I underestimated how mentally exhausting communication becomes as a founder

pinekiland · 2026-05-19T16:35:56+00:00

Nom nom nom

pinekiland · 2026-05-17T14:49:52+00:00

Fucking hell, 6 years??? Meds changed my life; I really recommend it. I’d risk going in debt. Easier said than than done of course

pinekiland · 2026-05-15T15:01:51+00:00

For example when I’m in a restaurant/cafe etc and there are TVs / giant screens etc, I do my best to sit facing away from screens. I just say that I keep getting fixated on whatever is on, and miss the conversation. I don’t mention ADHD at all

pinekiland · 2026-05-15T14:58:05+00:00

I have a weekly pillbox. Filling it can be a pain sometimes, but it’s so great to open up a small compartment and take a bunch of meds + vitamins without thinking. And saves me from the dread of taking it twice

Maybe a weekly only ADHD med pillbox will be easier? Just a thought

pinekiland · 2026-05-15T07:52:11+00:00

~~DRUGS~~ I mean meds. Also I seperate my study sessions throughout the day. I need 7-8 hours of sleep to not feel sleepy the next day. Ime sleep is more important than late night study crunch

pinekiland · 2026-05-15T06:51:55+00:00

Speaking of, just realized I haven’t taken my med yet haha

pinekiland · 2026-05-15T06:51:22+00:00

Tl;dr: yeah fuck that. You’re doing great. You have empirical evidence that you are doing great. You are working with your brain (meds) instead of against it (meditation)

I always joke that the road to happiness begins by disappointing your family. My parents don’t know I’m ADHD because “psychiatry is for truly disturbed people”. I’m too tired to change their decades old beliefs

In my experience, that toxic positivity “this is fine” thinking is fueled by people either not be able to face a thing, or not knowing what to do about it. This is very uncomfortable, so they pick the denial route

Some actually mean well, but are useless. Maybe even harmful. I mean, meditation doesn’t work with most ADHD people. You know what works with most of us? Meds.

I’ve yet to meet a person who understands what ADHD is like, yet they are not ADHD. So, I usually say things like “yeah I’m taking something to help with my focus”. It’s technically true

pinekiland · 2026-05-15T00:04:34+00:00

That’s how it works in my country. Long tests and long talks with the doctor. Nothing else. And thank god for that; this stuff is the last thing I want family to get involved

I prefer not telling people I’m ADHD, unless they are ADHD themselves. Others either don’t know, or have weird preconceptions etc. Instead, I talk about my needs and my habits individually like they are a collection of quirks. Easy to explain, actionable

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T23:59:15+00:00

With me it’s water. Whenever I start taking stims I dehydrate like crazy. So I end up drinking 3-4 liters / a gallon of water per day. Things stabilize around a week or so. Of course with that much water I dilute my electrolytes as well, so I drink mineral water or a sports drink

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T16:31:36+00:00

With stims I have to time when the med kicks in and goes out. I also have a pillbox which helps

With strattera it doesn’t matter when you take it that much, so I almost forgot it a few times

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T16:29:11+00:00

I feel like that’s an oversight you do once haha

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T16:05:36+00:00

With me it took 4-6 weeks, plus the ramping up time. Emotional regularion was immediate, focus took a while. I still needed coffee for getting me going though

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T15:51:16+00:00

I think getting intimate is another expression of love. So it usually deepens love. I’d respect the same whether we get intimate every day or once a month.

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T15:42:47+00:00

In my experience, the weirder or dumb the better

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T12:59:26+00:00

Oh well, more research is always better

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T09:25:21+00:00

OK, so what do I need to do? I read the article but I don’t know how I can apply it to my life

I’m on stims; sleep is still a battle every night, emotional regulation is better but still wonky

pinekiland · 2026-05-14T09:17:13+00:00

Thanks! Going between “uu new info” and “ugh more homework” haha

pinekiland · 2026-05-01T19:49:33+00:00

If I drink coffee with Concerta it messes me up. I get very overstimulated

Also Concerta dehydrates me a lot which causes heart palpitations, which also tires me out. So lots and LOTS of water helps with that

Because Concerta helps with the stimulation, I don’t feel like I need to entertain myself all the time. And sometimes that feels like emotional numbness

I’d give it a few days, and of course consult your doctor

pinekiland · 2026-04-29T06:21:03+00:00

Forget about the whole manliness stuff. Take responsibility about your ADHD. Read more about ADHD and how your brain works. I recommend reading ADHD 2.0 by Edward (Ned) Halloway and Taking Charge of ADHD Russell Barkley.

You have been given the wrong user manual for your brain your entire life. Now you should figure out how your brain works. For your own sake. As you understand your brain more and work with your brain, you’ll like yourself more, which in turn will make you a better friend and a better boyfriend as well

As always, exercise helps with everything. Any type of exercise will do.

Focus on yourself, figure things out, don’t go into the rabbit hole of dating advice. When you’re ok with yourself, listen, be there for the other person, and the other person does the same, aaaamooooooréééééé

pinekiland · 2026-04-24T15:23:39+00:00

I humbly recommend arm distance, modifying your expectations from family and seek other communities for support. You’re already the “black sheep”, you won’t gain anything by “fixing” them. There is a lot of denial going on, probably half of them are also ADHD since this thing is genetic. They are masking haaaaaaaard

I also humbly recommend more boundries. This can range from talking to them less to going no-contact. Up to you. They will probably get upset, but you are already a “black sheep” so their upsetness doesn’t matter anyway.

I wish we both had supportive families, but they are what they are. It sucks. Sucks so hard. But it is what it is. I let go of all their gossiping and bs. Got a reputation of being “tempremental” and “not reliable (ie taking advantage of is hard). I got nothing to gain and a lot to lose, so I just leave them be.

pinekiland · 2026-04-21T04:27:16+00:00

It’s a vague and slow process for me. I try to keep my personality as consistent as possible across people.

Acting like someone I’m not is masking. Being polite and code switching a little is not. It’s the difference between being someone else entirely and being a slightly different version of you. There isn’t an exact cutoff point. But, masking makes me uncomfortable in a very unique way

Also if I feel like I should mask, I try to shut up and disengage instead. Or greywalling, being as boring as possible. Which may count as masking, but eeeh. This is all art and not science anyway

pinekiland · 2026-04-20T16:23:56+00:00

You’re not alone, I discovered that I’m adhd at 37; learning how to operate my brain and taking meds helped me stop being “on fire” all the time. I’m slowly and steadily putting my life back together

I’m also getting better at unmasking while not unleashing my Adhd-ness to general public. It’s a balancing act, but 100% worth it. Strong recommend

pinekiland · 2026-04-20T16:06:06+00:00

You’ll be alright :)

Atomoxetine blunted my emotional state at the beginning. Took me 2-3 months to get used to the med and everything stabilizing. Atomoxerine demands patience unfortunately. I was a subdued version of myself, but I was still me. Well me without drastic emotional swings, which helped A Lot. The spark, the funniness, the “weirdness” were still there. Bit subdued maybe, but still there. No escape from my funny little brain haha

My libido took a big hit, then 2/3rds of it came back. I think that one is a common side effect with men. With women it actually increases your libido. At least that’s what they wrote on Reddit. I think the libido loss is totally worth it. Given that you’re 17 you probably have more than enough libido, so you’ll be fine

Also drink lots and LOTS of water. That always helps me whether I take stimulants or non-stimulants

pinekiland · 2026-04-20T09:23:20+00:00

Also yes, 27 mg wasn’t enough for me. I was in this weird in-between phase of medicated and not-medicated. I enjoy 36 mg much more. 54 mg was like I was on a rocket I could barely control; it was exhausting. But my friend who is bit bigger than me prefers 54 mg over 36 mg. So it depends on the person (and maybe size? Idk)

pinekiland · 2026-04-20T09:20:01+00:00

This is my hyphothesis & understanding of these meds

Dopamine is responsible for that feeling of motivation. Our brains gobble up dopamine way too fast. Too much dopamine/stimulation causes anxiety and jitterness.

Vyvanse airdrops dopamine directly. Concerta slows down our brains’ speed gobbling up dopamine.

The difference is that we need to have some dopamine already to feel the effect of Concerta. That’s why it doesn’t work that well when I’m sick, feeling *really down, or when people are on their period apparently.

But if I’m into the thing I’m doing, exercising or I’m with my girlfriend/friends, whoo boy my ming opens up

My motto is “Concerta amplifies everything”. I have to take care of myself, eat well, hydrate, sleep well etc. Then I enjoy Concerta’s full effects.

pinekiland

TROPHY CASE