ADHD: A Nightmare Under Capitalism

[@andersrhys9140]

I once had a boss say to me "I notice you have good days where you are very productive and bad days where you are less productive. How can we fix that?" I was like, you have just described existing as a person

[@andersrhys9140]

The answer was to slow down until my good days matched my bad days btw

[@BlitzkriegOmega]

I was asked a very similar question in my high school years. I couldn't wrap my head around it then, and I still can't wrap my head around it now. You surely can't be expected to be constantly productive all the time, Right? That's how burnout happens.

[@Molly-iw1rc]

Fr lmao I would roll my eyes

[@transsexual_computer_faery]

@@BlitzkriegOmega cappie brainworms

[@vulcanfeline]

i got fired from a couple of job for similar reasons. turns out my average productivity was quite good and both places had to hire several people to do my job after i was gone

[@bibitta]

The best reason to change how we think about time is actually just that being able to say to someone “I’ll get it done by around next solstice” goes hard as shit

[@SpinningSideKick9000]

Alternatively, I’m using that phrase as an excuse to do things when I get to them and not on any schedule that people are familiar with

[@coyoteblue4027]

It'll be done when it's done.

[@dirtiestdan4756]

@NotVille_ong

[@Catthepunk]

Real

[@whiteydiamond]

Fuckin cringe

[@cashwarior]

I always found it weird that people exclusively talk about adhd as living in the present. I am diagnosed with adhd and 90% of the time I am not living in the present. So much of my thoughts and perception of time is based on the future. I constantly think about something that I want/need later, so I plan out what actions I have to do now to make that happen. My problem comes in the fact that my brain is so constantly occupied by things in the future that I don't have room to do anything else. I'll spend the entire day thinking about stuff I need to do and forget to do things that need more immediate attention. Everyday then becomes just me fumbling around doing whatever to pass the time until it's time to do thing that's been on my mind.

[@cassielee1114]

Yep! Me too. Always planning the future, struggle with doing stuff right now.

[@Acuriouscase77]

this is literally how I'm living my life and it's not fun

[@justagirlexisting]

EXACTLY!!! THIS DESCRIBED ME PERFECTLY

[@jeremybeau8334]

I like to live in my mind most of the time. I find my world or universe to be more apealing than real life, at least like 60 or 80% of the time.

[@gristen]

yep. i think its cause we've learned that things tend to not get done unless we've been thinking about it and planning it way ahead of time. but tbh sometimes even thinking too much about a future thing eventually leads to that future thing not even getting done because we feel so paralyzed by the stress of it all. its like a self perpetuating cycle: you feel stressed so you get nothing done, you get nothing done so you feel stressed. i honestly think alot of us would genuinely benefit alot if we actually tried to live in the present and focus on just the things in front of us like neurotypicals seem to think we do

[@Kimotuza]

not me watching this video (with ADHD) thinking I dont have time blindness, but then realizing the only reason I show up to things on time or even early is because I freeze and go into “waiting mode” by getting ready 6 hours prior to the “thing” and then just sitting on the couch until its time to go

[@seDrakonkill]

Would you like a tip that has helped me not freeze and still get to places on time? If so, here goes: when you realize you are going into waiting mode, set up timer or an alarm that will go off at the time you need to get ready to leave. Take note of how long it tends to take you to get ready to go somewhere and make sure that timer is set to end that many minutes before you need to leave plus about 5 to 10 minutes. You might have to adjust the amount of time you set to get ready. I’ve found that doing this helps me keep out of waiting mode because it is no longer I, but the phone, that is keeping track of when I need to start getting ready to go. An alarm might work best, that’s what I usually use.

[@reaganharder1480]

@@seDrakonkill can confirm, alarms to bypass waiting mode is big, at least for me. But then, it only halfway bypasses waiting mode, and half the time I'll end up still watching the time as I'm doing things, and I'll be like "oh, it's only 20 minutes till my alarm, I guess I should shut this down now" and still end up with a considerable amount of needless waiting time, but it's only like 20 minutes of extra waiting time instead of 3 hours of waiting time, so still an improvement

[@Molly-iw1rc]

Same

[@bigkirbyhj666]

Fuck call me out aswell why dontchu😂😅😰😭 fluff my life!

[@Spooky_Magooky]

I mean I wouldn't say that's time blindness, like the video mentions I don't think the idea of 'time blindness' is a helpful term because it implies that time is this natural objective property that can be perceived correctly or wrongly which is a bunch of bs cause it's a social construction. What we actually struggle with is things like memory, keeping up focus and attention. That then get's interpreted as 'time blindness' because those problems cause us to fail at the task of staying on time, because in the end being punctual is just another task among many other, it's not a problem with our perception of time, it's a problem of staying on task. Your waiting mode is just a tactic to remove external activities or things that could steal away your attention.

[@arijanda21]

The book "bullshit jobs" explains how time became an object to be sold and rented. I dream of being free from that, I want it so much

[@ccaagg]

As does his other work, Debt: The First 5000 Years and The Dawn of Everything. Highly recommend - Bullshit Jobs is a great gateway into radical literature, but it doesn't really _say_ anything more than the essay he wrote which the book is based on. The other two books I mentioned go more into the history and colonialism of it all. RIP David Graeber.

[@youtubesucks1499]

So go start your own business.

[@youtubesucks1499]

@@littlestbroccoli So, you go start a business. If my workers tried your bullshit? I would cloes the doors, and retire. I wouldn't bother to thank the employees, I would already be gone with the cash. Of course, I would sell the rest. Lol. So enjoy poverty. Me and mine won't. Just saying.

[@Magosspud]

​@@youtubesucks1499You seem like you're only here to flaunt your "3 businesses" and how hard you work unlike the lazy masses instead of actually contributing anything

[@MongoGamer]

This is a dead Internet bot graveyard

[@MoeKyorosuke]

I've always been proud for living in the present. Embracing "time management" has always seemed to me like imposing a suffocating dictatorship upon myself.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

That's the plan. Time management was originally imposed on factory slaves.

[@josephp.3341]

I mean, realistically you need a balance. If you want people to expect you to be somewhere, you will need to get in the habit of being there on time. And if you want to be there on time, you need to plan to be there. And yeah, being on time isn't something anyone is imbued with. It's a skill you learn. But realistically you need to learn it if you want people to trust you with certain responsibilities (such as a job)

[@adamgreenhill110]

​@ville__(said ADHD is a choice) - Accepting it is a choice. You can either struggle miserably, forever trying to be "normal", or embrace who you are

[@Cobalt985]

@NotVille_ this is an anti-science opinion. science proves the existence of adhd.

[@EbonyHoopGyal]

Super suffocating. Like all them old dudes that used to yell at us back in the day have won when you are compressing yourself like this.

[@The_Gaba_Ghoul]

I struggle with the fact that my personal progress has nothing to do with the money I make, and if my time is spent on unfulfilling things, I get wildly depressed no matter how much money I’m being paid.

[@alexandroh.3]

Yes, on the one hand it makes you genuine and authentic about the things you do and are interested in unlike a lot of other people, on the other hand, you still need to pay to live somewhere, to eat, to buy necessary things, or maybe afford something you really wanted. I've been offered quite a bit of money in my life, but I just could not do what they wanted, I wanted to die. In fact I died on the inside every second of it.

[@AshaSelfsDemoFilms]

then people tell you you're stupid for not groveling to keep that job😓 even when you try to explain @@alexandroh.3

[@sinclaire5479]

yeah and theres the fact that cooperate anything basically denies people from have a family work life balance....i dont know how many times i was forced to choose between my daughters needs and keeping my job... the jobs didnt win i finally said f it and went into business for myself doing something i actually liked doing i make suncatchers now and sell them at fairs. I can be creative and use my time for what i need to that is most beneficial to me and my loved ones. its still a struggle but its a better struggle than any 9 to 5

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I like saying “Time is a social construct.” not only because it’s fun to say but also because it blew my mind when I realised that.

[@Crystalcreates333]

same here! i always whip out the “time is a social concept” line when i’m late to events (partially bc i think it’s funny but also because i love to acknowledge that it can change at any *ahem* time)

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@Crystalcreates333 You should use “A Queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early.” too.

[@harsheh]

yo #6

[@turtleanton6539]

Indeed it is

[@HPFireYT]

I always remind myself this when I get way too anxious around time. It’s hard 😅

[@obnoxiousnesli]

I remember seeing this one clip of this psychiatrist who pointed out how crippling ADHD truly is and that it isnt treated like the serious issue it is. and I fully agree! It's like sitting in a room with multiple TVs with different channels going on at full volume and if you try your best you can listen to one of those TVs for a short while but as soon as the focus breaks off for even a single second the other TVs will just mute out the one source that you're trying so hard to watch and listen to.

[@thecriticalone1783]

This is how my brain worked when I was a kid. I still can get distracted easily but not as bad. But I don't have ADHD. According to my mom, the doctor said I didn't have it.

[@ilta222]

it's bizarre how hard it is to get disability for ADHD in america. it quite literally makes work physically painful for me.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

It really is, for me my experience with audhd and other comorbid issues that contribute to why my brain feels like soup it feels like I have dementia sometimes. You know the man who lived with half a brain? Yeah that's my lived experience, except I've never had a lobotomy done on me nor have I had a grand mal seizure(yet, my unstable decaying body is full of tricks and surpises). I can't perceive the past or future, it sometimes feels like I'm a spectator behind a glass wall seperated from my own body. I forget days weeks months years I forget names and faces I forget about my own body and being alive and forget how to breathe and swallow sometimes. If you ask me what I did the other day or even hours ago I wouldn't be able to tell you, I simply just don't remember. Sometimes I'm paralysed and locked inside my own body and brain, fully conscious and aware of my surroundings but not being able to move or react to it. I almost dropped out of high school because of my deteriorating memory and brain I can't get a job because of it friendships have been sabotaged by me not remembering something I did or someone's birthday or even name or face. I just live in the here and now, although I find Dr. Barkley to be problematic as a neurodivergent person what he described as being dragged by the nose by the present described what I experience on a day to day basis. I wish people understood how devastating adhd and even memory loss and brain damage(in my case, oxygen starvation at birth and multiple concussions from contact sports and pe classes during middle school) can be. Neurodiveristy is a beautiful thing and I full heartedly agree it should be something we should be proud of, but the symptoms it can cause whether because of ableism/colonialism or not is life devastating at times. I wish symptoms like these would be taken more seriously by medical professionals and neurotypical people alike as if it's something like early stage dementia or a similar condition which affects memory retention/forming and temporal processing. I just wish people who don't live with it would understand what it's like to be aimlessly floating in the oceans of passing time and memory not having any control of where you're taken or if you're able to keep your head above water or hold onto something. I'm aware that my lived experience with adhd may be different than someone else because my body is deteriorating, my nerves are demylinating slowly, my memory gets worse as the brain fog from multiple tbi's myalgic encenphalomylitis and long covid gets thicker and thicker with any exertion I make, my muscles get weaker and weaker, my heart has to work harder and raises my blood pressure, my immune system is cannibalizing the body it lives in. None of these are simply caused by adhd, but autoimmune disease and chronic conditions can exemplify adhd symptoms more than they would in a healthy person so that is my own anecdote. Unfortunately my body and the way my brain is wired isn't made for this colonial system, my ancestors used the land around them to tell chronological time passing and divided work equally among their peers and worked in bursts, something incompatible with this modern system. That is my two cents as someone who is unfortunately trapped inside this body and is in it for the long haul. Stay safe wear a mask wash your hands and be kind to each other and the land you're on 🫶🪶

[@LegendsP137]

Undiagnosed and unmedicated ADHD so working within in Capitalism for me is truly hellish. Time moves at sluggish pace as I hyper focus on my tasks. I'm there for month (3-4 months at the most )before my ADHD make me completely disinterested in the job. Money becomes nothing at that point. I just want out. My anxiety starts to spike and then I leave. This cycle continues endlessly.

[@haleymeek5178]

That was normalizing, thank you so much for sharing. I do the same thing but it's lead me to great things, think of it as a super power. We are immune to complacency!

[@cronchyskull]

This, this, this 👆🏻 It's led me to a freelance career where my schedule suits me. But unfortunately, the only reason I'm able to do this is because of a HUGE amount of privilege. Perhaps one day, this won't be the case, and people from all backgrounds have been able to make it work and do incredible things.

[@birdyandthebees3077]

Saaame. The boredom/burnout cycle is REAL

[@wooogie672]

i'm afraid to get a job for this exact reason (also autism). it happens to me with college, though. i've barely done 2 years worth of school when i SHOULD already be finishing up the first semester of my 3rd year. I've completely dropped out of the 4-year school i was attending because i'm constantly in this cycle of starting it and then losing interest and leaving entirely. i've tried telling my mom that school just isn't worth it for me because i don't think i'll ever get out of this cycle, but i'm still going to try community college (i don't think it will work out). my brain is somehow only wired to focus on special interests and hyperfixations, it's absolute hell living in capitalism

[@LegendsP137]

@@cronchyskull I'm also in situation where I just do freelance work (manly art) and the only reason I can do that is because I have partner that supports my work. So I understand where you are coming at.

[@patchopossum9414]

I have adhd and autism. Work is... ugh. I worked in pizza as a manager for 3 years. The urgency of orders kept me on task and kicking ass, but the stress of always running on that urgent feeling along with low pay, long hours, and having to (politely) deal with the worst customers treating my mostly teenage staff like crap was too much to take anymore. I started a new job as a school janitor at the beginning of the month and almost quit 2 weeks in. They showed me around my area the first day and said "go". Holy hell was that overwhelming. Managing my time to get the tasks done was stupid hard, so I skipped some... but chose the wrong ones. Turns out spotless tables and sinks in the art classroom is nice and all, but if you skip mopping the staff restrooms one evening it will catch hell. Oops. It took me disclosing my neurodivergences and almost quitting to get my boss to please please help me prioritize this 4 page task list. When she showed me how she'd clean the rooms I realized I was busting my ass making things spotless when a half ass wipe down would do. If only they made that clearer at the beginning. The pay is better than my last job and I can go a whole shift without talking to anyone, but it's still not what I want to be doing.

[@EbonyHoopGyal]

It is really too frustrating to be neurodivergent. So many things we cannot control we are constantly punished for. This time BS is a major one. I have workplace trauma due to being reprimanded so much for being late/calling out. Now I show up extra early to my own health detriment and they still make fun of me for showing up early. Like wow cannot win with these ppl smh.

[@zchularoceribfjan]

I'm sorry to hear about that 😣.

[@youtubesucks1499]

Quit being a victim. It's called an alarm and self discipline. The alarm goes off you get up. Now, it's called routine. You get in the shower, get ready for work, make you lunch and drive to work. If works starts at 8am and it's a 15 minute drive... leave the house by 7:30 am. How difficult is that?

[@emexcorner2500]

​@youtubesucks1499 a common neurotypical response

[@youtubesucks1499]

@@emexcorner2500 What did I post that was incorrect?

[@EbonyHoopGyal]

@@youtubesucks1499 what makes you assume i don't do that? Doesn't mean it is not mentally draining and wears down on my spirit. Not everyone can be like you - that's why you are special.

[@renaigh]

Time blindness is such a perfect description of my life these past few years.

[@mallory7198]

@ville__ bro you’re trolling, right?

[@imagominus]

@@mallory7198 It's a bot. Report it and move on, it's all we can do.

[@blooperofahuman1706]

Can you explain? Cause I feel like you might be missing parts of what time blindness actually is, however it could also be a symptom you are genuinely struggling with as it can also be a symptom of generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD, and Depression. Depression has been on the rise sense the pandemic from isolation

[@youtubesucks1499]

Time blindness? Dude, there is an invention called an alarm clock.

[@adamstevens3263]

​@@youtubesucks1499 it's when 5 hours feels like 45 minutes.

[@joyg2526]

I like Dr. Barkley. His phrasing is stemming from western capitalism, but he's addressing neurotypical people who are coming from this system; parents, bosses, teachers, etc. They can't understand nuerodivergent people who are struggling to fit into a system in which they effortlessly fit in. Dr. Barkley is explaining why ADHD is real and how it's not making excuses for bad behavior or being lazy.

[@eg4441]

my soul kinda aching seeing some harsh responses to barkley. only cause i've found him very enlightening and validating in the severity of adhd. it sucks that we have this many obstacles and problems, but it's more validating to me that someone unlike myself assuredly states that what i struggle with IS difficult and it's not all failures on my part but limitations of what i'm able to do edit: i got to the part of the vid with barkley and, yah. i think he's right. when i was drowning in anxiety i was always on time if not early to things. i was so scared of screwing up if i wasn't on time. but i've improved my anxiety A LOT, and now i relate to what he said about time only existing as the current moment. that's genuinely what i've been feeling. my semester is over in two weeks and i can FEEL that my conception of that is off, that it doesn't even feel real, the realest thing is the current moment i am in. my grasp and concept of time is genuinely different from some other people's grasp of it

[@rabbitcreative]

> They can't understand nuerodivergent people who are struggling to fit into a system in which they effortlessly fit in. I'm not certain those people 'fit in', per-se, but they've accepted the program, and because they have, they expect everyone else to as well. "I suffered, so you have to suffer too!"

[@Haha-bv6yj]

because the lack of research about adhd took his twin brother due to him dying in a car accident. the feeling of guilt come when you realize why your brother die and see the consequences of a disability and others not taking seriously is going to make anyone cranky. Dr. Barkley have first hand experience of how this disability deep scar left him. he is harsh BECAUSE he doesn't want a another incident like this.

[@Macabresque]

​​@@Haha-bv6yjwow, i had no idea about his brother. i am glad people like Dr. Barkley work so hard to get people to recognize that ADHD can, in fact, be very disabling. speaking from personal experience - it is so frustrating when people are dismissive of it being a disorder, when i absolutely KNOW that it has made my life incredibly difficult. i haven't been able to hold down a job or get good grades in school for most of my life. i am constantly frustrated by my inability to consistently maintain hygiene or any regular schedule. it's vaildating to hear what he says about ADHD.

[@fae567]

I liked this video a lot. I'm autistic and maybe ADHD, and it feels like my natural rhythm is to be awake in the late afternoon-night, and sleep during the rest of the day, but it's completely reversed from society's standards and I feel better about myself when I follow society's rhythm. Even tho it causes me a lot of anxiety to see time go by at night and being unable to sleep yet, even tho I don't do anything with my days so it doesn't matter when I sleep.

[@cassielee1114]

Me too. There no actual people putting this feeling on me but I feel “society” as a whole kind of looming over me like “what do you think you’re doing?”

[@fae567]

@@cassielee1114 Or the little things, like hearing the first cars in the morning, people going to work, the first bus...That really makes me feel like shit.

[@HamidKarzai]

ah, chronotypes, another little thing normies like to push others around for.

[@14_mmHg]

I wish it was this easy to express my frustrations of how monotonous and colorless everything has become all from the constructs that the higher-ups in our society have gaslit us into thinking is right... unfortunately, my ADHD mind won't let me.

[@Pensnmusic]

I remember the colorless world. I was very depressed and hopeless at the time.

[@marim9919]

How did you find the color? @@Pensnmusic

[@Catthepunk]

​@NotVille_bot

[@Wanettepoems]

No no, I think you explained it well. I feel it, too.

[@Arjun44598]

Educate yourself and strive to grow and learn. You can. It's possible. It's all in your head. (not adhd just bad thoughts)

[@mxwes1549]

I've been able to hold a 9-5 job for the past 5 years. Those years have been met with a lot of challenges, but I've pulled through and even managed to impress some people. Over the past year or so though I am slowly and catastrophically unraveling. My role has expanded and has become too much for my ADHD to manage and I need to leave. Talking with my manager hasn't helped. They don't understand it and I don't know how else to communicate it to them. So I give up. At the same time, I am terrified that I'm going to be trapped in this cycle forever. I don't know how long I would last in my next job. I don't know if I'll end up leaving my current job gracefully or self-destruct.

[@needlekind5280]

Similarly- I’ve been working for almost 8 years in the same position, 9-5. My supervisor changed about 2 years ago and now much more tasks and oversight are required by me. I’m not diagnosed, but am probably on the spectrum of adhd- and I also feel like now my workload is more than I can manage. If anyone has any advice about dealing or leaving a position like this, I’d appreciate it. The guilt of missing and procrastinating on tasks is soul-crushing. Like, I used to be fine at managing the work when I had less work but now it’s unsustainable…

[@totonow6955]

Your keen realization of all that is so real about this experience tells me that you will gracefully find a new job ( while you keep this old one until the new one starts). Since you know yourself well, which is obvious from your comment, you will flow into the new job and if you find it works for you great. But if it does not you will gracefully get another job until the job works for you. You do not owe capitalists - they owe you for the surplus value you have providedand they have profited from so make sure the work suits you. ❤

[@gregtaylor9806]

You are absolutely trapped. Trapped in what we call, life. There is no escape. You will have to get more and more done and it will get harder and harder. Or you will be poor, eventually to the point of destitution. It’s not a social construction, it’s the cost of the life we have. Deal

[@totonow6955]

@@gregtaylor9806 good Lord greg

[@mxwes1549]

@@gregtaylor9806 Do you feel better now? :)

[@JulianRickert]

I'm sorry, Elliot. That's not actually what Dr Barkley said or meant. As an ADHDer myself he was trying to validate my experience of life as always being the tardy, late, disorganized, and missed deadlines guy. I agree with your premise that time is a capitalist or colonialist construct. That we are all forced to obey the clocks as if it is objective reality. I differ with you and Jesse in the sense that you are needlessly vilifying people that are using their platforms to fight for every struggling neurodivergent person to assure them their difficulties in life aren't due to them being lazy, disorganized, or have personality disorders that make them incompatible with life. It's a chance to take a breath and realize there is hope for me to live an okay life. An okay life in a failing capitalist society that blames you for your disabilities. In South Africa we are still recovering from an autocratic society that legalized racism and now that the country is struggling to pick up the pieces and build a functioning society we get told as Africans we are inherently not part of the Rational Animal that Aristotle was referring to and that is why we are unable to have a working democracy. Our legs were amputated and now we are blamed for not being able to run. Someone coming out and saying these things does not deserve to be vilified. State the facts and let us work from there. Advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves. Here we should be aware of the dangers of paternalism. So often we take opportunities for advocacy away from people, thinking we're helping. Thank you for your video. It was great for the discourse.

[@Muhluri]

Hello fellow South African 🇿🇦

[@42seven]

yeah, really boiled my blood that he compared people that caused genocides, and tore our communities and families apart, to some doctor saying "time blindness is a thing in our society". elliot, don't weaponize others struggles for your points. its gross

[@gristen]

​@@42seventhere is a definite link between colonialism, eugenics and ableism so i think these issues are more related than you may think. however i dont believe he actually accused the man in the video of being a supporter of these things, nor that what he said is in anyway equal to those things, just that the language was eerily similar and is in need of being reexamined

[@leemorgan4773]

He did call phrenologists the “dr Barkleys of their time”

[@Deus888]

The main struggle is between making ADHD people fit into the capitalistic society (Barkley) vs changing the capitalistic society so it's easier for ADHD people (Elliott). I don't see why we can't have both instead of constant fighting.

[@adaharrisonn]

Being controversial about dr barkley is mind blowing. The dude is one of the most compassionate and understanding for the innate struggles of the ADHD brain. He is being blunt and straightforward about the experience of ADHD in modern society. It boggles my mind that people are casting him in a negative light for communicating objective realities about adhd. He is more understanding of what it means to struggle with this condition than probably 90% of the planet. He is taking a serious tone with it because he is speaking to an audience that desperately needs to be educated on it and take it very seriously and recognize ADHD as much more than just being "easily distracted". Russell Barkley advocates every day for accomodations for those with ADHD and is intimately familiar with the things they need to thrive and succeed. You cant blame Russell for the fact that, in the current world and societal structure we have, having time blindness is a devastatingly detrimental condition to navigate the world through. He lost his brother to a car accident which he used to drive recklessly in out of an effort to get some stimulation due to untreated ADHD. I understand where the apprehension is coming in and how you guys are perceiving him as like, being hypercritical of time blindness or perhaps those with ADHD as a whole but it sounds like a lecture because....it is a lecture. It is a lecture to an audience outlining the full impact of a trait like that and how devastating it can be to someone's life. Russell Barkley is our friend, he fights for our rights and survival, and he is the reason there is enough education to inform practitioners on how to help and treat ADHD effectively in the hell that is modern psychiatry, let's not interpret his tone as anything other than an academic one.

[@ganondork7561]

yeah i like dr barkley a lot i have his book it's sick

[@garlicflowerzzz]

yeah that part of the video was kind of misguided

[@Muhluri]

Yeah I've never thought of him as having bad intentions

[@Sara3346]

Very good comment, please add some paragraph breaks so that it can become an exellent comment.

[@adaharrisonn]

@@Sara3346 thank u chief, u are right. Thanks for reminding me

[@stephaniec3022]

I have ADHD and autism (AuDHD) and it's so hard to function in today's society. I feel so far behind, struggle with basic tasks, and feel terrible when I can't start tasks I need to do. I can't hold down a normal 9-5 job because it's too energy/time demanding, and I wish our society didn't hold neurodivergents to the same expectations as neurotypicals.

[@mich_elle_x]

I have autism, ADHD and OCD, so I can relate to you very well.

[@tuxedo1557]

@ville__ I wish it was lmao, I would not have it in a heartbeat if i could get rid of it

[@chinobambino5252]

So the alternative is that we impose some kind of mandatory relaxation of working conditions and/or expectations for those with these subjectively-diagnosed conditions, but pay them for the same time as others? Others who despite being neurotypical, still might hate working just as much? I’m not trying to be antagonistic, i just don’t see any good solutions being put forward. I think everyone would just go out and get diagnoses of ADD / ADHD if it would give them extra work benefits, just like college kids already do to get amphetamine prescriptions.

[@angeldude101]

I wish our society didn't hold _anyone_ to the expectations it does now. We shouldn't be hoarding this freedom to ourselves.

[@rakino4418]

Can you imagine a realistic society that wasn't a struggle for you?

[@Decomprehension]

getting diagnosed in ukraine by a private clinic (you're pretty much fucked if you weren't diagnosed in childhood because our government doesn't recognize adult adhd) a year ago literally turned my world upside down because i ripped of that fancy facade carefully crafted by my parents and me and revealed pulsating, repulsive lumps of flesh, well it felt like that, required a lot of crying to really come to terms with this thing that seemingly ruined my college experience, it's really ironic that government assumes that every parent is perfect and take their kid to a doctor whenever they see the signs, mine just said that all kids are hyperactive these days, still recovering from a lot of internalized stigma about both adhd and stimulant medication (insanely hard to get here), doing a bit better but i kinda realize that it's probably gonna be rough forever.

[@alexandroh.3]

I realized the same thing... I'm so fucked, hope you can get though life okay at least😅

[@lettuce8635]

I resonate so much with ‘repulsive lump of flesh’. That feeling when you want to crawl out of you body ;-;

[@rzgre7611]

The hardest thing is that people asking you , well aren't you taking your meds when you've already explained that something in the system makes it harder for you to get to the equal ground with other people. My meds won't provide a solution I need accommodations to comply with the capitalist society who makes me believe that something's inherently wrong with me just because I am not efficient enough for them

[@rakino4418]

What accomodations would you need from a job?

[@Ozzianman]

Yep, medication is not a cure. Ideally you don't experience any side effects and it helps you regulate your attention, it should be like putting on glasses. Even then, it does not help you with time blindness, short term memory issues etc... I am lucky Concerta works as well as it does for me as I experience no side effects, have taken them for years and often take a break from them without any withdrawals. Plenty of people can't take any of the different ADHD medications because the side effects are too severe. Varies from painful migraines, anxiety and rebounds to pretty much being drugged down to a husk. All valid reasons to quit taking the meds.

[@rzgre7611]

@@Ozzianman yeah I am taking concerta too and it helps but it doesn't solve everything

[@rzgre7611]

@@rakino4418 I am a student and I need exams that actually test what I've learned, I need accommodations such as quiet exam environment, being able to use my earplugs, exam place with minimum distractions, extra time because no matter how hard I try I would be left behind in a classic test system due to my inattentiveness. Take home exams, homeworks, essay, short-essay, experiment design questions, practical exams for laboratory work, lab reports, these are things that works for me as an adhder biology major.

[@tebohosefatsa8280]

I feel you man the judgement from society is insane...Unfortunately a lot of people don't think that this is a serious problem. They assume laziness and carelessness. Even when we try our best it's never really enough. We are always on high alert for criticism. Living with ADHD feels like someone playing a really cruel prank on you.

[@evrypixelcounts]

I don't know if I'm ADHD, but I really relate to the struggle. I can spend a whole day debating on what to do with my time, only to end it frustrated I did nothing. To me it feels like the weight of capitalism is slowly crushing down on me until one day I won't be able to breath. Every prospective job available to me feels meaningless, and I just can't do something I find meaningless for very long. I want to create art and music, but I can't make a career out of that at my current skill level. I've thought alot about universal basic income lately, and how it would save me from worrying about the day I no longer have my family to fall back on. It would allow people to pursue things worth pursuing instead of filling positions better suited to machines or that have no reason to exist except corporate structure. Sure there are some jobs that need doing, but alot of jobs only exist to keep people in their place.

[@Catthepunk]

Mate, it's like you pulled out a file in my mind. Exactly my case.

[@thecriticalone1783]

God! I relate to this so much. It may not be ADHD though. It could also be depression. There is some crossover between the 2. In any case. Take care of yourself when possible

[@colehetzel5003]

real so real so real so real

[@Spooky_Magooky]

Just chiming in with my own personal experiences here but that sounds like it could be ADHD and Depression, I relate a lot to the things you say. Though I'm not a professional and this is only anecdotal. I think a lot about the current landscape of employment and the public resources for that, even with the help of job seeking support I can't trust myself to stay on top what's required of me and finding positions, actively job seeking is a hard task to remember to do and keep on top of. Eventually I end up burnt out or dissociating from my own failings. It makes it hard to pick myself back up because of the guilt and anxiety surrounding it, and even when I do have the a day with a positive mindset or motivation, capitalising on that becomes a difficult task. UBI would really help me pick up the pieces and get my life into a position where I could be more functional.

[@ubermenschen01]

I think that rather than Barkley enforcing a rigid, capitalist sense of time, the "internal" time he is referring to is fairly arbitrary. While he frames the examples around school, or getting ready in the morning (since the 3 hour talk is specifically aimed at parents with ADHD children), these are consequences of the current capitalist world we live in, and are presented as issues children/parents will deal with in their day-to-day. I dont remember off the top of my head if he ever questions these time structures in the talk, I think that would be a valid criticism. However, even if I was suddenly living in glorious luxury gay space communism, it'd still not be able to tell how much time had passed while I was really focusing on something, nor would it make perceived boring tasks seem less tedious/reduce the perceived amount of time they would take. The "time blindness" doesn't go away when the clocks go away with my ADHD. It does make me less anxious though.

[@ubermenschen01]

After finishing the video: While I generally agree with the statements about our current use of time as a construct of capitalist forces, I think the characterization of Barkley as a "pop psychologist" and having stated that ADHD people are "fundamentally broken" is misleading at best. If anything he is fairly compassionate, and gives examples of how to raise children with ADHD in different ways than their peers, but in a way that helps the child's sense of self worth and trains their skills at doing the same for themselves later in life. "Your child is different, so stop yelling at them that they're lazy or foolish. You must approach them differently and work with them differently, or you will both be miserable, and they will resent you". I would take this approach any day of the week over the "willful child" parenting, or any of the other crap that was going around when I was growing up. He also states his opinion that ADHD is a bad name, b/c the "deficit" portion implies that something is missing or broken in the person. He reframes it as "Everything has the same amount of importance". I believe he also criticizes schools for their strict structured schedules and focus on "discipline", but don't quote me. The presentation is like 2-3 hours long. Also, who the fuck tests the ability to sense time over several seconds? The "time blindness" he describes for me is like, in minutes, hours, weeks or months. Wack-ass studies.

[@robbiefroggy8568]

i can already tell this video is going to be so validating for me. i'm in highschool right now and i can't do anything. i'm so scared for when i grow up and have to support myself because i know i'm barely going to be able to

[@Ameliacandycanegirl]

i remember when I was in highschool the youtube channel 'how to adhd' s videos really helped me feel less alone and create strategies for the everyday difficulties. I also got diagnosed officially in high school, and the diagnosis let me make a 504 plan with my school that let me get extra time on tests. If you can do this now it will be a big help and you can customize it to help you in a variety of ways. If you end up going to college the plan will transfer and you can continue to use it in your classes. I'm also medicated now which is SUCH an immense help as well, but not accessible to everyone. Ultimately, as a once-highschooler who couldn't do anything, i am now about to graduate college and build a life for myself. There was lots of cheating the system along the way because the system was not designed for me. But you don't have to follow the system. If you have adhd you probably have some big ideas, some things you're passionate about or bring you joy or don't feel like a chore like everything else does. Harness the power in those. Let yourself appreciate the good parts of adhd. the curiosity, the the capacity to create, the ability to care very much about the things that excite you and the ability to think deeply about the things that matter most to you. put that foot forward. you will meet people and opportunities that embrace these parts of you. and if you dont, you have my permission to exploit the system in any (not too unethical) way that lets you succeed, because you deserve to succeed just like everyone who has different tools then you.

[@ActualRilwer]

My previous job fired me because I had a tendency to show up to work and clock in a few (1-4) minutes late. I never understood why they always put up a big fuss considering I would also be given overtime every week cause I finished the work day when I was done, not when the clock said so. Some people/companies want so much control it’s scary. The place wasn’t even a corporate environment but treated itself as one, demanding me to do things even on my time off. I didn’t get a Christmas break last year (like I did all previous ones) because so much time was spent on useless management crap the whole company was behind. I just want to be treated as a human again

[@llg193]

I appreciate taking the politics of time and applying it to ADHD. However, I think the conclusion you came to has some problems. I understand the urge to say that nothing is wrong with people who have ADHD, since the opposite has been repeatedly shoved in our faces, but I think that's a dangerous precedent to set. The fact is, there is something wrong. ADHD isn't always just a personality trait or a different neurotype. For a lot of folks, its a serious health condition. Its generally caused by genetics, but can also be caused by early brain damage or things like fetal alcohol syndrome. Its literally caused by an underdeveloped portion of the brain. This underdevelopment has some serious consequences. People with untreated adhd (treatment does not just mean stimulant medication, but includes all kind of treatments like therapy, exercise, etc.) have a massive risk of developing depression, a significantly shorter life expectancy, and their chance of early death is doubled compared to neurotypical people. Not to mention a massive risk of addiction. Some of this is, at least in part, because of how adhd brains interact with our industrial, capitalist society and how we construct time, true, but that is only part of it. Because we have a tendency to only pay attention to matters that are urgent, we are worse at maintenance. Its harder for us to maintain our minds, bodies, homes and relationships. Being unable to maintain these aspects of our lives has all kinds of consequences that lower our quality of life and gradually, or quickly, erode our health. Because of our tendency to live in the moment, we tend to engage in risker behaviors, which regularly results in injury, death, addiction, disease, and social isolation. You're absolutely right to criticize Barkley from a political/philosophical angle. He's a conservative libertarian and the way he communicates information reflects that. But the fact is, he is an expert on ADHD. He will and has criticized other conservative commentators when they spread misinformation about ADHD. Obviously he's not beyond reproach, but he has a deep understanding on how this condition works from a scientific perspective. His information is generally correct, just painted by his personal biases. That's how it works with every scientist and every communicator. And one last thing, I think its a bit irresponsible to disregard the structure of our society and how folks with adhd struggle with it because its wrong. It *is* wrong, and I hate it. I want to be clear on that, but we don't have a choice in whether or not we live in it. We basically have no choice but to adapt to our environment, no matter how shitty it is.. We can and should work to change it, but that takes time. For a lot of us, if we don't actively manage our condition with whatever treatment or philosophy that works for us, we suffer in many different ways.

[@ollie2111]

Thank you.

[@jamisontanksley112]

What you said near the end really really meant a lot since I have to tell myself that “this world isn’t made for me and it’s not my fault” but it’s so good to hear someone valid the reality and reality isn’t easy. Thank you for this video because I feel seen

[@alexandroh.3]

I try to tell myself the same thing, but at least for me, since it doesn't change anything even if it's true, I just end up depressed anyways. I genuinely hope that it does help you though!

[@alfred8936]

Not me watching this on break from my worthless busywork job for a button-pushing company where I battle google sheets all day. Barely able to pay attention to the vid, cause I'm constantly anxious I'll log back in too late and have to listen to a lecture from people who care just as much as I do, if not less. What a meaningful existence I surely should be grateful for :,)

[@cirodiaz7978]

i'm a little chilean guy living at the south of the world that just happen to know a bit of english, I watched this video while working a few hours ago and then had dinner with my mom, an art teacher in her 40s, we both think we have ADHD, we're starting to accept it on the last years, and I mentioned this video to her while we were eating and had a long talk about it, it made so much sense to her and it made her feel so understood, about all the pressure she feels at work, what's expected of her, what's impossed on us, she thanked me for bringing this talk up and ended up really happy and I want to thank you elliot, it was a really reassuring video full of things that i never ever considered! you make great content, thanks a lot for sharing it and for making us give a second thought to all the things we think we know, big fan of you !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@blackfrost9011]

I really appreciate how Elliot makes use of the community tab. He’s far more in touch with what his subscribers wanna hear that some bread tubers, and it makes this channel really feel like an ongoing, dynamic conversation rather than just a dude talking at you.

[@bigmetaIbirds]

watching this while i’m procrastinating on my final projects 😮‍💨

[@theflexitech]

I had the priviledge of being able to take a month awaay from life in a winter cabin. And I was allowed to just totally focus on my own health, routines, schedules, motivations. I felt like I was healed or cured in ways. Like I had full control of my mind and tasking and mental clarity where I felt love and happiness again. Then when I came back home to my life, slowly but surely I couldn't sleep or stay on task anymore and have been struggling since.

[@scream_kinh614]

Currently diagnosed and medicated for adhd. I am currentky procrastinating. When you mentioned time, i checked the time and 4 hours has gone by. I dont know how or when or why. It feels like its been 3 minutes. I dont know whats happening. Its so hard doing this man.

[@freddylovesminecraft]

Enjoyed this video, its great to see more content about adhd from a social perspective, it doesn't get talked about a lot. For example, people with adhd are incarcerated at a rate about ten times higher than the average population! And if you look at a list of ways to tell if someones lying, it basically matches up perfectly with a list of autism and adhd symptoms (Not holding eye contact, not being able to sit still, etc)

[@andginisin]

holy fuck

[@raapyna8544]

Wow, you're right... neurodivergent people could be suspected more because of how they behave. I never thought of this aspect. Although now that I say that it seems obvious...

[@Molly-iw1rc]

This comment! The criminal justice system enforces an idea that it's illegal to look neurodivergent (in the same ways they basic try to make it illegal to look black ("intimidating"🙄). And there is not enough proof that you can even read body language that way.

[@carolyncottier9466]

I really enjoyed this video. A long time ago I realised the standard clock time keeping was arbitrary and an imposition. I was always at war with a schedule I could never keep up with. It was making me feel miserable and a failure. So I stopped using clocks altogether unless really necessary, and switched the rhythm of the day to how I felt when to do things. Like it's hungry o' clock, sleepy o'clock, relax o'clock...

[@tynekavka9264]

I love my ADHD, the random thoughts, the bursts of energy and creativity. There's so much that I appreciate about my experience with it, the more I learned what it was the more I understood myself. Having ADHD in itself wasn't the issue. After learning how I am I had the heavy realization that I live in a world that was not built for me or people like me. The stiff schedules at work, the long hours, the constant stream of things that I need to do and keep track of felt overwhelming - no matter how many check/to-do list I had, to keep track of things. I feel suffocated, constantly running /or atleast my brain/ at top speed, every day it feels like my brain is collapsing in on itself. I couldn't understand how people could put up so easily with the hours forced on us by our bosses, although I understand some dont have a choice. It feels like the metaphorical skin is getting stripped off my body everyday that I have to spend trading my living hours for the right to live under the threat of homelessness. I see so much potential in people, we could spend our lives pursuing interests and bettering ourselves and our communities, but instead we are forced to labour to enrich the ones holding our leashes.

[@OurgasmComrade]

Barkley has his own youtube channel where he addresses recent updates in science and understanding of adhd and he's aware of cultural significance of time expectations. So he's not perpetuating colonization, he's just giving us tools to deal with the reality we live in. I agree with pretty much everything in this video but I highly recommend checking out his channel for an update to see for yourself that his tone is empathetic and not the way it was presented here

[@raleighj0]

For real - the Dr. Barkley lecture referenced came out at a time when a lot of the dialogue around ADHD was “It isn’t real, you’re just lazy/you don’t care enough” and even used to encourage corporal punishment. So in comparison, someone saying “you’re not a bad person, here is the exact issue you’re facing and how to deal with it” was very welcome at the time. Hard agree on him providing tools to deal with the word we live in. I can’t speak for others, but as for myself, I have trouble executing on many tasks I genuinely want to do, and need the techniques Dr Barkley and others talk about to be able to live as a functional human (like feeding/clothing/bathing myself), capitalism completely aside. Doesn’t take away from the points about the relationship of colonialism/capitalism to time - valid and thought provoking

[@elliotsangestevez]

i’m glad he’s making those changes and look forward to seeing his new content.

[@raapyna8544]

Still a reasonable critique of this work of his. In science ideas are constantly criticised and debated. 'This idea in his work is similar to this idea in this colonial era scientist's work' is not the same as saying 'dr Barkley is a colonialist'... At least in my opinion. Science is made to be criticised and debated, otherwise it would be religion. I also respect Barkley for his work and also he's not my favourite man to listen to. He builds framework for adhd to be seen as a disability. It's important, but it's not encouraging for me as a person with adhd. Meanwhile, there are lots of scientists of the past who had terrible ideas as well as contributions that are still important today. I doubt there is a scientist who hasn't had a problematic idea on a publication. That's why it's important that we criticise the ideas specifically, and not the persons broadly.

[@derrekbertrand]

Seconded! Dr Barkley regularly posts on how to cope with these issues... now... I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO... but that's a different issue.

[@alexj-t2331]

I have his book taking charge of Adult ADHD and the book is hit and miss but still very useful and you can tell he wants the best for people

[@LincolnSward]

As someone that has suffered under the social weight of my ADHD for nearly 50 years, this is the most refreshing take I have seen to date on the topic of ADHD. I have had similar thoughts and felt sad when I see people I know in the ADHD community swapping the latest "hack" as they desperately cling to the job that is sucking them dry. We joke around about time being a construct yet I've seen so many of my fellow community members use it as a club to beat themselves down and not because they feel they deserve it, but because someone, a long time ago that was tasked with caring and nurturing them, showed them how to do it.

[@seanc3816]

I have been diagnosed with adhd, and I was really excited to see what this video would cover, but honestly I was pretty disappointed. I know other people have already commented on how the discussion of Dr. Barkley’s work doesn’t really give much credit for the wide range of other lectures he has produced, but I was also surprised by the video topic generally. I would have thought that there would have been more attention paid to the fact that work environments and school systems are extremely hostile to the needs of people with ADHD, but instead it was devoted entirely to a symptom I haven’t personally heard much discussion of before in either direction. I generally love this channel, but this video felt like a huge missed opportunity.

[@seanc3816]

Clarification* When I said work and school environments are hostile, I meant more in the sense that people are not given access to adaptive work environments & are expected to just magically sit still and focus for 8 hours at a time

[@luce6764]

I remember someone saying “the world is disordered, not us” and it definitely feels more and more accurate. The deeper I dig into why i feel certain ways about time and how I use it or how I feel like I’m useless just because i’m ’inefficient’ is just not healthy.

[@nicoleflack3176]

NEVER pay the $40 to access a research paper. Researchers don't get any of that money, it all goes to the publisher. All studies list a "corresponding author," if you email them saying you're interested in the research they will send you the PDF for free.

[@PooPoo-b2u]

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD a few weeks ago. I’ve always liked living in the moment and I feel that’s the best thing. You’re living now, and enjoying the now is the most satisfying thing. But when I’m doing something I hate, it’s that much more torturous which is one of the reasons why there such thing as ADHD burnout. I hate feeling like the time for things I like to do is so restricted and it’s an endless cycle of doing something you hate for most of the day (school/work) going home to finish your homework/work which takes another several hours and going to bed at a time that I don’t even get tired, get like 5 hours of sleep and just to wake up exhausted and do it all again. I’ve always felt that I’m not able or allowed to enjoy my time and everyone’s putting pressure on me to think about the future that’s not even guaranteed. Like, what if I die tomorrow? I spent most of my time alive working and “preparing” for a future that never came.

[@rosethorn7923]

I think this is a bit of a simplification of Dr. Barkley's views. I can agree that he's maybe over emphasizing time, especially as the root cause rather than a consequence of other things. But it's funny, I wonder if that's an older video? because usually what I see him talking about are the executive function issues. he talks a lot more about emotional control, tasks initiation, impulse control, etc.. Besides, it always seemed to be through lense of getting people to understand the frustrations of ADHD and how they think differently, not that ADHD sucks cause they can't be productive under capitalism. I think it's pretty harsh to compare that to things like phrenology.

[@marxwasrightyall]

As Engels detailed, one of the biggest factors of capitalist society that contributes to mental illness, and is central to the wider misery of many, is labor.

[@Skylerdouglas731]

All of us need to work in order to support ourselves, that's just life. However, the issue is that a lot of the jobs available today aren't meaningful. A farmer grows food to feed themself and their family. Builders builds structures that have a function. Nurses heal the sick. A data analyst does... what exactly? A lot of jobs out there are just cogs in some great machine. What is the purpose of this machine, who knows? There's a lot of jobs that have this disconnect between the labor and the fruits of this labor.

[@Molly-iw1rc]

Labor isn't the problem, labor exists anywhere because people do things lol but the problem is the labor expectations and how labor is viewed. People are expected to work over 40 hours a week to barely afford housing, food, etc. People are also expected to do labor in school and internships and pay for it, which would require them to work as well. People are expected to be content with barely being able to pay for anything. People are expected to be content with their labor being heartless, time consuming, replaceable, and have little to no benefits. That's a terrible way to view labor in society and under capitalism where the wealth gap will always get larger and larger, it makes all paid labor even more meaningless, because more and more money is going to an ever-shrinking group of rich people. Labor should be important, valued, and laborers should have a huge say in their pay and benefits. I can argue about the fact you have to pay for basic necessities when you live in an extremely rich country later lmao but the point is paid labor under capitalism will probably always become pointless as the wealth gap increases. We can't get rid of labor and we most likely can't get rid of money, but we can make it so that laborers have a say in their work and companies aren't allowed to do inhumane stuff to workers without punishment. And of course, working for yourself and your community will always be more meaningful and worthwhile than working for some big company that sees you as a number, so that's a whole other thing lol

[@pablobro5944]

@@Skylerdouglas731 jobs like that are unfortunately required to have such an advanced society as we have. Even in neolithic settlements there were professions that seem meaningless, like the data analyst you mentioned, so we'd have to basically revert to the level of paleolithic hunter-gatherers if we wanted all our jobs to be meaningful

[@kayleescruggs6888]

@@pablobro5944I guess it depends on what you mean by meaningful. Data analysts, for example. They go through a blob of raw data to pull out and format that data for someone else to use. I miss those parts of my past jobs. Taking numbers and putting them in context so they become useful.

[@getaround1276]

@pablobro5944 that's a very fair point but we could just, automate those jobs, if ai can play chess better than anyone and make "art" it can do accounting, of course this is assuming a system where everyone can live well at base which is surprisingly controversial

[@Crazybassable]

This explains some of my gut reaction I had when trying to explain what I learned about ADHD to my German coworkers. It felt somewhat off, and untrue. I *can* guess how long things will take, but I can't predict my ability to get something done when it's in front of me. I meant to go to a certain store weeks ago. Every Tuesday I say "Tomorrow I have off, and I have lots of time to go to the store. I need to go to the store badly, so I'm going to go" And I *never* do. The worst feeling is that I feel I'm constantly standing in my own way. That's not even mentioning the trouble I have being in my own thoughts for any amount of time, and just filling it with videos and videogames.. I feel kind of like a candle, and I burn wildly, and I've tried to dampen the fire to manage it. Now it feels like a smoldering wick, just barely burning. So many little factors play into it. Did I go outside early in the day, have I met a friend? I feel isolated in a little windless box at the edge of town. The commute and work that I have to put in drains all the rest, and I don't know how to restore it in this city, especially with these rents. I don't have hardly any time to see people enough to actually make friends. I can't work part time, and I'm already living in a tiny apartment. Oh how the "minimum" can feel like such a high bar.

[@jordanmcgrory2171]

I don't think you can dismiss the interest in time entirely. Western modes of production and fascination with productivity even in personal time are damaging. BUT it's genuinely unpleasant to really want to do particular things with the part of the day that is left to you by the pressures of production, and find yourself pulled away from those desired activities into things you don't actually value because you can't find the focus.

[@bruhdabones]

While this is largely accurate, how do you account for the other behaviors exhibited by ADHD people? For example, only my friends with ADHD do this thing where they completely zone out in the middle of a 1:1 conversation. Not even long ones either, they just suddenly stop listening and their brain completely shifts focus.

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

just get lil mini mindwipes throughout the day. will forget what i was just thinking about. I t does help with getting over a bad mood tho

[@bruhdabones]

@@banquetoftheleviathan1404 I’ve never heard it explained that way, but that actually sounds more like epilepsy. Regardless-there seem to be some real issues that aren’t socially constructed that exist among ADHD patients

[@zm4904]

@banquetoftheleviathan1404 People with ADHD struggle with working memory.

[@raapyna8544]

There is a real thing behind adhd, it's just not necessarily portrayed accurately in pop science. Pop science simplifies things in order to raise awareness in the general public, and frankly, not that much is even known about what adhd is and what causes it, among the scientists.

[@bruhdabones]

@@raapyna8544 Fair enough!

[@MCSorry]

My biggest problem with ADHD right now is my relationship with my medication. It causes insomnia as a side effect. I'm in university at the moment, and I have to choose between actually getting some deep sleep or being able to focus. Either I'm completely worn out (I'll sleep all Sunday) but my grades don't suffer, or my thinking becomes a mess but I get enough sleep.

[@witchcraftandlizardry]

I was diagnosed in 2000 when I was 15 but thanks to ig & tik tok I didnt really even learn soooo much about it until recently. Ppl saying it’s over diagnosed now that is not a new sentiment ppl said that back when too. It feels like the most gaslit diagnosis and I have fibromyalgia something that wasn’t even universally recognized as ‘real’ back when I was diagnosed in the mid 2000s lol

[@CraftingSelf]

I'm avoiding work by watching this more interesting video. 😊

[@Shimezu]

my ADHD has me watching your video in small portions. I'm 5 minutes in, and taking my first break. The desire to focus, makes focusing harder sometimes LOL.

[@Shimezu]

@NotVille_ not sure what you're implying here. I was dragging myself, nothing to do with your content? or you? tf?

[@kmcq692]

This hurts. I’m 60 and imagine having NO WORDS for the way your life is so different from other people’s! I’m amazed that we can talk about this. Thank you, young geniuses. ❤

[@Enderrock424]

throughout all of elementary, middle school, and about half of high school. I was genuinely abused by the system and almost every single teacher i had. My IEP was ignored, i was called out infront of entire classes, screamed at, laughed at, people would look at my handwriting and just laugh and make fun of me. I was told i would “never be able to function in a workplace” because of my ADHD and there were talks of me being on disability for the rest of my life. That was my life until about 8th grade when i tested into our states college credit program, and suddenly i was a genius. I also took a Berkeley College of Music class that year on Jazz improvisation and Horn Arrangement. Today i’m a professional musician, I play in pit orchestras for musicals, i write music and record for artist from Hawaii to New York, I compose music for video games and all sorts of other stuff, I teach Saxophone lessons, im the director my schools jazz band and show choir combo, and this year i’m about to head to college for my jazz studies degree, all at age 18 in my gap year My ADHD friends, society hates the shit out of you because your potential is limitless, I said fuck society and i still managed to outpace all of those who told me id “never be able to work in a normal workplace”. Thats the worst way to think about life in general. So go out and prove all of them wrong

[@EbonyHoopGyal]

And it is funny because so many coworkers and I discuss “time” as a construct. We always joke how it is made up, that *someone* is speeding up and slowing down the clocks depending on the day/season, and how weird it is when it feels like it is definitely noon, but it is 3 pm, and vice versa.

[@redpepper74]

Yeah it’s funny, on one hand, time is absolute in that it can be precisely measured and recorded, but on the other hand, the _meaning_ of the hours are all up to us. Who says I have to start being productive at 9 and stop at 5 every day, 6 days a week? Who says I shouldn’t be eating lasagna by dawn and scrambled eggs by dusk?

[@miken1463]

Elliot has such a dedicated following. 120K subs and 60,000 views only 2 days after it was put out. I must not be the only one who enjoys his long form video essays. Keep up the thoughtful work.

[@uncloseted-weeb432]

I dont understand with what dr Russel Barkley said though,it was very validating to me and his recent content about time blindness has helped me so much.

[@kr3642]

The experiencing time slowly part is so real. I can only handle work for about five hours a day at most, any more than that and my mental health takes a nosedive. I also have level one autism.

[@hyenaedits3460]

That stone age time is how I conduct myself when I have no external schedule and I always thought I was broken for it. Holy shit. Edit: also I always thought that neurodivergent people were closer to how humans were naturally wired to be for some reason, or as you put it, having a harder time stopping themselves from being natural. (I'm neurodivergent myself so I'm not trying to put a group I don't know on a pedestal or something)

[@asocksual4910]

This video is really good, and I agree immensely with the notion that the way that we construct time and work is rooted in the harm done to us by capitalism and imperialism. However, I have to say that I don't think that the struggles of ADHD come completely from the ways in which our society is broken. I think that if I lived in a post-capital post-imperial utopia, I'd probably still have trouble making friends because my ADHD makes it difficult to stay in communication with people who aren't physically near me, and I'd still be afraid to do whatever intimidating tasks are laid before me even if my performance in school or livelihood aren't dependent on it. And I just have to say that I don't feel comfortable with the comparison about Dr. Barkley's description of ADHD with that old missionary's opinions, and frankly I think it's pretty messed up to compare him so closely with racist phrenologists. I'll admit that I'm biased because the way that because the way that he put it didn't make me feel repulsed but very _seen._ I don't know much about Dr. Barkely so I could be wrong, but I generally feel like he doesn't see people with ADHD the same way the same way those imperialists saw indigenous people. No one is above criticism, of course, and I think someone as influential as him should be scrutinized even more, but that comparison seemed pretty uncalled for. I'm sorry if that got a bit defensive, but I really really really like science, and it bothers me how often leftists online only seem to talk about it in terms of its racist and imperialist and sexist history. Thank you very much for emphasizing that we shouldn't be dismissive of it but that we should be critical. Also, I know that _they_ might want us to think there's something wrong with us, but who is "they"? Are they the CEOs of pharmacutical companies, or are they people like psychologists and therapists and coaches? Because if that is who "they" are, than I flat-out disagree.

[@radioghost2732]

I'm Severely ADHD, the one trait that always makes my doctors question that is a borderline hyper perception of time. So as I watched the video I realized one of my hyperfixations is time. My tics like tapping my finger to my palm happen at a regimented interval, everything I do is subconsciously timed. My problem is generally memory. Outside of the moment I am aware of what I need to do. In the moment there is only the moment. It's frustrating because I'll plan to talk to loved ones then the moment will come and I'll be drowning in a hyperfixation that out side of the moment isn't what I want, but in the moment it is all I care about, and usually I just brush myself off and prepare for the next failure, I feel like I'm in a Neverending battle to fail upwards and that I will never be able to maintain a meaningful relationship for more than a few months at a time. I am however always aware of the time, and I hate it.

[@kittymagicsurge]

thank you for an outstanding video Elliot, Elle, and Danae. as a system with adhd struggling to organize ourselves within capitalist time structures, your points were super validating! we should listen to our intuition. go with our flow because our mind and body know what we need if we listen. we think by doing so, and if more neurodivergent folks do, not only is it powerful rebellion-it's taking care of ourselves and we can care for each other better when our own needs our met. /gen /pos

[@uncroppedsoop]

you're definitely right, but there also needs to be something that gives for this to be possible on a larger scale. it's the same case here, and has been an ongoing struggle to just try to get on disability pay to get by, stuck relying on others. -not prone to using plural pronouns in self-reference in yt comments, but it's relevant,- we've lost the deadline twice in a row now just to get the papers in because of the exact thing we're trying to send it in for, and I can almost guarantee that without finding a way to get more things diagnosed, it's going to be rejected anyways. people do need to listen more to their own internal sense of time for more wellbeing, but society has all the screws turned so tightly that it's nearly impossible to do that

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Productivity Bros found shaking. My reason for following some of them is mostly for fun because I’m not in STEM.

[@culture.cult.channel]

This is an important perspective. What I would add is that ADHD also makes it hard for people to pursue their intetests/passions, even if they have no external pressure on them. Also many ADHDers actually LIKE said pressure, because it helps them to make their goals more "real". Many times I was able to finish something I WANTED to finish only because I impossed a deadline on myself. Nevertheless, I never felt like my way of being is "unnatural", but definitely felt that about capitalist culture (and I have MA in culture).

[@shillout]

Yaaaas! Thank you, finally there's a video that I can send others to explain my thoughts exactly 🙌 And I had to join, I don't really have money to spend, but I want to invest for the future of humanity. I'll make sure to do my part as well 💪 (at my own pace)

[@minakiel2930]

I’m in university and have adhd. The fact that there’s very little deadline flexibility makes it very difficult

[@mcmann7149]

As a man who's been clinically diagnosed with ADHD and had to deal with it being undiagnosed until I was 16, I'll provide my own experience as it seems that's what we're doing. When I was in elementary school, I was assigned to do a certain amount of pages in my grammar book a day. However, I wasn't doing that and when my teacher asked why, I told her that I didn't know. She pressed me for an answer and I eventually broke down in tears, not knowing what to say other than I didn't know. I truly didn't understand why I couldn't sit down and study like my brother or the rest of my peers. I had the hardest time focusing on anything and it was a massive pain. When I was diagnosed in high school, a lot of puzzle pieces which were missing fell into place and gave me an answer to that question. But there was still school to do, work to be completed and due dates to meet. It wasn't a lot, but it gave me a clear answer on why I was having such a hard time. However, I still struggled. I had exactly what Dr. Barkley described as "time blindness", I would end up taking a break for an hour rather than 20 minutes. I would study for 3 hours rather than 1 hour. It's a real thing and I don't understand why it's an issue in any way. I'm in my 2nd year of college now and have gotten time management down pretty well. This is because expectations and deadlines have allowed me to be able to organize myself. I've worked on functioning with time, I've managed how to solidify habits. It's made my life a lot better to be held to the same standard as everyone else, doing things and being expected to hold a certain level of quality, quantity or whatnot. I've found a passion in History and Computer Science which I'm able to explore in depth. Changing time doesn't do anything. We need time in order to be able to function as a society, especially with how much relies on the precision of time for measurement. So I don't think that's going to be able to change anything. There is nothing wrong with becoming a regular person in a world which needs regular people in order to do regular tasks. Everyone has to pitch in, with their own way.

[@Gabriela_Gonzalez_]

As an ADHDer who is working on a shitty work where I'm constantly critizied for my "Time management" (even when I'm the only one who plan her day with to-do list, pomodoros and things like that here), thanks for this video. Sometimes the problem it's more the inmediatism expected in the laboral work + my own dificulty on priorise activities, not that I'm "oNly In tHe prEsenT".

[@mchlle94]

In the book Momo it is even put like this: the more you try to control time, the more it controls you and the more "time" you actually lose (as in: time for fun, time for friends, time for family, etc.). The book is about exactly this subject.

[@moeshasmiles]

Thanks for the book recommendation

[@Sabrin_Elan]

How do we know we have ADHD or if society has changed so radically to prefer fast pace, productivity / metrics, profit, and living in unnatural settings without family near ? How do we know we are not being medicated to fit into a sick society ? What if we are normal but others are adapting and fitting to accommodate the rapid and wide scale change of our social contracts

[@night-marione]

I've been grappling with pursuing a diagnosis in order to get medicated for adhd. I know I'm struggling, I just wish I could find a way to work with how I am naturally. At least I don't blame myself anymore.

[@MrLense]

I'm Neurotypical, working full time from home with a job in tech. My partner has ADHD and I struggle to understand and relate how hard it is to be able to do what I grew up expecting normal adults should be able to do like arrange appointments and show up on time for them. It sucks our society doesn't accomodate better so it's up to us in our individual actions to accomodate Neurodivergent people. So I basically have to act like the parent in our relationship like being the partner who drives, remembers to get groceries, remember to pay the bills on time, to arrange appointments and drive my partner to them so they don't forget as well as be the one to have the 9-5 rhythm so my partner knows when it's "business hours".

[@B_-.-]

I wouldn't describe ADHD like this at all. Constantly being stuck in past events or fear of the future is a common theme in ADHD. Time blindness does occur but myself and most I've spoken to consider it the least of our problems.

[@chelseashurmantine8153]

I think that ADHD and other attention and mood disorders are the RESPONSE to the flaws in society. This isn’t the first generation that dealt with mass mental health “diagnosing” of certain people who don’t yield to the status quo.

[@baashasucks]

That's a dangerous way to look at things, tbh. You're basically invalidating the entire community's experience and writing it off as some conspiratorial way for the Big Bad to control the people. Bit Q-ey, if you ask me

[@corn5410]

Does you feel invalidated by this comment? Personally, it makes me feel more human and more connected to the world. The original comment (and Elliot) seemed to argue that capitalism pathologizes divergent behavior. Why should we feel threatened by reframing our state, not as intrinsic, but rather imposed. Maybe we can reappropriate labels while acknowledging that they serve to subserviate vulnerable people. Adhd is real but it’s only a disorder in certain economic/social paradigms Idk bout any of this tho so just food for thought

[@LorettaBangBang]

@@baashasucks no, the are saying the symptoms exists, but are maybe a normal way to function. Maybe it's not an illness, but a valid way to function.

[@Shyloh117]

Nope, ADHD and other mood disorders have always existed.

[@cjcoleman-yl1zo]

@@corn5410nope, its a disorder anywhere and in any system

[@parkermiller7934]

audio specialist here. Switch your Mic pattern to the one that looks like an upside down heart when you are only recording yourself. It will cut out some police ambience. Hope this helps!

[@brbrbrbreannad3610]

Personally, time blindness is a deeply relatable concept to me. I don’t really get why it would be seen as something stigmatizing, or something linked to industrial time. Actual sight blindness isn’t inherently attached to a value judgement, and neither is time blindness. I strongly disagree with the stigmatizing language used by Dr Barkley, and I don’t think all of his descriptions were accurate, but the experience of time blindness is a big part of ADHD. We need a word to describe it, so unless someone comes up with something that better describes it, I don’t understand the opposition to “time blindness”.

[@Natiprieto-xf8gy]

I feel like the narrative that as a person with adhd I can only live in the present pushed me at a young age to most of the time think of how my actions will impact my future making it so I’m almost always micromanaging my own actions to go against the idea I can only think of the now and can’t help my “time blindness”

[@ZenPyramid]

...i've always found Professor B to be most understanding and compassionate. His lectures have been a great help to me, i'm over fifty, and have had crippling neurodivergent issues all my life. Don't be so quick to discount a professional just because you find their tone a little perfunctory. And comparing him to fucking phrenologists... that's borderline insulting... Otherwise, great video, tyvm...x

[@skynightt9544]

Fun historical fact about the book '' Primer nueva crónica y buen gobierno'' ! :D It was written by Peruvian Felipe Guaman Poma and the book is full of drawings that show abuse. When he finished he got on the canoe to send the king of Spain from Latin America to Spain but of course he died trying. Also, this may be inaccurate since I learned it in school and don't remember the exact story that the teacher told us.

[@neptronix]

An oversized amount of successful CEOs have ADHD and other neurodivergent traits. Paul Orfalea of Kinko's - ADHD and dyslexia Richard Branson of Virgin - ADHD Bill Gates - ADHD John T. Chambers of Cisco - ADHD Elon Musk - Suspected ADHD, confirmed bipolar I have ADHD and learned this later in life, and decided to stop working for others, and started my own company. it's miles better than working for someone else. The ADHD makes it so i have to be super interested in something to finish it. My workers don't have such a problem. So, i get to be he 'ideas man' of my company ( what i'm good at ), and have my workers do the stuff i'm not currently, or never excited about. They don't have a problem with that, but i do. It works extremely well!

[@Zwerfket]

Literally all my life as far back as I can remember I've had a hatred for clocks and the way they dominate how and what I do and upon seeing this video I feel a sense of validation I've never experienced, especially surrounding the anti-clock sentiment. I thank you for that

[@halfukrainian999]

yeah, those clocks always make you feel like you are under someone's control and can't live your life freely!

[@moleperson]

I’m halfway through the video so you might mention this later but this idea of time being different now than it was exists linguistically. There are languages that talk about time differently than we do; this extends to stuff like “island time”, which is a much looser system of time than mainland time. It’s so interesting and it also sucks because I have adhd and what you’re saying is far too relatable and is so frustrating to think about.

[@dobo9150]

..."please click 'join' as I walk awayyyy (as I walk away!)/ "Making content costs time and money (artificially scaaaaarce!) "Please send funds so that I can eaaaaaaat!" Okay, now my mind can let that go

[@MetalxMonica]

The way this vid on ADHD began with a full deep dive on the illusion of time is so meta I feel like I've found my people. * subscribes *

[@さくら-l8t]

This whole video just summarized my entire college experience. Always planning ahead my study/homework schedule for the next few days, only to never accomplish them and only get through like one or two of them due to the constant time pressure and trauma of past failures weighing down on me. My first class always starts at 12am and I wake up at 8:30am so that I can have time to catch up on class readings, only to just waste it all by scrolling through KZbin and showing up to class 10 minutes late. It’s a struggle for me to decide every day how much time I have to make dinner, take a bath or shower, call my mom, how much school work I can get done tonight. The amount of late essays I’ve turned in just adds onto my already low self-confidence. It gets so bad that I genuinely worry if I can make a successful living as an adult 😢 And it doesn’t help that I also come from a Japanese background, another culture/society where time management is just as, if not, more demanding than in the west! So my Japanese mom would always complain why I do everything at such a slow pace, which definitely left an impact on my self esteem when it comes to accomplishing things on my own. Aderrall is is also banned in Japan, so I have to take a less effective substitute to help manage my ADHD if I ever plan to live there.

[@Mario12435]

Hi Elliot! This is a great video and i have been enjoying your content so far. Though if i had to critique any part of it, as someone who was diagnosed with both types of ADHD, this video sort or neglects the hyperactive aspect of the disability. As much as it is true that i would have an easier time dealing with society if time punctuality wasn't so pushed on me, that doesn't mean i would be an upstanding citizen. Most people don't really speak on how debilitating my hyperactivity can be. It ends up in me wanting to run around and not sit still. This can lead to me being disruptive to people who will be bothered by that such as people with anxiety or people with sensory issues. This is not to say that the video has no credit to it. This is a good talking point, but ADHD is far more than just inattention and a lack of focus.

[@elkeshultz4496]

Thank you very much for your contribution. The hardest symptom for me is knowing that opting out of societal norms is what's best for my function and my health but advocating for that almost always feels ostrasizing. There is nothing wrong with us but we do be living in a society D,:

[@Ratat0skr0]

I usually just cycle between productivity and soul crushing complacency/inferiority. Good times.

[@KazmirRunik]

The nature of sytematized work isn't exclusive to capitalism. The thread goes even deeper than that, as most of the issues wouldn't go away as long as industry exists, socialistic or otherwise.

[@velevetyy]

not adhd afaik but just didnt have my needs met in childhood, and i got so confused on why i couldnt keep up, but i missed like crucial steps in how to live and regulate and be a person im just beginning to learn. procrastination was and is a big part of my life and downward spirals. weeeeww

[@From.the.river.to.the.sea23]

I’m indigenous to the Arabic gulf , we do have our own schedule that’s perfect for our climate and lifestyle. We fish , farm and have so many crafts personally my family are jewelers our schedule was Wake up at 4:00am (before sunrise) get ready for the day and leave for work after sunrise around 5:30 Work till 11:00am or when the sun is very high in the sky, go back home eat pray and rest till 3:00 pm , the you can go back to work or socialize till sunset around 7:00 PM eat pray and go to bed We have (different)names for every time slot that isn’t used now as much, like al-daha al-oud (big sunrise meaning 12:00PM when the sun is strong and the weather gets hot )

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

I tend to assume that the way people perceive time outside of systems of measurement must be distributed along a bell curve. The extremities of that distribution would be either time-fluid or embodied (i'm just spitballing terms) and time-dispossessed or deficit. I posit that it is actually those who are dispossessed of a sense of time that is imminent and unignorable who are actually those who would be more predisposed to finding comfort in means of systematizing time. The ADHDer on the other hand would finds time as it organically structures life on earth to be something impossible to deal with other than what it demands of them. Then the majority of the population have an operable mix of the 2 states. This is then a matter of the moral conundrum of all human tool making

[@razzenvythebest9248]

Yo this is SOOOO VALIDATING. Because I work in Bursts frfr. I always feel like I’m fighting against society’s time. I burst to catch up- overdo it, then chill out for what feels like too long to everyone else; rinse, repeat. Thanks for taking the time to put this together

[@jonathana.1802]

It's really sad there's only one quote from Russel Barkley. I've read is latest book and it's really not is opinion on ADHD. The entire book is filled with compassion.

[@cyanidebutterfliesx]

i knew there were reasons i don't and can't respect the concept of linear time but can never articulate why so thank you

[@moeshasmiles]

Same

[@weirdnerdygoat]

A lot of other people have already explained that dr barkley was taken out of context there, and how beneficial he is, but even the clip shown describes my experience pretty naturally lol. Like yes, there is basically now and there is not now, and i personally enjoy humorous descriptions of adhd

[@mikazuki1955]

I have ADHD and my time blindness is so bad I have an alarm for every task because I have missed interviews and meeting because of it. The only time I “let myself go” is at work. Because I’m told when I can go home. It’s hard out here guys stay safe

[@eg4441]

i'd like to talk about time blindness and barkley's description as someone who was deeply consumed by anxiety for a long time. i do not think his description is inaccurate at all. my grandpa always stressed being on time, in fact arriving early to places to ensure you were on time. so for all of my childhood and teenage years that was incorporated into the severe anxiety i experienced in general. i was seldom if ever late to things. but, over the last couple years, i my anxiety has significantly lessened. and with that i've felt the full brunt of time blindness as barkley describes it. my anxiety was so bad that it masked the expression of my adhd in that regard. i was so terrified of something bad happening if i was late, that i couldn't fully experience the blindness. i'd sit and be anxious thinking of where i needed to be later. "waiting mode" is what they call it, i guess. now that i'm not that anxious it does feel like i'm primarily living in the now. the realest thing to me is the current day i exist in. maybe the next couple days, but once we go past a week my grasp of that is noticeably off from some other people's grasp. like, when thinking of the papers i have due in two weeks, it honestly doesn't feel fully real. more like a suggestion or something i can't conceptualize well at all

[@Vivi-mp9nn]

You never!!! Fail to impress me and you are the only KZbinr I feel THIS strongly about since contrapoints and as cringey as it sounds I feel like you changed my life. Everything you talk about is something I know I would start thinking about in a few years, while I still fighting battles to overcome societal problems and there you are deconstructing if it’s a problem to begin with or if we‘re looking at it from the wrong perspective. Thank you for your service

[@ollie2111]

Idk man sometimes adhd is so severe that a person will struggle to eat regularly or do basic self care tasks and even *desired* tasks. Even without capitalism that is still very disabling and prevents from a fullfilling life of doing things you want to do. Not everyone can function through with adhd even if capitism does make it much worse. It is still very much a disability, specially on the severe end.

[@asocksual4910]

Well said, I feel the same way. Capitalism 100% makes life way harder, but I don't think it's right to say that it's the *only* reason people with ADHD struggle.