Studying and being ND

Timed breaks helps me, and self-talk in terms of rewarding myself. That is, I tell myself that once I've completed XYZ, then I'll treat myself to XYZ @creative_writer

Thoughts?

@tyme I think that would work. I think structured breaks would be helpful, I kind of drift in and out depending on what my brain is feeling. I think I'm doing better today than I was yesterday. Still not perfect, but it appears I will be going through my matcha quicker now because I am too scattered brain without it 😂

I found rewards really help me.

Sometimes it may even be, "As soon as I finish reading this page, I'm going to walk outside." Hence I don't let myself get up until that is done.

I think i've always done this, even as a child. I remember in maths, I'd challenge myself to complete an X number of questions before I let myself have dinner. I guess it was something that worked for me.

It's good you are reaching out to gather as many strats as you can. Then it's about finding what works for you.

Hugs @creative_writer

@ArraDreaming , @tyme have some good ideas there

And my husband has ASD undiagnosed but his MH team are sure he has it

Will Tag @Jynx here too , may have some tips too

Hi @creative_writer

I know that you have already got some good tips from others on this thread, but I just wanted to drop in to say that there may assistance programs where you are studying that you could access. I had no idea about this when I returned to study after 12 years, but found that disability support services recognise mental health conditions and have great supports available for use. It might be worth looking into? I just needed a letter of support from my GP/psych.

Also, if you are finding that you are needing to get up and move could you use this as a form of study time by listening to audio versions of texts/articles that you are needing to read? That way when you go to sit down you can use the sitting time to write ideas down or write assignments/reports etc?

Warm regards

SkySeeker22

Thanks for the tag @Shaz51 - took me a bit to find some spare time to reply!

Hey @creative_writer I will echo what @tyme said about regular breaks - for instance I know I simply cannot focus on something in a sustained way for more than like... 10 minutes. Even just getting up and doing a few stretches can do wonders. Having stim toys, background music (better if it's without lyrics for me), and creating a comfy environment all help! Even my lava lamp is a great thing to have in my line of sight, so I can sorta... stare off in pondering thought and my eyes have something to entertain them... if that makes sense 😅 I always try to remind myself that it's a dopamine deficiency, so little boosts to dopamine help immensely.

There's this psychiatrist named Dr Russell Barkley who has a series of lectures on ADHD - there's a huge one that goes for many hours (I haven't watched it all but there's some really insightful stuff in there), and there's this excerpt where he talks about treating ADHD. The link takes you to the bit I thought was relevant to your question, but the whole thing is worth a watch. Caveat - it's aimed at parents of kids with ADHD and can be a bit... intense, at times, the way he talks about it. I just remember that ADHD is a developmental disorder so it is different for adults.

One of the tips he talks about in the vid is having a sugary drink next to you to sip whilst you work. Sugar helps release dopamine so having that little periodic booster can really help.

Also, listen to your body. I find that if I hit a wall, even if I haven't gotten to where I wanted to get to, I can't just push through - cos my dopamine be EMPTY! That's when taking a break, having a snack, maybe doing some jumping jacks, all can help.