How Do I Get Over My ADD?

[Ken]

So, for the past two years, I have been struggling with reading stuff for my college classes. I talked with a few professors about this, including most recently Friday. I have talked to therapists about this, and I do not want medication for it. I have also never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. However, I have difficulty in focusing on one thing that's not the computer or porn for long periods of time, and a lot of time I have the TV, computer and Kindle on at the same time. Though the latter does not happen as much anymore since I rarely watch TV these days.

So, how do I get over my ADD, ADHD, AD-holy-shit-look-at-this-squirrel-video-D?

 

[Lover]

Can you elaborate what your pattern looks like? Is it like try to study stuff for 10 minutes, get bored, check clock on phone, unlock it, check social media? I am no therapist, but I have been struggling and still struggle somewhat with this

 

[Mr.Rob]

I have talked to therapists about this, and I do not want medication for it.

Look into a functional medicine doctor. "The Ultra Mind Solution" by Mark Hyman gives a functional medicine perspective on brain disorders and is worth a read. This article is a good enough intro however: http://drhyman.com/blog/2015/10/21/7-strategies-adhd/

 

[Ken]

Can you elaborate what your pattern looks like? Is it like try to study stuff for 10 minutes, get bored, check clock on phone, unlock it, check social media? I am no therapist, but I have been struggling and still struggle somewhat with this

Yeah, that happens to me sometimes. Other times, I find that I am more engaged in watching porn, or in sexual chat rooms, or looking up nude pics on the internet than I am in school work. Though I have been trying to cut those out of my life. I have been avoiding all three for the past three days, and will continue to do so for as long as I can.

Mr. Rob,

If I were to give up the foods suggested in that article, what would I eat in there place? I mean, I mostly eat junk food and fast food, and I am a very picky eater.

 

[Mr.Rob]

If I were to give up the foods suggested in that article, what would I eat in there place? I mean, I mostly eat junk food and fast food, and I am a very picky eater.

Oh yeah your clarity of thought and attention will definitely improve if you switch to a real, whole food diet, your energy levels will improve as well. Look into a Paleo or Mediterranean diet guideline would probably be best in your case. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu#section9

Try it out for just 30 days, if you see no improvements you can always go back to what you were doing. Or if that's too big of a jump just do baby steps and cut out one bad food group every week until your on the actual diet.

-Rob

 

[Hector Papi Castillo]

You don't. You embrace its gifts and poisons.

Hector

 

[CCIF3]

I'm a focused dude and was not so before.

What helped me were:
-"Deep Work" by Cal Newport
-"Make It Stick"
-Pomodoro timers--work 25min on, 5min off, for streaks of 3 hours
-Quitting porn and rebooting the dopaminergic system
-Meditation: I like the book "Meditation without Bullshit"
-Jordan Peterson materials, especially the Future Authoring program
-Travel alone

 

[Lover]

Can you elaborate what your pattern looks like? Is it like try to study stuff for 10 minutes, get bored, check clock on phone, unlock it, check social media? I am no therapist, but I have been struggling and still struggle somewhat with this

Yeah, that happens to me sometimes. Other times, I find that I am more engaged in watching porn, or in sexual chat rooms, or looking up nude pics on the internet than I am in school work. Though I have been trying to cut those out of my life. I have been avoiding all three for the past three days, and will continue to do so for as long as I can.

I haven't been diagnosed with anything. Yet, I find myself do the same sometimes too. Other times I study like a beast though. I have good days and bad days. However, I have to do a little bit of commitment to avoid instant gratification every hour. What has worked for you so far?

 

[Ken]

I haven't been diagnosed with anything. Yet, I find myself do the same sometimes too. Other times I study like a beast though. I have good days and bad days. However, I have to do a little bit of commitment to avoid instant gratification every hour. What has worked for you so far?

Well, I have been scheduling my days in advance. I wake up at 9am, go to sleep at 10pm, and do work and other stuff in between. And I enter the schedule in my phone before my day starts. Sometimes it works. Other times, I forget to put in the schedule until the next day. And sometimes, I get nothing done and go to sleep at 11pm. I find that this is a good way to prevent me from watching porn and focusing on the important things that need to be done.

 

[Lover]

Hey Ken, I read this article today about the ABCDE method and will most likely test it out when my next test is over. Read it and hit me up afterwards if you wanna share notes

 

[Parkour]

Meditation is a long-term solution to training your focus/mind like a muscle to let go of cravings and focus at will. It’s a slow process that takes daily practice but years down the line, you’ll be 100x further along. I’d suggest startjng with the headspace app for no more than 10 minute sessions until you get 2 months of daily practice clocked before you start to see a subtle but real shift in your focus emerge. Its not going to be profound but its more or less ingrajned jnto your neurology so the benefit will stick. Its seriously alot like working out to create the adaptation and there are no shortcuts.

Another issue is dopamine addiction. Thats where the no-fap/anti-porn movement comes from or all of the stuff regarding internet/gaming/social media addiction and people trying to unplug. We’re in the age of instant satisfaction that can feel super empty causing a bad cycle which is why I imagine you wrote this post. I dont have anything against any of those activities but the problem is when you do it compulsively to feel better because you don’t feel good enough without it. It’s totally different if you choose it because it’s a passion or authentic life experience or otherwise ties to your growth/purpose/life experience. No easy fix here. Some of it is bad habits, the rest of it is dealing with the feelings that you’re escaping from. Keep in mind, this is at the core of nearly all addiction. My advice: grow! Go travel, bust out of your comfort zone, push your edge. If you need a rush, if you want to escape, at least let it be something that gives fulfillment. Fulfillment, (certainly not escape and not event achievement), satisfies that craving for longer than a brief moment.

The last point I’ll make is about ADD, ADHD. These are labels, the DSM wants to categorize you as damaged goods. It’s bullshit. Undeveloped impulse control is not a disease, it’s just a stage, a mark on a spectrum. I get pissed off when I see Doctors push it as an identity and turn it into shame and some lifelong condition they feel the need to manage with drugs and treatments. It’s not cancer. You’re normal.

Hope this helps.