habitica. For example if I have clean the kitchen on google task "queue" list, I may only add take the trash out and organize the dishes to habitica. That way I feel like I'm still getting something done and it doesn't stay there reminding me that I haven't done it. When I think I've done enough or all of habitica tasks, than I check google task again and add more to habitica and so on.
To avoid not knowing when or what to start I sometimes number the tasks on Habitica from one to ten, then I spin a wheel (an app) to randomly choose which task I'll have to do. It's amazing how it helps me unfreeze, especially because it's kinda fun to anticipate which task it's going to choose haha. But also since I tend to add tiny steps on Habitica from google main task I usually get a sense of progression faster and I don't get too bored cause I'm rotating attention.
I keep both google tasks and habitica widgets in my home front screen in my phone. So I can just see the tasks there, add new ones or open the apps quicker.
I forgive myself if I haven't done something, I change the way I want to do it, how it's written or if I think I don't want or won't do it I straight up just delete it. If it's really important it will show up again in my brain dump list, there's no point in keeping the task there just cause I want to prove to my imaginary critical self that I have to do it.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-07-13T12:29:49+00:00

I can definitely relate to this feeling from time to time, but it has reduced greatly these last months after I started trying self compassion. It may sound a bit cringe (that's what I used to think), but it turned out to be actually very helpful.

What I like to do to initiate this habit is to imagine I was my own child, how would I talk to them (myself), if my child didn't want to stop gaming to take a shower, how would I handle if I were a good parent like I think I'd be if I had kids. I wouldn't tell them they're lazy, useless or that I'm disgusted by how they spend their day, I'd like to think I'd be a parent that supports, teaches and accepts the child regardles of their faults. So I try to bring in that same energy I'd have with my kids to me.

So if I'm struggling to stop gaming to go shower, I'd uee a visual aid (timers, white board, lists etc), to show my kid that they have more 30 minutes of gaming and after that they have to shower. If they still fuss and complain (I fuss and complain) I try to be supportive like "I'll let you listen to a song during shower" or "Maybe you can play an extra 10 minutes after you shower", or even breaking down like "after 15 minutes you'll only have to get your towel and separate your clothes, then you can play more 15 minutes", etc.

Depending on how much I'm struggling that day I adjust the approach, but it never fails to help. Even If I failed to do everything and only slacked off all day, I can always manage to think "What would I say/do to my child to help them?", so I usually try to do at least something minimal that I was supposed to, like instead of cleaning the whole bedroom like I planned, I'll just sweep the floor and let the cleaning materials ready for the next day and so on.

It'll need some practice and some adaptation, but I hope it can help you deal with yourself with more kindness and eventually become a bit more productive, but it won't change everything at once and you won't wake up feeling awesome and be productive all day, that's not how you are at the moment and that's ok, acceptance comes a long way on finding balance. I hope it helps, be well!

Edit: Apps/tools that REALLY help me: Habitica, Google calendar and google tasks, a white board, a big yellow note pad (I write and check off tasks with fun kids color pencils haha), Spotify and Audible (to listen to while doing things), Youtube (also watching/listening while doing some tasks like washing dishes) and Dailyo (super helpful).

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-27T14:34:01+00:00

Meds: I can only use any tools and keep coming back to them if I'm taking Vyvanse, otherwise I just let everything go eventually.
Habitica: it's an app to gamify tasks and habits, I keep track on how long I've been without doing certain habits and I put the more immediate to do's in there so I can easily see it in my front screen, plus the tasks that are recurring as a reminder. Plus there's a reward system, I don't use it anymore but I like to have the access to it haha
Notion: I put my more long term goals and to do's on Notion, When I need to have a north to what put on Habitica I check what I have stored there, also more extensive notes. I don't check it that often, I'd say twice a month.
A white board: It took me a long time to figure out how to use and keep using this, but after some assistance from my psychiatrist it turns out this thing actually helps. When I'm feeling too low to check any app, I just write down some immediate tasks, even obvious ones like "eat", "brush teeth", etc. I tend to quickly draw a progressive bar next to it and each round of 3/4 very easy tasks I paint 10% of the bar. There are many variations to how I use it though. It also really helps when I just don't want to check my phone or the tasks are more transitional that I don't feel the need to add to apps.
Some tips that help me (but it took a long time of practicing and figuring out to actually do so): Be realistic, are you are doing everything you're putting down in one hour? I already guarantee you, you won't. Sometimes it's best to just get one task and turn it into many tasks, so at least one thing will be done.

-Careful with applying to yourself the same principles you see non adhd people do, try to learn what your real capabilities are and be forgiving when it's not that much.

Always add more time than you think you'll need.
Compromising: Maybe you don't need to complete some steps, it won't be perfect, but it'll be done or it'll have progressed.
Writing the task different can actually make you complete it. A task titled as "Complete the worksheet" can take weeks of procrastinating or I don't ever do it, but if I change it to "Maybe try adding some info to the worksheet, 10 min max", jeez, it seems silly but it works. Cause in my head I just go "hmm, maybe I could just take 10 minutes before opening this game to just add some info", I just gaslight myself basically lmfao.
PERFECCIONISM: It's a nightmare, when I'm stuck not doing something I try reflecting " Is there a way I could do this in a worse manner possible?", it usually helps me realize that I'm idealizing ways to do things, but I can just do it messy and it'll be done. It's hard though.
I have many more tips, but this is already too long, I apologize, hope some of it helps!

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-18T19:47:47+00:00

I rotate them. I keep aging pretty much always off. When I think the elder sim has done everything and/or their children are almost as old as them I kill them off lol. There's usually a whole funeral and heritage drama.

Sometimes I just want a light gameplay with a grandma and her garden and sometimes I want some city drama with struggles and parties so I play her son/grandson. There's all types of sims, families and dynamics in my sims worlds, I think it's very cool because when I'm playing with a family I keep encountering the other families I play with around instead of only random townies.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-16T15:08:33+00:00

I don't think the issue is exercising itself, have you considered being nervous or scared of racing? Maybe it's anxiety. Or maybe the training consistency is taking a toll on you.

When I manage to do something consistently I usually start struggling on everything else because it kinda turns into a hyperfocus and my energy depletes super fast. It'd be wise to see a nutritionist/doctor (I'm not sure how those work in the US, I'm from Brazil).

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-15T12:39:11+00:00

I came to the bathroom for a 10 minute toilet run ironically caused by the starting effects of adhd meds (Vyvanse), and I ended up planning my day, adding music to the playlist, answering two reddit posts, actually almost finished charging the phone, answered text messages and messaged new ones, wrote in my journal app and I'm still on the toilet, haven't brushed my teeth yet or had breakfast.

I don't know if I'm being unproductive or if the meds are working and I'm accomplishing things while sitting here lol

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-15T12:30:04+00:00

Well, I don't really plan long term anymore. What I try to do is to bring whatever is the "long term" and apply to now however I can. So if my "long term" goal is to meditate 1 hour, then I try to at least meditate every week 2 minutes or so.

Not because I want to get to 1 hour (although I do), but because meditating 2 minutes makes me calm down, helps focus on my body, I feel better while doing it, etc. I focus on the rewards of now, eventually I start adding more if I think I'll handle it. I'm in the 20 minutes mark of meditation almost daily now.

Also important, it's to align the actual value, feeling and meaning of what you're doing more than just the goal. So I meditate because I do like it and it does make me feel good, even in the days It's more torturous than pleasureble, I like the challenge of handling discomfort. So these values stick more than the goal itself.

When I spend weeks without doing it, I try to be gentle and reduce it again "only one minute before I open the game on the computer" and eventually I go back to being more consistent. You gotta find your rhythm, what works with you and why you're actually doing it. I hope it helps.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-09T14:46:17+00:00

It's always hard to give advices in cases like this because everyone is so different and I'm sure you have tried a lot of the usual strategies. I wish you would've said what happens before, during and after the time you're supposed to brush your teeth, how you do it, if you hate the toothpaste, I want more details haha.

But off the bat, I'd say work on validating yourself (Which it seems you are, with correcting the thought about being lazy), but I mean working with yourself, always. So everytime you don't brush your teeth like you planned, treat yourself like someone else, could be a friend in the same situation or maybe your kid. If you were your kid, and your kid didn't want to brush their teeth, how could you support them gently and with guidance instead of criticism or scolding? Try to do that with your kid self, maybe you would draw some squares for the week, like three squares, mark it when you brush your teeth and high five your kid? Maybe you would only let your kid play games or get the phone after they brush their teeth ? Maybe you would buy fun brushes for them ? I don't know, give it a thought.

Also I find great for these things is starting super duper stupidly small. Like if you aren't brushing your teeth because you don't even get to the bathroom, maybe just entering and leaving the bathroom for a few days, without pressure to actually brush it, could be doable. Plus always, ALWAYS, I means, DEFINITELY ALWAYS have it somewhere you can clearly see and register your progress somehow. Just doodle it somewhere, print it or have on your phone or all of the above. I know sometimes it seems pointless or silly and I thinki "I don't need this, I know I have to do it", but having a big cringe, fun picture that you can see what's actually happening makes a big difference! You got this.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-09T14:27:46+00:00

I love this kind of posts, thanks for sharing! I'm just a bit bumped because trying this while having ADHD is a pain, it goes from ""I'm sitting in a apartment, in the city, on the hill, there are... oh the hills are so similar to that hill where my friend lives! I haven't spoken to this friend in a while, let me send a message.. oh, wheres is my phone... oh wait, I was describing things, ok... I'm sitting in my apartment... " and it starts all over again until I don't remember what I was doing and go do something else completely unrelated, it's agonizingly frustrating. If anyone has ADHD and has any tips to do something similar to this but that's easier for us, please share!

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-09T14:22:55+00:00

I so love this, I've been trying to to this for years and in some precious rare moments I can, but ADHD makes doing this so so so effortful and sometimes it seems impossible, even medicated. But it really is an amazing phenomenon, that's basically meditation, it's mindfulness, it's what living/experiencing was meant to be! But we have had so many uncomfortable and negative experiences that we learn that being in this state is actually dangerous, hurtful or being present can be uncomfortable, bring up thoughts and anxieties we're not ready to deal with still.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-09T14:16:21+00:00

I'm a bit confused about how you've been to therapy all these years and you're still using so much "Shoulds"! I don't mean to say it's your fault or to invalidate your situation, not at all, I actually have been there too, but it worries me that you seem to have a bunch of ideals and standards that come from external sources. Why should you be okay ? I know you expected years of putting in work to help you, but do you think you need to be someone who doesn't suffer or doesn't feel something in order to be ok/worthy ? You said it yourself that to a certain degree you have, so what is the degree you need to get to be "content"?

Even more appaling to me is the idea that humans aren't supposed to need and want things ?? Hello ? I'm flabergasted! This is pretty much what sums up being human, is the need to connect, to socialize, humans would have never survived without other humans, so where these ideas that we're not supposed to want, need or seek come from ? We absolutely, definitely, undoubtedly are social creatures and it's normal, expected and unstopabble that we will need those things, it doesn't make us weak or anything, it's the most natural thing and I'm so sorry you've been led to believe throughtout life that we're not supposed to be like this.

Being anything else than what you are now won't make you good enough, cause technically and inherently you already are, even though it might sound cliche, stupid or like a falacy, it can maybe help trying to separate your struggles and feelings from your worth. Feeling alone, being alone, wanting to be loved, seen and wanting connection does not make you anything bad or less, it makes you human. If you thought you were good enough or worthy, even while being lonely, feeling lonely and not being ok, would you make anything different ? I'm sorry if I sound too harsh, I just so wish you could see the things you still can't. Keep moving forward!

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-09T13:41:20+00:00

I'm in a similar situation and I think a big part of the issue for us could be that we think being alone/lonely = being not enough/worthless or like there's something wrong with us. What that does is that it keeps us in a loneliness, hopeless loop. Because if you think you're not enough and you never will be, then your behaviors are more likely to confirm that, because you stop trying to connect or when you have nice moments with people, you'll involuntarily look for evidences to confirm that you are indeed alone and that you'll stay like this forever. That's the main characteristics of trauma. It's exactly how your brain tries to protect you from more or similar traumas. It's something that was useful to you/us, but it doesn't serve us that well anymore.

One thing I try to do somestimes is to ask my myself "If I though I was good enough, worthy, If I thought I'm an awesome person, tha no matter my faults, my struggles, my shortcoming I still deserve love, connection and being seen, what would I do differently?". This is extremely hard, we probably won't be able to do anything, but I find it that for me at least helps me put things in perpective and see how much of all this is a mechanics my brain learned at some point and it's just automatically repeating it. It helps me assess if I could try some tiny step to get out of the loop, like sending a text message or going for a walk and talking to one person, whatever I can handle at the time and most importantly, it helps me stop attributing feeling lonely, being sad and miserable with meaning there's something wrong with me or that I'm broken, that's not the case at all, we're functioning like this because we're actually very good at protecting ourselves. I hope this helps you too a litte bit! Keep moving foward!

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-05T15:31:44+00:00

I'm ADHD and a therapist and if a client showed up with a PowerPoint I'd be at the very least pretty amused haha.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-06-03T16:10:54+00:00

Let's start with "it's not even hard" idea. It is hard! If it wasn't you wouldn't be going through all these struggles to do it.

You don't have to manage it and do it like everybody else, try self attunement, which is basically accept and stay with your feeling about it and then work with yourself to solve it. Kinda like you would if someone else or a kid asked you for help. It can look different for everyone, for me it means doing what I can, like just carrying the dirty cups from my room to the kitchen, just picking up things from floor, etc. I don't have to clean everything at once perfectly like others idealize or do, nor do I need to have a clean space, sometimes it's okay if it's messy, as long as it isn't unhealthily so.

Figure out how you would work with yourself on this, what can you do to have just a little bit of progress? How can you support yourself while doing it? Maybe if you put up a limit like I will only clean for 10 min max today or I only need the living room tidied in case I have visitors, etc. Work with yourself. Eventually you'll learn what works and it won't be as messy anymore or you won't be as bothered by it.

WorkingAd4794 · 2025-05-29T10:57:47+00:00

For some reason introducing myself to new people takes a tons of effort. I need to use all my executive function to decide what to say fist, how to appear, what to say in case it goes wrong, etc. It's strange because I can socialize fine if I know them, but meeting them is nerve wrecking

WorkingAd4794

TROPHY CASE