26 years of ADHD: Here's what I learned
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful video, Nick, the creator of ADHD Vision, shares his personal journey and hard-earned life lessons for individuals with ADHD. He discusses the challenges of dealing with mood, motivation, and focus due to dopamine deficiency, and offers practical solutions like cold showers and aerobic exercise to naturally boost dopamine levels. Nick also addresses the common issue of 'ghosting' in relationships due to ADHD and emphasizes the importance of open communication. He advises seeking novelty to stay inspired and motivated, and introduces a bonus lesson on embracing the ADHD brain's unique work pattern of sprints, rather than comparing oneself to neurotypical work habits. The video aims to empower ADHD individuals to thrive by understanding and leveraging their unique strengths.
Takeaways
- 🧠 ADHD and Dopamine: People with ADHD have lower and more volatile levels of mood, motivation, and focus due to a dopamine deficiency, leading to a tendency to seek quick dopamine hits from social media, fast food, or drugs.
- 🚿 Natural Dopamine Boosts: Engaging in activities like cold showers and aerobic exercise can significantly increase dopamine levels naturally and sustainably, improving mood, motivation, and focus.
- 🌡️ Dopamine Graph Insight: The graph illustrating the spike and subsequent drop in dopamine levels after taking cocaine highlights the temporary high and long-term negative effects of unhealthy dopamine sources.
- 🏃♂️ Healthy Dopamine Habits: Establishing sustainable habits for natural dopamine intake, such as cold showers and exercise, can be challenging but ultimately beneficial for ADHD individuals.
- 👥 ADHD and Relationships: The 'out of sight, out of mind' symptom of ADHD can lead to unintentional ghosting of friends and loved ones, necessitating open communication about this aspect of ADHD.
- 🔄 Introducing Newness: To combat the ADHD-induced struggle with repetitiveness and loss of motivation, introducing new experiences and environments can stimulate and re-energize the brain.
- 🌟 Embracing Novelty: Traveling and changing work environments are effective ways to provide the novelty that ADHD brains crave, helping to maintain inspiration and motivation.
- 🔄 Work in Sprints: Recognizing that the ADHD brain works best in short, intense bursts, it's beneficial to work in sprints rather than against the brain's natural rhythm.
- 🤝 Strengthening Relationships: Being vulnerable and communicating the challenges of ADHD with close ones can lead to stronger, more understanding relationships.
- 🎯 Accepting Uniqueness: Accepting that the ADHD brain is different, not broken, and finding ways to work with its unique strengths can lead to increased productivity and self-acceptance.
Q & A
What is the primary message of the video script?
-The primary message of the video script is to share three impactful life lessons for individuals with ADHD and a bonus lesson on productivity, which the author had to learn the hard way.
Why is it challenging for individuals with ADHD to maintain consistent mood, motivation, and focus?
-It is challenging for individuals with ADHD to maintain consistent mood, motivation, and focus due to their brain's dopamine deficiency, which leads to a constant search for quick and easy dopamine hits, such as social media, fast food, or drugs.
What are some natural ways to increase dopamine levels mentioned in the script?
-Some natural ways to increase dopamine levels mentioned in the script include taking cold showers, which can increase brain chemicals by 500%, and engaging in aerobic exercises like running or dancing to good music.
How does the author suggest managing the tendency to 'ghost' friends and loved ones due to ADHD?
-The author suggests being open and vulnerable with the people that matter, communicating the aspect of ADHD that leads to ghosting, and asking them to initiate contact or plan time together to maintain relationships.
What is the 'out of sight, out of mind' phenomenon as it relates to ADHD?
-The 'out of sight, out of mind' phenomenon as it relates to ADHD refers to the tendency for individuals with ADHD to forget about things or people that are not physically present around them, leading to unintentional ghosting of friends and loved ones.
Why does the author emphasize the importance of seeking newness for individuals with ADHD?
-The author emphasizes the importance of seeking newness for individuals with ADHD because novelty is stimulating and motivating for the ADHD brain, which can help counteract feelings of boredom and lack of motivation.
What is the author's strategy for dealing with the ADHD-related challenge of losing interest in previously enjoyable activities?
-The author's strategy for dealing with the challenge of losing interest in previously enjoyable activities is to introduce new things into life, such as changing environments, meeting new people, traveling, or doing things that are out of the ordinary.
How does the author describe the ADHD brain's work pattern?
-The author describes the ADHD brain's work pattern as working best in short bursts of high focus and productivity, particularly when a task is new, interesting, challenging, or urgent.
What is the 'work in sprints' strategy mentioned in the bonus lesson, and how does it benefit individuals with ADHD?
-The 'work in sprints' strategy involves breaking work into short, intense periods of focus, which is beneficial for individuals with ADHD because it aligns with their brain's natural tendency to work best in bursts of high energy and concentration.
How does the author propose to 'trick' the ADHD brain into a productive state?
-The author proposes to 'trick' the ADHD brain into a productive state by creating a sense of last-minute pressure each day, which helps to activate the ADHD brain's natural tendency to work in short, intense bursts.
What is the significance of the graph showing dopamine levels after taking cocaine in the context of the script?
-The significance of the graph showing dopamine levels after taking cocaine is to illustrate the difference between the temporary spike and subsequent drop associated with unhealthy dopamine sources versus the more sustained and less volatile increase from natural and healthy sources.
Outlines
🧠 Understanding ADHD and Dopamine Deficiency
The speaker, Nick, shares his personal journey with ADHD, diagnosed 7 years ago. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing the impact of dopamine deficiency on mood, motivation, and focus. Nick explains that due to this deficiency, individuals with ADHD may be more prone to seeking quick dopamine hits from social media, fast food, or drugs, leading to habitual addictions. He describes the struggle with inconsistency and unpredictability in life due to the constant search for instant gratification. To combat this, Nick discovered the benefits of natural dopamine boosts through activities like cold showers and aerobic exercise, which have a more sustained and positive effect on mood and motivation. He encourages establishing sustainable systems for natural dopamine intake and finding enjoyable activities that can provide a healthy dopamine boost.
🤝 Communicating ADHD Challenges in Relationships
Nick discusses the common ADHD symptom of 'ghosting,' where individuals with ADHD may unintentionally lose touch with friends and loved ones due to the 'out of sight, out of mind' phenomenon. He shares his experience of realizing the negative impact this can have on relationships and the importance of being open about his ADHD with those he cares about. Nick suggests that asking friends and family to initiate contact can be a game-changer in maintaining connections. He stresses the importance of vulnerability and communication to strengthen relationships and ensure that others understand the nature of ADHD and its effects on social interactions.
🚀 Embracing Newness to Stay Inspired with ADHD
In this section, Nick talks about the struggle of losing motivation and interest in daily life due to the repetitive nature of activities, which can be particularly challenging for those with ADHD. He shares his strategy of introducing novelty into his life to reignite motivation and inspiration. Nick suggests doing out-of-the-ordinary activities, such as traveling, meeting new people, or changing environments, to provide the brain with new stimuli. He also mentions his love for travel and the benefits of breaking routine to keep his ADHD brain engaged and motivated.
🔄 Working in Sprints for ADHD Productivity
Nick addresses the unique work patterns of individuals with ADHD, who may experience intense focus followed by periods of inactivity. He explains that comparing oneself to others in terms of productivity is unproductive and that understanding the ADHD brain's preference for working in short, intense bursts is key. Nick shares his method of 'tricking' his brain into a last-minute pressure state to complete tasks efficiently, regardless of interest. He advocates for accepting the ADHD brain's work style and adapting work habits to align with it, such as working in sprints rather than against it. Nick also mentions an upcoming free online event where he will share more about this productivity technique.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡ADHD
💡Dopamine
💡Mood and Motivation
💡Self-Awareness
💡Ghosting
💡Novelty
💡Habits
💡Executive Dysfunction
💡Sprints
💡Productivity
Highlights
ADHD diagnosis and the journey of self-discovery and building a fulfilling life.
The importance of understanding the impact of ADHD on mood, motivation, and focus due to dopamine deficiency.
How quick dopamine hits from social media, fast food, and drugs can lead to habitual addictions for those with ADHD.
The challenge of maintaining consistency and predictability in life due to ADHD's effect on goal pursuit.
The revelation of finding sustainable ways to provide the body with healthy and natural dopamine daily.
The astonishing fact that cold showers can increase brain chemicals by 500%, aiding in ADHD management.
The benefits of aerobic exercise and music for boosting natural dopamine levels.
Understanding the difference between unhealthy and healthy dopamine and the impact on mood and motivation.
The significance of establishing habits for natural dopamine intake and the journey to make them routine.
The common ADHD symptom of 'ghosting' and its effects on relationships.
The importance of open communication with loved ones about the ADHD symptom of forgetfulness.
The struggle with motivation and the need for novelty to stimulate an ADHD brain.
The concept of seeking new experiences and environments to maintain inspiration and motivation.
The unique work patterns of ADHD individuals and the challenges of comparing oneself to others.
Learning to accept the ADHD brain's different working style and the benefits of short bursts of productivity.
The strategy of working in sprints to align with ADHD's productivity patterns and overcome executive dysfunction.
An invitation to a free online event to learn more about managing ADHD and boosting productivity.
Transcripts
I got diagnosed with ADHD 7 years ago
and there are a lot of things I wish
someone told me right after getting
diagnosed that I had to figure out for
myself today you will learn three of the
most impactful ADHD life lessons no one
will tell you about that I had to learn
the hard way to go from feeling stuck
judging myself and being confused to now
being able to build the life I love
being more self-aware centered and
positive about the future there will
also be a bonus lesson which was the
most impactful of for me so make sure to
stick around until the end welcome back
to ADHD Vision where we help you thrive
instead of just survive so if you have
ADHD why don't you consider subscribing
I'm Nick and you may have already seen
me on your Tik Tok or Instagram feed
because that's actually where I started
posting this ADHD life lesson series
which has now gotten over 100 million
views in total and we also have over 2
million followers on these platforms
it's great to see you and without
further Ado let's jump right into it
lesson number one one of the most
important things about ADHD that I had
to learn the hard way was that you will
naturally have lower and more volatile
levels of mood motivation and focus
because of your brain's dopamine
deficiency which means you'll constantly
be looking for something quick and easy
to make you feel good social media fast
food drugs can therefore quickly become
habitual addictions for us much more
quickly than for a neurotypical person
and this makes your life a lot less
predictable and consistent because no
matter how good your intentions you just
never know if you can actually follow
through on your goals because you always
get sidetracked by those quick dopamine
hits you therefore lose trust in
yourself and your self-esteem takes hit
after hit I was stuck in this pattern
for a really long time it's like you
don't have control over your brain but
your brain has control over you and we
live in a dopamine age right now it's
everywhere from The Fast Food Cafe just
two blocks from where you live to the
endless entertainment over your phone
and TV you cannot Escape it dopamine is
marketed and sold to you every minute of
every day making this the most
challenging time for us adhders this is
when I learned that I need to find
sustainable ways to give my body healthy
and natural dopamine daily I learned
that taking cold showers literally
increases those brain chemicals by 500%
and aerobic exercise like running or
just putting on good music will have
similar effects and here's this is truly
life-changing check out this graph it
shows your dopamine levels after taking
cocaine you see that Spike followed by
the big drop it means you feel really
bad after in fact you feel worse than
before and if you think about it all
fast ways of getting dopamine are like
this you have this huge rush you feel
great but then you feel worse after
which is why I like to call this
unhealthy dopamine however the amazing
thing about getting natural and healthy
dopamine from cold showers sunlight
movement certain Foods is that dopamine
levels rise over time and don't drop as
quickly this can give you boosted mood
motivation and focus for hours instead
of minutes and has completely changed my
life a cold shower in the morning a bit
of movement after lunch and eating the
right Foods in the afternoon takes care
of my dopamine deficiency really well
throughout the day which improves
virtually any brain function I have
dopamine has a huge effect on your way
of seeing and functioning in the world
now habits are hard for us to establish
harder than for neurotypical people as
anecdotal evidence has shown and it took
over 3 years but I've not gotten to the
point where it feels weird not to do
these things which has led to my whole
life improving remember your brain is
like a motor and natural dopamine is its
jet fuel lesson one create sustainable
systems for natural dopamine starting
from when you wake up and side note what
will have an even bigger effect is doing
things that you naturally enjoy like
running or playing a specific sport for
healthy dopamine as Studies have shown
let me know your favorite way of
boosting your dopamine naturally down
below let's jump into lesson two and
believe me I had no idea this one was
ADHD ghosting friends and loved ones you
didn't you didn't know either yeah
welcome to the club if you have ADHD you
will often end up ghosting friends
family or loved ones because everything
that you don't physically have around
you is out of your mind out of sight out
of mind is a cal common ADHD symptom and
is the reason for why we constantly need
physical reminders like Post-it notes
everywhere right and so in relationships
you always have these really intense
phases of connection only to end up
completely going off grid and the longer
you don't reach out the more guilty you
start to feel because it's not that you
don't want to but you simply forget and
if you remember you don't have the
energy or motivation to do it the real
problem ends up being that people think
you don't like them or are doing it on
purpose purpose and so they can get
really confused and even build up this
hate for you which you usually only
realize once it's too late and you have
no idea what happened in the first place
it's odd and confusing for everyone
including us this is when I had to learn
to communicate this aspect of my ADHD
openly with the people I care about and
ask them to actually start calling or
planning iners time with me if they
wanted to reconnect yes this seemed very
weird to do at first but it's been a
complete Game Changer for me because my
closed circle now knows that it's
nothing personal when I don't reach out
which has strengthened my relationships
beyond measure because people understand
me we can't always assume people
understand without them knowing how our
brains work lesson two be vulnerable
with the people that matter lesson three
if you have ADHD you will often
inevitably come to points in your life
where it will start getting difficult to
get out of bed again because whatever
you started out doing in the most
enjoyable fashion has somehow lost its
spark it's difficult to put into words
but everyday life just becomes a
struggle because it seems too repetitive
you start feeling guilty for not
following through on things you
absolutely loved just a few weeks ago
this is when I had to learn that I
needed to start introducing new things
into my life again do something
completely out of the ordinary like
switching up environments meeting new
people traveling doing things you don't
usually do or have never done it could
be as simple as taking a random drive
somewhere you've always wanted to go
because this can help your ADHD brain
get some novelty novelty is stimulating
and motivating you know what I'm talking
about when you're in a new environment
everything feels so intense and your
brain is taking in everything from all
angles and is part of the reason for why
I have fallen in love with traveling I
now also regularly switch where I work
and sometimes have a few days off where
I completely break out of my routine on
purpose remember your brain is literally
allergic to Bor lesson three seek
newness to stay inspired and motivated
now last but not least here is the
promised bonus lesson I want to share
with you all if you've made it this far
make sure to subscribe it may not seem
like much for you but each subscriber
helps this channel improve the videos
get more experts and so please just hit
that button if you haven't already let's
jump into the bonus lesson this is one
of my favorite lessons for productivity
if you have ADHD you often have this
guilty relationship with work because
while other others seem to effortlessly
finish their tasks every single day you
have phases where you're incredibly
motivated and end up getting 5 days work
done in a few hours only to end up
becoming intensely focused on a single
irrelevant activity and experience
existential dread for days and therefore
feel like there must be something wrong
with you because compared to the norm
what are you even doing you're slouched
on the couch for 5 days only to work 24
hours so you can meet a deadline people
often question our sanity because of
this Behavior am I right this this is
when I had to learn that my brain isn't
broken but just works differently and
that comparing myself to others in
regards to work simply makes no sense
because my ADHD brain tends to work best
in short bursts which activate when a
task is new interesting challenging or
urgent nice in short so you can remember
that I therefore need to start
normalizing working in Sprints rather
than play against my brain and try to
run a marathon if you really think about
it though like really think about it
what's normal about being able to sit
still for 12 hours at a time and work on
one boring task day in day out we're not
robots right so learning to accept
myself on that front has been huge
because now whenever my brain has off
days I've learned to accept it knowing I
get it all done in record time once the
deadline approaches and the pressure
builds what's really great about this is
that I found a way to trick my brain
into this last minute pressure State
each and every day this allows me to
complete any task I want to no matter if
I'm interested in it or not it works 99%
of the time and for me it's a really
simple solution that eliminates my
executive dysfunction and
procrastination and has allowed me to
stay so consistent with uploading the
videos you all know from me if you want
to know how I do this or you think this
sounds too good to be true I'm hosting a
100% free online event where I'll show
you exactly how this works simply click
the link in the video description to
sign up Lesson Four work in Sprints be
sure to check out these related videos
if you haven't already stay inspired and
I'll see you very soon
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)