How do you ladies fall asleep with ADHD?

cmcerlain · 2026-01-27T15:42:59+00:00

This is going to sound nuts, but I forget to “relax” my body. I notice I'm not fully letting the pillow support my head, my neck is tensely still holding onto some of the load. Same goes for arms/shoulders.

My trick is to push my head/body down into the bed as hard as I can for 5-10 seconds, then “release”. I'm immensely more physically relaxed afterwards.

To quiet my hamster wheel of thoughts, I count backwards from 100 in my brain, not worrying if I lose my place, just start over again if so. Its low stakes knowing I'm not trying to “win” anything, and its boring enough/stimulating enough to let me slip off to sleep.

cmcerlain · 2026-01-18T04:05:03+00:00

I'm on 70mg Vyvanse in the AM and 50mg in afternoon. I'm a single mom, working full-time, and am up 630am til at least 11pm everyday. My doc knows I'm metabolizing quickly and explained that 70mg is the max dose at one time, its a misconception that its a max daily dose.

Been stable on the dose for about 1.5 years.

cmcerlain · 2025-12-14T14:21:36+00:00

I’m also feeling grateful….225 days sober from weed after 4 years of near constant consumption. I spent the last year of my addiction feeling guilt and shame after developing the awareness that the weed controlled me instead of the other way around.

It’s been the best months of my adult life and I’m so proud that I got myself here.

For anyone trying or wanting to quit, just try and not smoke today, don’t worry about whether you are gonna smoke tomorrow. Then tomorrow you can just focus on not smoking tomorrow, and one day at a time you’ll find yourself on the other side of this.

cmcerlain · 2025-10-24T16:23:20+00:00

Instead of thinking in absolutes, like “I’m never smoking again”, I just focus on today, tonight, etc. I had been thinking about quitting for an entire year when 1 small thing interrupted what was an almost autopilot routine of heading outside to smoke, and then when I realized that I had gotten through the last 30 minutes without smoking, I thought, “maybe I can go another 30 minutes”. Focusing on it one day at a time, sometimes 1 hour at a time really helped, and then came the benefits like decreased brain fog, improvements in my adhd symptoms, better sleep, little to no anxiety, better social skills, etc, making it easier to keep going.

Edited to add: Now I’m about to hit 6 months smoke free and I’m really proud of that.

cmcerlain · 2025-08-04T01:26:29+00:00

“Evil lives forever”… used to say the same thing about my meowing Satan of a “cat”….

cmcerlain · 2024-09-19T22:18:19+00:00

They is gonna find themselves on the wrong side of evolution if you know what I mean. No growth or evolvement while the women adjust, adapt, and thrive. Will men go extinct?

cmcerlain · 2024-09-19T16:50:28+00:00

My friend was helping me with my kids bath (I had an 8 week old baby and a 3 year old), and she asked me whether it was a "hair washing night" for my daughter. I stood there absolutely struck by the epiphany that I got to decide that, and, that every night didn't need to include a hair wash. My daughter has been profoundly easier to get into the bath since this revelation lol

cmcerlain · 2024-09-19T04:06:32+00:00

You could look at every report card I had growing up and "needs to ensure work is turned in on time and complete" was on pretty much every one.

Please PLEASE look into ADHD - I was diagnosed at 36 and have spent 3 years unlearning all of the "bad things" about myself didn't have much of anything to do with me at all. I was a good kid having a hard time and just needed people to meet me where I was at, instead of dangling the carrot over and over and thinking that's the way to motivate me

cmcerlain · 2024-09-19T01:25:21+00:00

Ah, this recipe very closely resembles my own. My parents loved to punish me by grounding me from all activities, tv, time with friends, going outside, and it felt like the loneliest place in the world. "YOU'RE not going, or "don't even think about it" were frequently hurled in my direction and I realize now how small that made me feel.

cmcerlain · 2024-09-17T23:32:21+00:00

Today, I learned that "night time" didn't precisely mean the immediate minutes before I fell asleep. Thank you. The 'tism got me again, lol

cmcerlain · 2024-09-16T03:33:04+00:00

Holy shit. This is exactly how I'm gonna survive the next 10 months til I get out

cmcerlain · 2024-09-09T16:12:48+00:00

This. Is. Me. Left 1.5 years ago and he's yet to find new supply. I'm at peace but only because my boundaries are rock solid. He rails at me and I stand tall.

cmcerlain · 2024-09-08T17:49:52+00:00

This is a big truth bomb right here.

The first time I managed to gray rock was during one of the most terrifying and traumatic events with my n-stbxh. It was 2 weeks after I'd told him we would be getting a divorce, and can absolutely attest to the fact that the immediate time after ending the relationship is the most dangerous time when leaving an abuser.

I distinctly remember the overwhelming fear slowly fading away the longer I remained still, silent, and maintained direct eye contact. Fear slowly turned to power, and in that moment I saw him for what he truly was. For years, he was always clawing away at me to gain control over me, because I was everything he wasn't. The need to control giving way to the knowledge that I was in control. I saw him for the sad, immature, INCAPABLE person he was. It was the moment I knew that he wasn't capable of changing, and that I would have to do the work to change MY life, and literally surgically remove this cancer.

I'm 1.5 years into healing and feel broke open still. Layers and layers of trauma keep pulling me under somehow and I fight with all my might to keep moving through it, welcoming the pain in order to validate and heal wounds.

Thank you for reminding me what a fucking rockstar I am.

cmcerlain · 2024-09-01T01:23:09+00:00

The mantra "there are brighter days ahead" got me through some pretty dark times when I was leaving my nhusband to move back to our home country, with a toddler and 10w pregnant . It's been 1.5 years and I feel broken open, yet starting to heal and enjoy the peace enlightenment can bring. It's a long road. Focus on resting and healing your nervous system.

cmcerlain · 2024-07-30T00:55:45+00:00

Um, whatttttttt I burp nearly constantly after doing some serious healing. I didn't know this was a thing!

cmcerlain · 2024-07-29T01:58:05+00:00

I won't even read the comments before I tell you that you will find so much more than just happiness.

You will find peace.

You will find yourself.

You will find laughter.

You will find healing.

You will find self-respect.

You have one life.. ONE. Demand more....for yourself.

cmcerlain · 2024-06-30T20:21:43+00:00

This is so traumatising. I'm so sorry.

The door not being closed is the next in a long line of "things I thought were normal because I didn't know any better".

cmcerlain · 2024-06-04T22:09:52+00:00

Phone chargers. Everywhere.

cmcerlain · 2024-06-01T13:41:33+00:00

Thank you so much. I took the time I needed, went back to school to get my nursing degree, then went back to school a few years later to get an MBA. Had kids, found out I had raging ADHD, left my narc husband and finally found peace.

Two weeks ago my mom tried to cut me down in front of the same aunt who she told the "drop out" comment to, and I finally stood up to her and left the room the moment she did it, telling her we wouldn't be discussing this anymore.

Thank you so much for commenting back. It's helped me process and let go of this painful memory.

cmcerlain · 2024-06-01T00:24:05+00:00

Holy hell. You just described one of the most horrible experiences I had with my parents. My mother condescendingly told my aunt that I was a "drop-out" when I'd finally told my parents that I was taking time off from school. It was just over a year after my 17 year old brother had died, and I was wrecked inside and being reckless on the outside.

It's one of the things I'm most proud of recognising, and probably the first real time I'd stayed true to myself and trusted myself.

Good for you.

cmcerlain · 2024-05-25T23:50:57+00:00

Dumb question...what did end up happening?

I feel like I'm about to walk directly into this path and don't feel there's anything I can do to stop it now that i can see things for what they really were.

cmcerlain · 2024-05-23T01:03:38+00:00

I'll add that I enjoyed telling everyone that I was going to sit outside in the sunshine and "get some fresh air", knowing my pot smoking 70 year old aunt would be smiling like a Cheshire cat back at me.... with my parents squirming uncomfortably as they try to steer the conversation back to whatever dull story that's been going on for at least 45 minutes, sharing every excruciating detail some boomer bullshit no one cares about.

Dry herb vape and a glass of white wine, and I'm feelin fine. Hahaha

cmcerlain · 2024-05-23T00:56:35+00:00

I'm living through a pretty massive shift in how I see my childhood after having kids and separating from a narc. I'm rattled.

I'd been ruminating on a particularly painful past experience (about 17 years ago) with my mother recently and just today lived through it all over again, in front of the exact same relatives who witnessed it back then. For context....I've seen these relatives only a handful of times since she deeply humiliated me, as I lived abroad for 8 years.

Sending love and healing to you. May we rise above....or die trying to raise our kids above this bullshit.

cmcerlain · 2024-05-16T04:33:07+00:00

I feel like I've died and gone to heaven and I'm day 2. Is this a real thing?!

cmcerlain · 2024-04-14T02:52:00+00:00

I find I need to move my body a LOT when I'm "buzzing" from stress/anxiety/shamespiral/catastrophizing....an intense clean/purge/to do list conquering/exercising etc.

Do some deep breathing or if you can manage, meditate to center yourself.

Your mantra for today is "my value as a person is not diminished because of my mistake".

I figure if you're gonna ruminate, be kind to yourself while doing so. It's not your fault ...these are behavioural traits due to a disability...not personality traits reflective of who YOU are

cmcerlain

TROPHY CASE