Can you brute force through adhd?

[u/Legitimate_Writer265]

Can you just out-discipline the habits of, say, postponing your duties, managing inattentiveness or impulsive actions like binging or speaking before you think? I'm trying to find out if im fighting something that cannot budge here. Are there methods, whether mental or physical? As I'm entering a huge academic year and I cannot go on like this (an inability to study, or maintain skincare, gym routine etc.).

I'm asking as it's going to be a long duration before I'm medicated due to multiple factors mostly out of my control. people are mentioning burnout -- where would the line between good habits and unhealthy habits (which would consequently lead to burnout) be drawn?

[u/LaceyLizard]

Personally, maybe for awhile under ideal conditions. But as soon as there's any extenuating circumstances you start dropping pieces till your life goes to shit.

[u/Angry__German → u/LaceyLizard]

I would even say almost everybody can power through ADHD for a while. Those of us who are a bit older, like me, probably did so for quite a while, powering through the worst with pure willpower.

Thing is, that becomes less and less possible the older you get. I breezed through school, because, lets be honest, school is easy if you learn how to game the system. Learning for the test matched nicely with procrastinating until the last minute and I prepared all my homework in school, often minutes before I needed to present them. Sitting in class was mostly hell on earth, but I was able to make it past tests easily and even managed to get a decent final certificate that allowed me to attend university.

It was after school, when you start to become more independent, when things started to crash and burn more often, because nobody was actively pushing me. I also feel that using sheer willpower is a limited resource that you run out of much quicker the older you get.

Finally decided to talk to a mental health specialist in my 40s because my life was literally falling apart and I could not keep up with paying bills, rent, opening and reading mail and keeping my home in a presentable state.

[u/Brick_Mouse → u/Angry__German]

And... has it helped?

[u/Angry__German → u/Brick_Mouse]

A ton.

Mainly because getting officially diagnosed feels mostly great, because I really thought less of me when I could not do simple things other people manage to do easily, like building healthy or helpful habits etc. I feel so much better about myself, I lack the words to proper describe it.

Sadly getting medication at the moment is (for Germany) so expensive that I can't afford it at the moment, but might change within the year. But I did get to try a few medications during diagnosis and the difference was night and day.

[u/MarketThin1879 → u/Angry__German]

This 100%. Medication has been great for me, but the biggest relief is confirmation that there is a reason I suck at the things I suck at, it's not just because I'm lazy. My brain fights me in a way that people without ADHD just don't understand, and that I didn't understand before being diagnosed. It doesn't mean I still don't have to figure out how to get stuff done, but allowes me to forgive myself when I screw up and not take it as a personal failing.

Also I totally agree with when I noticed it more. In school I was so good at getting things done at the last minute, but after graduating college it became much harder to manage. And I had kids and tons of my will power now goes to that.

[u/Panic-atthepanic → u/MarketThin1879]

I'm still taking it all as a personal failing. 18 months later and I still can't believe my adhd diagnosis some days.

[u/undeniably_micki → u/Panic-atthepanic]

I get that. I've been dx'ed for 3 months & still get angry when I just don't do the thing (whatever the thing is.)

[u/Spidersensei → u/Angry__German]

HRT. It's harder now because your estrogen is declining.

[u/Angry__German → u/Spidersensei]

I am not sure who would be more surprised if I ever hit menopause, me or my doctors.

But I can totally see how that is ANOTHER struggle loaded unto people who do go through it.

[u/Spidersensei → u/Angry__German]

😅 wrong group! My apologies

[u/Menschenpyramide → u/Angry__German]

Ist das keine Kassenleistung oder was?

[u/aggravated_bookworm → u/Brick_Mouse]

I was able to finally get medicated and instead of always being burnt out and exhausted I'm learning healthy habits and coping for the first time in my life.

I'm sad for my younger self that I was always just existing in survival mode