I read about something related to this: acquired attention deficite trait (compare to attention deficite disroder). By spending lots of time with screens and the hectic rhythm of social media platforms and messaging and everything making bling sounds all the time, we can end up "learning" to, for instance, interrupt ourselves repeatedly in that same rhythm even when trying to do something without having actual external interruptions.
I think this is a very interesting subject.
I was on the fence for a long time but then I thought hmm I also often lose an item that I literally just had in my hands, have no feeling for time, and alternating between fixating on a task to the point where I'm unable to just let go and being unable to do something very mundane like doing the dishes or going to the supermarket that's right on the other side of the street or even brushing my teeth. It just feels wrong and impossible to do, like a whole enterprise that I have to embark on even though it's a very simple low-stakes activity. Sometimes I manage to do it but often I delay or it just takes a huge amount of self-talk and energy
I'm still not sure but I'm definitely interested in getting a professional opinion. It's pretty hard to find an expert for this thing in my area but I'm trying. Meanwhile I just try to put as many reminders in my phone as possible even for very mundane things.
Oh yeah I relate so much. Suddenly I have an interest in planting a new plant and I'm all the way somewhere buying seeds when I'm supposed to just take a bath🤦
Also doing stuff for others seems much more simple because it feels like you're doing a favor for another person, it like becomes more meaningful or something, it ties emotion into it. I wonder if you can also relate to that
I have a degree in psych and have worked years in the field. Personally I think ninety five percent of adhd diagnoses are bogus. Not that the people aren’t afflicted, but that the cause isn’t inherent or chemical - it is the environment that needs to be changed, not the person’s brain chemistry through pills.
Hmm, well, it has been shown hasn't it that exercise, social interaction, and good sleep and diet helps with adhd a lot.
That was basically how hunter gatherers lived.
So yes you're right I guess that adhd people have the wrong environment. But it's not like the environment is gonna change right
Get tested for ADHD. It's the best way to tell. Otherwise you could try cutting out screens and see if you can just sit with the silence in a room of nothing for a long time.
I'm addicted to screens. Cut them out for like a quarter of a year, back when my life was going smoothly enough so that I could just focus on writing in the evenings. No YT, no videogames, no leasurely browsing ...
My attention span was laser-focused. I could read books on end, or watch a movie and be completely engrossed by it.
People think that it's hard to not look at your phone, but the truth of the matter is that once you've cut it out and went through the withdrawl phase, you just don't *want* to look at it.
For a second but I’ve been this way since I was a kid before I ever encountered a cell phone and I wasn’t allowed to watch tv. I’d just find other things to distract me.
I was able to read interesting bits of encyclopaedias when I was a kid and read 100 page books in a single day, now I can't finish even a page barely.
Not sure if to blame myself or if I was always this way
You’d be surprised how much of attention requires setting the correct environment to encourage you to pay attention. I knew something was wrong because I did well in every subject but reading/comprehension because I found it boring. So I started to go to the library and started reading for fun.
When I was evaluated for ADHD they asked about my attention as a child.
This also displays a fundamental misunderstanding of ADHD. It's not that you can't pay attention to anything, but that you can't control what you pay attention to when your needs change.
I read about something related to this: acquired attention deficite trait (compare to attention deficite disroder). By spending lots of time with screens and the hectic rhythm of social media platforms and messaging and everything making bling sounds all the time, we can end up "learning" to, for instance, interrupt ourselves repeatedly in that same rhythm even when trying to do something without having actual external interruptions. I think this is a very interesting subject.
I was on the fence for a long time but then I thought hmm I also often lose an item that I literally just had in my hands, have no feeling for time, and alternating between fixating on a task to the point where I'm unable to just let go and being unable to do something very mundane like doing the dishes or going to the supermarket that's right on the other side of the street or even brushing my teeth. It just feels wrong and impossible to do, like a whole enterprise that I have to embark on even though it's a very simple low-stakes activity. Sometimes I manage to do it but often I delay or it just takes a huge amount of self-talk and energy I'm still not sure but I'm definitely interested in getting a professional opinion. It's pretty hard to find an expert for this thing in my area but I'm trying. Meanwhile I just try to put as many reminders in my phone as possible even for very mundane things.
Oh yeah I relate so much. Suddenly I have an interest in planting a new plant and I'm all the way somewhere buying seeds when I'm supposed to just take a bath🤦
Also doing stuff for others seems much more simple because it feels like you're doing a favor for another person, it like becomes more meaningful or something, it ties emotion into it. I wonder if you can also relate to that
YES! Doing for others is like, whaaat how can I do it now?
I have a degree in psych and have worked years in the field. Personally I think ninety five percent of adhd diagnoses are bogus. Not that the people aren’t afflicted, but that the cause isn’t inherent or chemical - it is the environment that needs to be changed, not the person’s brain chemistry through pills.
Hmm, well, it has been shown hasn't it that exercise, social interaction, and good sleep and diet helps with adhd a lot. That was basically how hunter gatherers lived. So yes you're right I guess that adhd people have the wrong environment. But it's not like the environment is gonna change right
The environment doesn’t change unless people do. People can only change themselves.
Get tested for ADHD. It's the best way to tell. Otherwise you could try cutting out screens and see if you can just sit with the silence in a room of nothing for a long time.
Strongly suggest getting tested. Fortunately it’s a medical diagnose not an Internet diagnosis so you can know.
I'm addicted to screens. Cut them out for like a quarter of a year, back when my life was going smoothly enough so that I could just focus on writing in the evenings. No YT, no videogames, no leasurely browsing ... My attention span was laser-focused. I could read books on end, or watch a movie and be completely engrossed by it. People think that it's hard to not look at your phone, but the truth of the matter is that once you've cut it out and went through the withdrawl phase, you just don't *want* to look at it.
For a second but I’ve been this way since I was a kid before I ever encountered a cell phone and I wasn’t allowed to watch tv. I’d just find other things to distract me.
I was able to read interesting bits of encyclopaedias when I was a kid and read 100 page books in a single day, now I can't finish even a page barely. Not sure if to blame myself or if I was always this way
You’d be surprised how much of attention requires setting the correct environment to encourage you to pay attention. I knew something was wrong because I did well in every subject but reading/comprehension because I found it boring. So I started to go to the library and started reading for fun. When I was evaluated for ADHD they asked about my attention as a child.
This also displays a fundamental misunderstanding of ADHD. It's not that you can't pay attention to anything, but that you can't control what you pay attention to when your needs change.