What do other artists and writers with ADHD do to manage it?

JoshRaed 2024-12-22 05:05:49 UTC #1

Like when I’m doing the comic making/drawing thing it’s actually fun to me, but then there are times where I struggle to justify why I even bother trying to be an artist other than the fact that i’d feel like a failure if I just stopped. And i’m in the other mode often enough that I can’t say I’ve really learned much about art or have been able to practice it, like I want to put in that work but somehow that doesn’t mean I do.

Lensing 2024-12-22 08:41:21 UTC #2

You start repeating your old questions that aready have been answered

JoshRaed 2024-12-22 08:51:09 UTC #3

You mean my other ADHD post about self-control? Or another one I forgot? I don’t have any memory of getting an answer to this question last time which is weird because I recorded all the advice I received in a list on a google doc. I don’t know why I keep forgetting like I must be the only person in the universe who has this problem. I guess no one else makes so many advice posts that they lose track. But at the same time I don’t know how people find a natural middle ground between too many advice posts and none at all, and I am nowhere near the level of “never ask for advice again because I already know so much”.

ShidoDraws 2024-12-22 10:22:32 UTC #4

Hey, Josh. I think you might want to actually ask yourself if you're putting efforts into anything at all. You should know ADHD is not a mental barrier, it is issues that people will not be able to help you with unless you put in that effort yourself. If you say that you can't then that's probably why.

Also, you've previously mentioned you don't know why people still get into dramas with you.

https://forums.tapas.io/t/is-there-a-way-to-learn-to-naturally-intuit-the-right-and-wrong-things-to-say/86531

Based on your past actions it was probably your fault, but that does not mean you are an utterly bad person so long as you admit your fault and move on. Do not dwell on the past, do not think everyone here is going to baby you, do not treat this forum as your therapist. We are not mental health professionals.

kyupol 2024-12-22 13:39:23 UTC #5

I dunno I have the polar opposite of adhd which is obsessive tendencies.

Then again, someone like me who is capable of longer attention span has the following "features"

1) I practice prayer / meditation on a regular basis. You don't need to sit in a still lotus position you can meditate while walking or jogging which I find easier especially when the weather outside is below 0 Celsius. Guess the cold shocks you into instant presence / mindfulness? I remember reading about Russian monks somewhere that bathing in ice water is something they do regularly.

2) I hate watching mainstream TV. Especially the ads that seem to keep constantly changing. A cut in less than a second even if it's not about advertising some action packed fast paced movie. A BANK advertisement for crying out loud.

3) I talk slowly. I find many people talk too fast especially in the northern part of USA, and Canada. As if they're too in a hurry to get to the next point and not focused on what theyre currently saying. But in the south, I find them easier to understand.

4) I drive at the speed limit or slightly over. Never got a speeding ticket in 20 years of driving. Driving is meditative for me. I don't brake too quickly. I ease off the gas and let the car glide and gradually lose speed. Even a mechanic can't believe how long my brakes last. No weaving and constant lane changes. I drive a car like I'm driving a truck (had a CDL at some point).

That's the best I can suggest to help lengthen attention span. Hope this helps.

JoshRaed 2024-12-22 17:21:18 UTC #6

I don’t know if i’m putting in effort, but I think I am because there are times when I do the things I want or can do them consistently like I did nanowrimo and that’s a lot of effort, but on different days when I can’t do stuff like that it’s not me wanting to do it less it’s just that suddenly that energy goes from doing what I wanted to do to feeling bad that I don’t do it when I can.

And I do know after the fact what I did wrong, it’s just that while a lot of the worst of it I could definitely have stopped if I had thought about it, there are plenty of situations where I couldn’t have possibly predicted beforehand that it was the wrong thing to say even with thought, and I only know now because I saw how people reacted.