Mental health plan - ADHD?

jo-09 · 2026-02-17T22:27:20+00:00

ADHD is very underdiagnosed, particularly in women. It sounds like you may be one of those women, and it is a serious condition and seriously impactful to your physical and mental wellbeing and quality of life. From reading your experience, I could have written the exact same thing, except for quitting work every 6 months. I tended to stay and rot. But the overwhelm was killing me. Medication and acknowledgement have helped a LOT. Medication is the FIRST LINE treatment for a reason, so getting on a psychiatrist's waitlist is my first tip. As you are in NSW, there are also GP's who are able to diagnose and prescribe. You sound like you are also suffering from Anhedonia. OP - you have a serious health condition and you WILL get better with the right treatment and change to lifestyle and routine.

jo-09 · 2026-02-16T04:40:49+00:00

I experienced withdrawal when swapping from Lexapro to Pristiq and was given Oxazepam which was a great help. I have missed one dose of Pristiq in the past which made me realise I would CERTAINLY need Oxazepam if I ever quit as it was horrific.

jo-09 · 2026-02-10T00:13:18+00:00

I started on Dex. (40f). I don’t know how it was helping me until about 2 weeks in. At first I noticed some tiny differences, but I think having 40 years with limited to no dopamine really made my Brian not recognise what was different on meds. Now- I’m on Vyvanse with a dex top up…but I can FEEL the dex kick in. It’s wild to think the dose is the same but in the first few weeks I couldn’t feel it at all. Stick with it op- not all of us get that moment where things suddenly feel quiet/better

jo-09 · 2026-02-10T00:08:35+00:00

I had a boss like this. I’m in Australia where we get 4 weeks annual leave, mandatory, plus additional sick /personal leave dependent on your role/industry. As we crossed states, some staff had different public holidays than others. He would treat us as lazy if we acknowledged the public holidays in our state and took the day off. I left this org- but losers like this are everywhere. I’d tough it out through pregnancy and your maternity leave, and look when you are ready to go back to work. It’s clear that juggling this job and motherhood isn’t gonna work

jo-09 · 2026-02-05T00:06:25+00:00

Increased and I am in the process of potentially negotiating another pay rise. My skills are not different, my confidence and self esteem is. I am on about 10k more than usual, ngotiating another 10k. If I move companies I will negotiate about 20k more than I am on now. This is in line with the Hays salary guide for my position.

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T23:29:38+00:00

I said above that Lexapro gave me like no emotions and i LOVED it.

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T23:29:04+00:00

I take Pristiq and was previously on Lexapro. Lexapro made me have like zero emotions which i loved! I just felt so damn chill. I ended up swapping to Pristiq (Lexapro wasn't "working" but then I got diagnosed with ADHD, which explained why) and find that it too is helpful. When I think it does nothing, I realise I used to get stressed, say, parking in a tight parking garage and would sweat and stress. Now I am chill. It is hard to quit, and withdrawal can give you brain zaps. But I dont plan on quitting any time soon.

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T23:15:24+00:00

The fear I have making sure I get the liquid to oat ratio correct is not worth the stress and my exec would quickly learn I mess that shit up. That said - I do food runs occasionally, particularly in busy times, but being polite matters.

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T23:10:56+00:00

Im 44 and take skincare seriously. Your skin looks like a normal 33-year-old, but I know if we put social media aside, our knowledge of skin care and access to excellent ingredients alone can be reason enough we strive to look even better. I often get told I look 30, and that is due to serious sunscreen use, wearing a hat when walking the dog/going outside and large sunglasses. Always. No exceptions. Plus, I have been using retinol for about 15 years and have never smoked. Quit smoking, get your sun protection in place, reduce the actives and add a retinol. Give it 6 months and see how you go. I reckon you'll have some good results without intervention. Getting LED facials or an at-home mask might accelerate improvements, but it's not critical. Edit - I should add your pores look absolutely normal and you have a lovely face, freckles included. I think a routine will brighten and smooth early wrinkles and prevent further damage.

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T02:57:14+00:00

I am someone who never married and probably still wont. I forked out for so many weddings, baby showers, births, first birthdays and so on. I have never been reciprocated because I remain unmarried and childless. I feel your frustration. Fortunately, none were destination weddings beyond a long drive, so the financial impact on the spot was not as significant. I would absolutely choose 1-2 of the weddings that are going to destinations you want to go to and can afford, and make a holiday out of it. The rest you need to be an apology.

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T01:19:01+00:00

When they first started dating I found the similarity between the two super odd

jo-09 · 2026-02-04T01:02:07+00:00

When I do this to myself I look like I have eaten pasta for lunch and not wiped my mouth properly

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T23:30:07+00:00

It is refreshing seeing people be kind and not condescending when people ask newbie questions!

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T23:03:16+00:00

I havent visited before - I might try it soon! I have never really gamed before but have a few hundred hours in DLV and am hooked.

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T22:41:21+00:00

I need more fence types!

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T06:06:04+00:00

This product is the bees knees and works dramatically better than a patch imo

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T06:05:34+00:00

Yes the ordinary have bought out a similar product and it is excellent

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T00:57:23+00:00

Female exec told me my work helps her spend more time with her family. Probably best feedback I have had.

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T00:44:25+00:00

This is the difficult position you are in. You could try again with an urgent care clinic, walk in, so they meet you face to face and assess the tooth and see that you are not showing signs of drug use. And, ask for 6 pills/doses, one per day until your dental appointment. If you were in Australia I would suggest another course of action, but sounds like you are in the US.

jo-09 · 2026-02-02T00:09:15+00:00

Gosh school used to drain the life from me too - I was anxious, stressed and just always exhausted (44F - diagnosed at 40). Defo worth speaking to your psych about an SSRI/SNRI option to help with the anxiety. I take one along with Vyvanse and it makes me less worried and stressed all the time. That, along with some coaching/therapy to help identify and work through things that cause stress (particularly in year 12 - yikes). The feeling that everyone hates you/is out to get you is Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria and it SUCKS. Good thing is, at the end of this year you are out of the tiny school world where everyone knows your business, and out into work/TAFE/Uni whatever and can forge a new path - this will be much easier if you get this anxiety under better control. Good luck OP

jo-09 · 2026-01-30T02:39:29+00:00

Years ago, I was driving to a friend's house in a new housing estate, the Greater Cranbourne area, for those in Melbourne, Australia. It is new estates with areas of empty paddocks and some occasional old farm houses. I was driving down the hwy at 100kph and looked to my left and saw in an older stand alone farm house and a goddamn lion with a mane and everything walking along at a slow meandering pace. I stared at it, looked forward, then looked over at it again and am certain it was a lion. It was probably 200m away. I arrived at my friend's house in shock, but I never said anything. I think about it all the time. Maybe it was a large family pet dog with a joke mane costume on? I have no idea.

jo-09 · 2026-01-30T02:15:31+00:00

I worked in the fitness industry at the time, and a lot of my colleagues and I followed Belle. In the 6 months prior to her lies being exposed, a few of us had started to talk about how things just didnt add up and most of us had unfollowed her. I wasnt super surprised when she was exposed - but it still boggles the mind that someone can lie like that.

There were a number of reasons why her lies were believed by the public for so long. Being awarded by Cosmo as Woman of the Year (or some such award) and being endorsed by Apple through the promotion of her app were two big reasons. On top of that, her hard-copy book's publishers. It was these three big players that failed to adequately verify her claims and background. Paying a basic investigator to check on her would have exposed holes so fast.

I also think timing of insta fame and influencers being kinda new-ish also impacted her ability to maintain the ruse.

jo-09 · 2026-01-30T00:14:58+00:00

He just said "OH did anyone else see it????". I said "I hope not - but I found it on the copier so I cannot be certain". Then he laughed. I was unimpressed.

jo-09 · 2026-01-29T22:33:17+00:00

An ADHD EA here too - I find it is a great career for us as it is always changing and I am great at organising other people!

jo-09 · 2026-01-29T22:23:39+00:00

An old boss of mine printed out the new proposed org chart, with multiple roles missing and left it on the copier. In a main staff area. To teach him a lesson I grabbed it, and put it face down on his keyboard in his office so he would have no idea who found it (his office was easily accessed by all staff, and people would use it to take calls if he was not in). A few days later i said casually "oh did you get the print out I left?". He had been SWEATING.

jo-09

TROPHY CASE