this is stupid. something about activation energy? are there any activation energy hacks?
yeah there’s a pretty good hack for this.
Stop having social media, if you are unable to look at it, you simply won’t.
90% of your life is building an environment around you that incentivizes you to do the work that you need to do, not only to be productive, but also to be happy.
You’ll be really fucking bored, but also find that you have other things to be doing, and then go do those instead, because they’re more interesting.
It’s the level of commitment. You can start and stop online activities with almost no preparation or planning. When you watch a movie, you have to mentally prepare yourself to be in one spot and paying attention to one thing for an hour and a half. When you play video games, it takes effort to turn on the console or launch Steam / Epic / whatever.
Because your brain is naturally “designed” to maximise things that trigger happy chemicals while minimising effort to get them.
So slowly frying your neurons from scrolling an endless supply of garbage where you don’t have to move or work or even use your brain to make a choice of what to watch or pay attention enough to follow a story is always going to be your brains preferred choice.
While I can’t provide you with a proper scientific answer I can offer a basic explanation - it’s effort.
Browsing through the never ending amount of content online requires no effort but provides you with a dopamine rush as if you actually managed to accomplish or do something with your time. Other stuff, like watching movies, playing games, reading books, etc. requires attention and active participation, the payoff on the other hand is largely delayed (especially compared to the lazy option).
As for hacks… I don’t know any. The only ways I know how to deal with it is limiting your time scrolling through this stuff and forcing yourself to do other things - it can be rough early on but you’ll eventually get used to the “normal” way of functioning.
I would also like to add motivation to the list. If you’re not particularly hyped about any game, playing games isn’t going to feel engaging. Once you do find a game you enjoy, you won’t have much time for doomscrolling any more.
That doesn’t seem to do much for me unfortunately. In my case the potential time I need to reserve for a gaming session tends to take precedence over hype whenever I’m in a lazy, scroll-focused rut. Still trying to get back to a recent(ish) release I was super hyped playing during its beta period… At least I have a semi decent explanation for this one, I guess.
Being more aware of the passage of time helps me, so setting an alarm is what I do.
ADHD. A lot of people might say depression, and ADHD gets misdiagnosed this way too, especially because people are much more familiar with the way depression manifests rather than how ADHD actually manifests beyond stereotypical hyperactivity and difficulty focusing.
What you’re describing is executive dysfunction and energy regulation problems. The reason you can’t stop scrolling is because your brain doesn’t produce dopamine enough, and it’s only used to the short bursts it can produce. This creates a feedback loop where you’re stuck stimulating yourself with quick, easy dopamine hits, and that’s why anything that seems like a prolonged task feels like an impossible endeavor. It’s also why you’ll get tunnel vision if you ever do start playing that game.
Kinda sounds like standard adult burnout.
We have this thing called autistic inertia, which sounds similar, and since people already mentioned ADHD, maybe start here and see if anything rings a bell and go from there:
https://medium.com/@autieadventures/adhd-autistic-inertia-and-pda-what-sets-them-apart-9d2b39a55cf7
I swear I have all three of the ADHD/autistic ones, and all three have gotten more and more difficult to deal with as I’ve gotten older
Unfortunately that’s pretty common. Personally I think that the accumulation of trauma (which is unavoidable being neurodiverse in a neurotypical world) makes the brain even more defensive, making it ever harder to break through the walls it creates in “self defence”. I wish I had something more encouraging or helpful to say, but I have the same struggles.
I appreciate it, I think I just wanted to put it out there that it can manifest in multiple ways. But it does feel good to not be alone
Oh yeah, for sure, on both the varied manifestation, and not being alone in the struggle. ✊
autistic inertia
I feel that, didn’t know there was a term for it
I only recently learned the term, and I too felt it in my bones… So validating each time I discover another bit of my autism has a name and is known by others and isn’t just me being “useless”.
First time hearing about PDA. So being viscerally protective of one’s own autonomy, no matter how small or reasonable a demand is, is a problem? Damn dude
Take it a step further - even defending your own autonomy from yourself. Even things you want to do or even thoroughly enjoy become impossible once a demand is introduced. Add that to executive dysfunction, and daily life (and dealing with a neurotypical world that has no idea about these issues) becomes a real challenge.
This is basically my life.
The more I’m involved in a hobby, more I’m inclined to take on certain responsibilities, which turns the hobby into a chore, making it repulsive and hard to repeatedly engage in.
TLDR: I have to force myself to have fun.
So frustrating isn’t it…
We should start a support group. Just to never attend! :D
Ahahaha perfect 😂
Well fuck. I share a lot of those autistic traits and only a few of the ADHD ones. Would focusing on a medical diagnosis for ADHD still help if thats the case
There is a lot of overlap and comorbidity between autism and ADHD, having one definitely doesn’t rule out having the other, and if you think diagnosis and or medication will help, I say go for it, just mention your suspicions about potentially having both to the doctor.
ADHD and CPTSD here (how we love our initialisms!), the latter of which shares a lot of behavioral overlap with autism. From my experience and that of friends and family, yes. A proper evaluation from a knowledgeable practitioner should get you moving on both fronts. I highly recommend finding a psychiatrist versed in both.
I had that last night. I went to finally watch Pluto, which I read the manga and seen the first episode before so knew I was love it, but when I started it I was like “Can I speed this up?” Which wouldn’t have made it as good. " Do I have time for this? I could be doing something else?" When I had did some chores and didn’t have anything the next day just for this. Once I was into it, I had a hard time stopping, but had to because I was too tired to appreciate it.
I think I been consuming media that not very important to me and that I don’t have to pay close attention that I normalize that. When years ago I use to purposely consume a big chunk of media. So the opposite of what I do now. Making setting aside time and focusing hard to do.
I can only speak to my experience.
Often I fall back to films or games I’ve already developed an emotional attachment to. Because the mental energy it takes to develop a new attachment is significant. I find I can trick it by putting something on while I do something else and then come back to watch or listen to it later where it’s already somewhat familiar.
My ADHD doesn’t really let me have long term (hour plus) focus easily. It wants the easy dopamine hit from something that it knows it already can drop into.
Depression
Vitamin D deficiency as well!
Nearly 42% of adults in the United States have a vitamin D deficiency. This figure rises to almost 63% in Hispanic adults and 82% in African American adults.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms
If your shadow is longer than you are tall, you are not getting enough ultraviolet radiation to produce vitamin D. You need about 15 minutes a day.
Some of the symptoms are fatigue and depression
I found out last doctor’s appointment my vitamin d is insanely low so I started taking a supplement this week and it’s made a world of difference already! Highly recommend trying it out if you feel burnt out and low energy all the time especially if you spend a lot of time inside. Its also relatively pretty cheap all things considered which is nice.
Often caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals, which can be corrected with medicine.
Get diagnosed and take your meds. It’s a world of difference.
To be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean “get diagnosed for depression” either.
No, as others have suggested, get a blood test.
Accelerating depression was surprisingly a symptom of my cancer. So being depressed can also be a symptom of something far more serious than just depression.
My depression is still bad, but the difference between taking my cancer meds (not psychiatric meds) and not taking my cancer meds, is a world of difference, depression-wise.
So being depressed can also be a symptom of something far more serious than just depression.
This is very poor wording. Depression is one of the deadliest illnesses in young people.
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Others have said depression, but this can also be caused by burnout or ADHD. If you’ve tried the usual suggestions (better sleep, exercise, diet) and it’s really bothering you, then talking to a doctor could help narrow down the possibilities.
This. Way too many people these days are confusing burnout or addiction with ADHD. Literally seeing YouTubers state they are burned out and then declare it’s ADHD, and how Adderall helped them be productive magically.
No shit the METH analogue is making you productive, it’s fucking meth. It’ll perk up anyone no matter how burned out you are. There’s a reason it was commonly used by students who hadn’t slept and could only afford ramen while finishing their thesis back in the day.
It sucks how that’s being over diagnosed and causing a shortage in people who actually need it. Psychologists in the USA have way too much power - how can you basically prescribe meth to someone without even a blood test or further testing to rule out other non-focus causes, but a nurse can’t even get you some heart medication over there?
Edit: very late, but let the record show Adderall was indeed being over prescribed in the USA:
Then there are also people who drink or used to drink a lot or use lots of recreational drugs in higher than safe doses and call it adhd when they experience memory or attention problems… When I finally admitted I needed help, it was after years of positive lifestyle changes not having any effect. That’s very bad too because I pretty much tortured myself for too long, most of my potential went down the drain and I became a person who pretty much no longer trusts themselves and is always scared of pursuing opportunities because of inevitable spiraling into dysfunction. That scenario is something nobody should end up in and people need to feel supported to seek help to minimize such damage, but those making zero effort and completely jumping over so many first steps in helping the typical and very common symptoms is really irresponsible. Having people claim to have adhd just because they have memory problems, or attention problems from spending unrestricted and unmonitored amount on apps designed to break the brain, or a textbook burnout… It’s not just insensitive to those who are suffering from the disability, it is also detrimental to give amphetamines to a body that needs care, rest, or exercise.
So Adderall is an amphetamine salt. Not a methamphetamine. Not that they don’t have methamphetamine drugs that are prescribed for ADHD. But they are drastically different drugs.
I do think their prescriptions are over dosing, but to say that over prescribing is preventing those that need it is the wrong conclusion. If there is that much need, then there should be increased production. However the federal government restricts the productions to a certain level.
Like most drugs to treat mental illnesses, it’s a lot of “try this and report” to determine the effectiveness and the dosage. We don’t truly understand the neurotransmitters or how they affect mood and mental health. We work on correlation. It’s only by how the patient self reports the effects that they can adjust the dosage and potentially change to different drugs.
Meth analogue. It’s not straight up meth but works on the same receptors, much how synthetic opioids do. It’ll still perk up and focus a normal burnt out person too.
I do think their prescriptions are over dosing, but to say that over prescribing is preventing those that need it is the wrong conclusion. If there is that much need, then there should be increased production
Two things can be true. If it’s being over prescribed, then technically production meets need, but need has also been artificially raised. That said, there at least was a shortage due to over prescription, and in some places still are.
Like most drugs to treat mental illnesses, it’s a lot of “try this and report” to determine the effectiveness and the dosage.
Except a lot doesn’t try basic things first when unsure to rule out other possible causes. Not even blood tests in many cases to see if it’s not some other illness or deficiency. Or just overwork. I know correlation isn’t causation but that Americans especially seem to be diagnosed much higher than Europeans with ADHD despite the healthcare not being socialized seems to correlate with the extreme work culture Americans have. There’s basically no vacations, a consumerist culture that encourages debt, and high work schedules. When you work that much, it’s not unreasonable your brain starts to complain about not having fun and refuses to easily concentrate anymore and instead prefers seeking dopamine. Combine that with dopamine hitters that require a short attention span like TikTok or much of social media in general and that’s a recipe for a burnout very similar to ADHD. But giving Adderall to someone burnt out is the same as giving coffee to someone sleep deprived - it’s only getting you through the symptoms but not actually fixing the problem. And the American mental health system seems to extremely easily give drugs rather than figure out if you actually need them first, or if there’s another way to actually fix the problem.
Actually, that’s the American health system in general. Mild hypertension? Don’t bother encouraging the patient to just go for an evening walk every other day for some mild exercise first to see if that helps, just take some calcium ion channel inhibitors! A bit overweight with some slightly elevated blood glucose levels? Let’s not get them to consult a nutritionist first, just go straight for the ozempic.
To me the current over diagnosis of ADHD and over prescription of medication in general is more a sign of the private healthcare system and runaway capitalism in general in the USA, rather than extremely significant prior under-diagnostics.
I’ve got diagnosed ADHD and if I don’t take my medication at the right time, I become basically useless for two days, and if I continue to not take it I’m like 30% effective in everything I do.
I’m begging you to please stop spreading misinformation about ADHD medication, it’s really harmful. It’s not anything like meth. It doesn’t give me any feelings of being high or euphoria or a rush or anything like that. All it does for me is somehow make me a functional human. I don’t feel any different.
Calling it meth is really harmful because it makes people think of us as drug addicts who just want a buzz from it or something, and it makes people try to reduce their dosage or try to stay off medication to clear their mind etc. and that will just lead to issues.
Actually what’s harmful is misinformation about drugs, which you are ironically spreading.
Not all drugs give feelings of high or rushes or such. What causes that in most cases is how the drug is taken, and the dosage. That’s why there’s a lot of functioning addicts in society as well. Caffeine for example weight give you jitters of you take a very small amount, but drink 8 cups of coffee and you’ll feel something really different. Thinking that an addict looks and acts a certain way is way more harmful to society, because
A) it causes a stigma to addicts that doesn’t lead to them seeking help, because they don’t experience that stereotype, and B) hinders a societies willingness to explore potential medical uses in illicit drugs. Cannabis is a huge example of this.
Yes, Adderall is an Methamphetamine analog. It works on the same receptors. Part of the discovery for drug treatments for ADHD came about when it was noticed that people who had ADHD and took Meth ended up calming down rather than becoming energetic like just people would (known as a paradoxical effect). It is essentially Meth when it comes to biochemical interactions in the human body.
Now like all drugs, if you need it, then yes you should take it, much like someone with a broken leg will need opioids (that doesn’t change that for most, opioids are addictive, does it?). The problem is there are many people who DO NOT need Adderall, because they have not been properly evaluated for ADHD. They get prescribed after a single visit to a psychologist. That’s not enough data to determine if someone should be taking such a powerful drug. Society (well, USA especially in this case because feigned ignorance from money in the first place) has figured out that giving opioids without much effort was a terrible idea, yet the exact same mistake is being done with Adderall. Adderall definitely is addictive. But needing to take medication daily to function because of an external factor is different than being addicted to it.
And many are instead overworked, burnt out, and/or beyond exhausted, and telling people “oh I couldn’t do anything or focus and then Adderall fixed everything!” without people realizing what Adderall is, is far more dangerous. Not saying this is what you’re doing btw, I’m referencing more younger (well, 35 and under) people who have a wide reach and influence who equate symptoms of absolute exhaustion and stress, and then with no research at all say it’s ADHD. If lucky they see a psychologist a single time and instantly get a prescription (which I think is also very irresponsible, considering the lack of actual medical knowledge psychologists have). It’s reminiscent of those chiropractors who could give prescriptions for opioids during the onset of the opioid epidemic.
Psychologists do not prescribe medication. No one is being prescribed Adderall after one visit to a psychologist, because all the psychologist can do is refer to a psychiatrist who then might make a prescription after confirming the diagnosis.
Stop repeating your opinion as fact. You are confidently incorrect.
Depends on the state. They can in some states (5: Louisiana, New Mexico, Illinois, Iowa, and Idaho), and in others they can just call a psychiatrist and the psychiatrist will then write it without the patient having to see the psychiatrist, or some other loophole (such as having an advanced psychiatric nurse on staff write the prescriptions for them). And there’s a trending push in more states to allow psychologists to prescribe directly. I don’t have an issue with psychiatrists giving Adderall, but with psychologists doing it, as I confidently stated for a reason. So yes, you should, quoting you;
Stop repeating your opinion as fact. You are confidently incorrect
There could be any number of things causing you to feel like that. Depression, burn out (very common in people on the spectrum), vitamin deficiencies, thyroid problems… our bodies are kind of like really crappy cars that just show a check engine light for every problem, except with feeling tired. The only way to rule out any physical problems is to get blood work done.
Your brain is a large energy eater. Slow oxygen transfer in the lungs would be my guess. Sitting around, your body downcycles to a lower energy requirement and the longer it remains in that statethe more effort it takes to get out of it
(most) films and video games requires a bit of engagement from you.
bingo. they require attention and effort and you might get something out of them…
social media… is designed to require neither… just like reality tv or candy crush… which are junk.
and same with food. a good meal requires attention and effort to make… cup o noodles requires almost none, but has very little nutritional value beyond hitting your salt and fat receptors.
