ADHD Awareness Minute

[@doktor_ghul]

..." an orchestra with no conductor "...superb description.

[@danielleegolf4290]

Yes!

[@Cnsalmoni]

I don’t remember when he said that, even though I read your comment before watching.

[@RickHasADHD]

I didn't actually say that, did I? But still, I like it.

[@doktor_ghul]

@@RickHasADHD Check 0:45 to hear yourself say it.

[@sandrinowitschM]

We also have problems with memory. Don't remember if you mentioned it yet

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

😂🤣😂

[@revheatherfromohio]

Which makes forgiving offenses so easy! Can't recall ever catting a grudge! Couldn't keep track of that if I tried😂

[@RickHasADHD]

LOL! I have no idea. There's a good chance that I didn't mention it, or I did mention it three times because I'd already forgotten that I mentioned if 37 seconds earlier.

[@danielleegolf4290]

I LOVE that it's longer than a minute. I totally wouldn't have noticed if you didn't say anything, because I also have no sense of time! Lol

[@julyol119]

That's what I thought 😂

[@RickHasADHD]

Yeah. It's funny, when I'm in the zone doing something I love or when I'm scrolling mindlessly I tend to lose all sense of time. And yet even time someone asks me what time it is, I always guess first, "It's... about 3:25." And it is astonishing how often I am within 5 minutes of the correct time. My wife always asks, "How did you know that?" And, like to many aspect of how my brain works, the answer is, "I dunno. I just do." 😁

[@susanmcdonald-timms3202]

Comedians are so helpful in looking at things.

[@CJVeniot]

That was really fantastic. Thank-you !

[@RickHasADHD]

I'm so glad you figured it out. It's why I'm doing this. Because I know the difference it made for me and especially for my son.

[@mayavalerya82]

You're amazing!! I was diagnosed last year at the tender age of 41..sigh.. i grieved..deeply.. for a couple of weeks.. a month later, my turning 16 yo son had his official diagnosis and report. What a RELIEF has it been for both of us!!

[@RickHasADHD]

Thank you for the kind words. And what a relief indeed.

[@Cnsalmoni]

Was that on purpose? “Symptoms include …poor memory….problems with memory….😊

[@RickHasADHD]

Yep. Classic joke structure.

[@dea784]

All of which, I know so well. Ty

[@RickHasADHD]

That's great. Feel free to share this with people who have no idea what ADHD is, or worse, think they know.

[@focusedeye]

Thank-you once again Rick, from this textbook example of a high functioning person with ADHD.

[@RickHasADHD]

You are most welcome! Thanks to my Patrons for making it possible to produce these. And for requesting topics they want me to cover.

[@Mr.KellyMelvin]

I am very much enjoying the comfort these videos bring. Also, I’ve started watching four on the floor again. I can’t believe there are not more Mr. Canoe head costumes on Halloween. Why aren’t there more superheroes like him? I wonder if it’s because most canoes are made mostly out of fibreglass nowadays. Thanks for these videos. Some days having ADHD is a real boot to the head, but you make it a little easier for me.

[@RickHasADHD]

You are most welcome. For those who are confused by this, I started out in comedy as a member of The Frantics. You can find all kinds of good stuff at TheFrantics.com. Warning, some of it is a pretty edgy. Or it was at the time.

[@narellejohnson1230]

Yup...all of these, except extreme sports! We are to anxious for those 😴

[@ashlyefloyd]

But once you start and get that dopamine rush, your anxiety will fade and you'll be addicted to it instead 😅

[@RickHasADHD]

I am too. But the one person I know who did extreme sports and was eventually killed doing the sports, was ADHD up the wazoo. Heartbreaking. But he once told me that when we did those risky things he felt completely calm and focused.

[@mayavalerya82]

Eh, not all of us! I am anxious, but the adrenaline rush from extreme sports is so exhilarating that it tramples the anxiety

[@maryannnichols1043]

Well done, Rick! Thank you for this video!

[@RickHasADHD]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching! And please, as always, feel free to share these videos to help us reach a higher audience.

[@patormsby9441]

Good try at one minute! You are helping me enjoy my new suspicions about myself.

[@susannek2722]

3 minutes awareness beats a month by a lot

[@RickHasADHD]

Yes. I also want to make it shareable so you could quickly silence the folks who say, "I don't believe in ADHD," or "It's just made up by drug companies," or "It's just an excuse for laziness," or... well, it's endless.

[@fionajackson4452]

Yep - self medicating

[@paulas_lens]

That helped, haha. But, those strategies are just more to-dos on my list. Sigh.

[@RickHasADHD]

Yeah. I hear you. A suggestion: rather than strategies, go with a strategy. One. A single one. Just doing that, just start modestly. And stick with it. Because focusing on one strategy is hard enough. Taking on 8 strategies in that initial burst of optimism and energy is a bit like trying to learn to play the clarinet, start yoga, juggle, learn Swedish, train for a marathon, write a school assignment on King Henry 8th, take live drawing classes, and rewire your home at the same time. Focusing on one strategy, tool, or practice, until it's ingrained and a habit is in itself a victory over your ADHD.

[@ariconsul]

As I write this comment, I am crunching on pretzels and Simon and Garfunkel's the Boxer is running in the background in my brain. It's like a bunch of buzzing bees inside my noggin. Exhausting. Depressing. Tried to self-medicate with caffeine in the past with limited success. Medication calms the bees, get them flying in formation, and give me mental space and capacity to concentrate and plan instead of chasing every distraction.

[@narellejohnson1230]

❤😂. Thanks once again Rick

[@RickHasADHD]

You are welcome! Keep watching, liking, sharing, and supporting what me because I'm on a mission to reach as many people as possible so they can recognize what's been sabotaging their lives, and what to do about it.

[@TiaMat99]

you're so funny and a voice I really really needed to hear

[@selenanoll8462]

I don't want to be on meds

[@projectqueenbee5529]

Meds are amazing for resetting your life. Do you want to get pregnant? If the answer's no then you use contraception medication. Don't want to be an under-achiever? Use the meds. At least until you get some routines in your life to gain the balance you need.

[@selenanoll8462]

@@projectqueenbee5529 I am glad that they worked for you. Thank you for letting me know that I will be underachieving without them. It will give my mother such validation

[@RickHasADHD]

Luckily you don't have to take medication. It's totally up to you. But a lot of people who try them find them to be life changing. And, of course, like any medication for any health issue, some people don't experience improvement or they experience side effects. My own experience is that they level the playing field.

[@StarPlaty]

I'm newly diagnosed (well, 14mths ago) & I'm taking the non-medication approach. The psychiatrist who assessed me recommended 45mins exercise/day, Vitamin D (supplement + direct sunshine if possible), decreasing sugar intake, and Green Tea instead of cola or coffee. I need to split the exercise in three 15 minute sessions throughout the day or else it triggers my vestibular condition. And I still drink cola/coffee occasionally - for that quick boost of alertness - but Green Tea works a treat for long-term concentration requirements.

[@curious46]

​@@StarPlatyThank you for listing how you're coping. Good to know info.

[@lauraw.7008]

Treatment; need to find something that doesn't raise my blood pressure.

[@revheatherfromohio]

Intuniv just 1 mg. Stick with that for 3 months.then up the dose if you think you need. You probably won't.

[@RickHasADHD]

Mindful meditation. There's a tremendous amount of research that says it's just as effective as medication.Brain scans show there are changes in just a few months.

[@cael_aj]

I sort of have most, if not all, of the symptoms, but I still don't see the point of getting diagnosed. It's not that I'm afraid of the diagnosis; I'm actually afraid of being told I don't have it and then feeling more isolated and hopeless. And I'm wondering - if I'm already taking a holistic approach and have researched ways to function better with ADHD, and implemented them, and they're working, then what is the point of spending a lot of money to be officially diagnosed (or worse - spending a lot of money to be told, officially, that I don't have it and that I'm actually just a bad person)?

[@killerpussy84]

You don't HAVE to have a diagnosis. In some cases, a diagnosis can even be to your disadvantage. The more important thing is for yourself to know. For yourself to accept and work with your brain as opposed to against your brain bearing all the guilt and shame from being "different" at the same time. If you don't benefit from a diagnosis, don't get one. Personally, it's very important to know that i am a zebra.

[@eradkova]

My feelings exactly

[@DawnDavidson]

Don’t get diagnosed if you don’t want to. I benefitted from diagnosis, but that’s because I wanted to try meds, and getting meds enabled me to go back to grad school. If you don’t have a reason, don’t do it. That said, you could discover that you have something else, not ADHD, and be able to be properly treated for that instead. Sometimes that’s helpful. But again, if you don’t want to, and your strategies are working, then don’t do it! Just don’t look down on people who choose to get the diagnosis. It might be worthwhile for them in ways it isn’t for you.

[@cael_aj]

​@@DawnDavidsonOh I would never look down on people who do get diagnosed! I just often wonder whether it would be worth the trouble for me to get diagnosed personally. I am somewhat interested someday down the line, just so I can better understand what I have, whether it's ADHD or Autism or just anxiety or a mix of things. But really don't think I can afford it any time soon.

[@RickHasADHD]

@@cael_aj I'm going to make a video about this. Thanks for sharing.

[@owenroper-iw1jt]

Thanks for just blerting it all out. I struggle to watch a ten minute video about ADHD.

[@neessasia123]

Why did you emphasize "even in France"? 😂 Pourquoi ? 😉

[@RickHasADHD]

There was a book written some time ago that claimed that French kids don't have ADHD. Of course, they do. But the French had support systems in place to prevent kids from struggling.

[@neessasia123]

@RickHasADHD I see. Yes we indeed do but it's true it's totally underdiagnosed in France. I'm 51 and I heard about the adult ADHD during the epidemic situation. Never heard about it before. I'm looking to get diagnosed but I live in China and it doesn't exist here either 😉😅

[@neessasia123]

Thanks for your reply 😁

[@stellar52]

The video says it's 2.56 😂

[@RickHasADHD]

Clearly I tend to exaggerate! 🤣

[@stellar52]

@@RickHasADHD Just wanted to bring the perfect example for the autistic part in my AuDHD being. Congrats, though: I couldn't have done it in 2.56. Whenever I just want to do a quick WhatsApp message for someone, I'm always surprised it says 4-5 minutes after just overexplaining "a little bit"😁

[@trisha4797]

And mixed

[@Northumbergull]

"Outgrow your ADHD," or might you mean that you, wittingly or otherwise, have learned to cope with it somewhat better? 🤔

[@michaelh7527]

ADHD is not a gift whatsoever like many claim it to be. Its a very chaotic disorder that makes life difficult. I work with a guy who is adhd and have become friends with him. I can only handle short periods of time with him as he can quickly become overwhelming. His adhd causes a lot of chaos in his life. 1. On the verge losing his job due to excessive tardiness and calling out. HR has told him two more tardies and he will be fired. 2. Very loud and obnoxious at times. He thinks he is gifted at being able to read people and know how they will behave. 3. Short temper with kids and fiance. Has no problem putting her down. 4. Horrible with managing money and being responsible. Will not help fiance with keeping up with the house or watching the kids. Has no problem leaving the house to do whatever activity he wants. Also is a heavy beer drinker all through the week. There is a lot more, and some of it is really shocking. But I have watched a lot of videos on ADHD and see just how chaotic and destructive this condition is.

[@RickHasADHD]

I'm sorry for your friend and everyone who is impacted by him. It's a story I've heard many times. Fired from one job after another until, later in life, they realize they hae no savings, no job references, and a CV that screams, "I don't last long in any work situation, so I won't be here for long." There's a few reasons why your colleague is such a problem. First, folks with ADHD may not score very high for self-assessment. They may not see the impact they are having and blame everyone else for not recognizing their 'genius.' A second stumbling block is that they may not believe they can improve their abilities. They hae the diagnosis but they do nothing about it under the misapprehension that they will lose their identity if they takeo n their ADHD. "I don't want to turn into a zombie, or be dull and boring. I like the way my mind works. I'm never bored." It's all they know and they can't imagine that life woudl be just as interesting and far less frustrating if they work on managing and minimizing the challenges. And then of course, the final issue, they may be trying to build new and better habits but their ADHD sabotages their best efforts.

[@JHN12x12]

@@RickHasADHD also, ADHD is an executive function disorder, not a personality disorder. Some people with ADHD are really nice, some are decent, and some are jerks. ADHD just makes bad traits worse.

[@fochti]

I expected a minute, but the video is almost 3 minutes long. I don't have the attention span for this sorry

[@DawnDavidson]

😂

[@RickHasADHD]

No need to feel sorry. Hopefully you're working on building up your attention span.