Life of a brain constantly seeking dopamine

Welcome to The ADHD Mind, a space for ADHD, Creativity and Personal Development. My goal is to help us embrace our strengths and live a happier, more fulfilling life. Hope you will enjoy these videos!

[@theadhdmind9419]

Anyone else feeling the same way? :)

[@StreetNickel]

I can relate to every single thing.. Except the husband thing. It's a painful existence. I feel like I'm living my life on hard mode.

[@annashevlyagina5602]

Yes ;(

[@frederickduncan9517]

Yep, pretty much describes me 😑

[@janouwerling3225]

I feel you 100 x😅

[@brownsugar1608]

Yes but i wish to give enough salutations like how you describe it it's easy to describe ADHD BUT not enough ways to deal with it ADHD ruined my life literally 😣

[@hawtdawg9038]

„I feel like a life of wasted potential.“ Damn that was relatable

[@godoftenacious4464]

Why do I relate to that too ?

[@knoctrnl]

Gang

[@Shmyrk]

This was insane to hear coming from someone else. My own words, spoken in someone else’s voice. I used to think of the ability to hyper focus as a gift-Now I’ve experienced so many different cycles of obsession that I think will give my life purpose but just ended up fizzling out into nothingness, that I almost have no trust in anything. It feels super hopeless

[@bryanbray8358]

Your words speak to me too. Now we know but what do we do about it?

[@MoreTrenMoreMen69]

@@bryanbray8358There’s hope. Every type of brain has its purpose in this world. I am the exact same way too. ADHD can really, really, truly suck sometimes…. I’m only a 20 year old clinical psychology undergrad, but I can safely say one thing is true: We must spend time with ourselves. Perhaps in nature, all alone with the sound of leaves and birds. But there, in that state of mind, we find the peace to figure things out. We find the focus to look within, and ask, “what is it I want out of life? How can I achieve this? What are my weaknesses and how can I be better as a person?”. I’ve been forced to go the natural way. It’s true, I do miss the dopamine supplied by things like adderall, marijuana, and so forth. But if I used those things to supplement dopamine, I wouldn’t be the true and complete “me”. It’s hard, but we can be comfortable with ourselves and be successful as individuals. It’s not easy, it won’t be simple, but we can do it. I hope those words sparked something within your beautiful minds, my friends :) Happy 2024! ps: i just remembered this but i heard a study where religious or spiritual practices help the ADHD brain. So there’s a clinically backed tip! Focus on your spirit, whether you believe in it or not. That has been another thing that helped me

[@Acquisition1913]

Carnivore one cure

[@jrikkerink]

THIS!!.. :(

[@bw5187]

It took me until age 37 to really start to feel this way.

[@mikegregory5620]

Sums up my life's constant thought pattern and frustration. So happy you made this video!

[@billyb4790]

Me too, Mike. I just turned 50 and can look back my entire life seeing this pattern. I always felt so much shame feeling so lazy. Now I can look back and feel proud knowing I made it even this far lol. If you're younger, I hope you'll take advantage of the information sooner than when I was able to :)

[@warriorqueen8285]

I don't know....WHO you are, but you literally read my entire life better then I ever could have 😓

[@bamgold4677]

You cute ;

[@warriorqueen8285]

@@bamgold4677 oooh yummy thank you 😋😜

[@braxtonmills1235]

@@warriorqueen8285 Mmmmm what's your Email ;

[@evilpatrick9562]

Ayo wtf

[@billyb4790]

Wow. I'm finally understanding all of it. I'm 50 and all my life I've struggled with wanting to go anywhere and do anything. But I get it now. In order to do things, there's a great deal of energy that's expended. But if you already LACK dopamine, you don't have much energy to begin with. If you spend that energy doing something major (for example, going to a concert, taking a road trip) you don't just deplete what little source of eneryg you have, but the event itself will not replenish your already dopamine deficient brain. It therefore makes perfect sense why we'd want to sit around and do easy things like watch TV, eat junk food, drink alcohol or other quick fix solutions. It also explains those particular obsessions with addictions or fetishes. Once we KNOW something is a good and easy supply, we are all the ore likely to focus on it. Therefore, even when there's something far more important to do (pay bills, go to work, study for an exam) we may find those intrusive thoughts constantly distracting us. All of this of course is accompanied by guilt and shame, with feelings of laziness and inadequacy, which fuels depression, and of course leading to MORE cravings for the same thing that gives us some sort of boost. But now I see that the choices we have made make PERFECT sense. It would be highly illogical to go on a big trip when your body intuitively knows there's ZERO payoff in it. Don't get me wrong. I'm not encouraging bad behavior like drug addiction (that's for another topic). I'm simply saying our body and brain is doing the best it can. If everyone else had the same dopamine deficiency, they'd do the exact same things! *TLDR* In other words, if may be our responsibility, but it's definitely not our falt! I always felt like this was a pattern, but I could never quite explain why! This has been so eye opening for me. Thank you so much.

[@joneeboi9303]

Thank you, I always felt as if it was my fault and I am a failure. I used to hate myself and beat myself up for it. Tomorrow is my exam and I am exactly facing it. It is hard

[@billyb4790]

@@joneeboi9303 best of luck! I hope it goes well :)

[@gaBBarSlnGh]

Thank you for putting this together. What do you suggest on how to handle dopamine?

[@AzraelHaze]

This...not sure why I got super depressed hearing this.. My therapist refuses to diagnose me with ADHD until we get my anxiety and depression under control, but I feel like ADHD mixed with my now diagnosed Autism is what's killing my life.. I'm learning so much from watching these videos, that I'm not alone.. That there are reasons I do (or don't do) the things that I do.. I'm not lazy like everyone says.. my family have caused me so much trauma because they are "old school" and refuse to believe in mental health issues. I'm 33 and had a severe mental breakdown last year, I got an evaluation and am trying to figure out and understand what all of this means.. So much damage has been done and me having to mask my symptoms for 33 years, it's broken me, I physically and mentally just cannot do it anymore, I can't pretend to be "normal".. Nobody around me understands this.. They constantly say "it's whatever, you were perfectly fine before." and it's like... y'all honestly just won't ever understand.. I can't be the old me.. I can't force myself to be normal anymore.. It's disrupted my life to the point that I can't even work anymore.. not that I ever really held a job anyway, but at least it wasn't "just make it through orientation before you quit"....This stuff is literally insane, mind boggling how it honestly disrupts your entire life... I'm now being more open and honest with my immediate family, my mom understands me, my fiance gets it, but that's about it.. Like, i literally wanted to make pancakes today, but then started thinking about the pan I was gonna cook in because I just seasoned one of my pans and I was proud of it so I wanted to cook in that.....ended up making bread instead....

[@lukaswalker7717]

You're not alone. I was raised in the Southern US and I too am in my 30's and just figuring it out. Try connecting online, real life friends are important, but so is having a neurodivergent tribe that understands the real you, where you don't have to mask or feel less than. You ain't broke hun, you were born in a world of automatics and you are a stick shift. No one gave you your manual and that's kind of how its been for a lot of us but what do they expect. Btw I use that analogy with neurotypicals and it helps them be more understanding. Try also using Taylor Tomlinsons, "PSA on floaties" video. Its a youtube comedian short that explains mental health so well. Sorry for the rant but ik what its like to feel like a zebra in a field of horses and I want you to know... you are not alone.

[@AzraelHaze]

@@lukaswalker7717 Thank you, must be a Southern thing lol, I'm from Oklahoma. I get you, I'm barely learning how much ADHD messes with you, all the things I thought were normal, aren't... I mean, I can't fault myself, it's all genetic, if everyone around you has the same issues then things tend to appear normal when in fact, it's far from.. I just barely learned you're not supposed to have 50 conversations going on in your head while you're trying to communicate with someone.. I'm starting to branch out with others online a little bit more. I'm taking a big step tomorrow, found a Psychiatrist that will see me so hopefully I can get some meds to help me focus..

[@badeend1990]

Hope things are better now, and you got an other Therapist. ❤

[@sabyasachisen5351]

KICK YOUR DAMN FOOL THERAPIST AS WELL AS YOUR ALLOPATHIC PSYCHIATRIC DOCTOR, OUT OF YOUR LIFE. SEE A GOOD FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE DOCTOR WHO WILL TREAT YOU BY SOLVING YOUR NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS AS WELL AS FIXING YOUR GUT BRAIN AXIS DYSFUNCTION. SOON YOU WILL HEAL. LISTEN TO ME. I'M 58.A VERY WELL EDUCATED GENTLEMAN FROM INDIA. BEST WISHES FROM INDIA AND BEST OF LUCK

[@Sinful_Survivor]

I found out I had ADD before I found out I had Anxiety and mild depression. I guess I was lucky in that regard lol

[@LandonEaversOfficial]

This is pretty much every day of my life, summed up in under 4 minutes.

[@yayai2695]

if ADHD person has low dopamine level why he is hyperactive?

[@00RohitRoshan]

What to do next? Should I cry about it? Should I train not to seek Dopamine? Or should I leave it as it is?

[@godoftenacious4464]

What happened so far?

[@djmulder]

"I have all these great ideas floating around in my head but by the time I'm ready to put it into action I already lost my interest halfway through" THIS EXACTLY.. so frustrating :( "for any job that I've worked at before I exceeded expectations the first six to 12 months then I started to lose all interest in it" this also :/

[@Bekind1969]

Oh I can so relate....I can talk for hours about true crime documentaries....I never understood why until I saw an ADHD video about it. I spent so much money on classes for degrees I never finished......then I got my personal trainer certificate and did nothing with that either....ugh

[@yomaddy]

FELT 😢

[@Yosetime]

Talking about binge watching videos is not a real problem. Getting food, money, housing, clothes, etc, are problems.

[@billyb4790]

So my understanding is that when we find a particular thing that's a big payoff, like true crime docs, for example, we zero in on it because it's a surefire way of securing enough dopamine. It then turns into an addiction and everything else takes a proverbial backseat to its consumption. Not to say that we CANT do anything else, but the addiction is constantly on our mind, intrusively, at the worst moments.

[@freerangethinkingpodcast]

We just talked in our most recent episode about that! It is so power- and helpful to learn from other human beings and how you deal with the different aspects on the spectrum. Thanks for that beautiful video!

[@azebradoingwhatever5051]

I may be very late, but seriously this is actually very true for me, and I had this problem for years, from 2016 to today, sometimes I feel happiness, but it was like a hay in a fire... and I was told by my own family relative that I have an extremely low amount of serotonin, dopamine, and stuff like that... I feel like the world is not only complicated because of my autism, but also I feel more weaker, more helpless as years go on. As of now, I still have nothing sparking inside me, I sometimes think of my situation like a desert... a empty desert with nothing, absolutely nothing, except sand, sand is great, like autism, but there's nothing there, just like how I have no dopamine and serotonin or anything like that... for years...

[@timsawyer9231]

Wow... That is eerily accurate. Every single thing she said sums it up perfectly.

[@afsana3307]

Watching this at 2x speed for the dopamine

[@ambern.9887]

I just saw a discussion with Andrew huberman and another guy Andrew hooverman is a neuroscientist. And the other guy is a life coach and trainer if I remember correctly but yeah they're saying you push through the parts that suck and that's how you become successful is just getting used to doing the things you don't like to get the results you want. It can be a habit to push ourselves through the things we don't want to do

[@xtramicticol]

@@ambern.9887what do you mean by successful?

[@SergiosArchive]

Where’s the solution?

[@ShellieWhiteJames]

This really hit home. I am a mother of adhd children and it breaks my heart that I cant help myself to help them. Any recommendations?

[@w_chadly]

powerful stuff. I can relate to every word. thanks for sharing ♥️

[@flyingcolors7917]

This is spot on….

[@christopherdiamond495]

Felt like I was listening to someone explain what I experience in my own mind. You articulate very well. I hope you make more videos again soon.

[@uorya]

I love you. You make me feel better.

[@harris_t]

Yes, yes, yes, yes and *yes*! But! The 1 million dollar question is *What can we do about it*? And don't tell me about therapists. In most countries it is impossible to find someone who specializes in treating adhd efficiently, and even these folks *feed* you with medication that's got little to nothing to do with adhd. SSRI's, antidepressants etc won't solve the problem. They *at best* mask the problem while you're experiencing all the side-effects that come along with these meds. Exercising helps, meditation helps, living a healthy lifestyle helps but even all these things combined (which is difficult to stick to them when your dopamine is always 0), they *just* help... a little, more or less. So what does really make a difference? I cannot believe even for a moment that everybody who's got adhd is doomed for life... in our era.

[@theadhdmind9419]

I hear you...Many of us haven't found a solution yet but please don't lose hope :)

[@rhondacollins]

I can so relate to this.

[@Loyannelima]

Short term achievable goals, reward system in place, lots of alarms and do what you have to do without relying on willpower

[@harris_t]

@@Loyannelima that's super helpful, thank you!!

[@7177YT]

Hi. I got diagnosed at 45, because I mistrusted meds and psychiatrists. I got many of the symptoms under control with medidation & exercise, but it didn't help with crippling procrastination. Not getting medicated cost me decades of my life and a lot of needless pain, it was just stupid to trust my misconceptions.

[@missfeliss3628]

i think all of us adhd actually do have a life path, we just have to find it and its harder to discover than NTs life path...and NTs have the ability to tolerate and moderately enjoy any path even if its not the best one for them.... We do not !

[@burn1gotbeats]

Its exhausting chasing rewards constantly every single day especially when the excitement doesn’t give the joy you were after. 🫠 But hey to be alive is a blessing no matter how you look at it .

[@laisa.]

Sooo true!! Luckily I've been a happy person most of my life, but at a point discovered my interests never lasted - which felt so confusing. Diagnosed at 46.. I have a lot of learning to do ❤

[@ShaneUFO65]

yes to everything you said, except the food part. I go the other way, I don't eat when I'm chasing dopamine and that can mean I eat once a day

Feel the same way. Thank you for creating this.

[@aydenneth7783]

The solution is recognizing the issue and addressing it

[@JyotishVishwkarma]

I'm not diagnosed with ADHD yet , but everything that you said, resonated with me ❤

[@gamedod22]

This is me, explains a lot constant drug and alcohol abuse, caffeine also and the wasted potential so much I could be doing in my life but I don’t

[@stijnvandenbruel2790]

Scarily relatable ...

[@trinabenyi8791]

It's like you read my mind. I can relate to a lot of this.

[@mindremapping-themindsmirr3679]

This is me completely. I have destroyed my life with obsession

[@TeamNoSafeWord]

I've never watched a video so relatable

[@lr5612]

Yup, pretty much exactly! :)

[@merlindalkowski7607]

It feels so pointless to live as things only get worse with age. My life is only fun when I feel extreme enthusiasm. But as time goes on I become more and more demanding and it feels impossible to satisfy my need for something new. At the same time, there are more and more difficult demands in life that are overwhelming me. Good and bad are completely out of balance and I'm heading towards a dead end. Blind hope and optimism is the only thing that keeps me alive

[@ProdByXorak]

Addiction is real.

[@AzticAztin]

Blame modern life / society for making such daily grind the norm.

[@mattterrell4304]

Nailed it

[@dancinginmaltesers]

I completely relate to everything here

[@amirasummers947]

This video literally described me

[@ryoandri6752]

Overexcitement lead to depression.

[@Sinful_Survivor]

It's wild how that works huh? Lol

[@nokyap4638]

Seek peace not pleasure

[@limitbreakplusultra7551]

I totally relate but uh... discipline. Frequently, I rediscover my love for something if I keep at it. Some days are boring but if I know I'm SUPPOSED to do something I pat myself on the back once I get myself to do it.

[@camisafespace]

Teach meeee I will really really try to get things done when not in the mood, but I literally can't if I don't feel like it. I'll just stare at the notebook or the laptop screen, feel more and more disappointed that I'm not motivated about it, then my mind gets foggy and I just go back to laying down feeling guilty and upset that I didn't beat my own expectations again

[@limitbreakplusultra7551]

@camisafespace From what I can tell, it just takes practice. The first time will be one of the hardest because you're trying to make a new pathway in your brain. Don't worry about the quality of the work you're doing. Heck, start by doing a crappy job. Think about how you'll feel if you do anything vs if you do nothing and then will your body into motion. Sometimes after you start, it gets easier but sometimes it doesn't. Have a bare minimum that if you do/accomplish (again, not worrying about quality) that you'll at least not beat yourself up because you tried. I hope this helps. It's not easy but it's made a big difference in my life.

[@ninastinytreasures]

Yea this is me all the time x

[@enriquesuarez7113]

0:45 who wants this??? I dont! Thats my nightmare wtf. How can anyone want this

[@KK001]

Squares man. Or normal non adhd people. I myself want all sorst of cool shit like fast cars that i can go to trackdays and have fun. But i feel like even that will get boring really quickly.

[@enriquesuarez7113]

@@KK001 no I can promise you only people who live in fear want that shit

[@vararuchimisra9275]

Tears 😢

[@tobeforgottenisworsethande8995]

Yes

[@beatsbynate710]

That's me😫 definitely me

[@RefreshPlz]

Picking fights with your partner because your bored? There's adhd , but that's not it, that's narcissistic

[@marcusk7855]

Wow. So me.

[@raebusinessmanagement]

This is exactly me

[@mommymcdermott5573]

Yes this is me ! X

[@rossfricke2010]

very well said 😅😩

[@missmeesh]

Sounds like someone just narrated my biography lol

[@VileMisanthropy]

The cycle. It's like purgatory.

[@user-sn4ue6ex4b]

Wow .. that's me😲

[@aydenneth7783]

Head on

[@MrClimateCriminal]

Damn I thought your video would provide solutions to these problems

[@Keith-tz2jy]

I totally agree. that's why I want to die and leave this world. I'm 54 and with no official diagnosis but feel like I have ADHD. No sense treating it now. Not enough gain left justify the pain of treatment 😢

[@issosim7464]

LoL the speaker sounds like shes on overdose of dopamine xD

[@Renegades182]

Damn this hit hard i hate having Adhd😢

[@Shmyrk]

Anybody else have to restart the video so they could pay attention?

[@evanpennington1130]

im 27 struggling unemployed and never been diagnosed with ADHD, but i wake up with a gnawing hazy headache that i instantly have to pull out my phone or turn on my xbox and start gaming. my brain craves stimulation otherwise my brain is filled with swirling thoughts and emotions that i just cant be asked to deal with, even while i clean or do small tasks they continue racing. and im so fuckin lazy my suitcase that i used for a family trip 3 moknths ago is still sitting in my living room, i leave the vaccuum out and plugged in at all times. i dont put laundry away i dont do dishes or clean till they're overloaded or its dirty as fuck. i have no motivation to continue living honestly. the longest ive held a job is 1.5 years and i feel like im losing it. i know this is literally like a trauma dump but jesus do i have ADHD????????

[@blwlmnswg]

how to fix this?

[@johnmalovich1221]

how to fix it? i dont have adhd

[@chanelise7894]

damn. that's real asl :')

[@galeocean4182]

I relate to 99% of these, but I'm not ADHD. It wears you down.

[@rudisaktiawan7222]

Are you infp, suffer too, sometimes i think it not about adhd but how can we Refrain, congesting it even for just a day,. I hate it but i inwardly i enjoy all that dompamine by reading all particulat object. So it would be hipocrisy not to admit i enjoyed it too. :(. Fasting

[@sandyyvonallain]

All of it stop rhe very same day i started taking adhd medicine. It was crazy.🎉

[@marmararraj76]

What do u take?

[@sandyyvonallain]

@@marmararraj76 elvanse 50mg

[@FasFas160]

@@sandyyvonallain How has it been working for you longterm? And have you had to change the dose?

[@Hikewithchloe]

Wow this is my real story…😢

[@saitohiraga6854]

i wished to hear the fix

[@saitohiraga6854]

im sad and disappointed

[@jeffsframe9927]

I’m doing it right now by distracting with this video.

[@freebie808]

😮

[@hanss4367]

Count your blessings especially if you have a better part who understands and accepts you as you are!

[@Bhairava15]

I still don't know whether it's an AI voice or a real woman speaking on this channel. Nonetheless , content is good 👍👍

[@deepanshuverma913]

It's a real woman's voice

[@babydemonlab]

gues i have adhd

[@sepultura80]

How do we fix this? 😮‍💨

[@alifuatgokce7776]

I have used one dose lsd , it worked for me.

[@SakBaby]

medication 🤦🏾 shit sucks that we really have to use drugs

[@vienen1]

I thought this was about ADHD. At the end of the video, she mentions NT people. This could've been better labeled.

[@Yosetime]

Struggling with what to watch on TV or what music to listen to are not problems. Maybe First World problems. But not real world problems. Real world problems with ADHD involve much more serious consequences. This video could have been so much more relevant.

[@Technichromeo]

You're microphone is crackley. Hard to listen through headphones

[@theadhdmind9419]

Are you listening at normal speed? I find that sometimes when you increase the speed, audio is a little distorted.

[@Mbappe_fan300]

Take the head phones off

[@denisegilkeson695]

Are you reading my mind??? I feel like my dopamine has been depleted. I’ve lost interest in life. 😢

[@yayai2695]

if ADHD person has low dopamine level why he is hyperactive?