How does one beat restlessness, modern AHDD-tier attention spans and the general dopamine addiction?
I want to really focus on writing, studying and reading specifically, but it always feels like something is lacking and I have to really work to stay focused. What do I do?
I think DFW wrote (or tried to write) about this specific problem.
>AHDD-tier
by spelling adhd right.
boy, you got it bad, kid.
please help me
Well, the only thing that matters in life is the power of curation. What you allow into your eyes, what you allow yourself to think about and to talk about and to write about and to do whatever the fuck about. It's the only thing that matters. That problem right there that you're gripping with is you're letting very low level systems dictate how you respond to high level problems. Let me just say that. You have to rise. Einstein said something about that. Rise to the...? It's important to tackle those things. If you're not looking at things with different perspectives and different masks on, you know what I mean? You try different things, you get results by playing games with your own brain, because it's a machine video game. So you might as well work with it, and not against it.
Charls, please
Alright, here's what I did:
>1. Medication
Ritalin, Medikinet, whatever. It'll save your life.
>2. Background noise.
Have something you can listen to while you work. A podcast, an audiobook, whatever. Having something in the background to occupy your, let's say, secondary attention will help you immensely. Nothing you have to explicitly focus your entire attention on, but something that runs in the background, so, nothing you REALLY want to know. No new episodes of your favorite show, for example.
3. Paraphrase.
At the end of a second, paraphrase what you learned in short, easy to remember sentences. Mnemonic devices help a lot. This is a pitfall if you have to make large, super detailed essays, however.
>4. Try fidget toys.
As much as they're a meme now, they were actually developed for autistic people and people with ADHD
>5. Fuck it
cheat if you have to. Since I speak german, my trick, if all else failed was to google it in english, then translate it back into german. This only works if you still go to school, obviously, but whatever.
The first two sound like band-aids. Especially the second one. Is it really helpful to just feed my attention deficit by adding more backgroudn noise? Shouldn't I aim for a cold turkey sort of thing, where I force myself to devote all my attention to something without any distractions?
Thanks for the helpful tips anyways, especially no. 3 is something I'll aim to try out
>The first two sound like band-aids. Especially the second one.
No. Trust me. If you have ADD or ADHD you process information differently. Medication is necessary. Having background noise will help you immeasurably. There is no "going cold turkey" if you have ADD or ADHD. Forcing yourself will not work. People who tell you otherwise are dipshits and don't know what they're talking about.
You can't "force yourself" to grow taller, or to not be lactose intolerant.
Do what you want, but 1. and 2. will legitimately help.
>tfw the OP already stop paying attention to this thread
A friend of mine finished university and 2 masters degrees having dyslexia and ADHD. When i asked her how did she do it, she told me that she simply refused to give up. She would read a book until she finished it, even if it took way longer than "normal" people.
not op but whenever I read I have to reread sentences about 10-20 times before I can understand them
I'm well into adulthood and english is my first language
does this mean I have some sort of learning disability? or is this just the result of shitposting on here and being neet for 3 years?
>does this mean I have some sort of learning disability?
yeah, probably. A lot of people don't know they have have any issues, because people just tend to assume, and then tell you that you're stupid, or that you just aren't paying attention.
I can't tell you much. If you have persistent issues despite your best attempts, then you should get it checked out. It could be a number of different things, but it's not because of shitposting, so don't worry about that. Go see a specialist, if you can, or see if you can narrow down your symptoms by yourself- like using a dyslexia font. See if that helps.
Most sentences on Veeky Forums cannot be understood even if you read them for infinity.
The only way to know if you have a "disability" is to consult an expert, not chinese image boards.
The Shallows (Nicholas Carr)
>Voluntarily taking ritalin
Good lord I hope you don't do this
Quit the internet entirely
Sell your pc
Read all day
Worked for me
No, I take medikinet.
Say what you want, but I'd be fucked without it.
Its just I can't read more than 3 pages an hour of adornos appreciations and an essay on style and 10-13 pages of moby dick an hour.
Its like whenever I think something will be hard to read, unconsciously my brain just won't bother and my mind goes blank, I think about past memories and even though all the words are very familiar to me I can't understand them all together.
I have difficulty grasping ideas and thinking abstractly.
>dyslexia font
never helped on my kindle
Whenever I read anything here I just instantly know the meaning by looking at the text never subvocalising, even if its a longish paragraph. But when I try to read a book I have to subvocalise everything, I'm baffled at how people can read 30-40 pages an hour consistently.
Don't accept shortcomings. Fight them.
Just fucking read a book however you can. Don't compare how other people do it. JUST DO IT! Most people say they can easily read any time they want, but they never do.
I'm still here
Since you're still here, understand that the current attitude towards dyslexia and ADHD is that THEY ARE NOT DISABILITIES.
In Europe, we treat them as another way of learning. Only in USA you get filled with drugs.
I am European, but I don't want to get diagnosed with ADHD and be dependent on medication and short-term solutions
Looking for a steady, methodical cure
Also, I should add that I can read fine, even longer books, it just feels like I get bored extremely easily and it affects my life in almost every way
dumbass, I'm german and I get medication. fuck off
Then do fucking yoga and eat kale you dumb piece of shit.
There is no cure user because there is nothing wrong with you. You just have to fight for your attention every day of your life. You think everybody else is a lot different than you?
Why do you take medication?
But there should be a cure. I don't want to be a mental cripple all my life
Just impulse bought this without thinking twice
my ADHD. went from normal childhood ADHD to adult ADHD.
>But there should be a cure.
there is. it's called medication.
>a mental cripple
It sounds like something you heard from someone else. I bet that he/she was a mental cripple and not you.
my nigga
Get rid of your computer, video games, smart phone, don't watch porn, exercise daily, lift weights, do cardio, eat healthier, don't eat fast food, sugar, alcohol, coffee, drugs, get a job if you don't already have one at least part time, start meditating 15 minutes a day.
Actually all these are good advices. Even if you can't do all of them, try to do some of them.
why
OP here, I already do most of them, minus meditation, and getting rid of my computer/coffee
Your mental state will improve if you do all these things.
I was unable to access a computer, games or phone for a few years and I didn't expect the effect it had on my mind. Things feel much more 'normal' which I hadn't felt since probably before I had the internet or a computer at home.
Moderation, not luddite tier.
>But there should be a cure
There isn't tho. It's like being an alcoholic or depressed. There is no one-and-done cure. It's a constant struggle and only gets better with time.
As someone who has the same problem, I'd advise you to cut out what causes the issue and embrace what you struggle with. Something like this. And I don't like taking medicine either. It's just a temporary aide.
Good luck user.
I hate how counter intuitive number 2 is but it works.
Cardio and meditation will work to maintain focus, but focus without interest is different. To be interested in these works you have to learn to find pleasure in them. This requires a purge of stimulation so that the brain can be reset to take pleasure from other tasks. That kind of brainwashing and rewiring of circuits can take either months or years and is horribly difficult, especially in how it affects your social life. But the payoff can be great if you do it purposely.
Notice how I didn't give you a (you).
>Whenever I read anything here I just instantly know the meaning by looking at the text never subvocalising, even if its a longish paragraph. But when I try to read a book I have to subvocalise everything, I'm baffled at how people can read 30-40 pages an hour consistently.
I know this feel entirely. It's like a get trapped on some words and have to read them over and over and over. What I do is "practice" on different articles I find, ones that are interesting but aren't super important or critical to me. I read through them and if I find myself getting stuck I tell myself fuck it and keep reading. And after I finish the article I see that I understood it perfectly without rereading it over and over, and that helps.
Might as well just kill myself if this is just to fucking read books
kek
provided you're german (so am I): Schreibst du auch, und hast du Lust mal Texte auszutauschen? Könnten es über Discord machen.
why cut out coffee? there are mostly just benefits to drinking coffee
I have been meaning to continue reading for 8 hours. Every 10 minutes I check clock and tell 'just 10 more minutes in the chan', repeat ad nauseam. I fucking hate being.
plus it's delicous
It causes anxiety. 20 years ago people didn't drink much coffee, at least not in my country, now all these women are addicted to it and have all these problems with anxiety.
Just try cutting it and other energy drinks and just drink green tea, for a while. You will see the difference.
caffeine has a calming effect on people with adhd
Honestly, just sit down and do it. Train your mind to just do something even when you're not "feeling it" or "inspired". Consistent execution will solve more than half of your problems. It'll become a habit, trust me. It'll take patience, discipline, it's a rocky road, but eventually it'll just be a habit.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is probably the best book for this.
I had the same issue, just keep reading relentlessly until you're used to it.
Second advice is gold and helps me a lot. I put h3h3 videos on in the background when I write.
You're on Veeky Forums
train yourself - that's what i do.
user, I love you.
action begets action
open a book and read one line
one paragraph
and then it'll be easier to read another and gain momentum
this works for me, with most things, only problem is i'm then addicted/used to doing that thing and then i can't stop reading to do something else. except to try and force myself to apply the method again, which sucks
Bullshit. I have ADHD and caffeine gives me near panic attacks if I have a cup.
I don't know what to tell you, dude. I used to get caffeine pills to calm me down.
>There is no cure user because there is nothing wrong with you. You just have to fight for your attention every day of your life. You think everybody else is a lot different than you?
Completely misinformed, don't take this advice as anything more than subscribing to the typical crying of "ADD is all in the mind" attitude. ADHD/ADD make a complete difference on mental performance and processing. With a counselor and medication you can alter these habits.
I'm in the same boat OP, I post about it here a lot actually. My issue is trying to perceive every word as efficiency as possible. I've found that meditating helps a little bit, but it's too early to say if it has any long-term affects. Other people on this site have said that meditation for 30 minutes a day helped them with this issue when I asked though.
It's a full time job man. It can become it's own neurosis. The middle way ain't easy to find.
Try reading this
>inb4 self help
This piece of shit retard here.
I managed to read 10 mintues and now I'm back to fucking refreshing catalog every 30 secondsd.
Just fucking kill me God.
Do you think anyone here manages it? Obviously no, or else they wouldn't be on fucking Veeky Forums of all places.
Man, do you realize of fucked up that is? It's 100% addiction. Just turn off your computer dude, try to get away from it for a while. I know I need to do this too, but it's hard.
Just read the chan for today. Tomorrow, don't open it until you've read 30 pages.
but I fucking HATE READING CHAN AND HATE BEING IN CHAN and I WANT TO READ but MY STUPID FUCKING WHITE TRASH BRAIN CANT FORCE MY BODY TO READ BOOKS INSTEADA OF THIS GARBAGE.
Come on fucker, just turn it off right now and never go back
get rid of everything
I can't, I'm afraid I miss a good post.
iktfb
there’s this class of psychotropics called stimulants, they’ll ruin your brain, metabolism, kidney function, heart health and soul but you’ll get a lot done on them
Fuck off, you think your sanity and life are worth a good thread? As if there were good threads on this shitty board anyway. Give yourself a good punch in the face and do it.
>implying coffee will ruin your brain, metabolism kidney function or hearth health.
I fist my head every day for being a stupid fucking retard with white trash brain.
Probably a vicious circle.
This is very well stated, and completely correct yet no one pays it attention, for shame Veeky Forums.
I see your wisdom friend.
>get a job if you don't already have one at least part time
How does this help? Won't you just be more tired and have less energy to read at the end of the day?
Just based on personal experience anyway. I read loads as a NEET and the amount i read cut drastically when i got a job.
Even a part time cashier at local Walmart requires previous fucking work experience. Good goddamn Christ I'm fucked.
Staying at home may help with reading, but actually doing things with your life helps a ton when it comes to writing. And in general having a job keeps you from procrastination.
Just lie on your resume, it's not hard
Maybe for some people. Jobs take up way too much time, and made me procrastinate more from lack of time and energy to do things.
Waaaah I can't concentrate gib me a quick fix.
I work 2 jobs with no GED or diploma, grow up.
This. Add fake work experience (don't overdo it) and ask family or friends to act as fake references. What is the worst that happens and do you think Wal-Mart will check?
It's embarrassing how little ambition young white men have these days. They just dick around online and stay in their suffocating comfort zone, externalizing all their problems and not doing a damn thing about it. All the while thinking they are Truth Warriors who will rise from the ashes of the degenerate society once SHTF. Of some other escapist delusions of grandeur.
The last defense mechanism is Ultimate Sour Grapes: "I don't want to be a normie with a family and job and all the machinations of the (((degenerate society))), it's best to be NEET and live at home". I feel so bad for their parents, what a disappointment it must be.
>2 jobs.
That's quite a bad situation, but I'd be happy just with 1. How did you get work without GED or diploma?
Be an Uber eats driver
>telling someone else to grow up when you have no education and have to work 2 shitty jobs just to survive
I'm fucking trying, in the last month I applied to 8 places, but they all said thanks-but-no-thanks-we-hired-someone-more-competitive.
I guess I gotta do charity in Church or somewhere for free to get 'work' experience to put in my resume I don't like the idea of lying.
Working part time doesn't make you tired and gives you a feeling of accomplishing at least something rather than nothing, a feeling of moving forward at least rather than sitting still and getting nowhere at all.
>just read this book to learn how to read a book
It's a joke right?
Not him but Uber eats' dead in two years top
Yeah it's not a career but it's something you can do right now with no experience or resume
I've worked both full time and part time and it's the same shit. You must be working great jobs to get a feeling of excitement or accomplishment from them. I'm jealous tbqh
I understand the wisdom behind 'perfect is the enemy of good' and I just wan't good enough now
Working part time is bad because part time worker is less protected in my country than full time worker, even if the difference between part time and full time worker might be half hour if the work hours you do is just at the limit of part time worker and being full time worker, but I would be glad with part time too.
I always fuck up the HR interview because I have to explain the lack of work experience [1] and boom out goes me.
>[1] got shot in the hip and it took years to recover to the extent that i can even walk normally
I wholeheartedly disagree, I've always felt better doing nothing than working some shitty retail/fast food/customer service job, where I felt like I was accomplishing less than I could be if I was just sitting at home reading or something
this, I feel the same way
Im going to school this quarter to get my GED, I worked the two jobs over a year without a car, walking.
I had a shitty living situation growing up, and was very depressed.
Fuck off pseud.
I know it is tough and as time goes on it can have a toll on your mental health. But sending out resumes/filling out applications and waiting around is literally the bare minimum you can do for trying to get a job. You can't just apply for jobs, wait, then throw up your hands and say "well I've tried everything!".
I wouldn't like lying either, but we aren't talking about a career, we are talking about an entry level job at Wal-Mart or whatever. That said, if you can't even get basic jobs and you haven't tried padding your C.V. with legitimate credentials, what the hell is your game plan? To just play a numbers game and luck out?
If you are being outcompeted, you clearly have to step up your game. The solution is obvious.
My B.
See how you feel after 10 years of doing that
I was NEET for 5 years, felt just fine, would have liked to go another 5.
>tfw just rapidly scrolling down the thread, not reading anything that was posted previously and making a new post that probably adds nothing to the discussion
Do I have OP's problem?