Functioning with ADHD

hey lovely @creative_writer!!!

it's been a while since i've popped in, what's been happening for you? 💜

sounds like things have been hard lately, and i can see you've been reaching out and working on staying safe. proud of you for taking those steps. is there anything the forums community can do to support you right now? what would be helpful?

@rav3n just trying to manage everything while I am able to get more support around mood instability management. Lack of sleep has definitely made it worse.

I feel stuck. Not sure what else to do to make things easier. Do you have any ideas on what else I can do while I wait to get more support around managing my mental health?

sleep definitely plays a huge role! @creative_writer i see you mentioned getting some support around mood instability management - what sort of support is it? are you looking into finding a new specialist?

personally i find occupying myself with new (and simple) tasks/goals/hobbies as a way of pushing through. recently, legos have been my hobby - it helps me focus on the present (i.e. finding the next piece) and also feel a sense of accomplishment when i do finish (lifts my mood). do you something like that, that you can give a go? i also find movement helpful for both my mood and sleep. even when i'm emotionally exhausted, i sometimes i can't sleep until my body is physically exhausted too. do you feel that too?

@rav3n I’m waiting to see my psychiatrist to discuss mood management. He will be also be taking part in the ED assessment with my psych. The assessment will determine if I will qualify for more medicare rebated psych sessions and some dietician sessions. 10 sessions on a regular plan doesn’t feel like enough per year. I’m a complex case and I hate to admit that. I don’t want to need therapy long term, but everything is chaotic with my mental health and physical health symptoms. It goes against my hyper-independent brain.

I did exercise yesterday but took today off because I had worked out for a few days straight and felt rather migrainey today. I want to workout tomorrow. I think I need to find something that takes less mental energy that I can do when I’m not feeling so great

i agree, 10 sessions tend to fly by quite quickly @creative_writer got my fingers crossed that the assessment helps you get more sessions!!

that's a fair 'want' to have. it's okay to need extra support, in fact, that extra support is what will help you gain more independence in supporting yourself in the future. i can see how the mental health and physical health overlapping can feel like a lot to tackle. taking those small lil steps and slowing down, while also focusing on the present can help.

that's great, you've got the movement part covered! yep, finding that low mental energy activity might be a bit of trial and error. i switch up the activity every couple months (i get bored/disinterested really easily!) any new activities you can think of to try out this month?

@rav3n I reckon I meet criteria for an ED (just been in denial for years). It’s about meeting criteria for the plan. It’s probably best to have intensive support, there is only so much you can do with monthly sessions. Definitely an overlap with physical and mental health. Stress, disordered eating habits, medication and environmental (like mold, dust, pollen) stuff can affect the gut. I have a lot of allergies. We are thinking of getting the house deep cleansed and have carpets changed at some point. I’m not allowed to do much cleaning till my rashes resolve. Melbourne is terrible for allergies. Also stuff lurking.

The physical activity is recent. I used to struggle to sustain exercise due to lack of adequate nutrition. I am doing somewhat better with nutrition after getting meal plans, but still a struggle. They had a functional nutritionist and trainer at the gym that helped me get an exercise routine. It’s just one of those short term exercise-nutrition program thingies, I researched thoroughly to make sure it was legit. I needed some exercise advice since I’m so hyper mobile. They sort of helped with diet a bit in the process.

Though I may look up ED dietician once the whole assessment is complete, it’s probably going to take time to undo all that anxiety. I think I may need to explore activities, maybe try something artistic like drawing or painting. I wouldn’t say I’m a great artistic in terms of drawing and painting. I’ve always been more of a writer, but that can be hard to do when I’m super overwhelmed

it seems like your window of tolerance is also growing? working on your nutritional health and having more energy to exercise is such an improvement!! even though it's a short term program, hopefully there are info from there that you can use to maintain progress until you're able to access a dietician? @creative_writer

art can be really great tool for processing emotions, and the best part is you don't have to be good at it! in the last webinar we had (relating to veteran families), the guest speaker (ruth clare) spoke about how art/creative projects and EMDR prompt our brains to work in similar ways to heal our trauma! it's something i want to try too. i will be hopping off soon, please take care and i hope you get better sleep tonight 💗

@rav3n still feel pretty exhausted, but I have been able to exercise. Maybe there is an energy increase, I never really took note of it. It’s hard with the bipolar compounding things, I don’t know what is what. I’ve been stuck in the exhausted but wired mood state. ADHD also adds another layer. I’ve certainly had lots of nervous energy, and exercise can help with that. I think I’ll be able to take some info from it around meal plans, exercise and suitable supplements. It’s so hard to determine what’s good quality in the current market, way too many options. Vitamins are often not so regulated either.

Art can be very powerful. Even if you are not actively expressing emotions through art, emotions ultimately affect art. I hope you have a restful night 💖

I’m fine with other people’s tears, but I hate crying. It makes me feel so weak and useless, I feel like I’m not meant to cry

I managed to get a pdoc appointment late afternoon. Got lots to fill up him on. Just have to get through until then safely. I’m trying to not self harm before then either, but I’ll see how I go. I never do anything major (but I know it’s risky). Its main purpose is to get me through the day safely and helps me resist SI.

I’ve been in contact with 1800 respect and spoke through trauma. Trauma is a major driver for disordered eating and probably contributes to bipolar and enormous anxiety I cope with on a regular basis. Still trying to figure out how I can feel in control of my body when I feel so out of control. Body flashbacks can be so gruesome, super challenging when it’s a daily struggle 😢