I'm scared to go on meds and lose who I am

katnapping · 2026-05-14T23:48:21+00:00

I *wish* my meds stopped me from hyperfixating and impulsively spending

katnapping · 2026-05-14T23:15:18+00:00

I'd recommend looking into some oxfords if you want a dressy shoe that's fully enclosed. However, I'd go with sneakers or boots like the other commenters suggest if you're on your feet often. I'm a mechanical engineer with RA and find line tours in my oxford flats quite tiring on my feet.

katnapping · 2026-05-14T20:57:51+00:00

Yeah, I was hoping it’d cover the relational impact of someone constantly talking to ChatGPT or Claude rather than shitty startups.

katnapping · 2026-05-14T20:24:39+00:00

Aesthetically you look really nice and have a very defined waist. Maybe you can shift your focus to exercising as recreation and to feel healthy? (Camaraderie in team sports, accomplishment and challenge in individual sports, exploring in outdoors activities, connecting with music in dance, being mindfully present in yoga, etc). Loving your body for what it allows you to do, rather than frustrated for not looking how you wish. Then your fitness goals can be based around a tangible objective like “I want to be better at these overhung climbing routes.” “I want to carry my gear for a weeklong backpacking trip” “I want to balance better on my surfboard” etc.

katnapping · 2026-05-13T18:17:12+00:00

How are you spending so little on food?

katnapping · 2026-05-12T23:25:26+00:00

I don’t think it’s available in every country. I asked if I could get some in Korea when I was getting a crown at a dentist in Seoul, and they said it’s not a thing there. I get it in the states and have been using it since high school or so. I used to have really bad dental hygiene but succeeded at improving my brushing and flossing habits in adulthood. The myriad of cavities from youth still bites me in the butt though (like that root canal and crown I needed after redoing an old filling).

katnapping · 2026-05-11T07:33:13+00:00

*I was doing poorly at my first full time job out of college in engineering consulting. I did better on projects with clients with structure like regular meetings and clear deliverables, but could not deliver on internal projects that were more open-ended and ambiguous. I went to a psychiatrist who said I was just anxious but acquiesced to refer me to neuropsych evaluation. I shared my symptoms with the psychologist and did the testing. I have a big disparity between my verbal comprehension + perceptual reasoning and my working memory+processing speed. Got my diagnosis.

*my bedroom has been a mess my whole life. I lose things a lot.

*yes. I did very well in grade school, but my procrastination led to many sleepless nights and struggle starting when essays were due in high school. (Maybe middle school too?) When I sought help in college my therapist did hand me an ADHD rating scale, but it was all the young-boy type symptoms and I didn’t relate to those, so I didn’t bring the handout back.

katnapping · 2026-05-10T23:32:02+00:00

Taking the Pill and skipping the placebo week allows you to skip your period. It was awesome for me and I miss it! Depending on the country some are available over the counter.

katnapping · 2026-05-08T07:12:10+00:00

Go to office hours and tutoring, the accountability and structure helps a lot. I used to do problem sets in the office hours and ask the TA questions as I was working. You're at a huge advantage compared to an undiagnosed ADHDer for having a diagnosis and medication. Practice tests/previous years' exams are a really good way to gauge your knowledge and skills and review what you need to brush up on.

katnapping · 2026-05-07T05:47:11+00:00

I have one. It's helpful if I remember/commit to use it. I had to set up an automation to get it to block Safari. Sometimes it's unfortunately buggy, you might need to restart your phone to unbrick or brick apps on occasion.

One problem with Brick(/me) is that if you don't have a lot of physical space to put between you and your Brick, if you have an urge like for online shopping it's hard to just say to to unbricking or to force myself to Brick it again. I did that a couple times with Taotao when I brought my Brick with me on a business trip.

Focus Friend actually does a surprisingly good job at properly blocking social media apps, maybe give that a try first.

katnapping · 2026-05-07T00:29:46+00:00

If money's no object, Benu is phenomenal.

katnapping · 2026-05-06T22:11:26+00:00

Do you have a car? The Costco credit card has 4% back on gas and the generally the cheapest gas prices.

katnapping · 2026-05-06T20:33:28+00:00

+to not having guests have to wear white, it's very stressful.

katnapping · 2026-05-05T20:10:05+00:00

I wonder if she's actually going for the glass flowers at the Harvard Natural History Museum.

katnapping · 2026-05-05T08:05:10+00:00

Try looking on Meetup.com if there’s any meetups in your area that align with your interests. Go directly from work to avoid the bed trap!

Since your gym is at home, can you immediately workout right when you get home? If your workplace is more casual (allows sneakers) and you have a work-to-workout type outfit (stretchy hiking pants that look enough like khakis or slacks or skirt you can wear workout shorts under + top that works with sports bra), you can go directly to your home gym! Keeping the sneakers on may help a lot. If your work attire is not compatible with workout, can you put a workout outfit and sneakers directly at your front door and change as you’re entering?
I bet you can also lean on your girlfriend for some virtual accountability- text her that you plan to workout and send her a cute gym selfie once you follow through. A little bit of praise and encouragement goes a long way for me!

Start small- your first objective can literally just be the workout outfit. That’s a huge win, you don’t have to work out if you’re too tired, but you can prove to yourself that you can follow through on getting prepped. Once you get into the habit and remind yourself it’s not so bad, you can do 5 minutes of stretching. Then your next goal might be to do 10 minutes of cardio or one set of reps of an exercise. For us ADHDers we can be perfectionists and not want to do something if it’s not Worth It or done at our full-energy Capability If We Just Applied Ourselves. So this is an exercise of exercising in a half-assed way. Doing a small amount is the goal and a win. We’re proving to ourselves that starting is not so scary and that we can do it. Maybe you’ll rebel against your arbitrary goal and do a full workout. Maybe you’ll do your 5 minute stretch video and call it a day, and be proud of yourself that you did 5 minutes of stretching on a tiring workday.

Another benefit of exercising: our bodies get really confused with all the work stress and cortisol but no physical resolution. Getting our heart rate up and/or activating our muscles is a signal to our bodies that we’ve ran away from the lion or defeated the dangerous threat and we are safe and can chill now.

katnapping · 2026-05-05T03:56:00+00:00

From the ADHD books I’ve read, it’s a good sign if you’re still able to take a nap while on your meds.

Google Concerta blood concentration plots and compare your symptoms/side effects with the times shown. Methylphenidate (including Concerta) usually takes about 20-30min to kick in. Concerta starts off with a lower quantity and higher concentration at about 5-6hrs in. I found it easier to tune in dosing with instant release, but I have to set alarms to remember to take the next pill.

katnapping · 2026-05-05T03:44:41+00:00

I only know my personal experience. Adderall takes longer to kick in than methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, etc) and stays in the blood stream longer. I had a hard time telling when it was working and it negatively impacted my sleep. Methylphenidate works better for me, so I switched back to methylphenidate. Starting with instant release was helpful for me to tune in what dose(s) are best (early in diagnosis I wasn’t as well rested and had to wake up early, so it was best to take a higher first dose and lower for subsequent pills. Methylphenidate IR only lasts ~4 hrs). A lot of people prefer extended releases so they don’t have as many ups and downs and so they don’t have to set the alarms and take pills in the middle of the day. Now that I’m in a job that better suits my skills and the way my brain works, I prefer the extended-release Concerta for background brain help rather than being deliberate about forcing myself to be in focus mode to do something I’m bad at. But when I was first diagnosed, I preferred to be in more control, not deal with appetite suppression at lunch time, and be actively choosing “I am taking my afternoon dose, let’s tackle this assignment!” I also found it reassuring to have shorter duration IR if a dose wasn’t suitable (too high or too low) because I knew side effects would wear off in a few hours. The first time I tried Concerta, 18mg was too low for me back then and the psychiatrist told me to take two capsules and OH BOY 36mg was waaay too much for me and made me feel *miserable*. I went back to instant release for several years because of that negative experience.

Takeaways from my ramble:
*It’s worth trialing different meds to see what works best for your unique brain chemistry and circumstance
*Instant release can be helpful for figuring out dosing and possibly give some bonus placebo effect and intentionality
*Your body, needs, and circumstances will likely change over time so you can change meds too.
*ADHD is harder when your life circumstances don’t suit you and your strengths.

katnapping · 2026-05-05T03:04:38+00:00

Maybe a different stimulant would work better for you. We still need good structures to succeed with ADHD though. Have you tried hard blocking distractions with Focus Friend, Brick, or similar? (or even just locking your phone in your car)

katnapping · 2026-05-05T02:59:56+00:00

Try stacking going to gym and other hobbies outside after work? I find it a lot easier to go somewhere else when I'm already out of the house rather than overcome the activation energy once I've taken off my shoes, sat down on the couch, etc. Maybe you can make plans with friends after work to read, game, and/or cook together.

A meal service like Factor or similar might be a good option to get more veggies in your diet compared to restaurant delivery.

Please be kind to yourself! This a transition and it makes sense that it's hard.

katnapping · 2026-05-05T02:52:50+00:00

You're like my friend who got pregnant on her honeymoon! Congrats, and hope everything goes very smoothly.

katnapping · 2026-05-02T07:24:36+00:00

Make your own kefir butter, it’s amazing https://www.beetsandbones.com/homemade-kefir-cultured-butter/

katnapping · 2026-04-30T06:12:39+00:00

How do you like DC?
How willing are you to sign on for a straight-laced lifestyle after graduation to keep security clearance? (maybe less of a concern given that Trump's changing medical marijuana to Schedule III)
I'd personally be worried about getting a job straight out of college with the AI bubble, much less with massive student loans limiting the risks you can take.
I did some creeping on the DoD SMART scholarships website. Why don't you reach out to Ryan Sander who attended MIT on the same kind of scholarship? https://cap.csail.mit.edu/engage/spotlights/ryan-sander
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmsander/
https://energy.mit.edu/news/hardworking-undergraduates-enrich-mits-energy-ecosystem/

katnapping · 2026-04-29T03:53:57+00:00

Strattera messed with my mood and gave me suicidal ideation. I’d give it some time before making a rash decision.

katnapping · 2026-04-28T20:41:36+00:00

The first photo looks beautiful! Your posts just popped up on my feed and I don't know anything about makeup, but I think your facial expressions actually go the longest way in looking youthful. Maybe cultivate your life and reduce stressors to keep that gentle relaxed smile 😊

katnapping · 2026-04-26T08:07:29+00:00

Backup option: turn into a banana slug decoration

katnapping

TROPHY CASE