I am currently re-researching ADHD management (for gods know what time already) after wasting the entirety of the past two days.
Wherever I go, I only see people talking about medication. How good it is, how to approach it, what to expect from it, how it was impossible before meds, how to treat them, etc.
I cannot obtain meds. Stimulants are illegal in my country. Strattera isn’t, but I am afraid that I will not be able to pursue diagnosis for reasons I am not going to share here. Please do not tell me how good meds are - there is nothing I can do to have them.
I tried organising my thoughts, having a schedule, and so on (org mode in emacs), but I have forgotten about it, every single time I tried it. I have set up a periodic notification to remind me of it, I quickly started ignoring that.
What can I do to make it better? How can I make sure that I will not just forget to do the things that make it better? How can I make sure that I will not outright ignore the things that help me?
Notification blindness (what I like to call it) on my devices is something that I deal with as well. I have started using physical medium and visual queues instead now. I have a whiteboard in my kitchen on/next to my fridge where I put to-do lists, daily/weekly chores, various short term reminders, and even calendar events. I cross/check them off when completed.
I have also began keep two sections of my journal. One is the journaling section and the other is a space for quick notes or status updates on projects/tasks. When I’m on the go I will use the journal and then when I get home try to promptly add it to the whiteboard if applicable.
It’s not easy to stick to the routine long enough to create the habit, but I’ve found that doing things on physical medium helps me immensely. Having it written down and hanging right there in my face keeps me honest.
I don’t know if this works for everyone or if it fully applies to your post, but it felt like a good thing to share and hopefully you can adapt some portion to your situation.
