My experience of living with ADHD

I’ve been struggling with ADHD my whole life, and when I moved to the UK, I was hoping to finally start treatment. I began the process of getting diagnosed, and it took me 7 months just to fill out the forms and get on a 3- to 4-year waiting list, as I was told.

After realising that I wouldn’t be able to make my brain work normally any time soon, I started focusing on finding ways to keep my life on track. I don’t want to call it fighting ADHD because it’s not really fighting; instead, I adapt my life to my mental condition as much as possible.

I have to distinguish between things that are designed to steal attention (such as mobile phones with social media) and problematic for everyone, and things that only people with ADHD experience. It’s more or less easy to deal with the former and much more difficult with the latter.

Dealing with Attention Thieves

There are plenty of things that try to steal our attention, such as:

  • unethical marketing (notifications, billboards, emails);
  • unethical social media algorithms (posts that infuriate the user are shown at the top to increase engagement);
  • pop-ups and banners on websites;
  • any push notifications.

The rule of thumb is that it should be more difficult to get into social media or be distracted in any way than to keep doing something useful. The best way to deal with social media is to avoid them completely, but that’s not possible for everyone. I have a few techniques that help me manage distractions:

  • use a web version instead of an installed app: fortunately, many businesses don’t care enough to make web versions usable;
  • set limits on screen time for apps and websites on your phone;
  • subscribe to useful blogs via RSS feed apps and use a separate app for podcasts to avoid using social media;
  • have different email addresses and services for important and less important emails, and turn off notifications for the less important ones. You could try using filters instead, but for me, this division makes a difference;
  • maintain separate accounts for social media and messaging (one professional and one for casual use, such as sharing memes) and turn off notifications for the less important accounts;
  • turn on airplane mode if possible, place the phone face down on the table, or put it away, and turn off vibration except for calls.

If you still have problems with concentrating, like I do, there are some things that help me:

  • don’t rely on memory alone; use notes, lists, and calendars instead. This helps keep your attention on important tasks and reduces the chances of your brain jumping between thoughts because you know you won’t forget an important task or event.
  • use different formats of information and different types of texts. If you’re struggling to concentrate on reading an article or book, try text-to-speech (or audiobooks, when applicable), or read it aloud and record it. I struggle with finding the perfect text-to-speech tool, but I’ve found that using ChatGPT works best for me: I can read a piece of text aloud and ask for a summary;
  • use reader view in your browser to keep your screen free from pop-ups and ads, making it simple and readable (firefox’s reader view works best for me);
  • if I’m procrastinating, I use the Pomodoro technique and daily planning to temporarily push myself and increase my productivity. However, this leaves me drained, so I can’t use this method long-term. Some people find Pomodoro and/or planning effective, so it could be a solution for others;
  • when it comes to reading and similar activities, I sometimes ignore the effects of a wandering mind, continue reading, and later either read the entire book again to cover the areas I missed or read another book or watch a video on the subject to find a way for my brain to eventually concentrate on it.
  • more generic advice includes getting enough sleep, managing stress, walking outside every day, and finding something that helps you feel better when you’re overwhelmed (for me, it’s usually watching something I like and know very well, like The Gentlemen film).

In conclusion, ADHD can place limitations on your abilities and schedule, but it’s worth trying to adapt and use different techniques and tools to improve your productivity in a non-toxic way. If you’d like to share your experience, feel free to message me on Mastodon.