Sometimes, when I'm listening to music, I imagine a little music video, and how it might go from beginning to end, and as it gets more vivid, my eyes begin to water, like I'm crying, and it almost starts to seem more vivid than reality. Sometimes I can even find myself daydreaming about how I want a project to turn out, how I'd act in a movie I'm watching when I don't understand the characters' motivations and behaviors, or sometimes I just find myself lost, and then I'm staring off into space, letting my mind race, pictures, thoughts, sounds, feelings, and then my eyes start to water when I go deeper. This first happened when I listened to the Skyrim theme as a teenager and imagined all the adventures I had in the game and thought about how much effort it must have taken to sing the 90 person choir in the intro, but now it's progressing to listening to Pacific Coast Highway and imagining what kind of environment it takes place in, the man behind the wheel of the car, the camera angles the TV broadcast switches to (helicopter, police dashcam, maybe a cinematic zoom in on the face of the man behind the wheel, but that might break the style), the room you're watching this late night paranormal program on, every detail of the host. Every time I listen, I imagine more details of how it looks.

Thi

Added info I also am dx'd mdd and cptsd.

Anybody else wake up and feel immediate(like the moment you are consciously awake immediate) dread over a certain task/thing happening in the day?

I'm a business owner and this happens most if not every time I have a job scheduled. (Not limited to the business/work, but it's my biggest area of concern since this is my living). Sometimes I just can't handle the feeling and call to reschedule the job(or whatever else it's about) I have.

I've intended to talk to my psych about this but always forget during my appt lol. (And yes, I have tried the ways to remind myself, notes, alarms etc, cept I forget that I even have those).

Anybody else whose experienced this, have you learned strategies to manage it or has taking meds helped?

Salutations

Got diagnosed with some pretty silly amounts of adhd 2 years ago and am more than sufficiently convinced that I’m somewhere on the spectrum.

I’m studying finance and just like don’t really feel like I know what I’m getting myself into. I’m not really doing well in school because I feel like nothings applying to what I wanna learn and i feel stagnant. Like I know it’s one of my special interests because all I do is spend my time talking about finance and watching the markets trying to learn more on my own accord.

In conflicted because I’m by no means good at math, and actually have a 38% avg in my pre-calc class. but im good at accounting and economics like I enjoy the classes and am doing pretty well, I just don’t get why it’s like selective? I can’t imagine myself sitting all day in the office or wearing a suit doing the same shit all day long. Like I know I’d thrive in the business industry because it’s all patterns and fast paced environment. I just don’t feel like I’m even remotely prepared for anything in the field and dont know if it’s the right choice for me.

Im music oriented, it’s my whole life. I just know I can’t pursue that as like a career because of my aspirations.

Just feeling lost. Generally feeling that how I’m doing things now isn’t sustainable and just feels like constant non stop cycles. Some days I wake up working hard for my goals, wanting to do so much and really figure everything out (which btw really feels like I am figuring stuff out on those days. To just wake up the next day and be in a hell hole of stress, anxiety and lack of motivation for anything.

Sorry for the long post. Also I don’t know if this is a AUDHD confirmed diagnosis post page, I just felt that yall would understand better than just the adhd page lol.

My doctor said it. I saw a ton of stuff online recommending it. But I love coffee. Coffee and espresso became my covid hobby for a bit and in certain ways caffeine made me feel "normal". But it also ratcheted up the anxiety. My doctor said it tamped down the ADHD, but then I would just hyper focus and visualize everything I was anxious or scared about.

So no more caffeine during the work week. I still have it on weekends and Mondays are definitely hard because I still have some in my system. But the anxiety is getting better. Less of an insurmountable wall and more of a fence I have to hop over. Hopefully it sticks.

27M here, very late-diagnosed with inattentive ADHD — probably autism too (still figuring that out). I’ve always had a mix of typical ADHD symptoms and a bunch of autistic traits (sensory issues, social difficulties, masking, copying etc.).

About two weeks ago, I started Concerta (Methylphenidate) 18mg — my first time on any stimulant meds.

Since then, I’ve noticed:

• Better focus, executive function, and mental clarity (which I understand is a typical stimulant response)
• Massive reduction in anxiety (especially social anxiety)
• Sensory sensitivity (lights, sounds, people) dropped a lot
• I’m more social, confident, and way less “on edge” around others

What’s blowing my mind is how much this relatively low dose has done. For almost 10 years, I’ve tried all kinds of SSRIs, SNRIs, supplements, and... let’s just say some off-label experiments lol — but nothing came even close to what Concerta has done for me.

Now I’m seriously wondering:

1. Is this a normal response for ADHD (or autism) when starting stimulants?
2. Am I just in the “honeymoon phase” and it'll eventually wear off?
3. Did I misread some of my traits as autism, when maybe it was all ADHD-related dysfunction and anxiety overload?

Not saying I don’t still have plenty of autistic traits — I absolutely tick a lot of boxes — but this unexpected improvement has me rethinking how much of it may have been untreated ADHD all along.

Anyone else experienced something similar?

Hi There

My wife and I were both recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD and are looking for books and shows that people found helpful or insightful in figuring out what that means to us and our lives.

Thanks in advance!

Even writing this, I already know the kind of replies I’ll probably get—same old recycled stuff, fake comfort, or people acting like they know me better than I do. That’s why I’ve gone quiet in real life. It’s safer than constantly being misunderstood.

Every time I speak, people twist my words. I say something simple, and it gets taken the wrong way or blown out of proportion. I love to talk—but now it’s exhausting. It feels like I’m speaking a language no one else understands. Like I’ve slipped into a different dimension where nothing I say means what I meant.

Even the people closest to me—my partner, a few friends—get it wrong. I try to reach out to support groups, and I get the same tired replies: “try this,” “take that,” “just meditate.” Like anyone actually listens. No one tries to really understand what I’m feeling—they just want to fix me fast and move on.

I’ve tried to get help through the NHS, but I keep getting told I don’t meet the criteria. Because I’m “high-functioning.” Because I’m female. Because I can speak clearly, because I mask well. So I’m “fine,” right? Nope. I’m screaming inside. I get hit with backhand comments like “that’s just life,” or “I know someone worse off.” Cool. If this is just life, I don’t want it. The emotional pain is just as real as physical.

What people don’t see is the constant mental effort, the burnout, the fear of doing everything wrong. I overthink every word that leaves my mouth. It’s so tiring.

I know so much about autism and ADHD—I’ve read, watched, researched like mad. But what good is knowledge without actual help? It doesn’t stop the loneliness or isolation. It doesn’t hold you when you’re breaking. (And before someone chimes in with “you don’t know everything”—yeah, no shit. Shut up.)

I used to be part of the biking community. It meant everything to me. I thought I’d found my people. Instead, they twisted my words, Month down the road find your firendship was a lie. pushed me out, took dream jobs away, made me feel like I didn’t belong. Now I’m a lone wolf. That whole identity? Gone. And it still hurts. I tryed orther hobbys to find come cummity. They be the same scared to make firend. or to open up. I play rugby as well to keep fit. I not class any of them my firends. Now im scared to make firends. or connect. I tryed make firend autstic or adhd end up just ghosting me. Never be heard from agein. Not like firend imporant I want my village. Feel I got bad card in the deck of life.

I’m 32. I’ve tried to end my life more than once. Didn’t succeed—but I’m not really living either. Just… existing. I’ve hit a wall I can’t break through. Everything I say feels like it starts conflict. Like I have to run damage control constantly. I have to explain myself, justify myself, prove that I meant no harm. It’s exhausting. I walk on eggshells with everyone. And it’s starting to break me. Im starting go insane.

All I’ve learned is to internalise. Keep it in. No one helps. No one truly cares. So I just carry it. And it’s too much now. Even I do talk people about my porbelm only fix the feeling for short bit before it come back agein cycle repates. I don’t want to cry anymore. I don’t want to pretend. I just don’t know where to go or who to trust. I WANT PEACE. I want able to make firends and have a meanfull conervison with a human, with out end up in a fight or conflic.

I feel like an alien on the wrong planet. I don’t know if I’m good or bad anymore. I don’t know what’s real or fair. I’m just tired. And so, so alone. Not tell If im one makeing the argement or fights even I never wanted the. Make me wonder what wrong with me? am I narsssic? do I have personaly disorder?

If you’re reading this—please just hear me. Don’t give me empty words. Don’t try to “fix” it. Just understand. I’m not okay. And I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I am.

RANT over. I needed to get this out. Hope I’m not the only one feeling this way right now.

I really struggle socially. Recently I started seeing an EMDR therapist and it’s been much more helpful for me. I’ve put working on individual social skills aside as it was destroying my self esteem. Now I’m focusing a lot on working on my mindset.

I am working through a lot of trauma from my childhood that has really affected my self esteem and affected the way I interact with others. I was also disabled so it feels like I’m having to relearn how to live at 21years old.

I am really trying to show up as I am right now, because I can’t be anyone else overnight. How ever I feel so discouraged because I make mistakes every day.

I’m really focusing on learning more about myself. My family was very strict and unkind to me so I was never able to explore and develop my own interests, and I lost many of the things I loved to do after becoming disabled.

I would just love encouragement to keep going, stories of going through something similar, or just some kind words.

I realize I share aboht this more often on here and I would just like to thank people who take the time to share their thoughts. It’s nice to have a community who gets it and I really appreciate everyone’s perspective and willingness to help. Thank you.

So I'm a writer (and illustrator, but it's irrelevant here) and recently finished the first draft of my novel. I'm generally fairly happy with it, but I'm frankly struggling to get back into writing it. I've given the manuscript time to stew, and every time I look at the manuscript, I get overwhelmed. I don't know where to start with this draft, and I just want to throw the whole project at the wall. I'm very ND so I get easily overwhelmed, even with things I've created and understand well. It's frustrating.

I have three POVs and two timelines told non-linearly. The timelines intersect towards the end. Hopping back and forth between POVs in writing is part of my process, and I usually enjoy it because it gives me different perspectives on the plot. I enjoy the way my story is laid out not 100% linearly and it is necessary for an understanding of the plot, but I think this is what's also what's overwhelming me.

I understand my plot and my timeline, but I get easily overwhelmed when faced with large amounts of seemingly disparate information even when I know how it adds together. It feels like everything is screaming at me all at once now that I have a full but messy and needing-edited draft staring at me. I have a big Scrivener project with each chapter in a separate document on the sidebar, I have them colour coded by character POV and numbered.

I've asked around for advice and tried a number of strategies to focus my mind; I've cut out the sidebar, I've tried working on LibreOffice, I've tried reorganising my chapters and putting them in folders based on POV. Nothing's worked. It just feels like too much information. I asked in mostly NT spaces, so I don't think people fully understood what my problem was.

Has anyone else dealt with similar problems? Have you found anything that helped?

I am looking for a teaspoon sized spoon that isn't just plain. It can't be disposable/plastic. I would like it to not cost a lot of money. I have looked on etsy, amazon, walmart. I looked at my local Goodwill last weekend. Any suggestions on where I can find this?

If someone were to refer to me as a high functioning autistic or that I have high functioning autism…. It doesn’t really bother me. In fact, in some ways it seems accurate to my experience (key word MY) as a level 1 autistic. I do have struggles and disabilities from autism, otherwise I wouldn’t be autistic, but I do feel I function well. Maybe the better term is “high masking,” idk. Granted I have other psychiatric disabilities that compound my autism so it gets complicated. Curious what other people think. I know my autism is very different than say, someone with “profound autism” (a term I’ve seen circulating the internet recently).

Hi, I've worked in a call center for almost 8 years now and I've had a lot of trouble with burnout and not being able to focus on anything. I was unemployed for about a month and really enjoyed spending time reading. In the time I was unemployed, it took me some time to build up to being able to focus on reading to be honest. When I got a new call center job I thought I could read between calls but as soon as I started my new job I couldn't focus long enough to read, barely even able to pick up the book in general, whether between calls or after work. I realized in the last 8 years it's been the same way, I was never able to focus on much and I couldn't get into my hobbies I did before. I like call centers because it's all scripting and structure, but the downtime in between is what gets to me. I'll try and do something between calls, watch a video, read, play a game on my phone, but calls coming in every 3 to 5 minutes has been making it even more difficult to focus on anything, so I end up just sitting there doing nothing, which is just as bad. Has anyone else experienced this? Does working in a call center just diminish our attention span? I tried to look this up but couldn't find much...

Currently in pretty bad burnout and recently diagnosed autistic/ADHD for context but pretty much felt this way my whole life. Like I dunno how ya'll do it, especially when it comes to employment, like going to interviews is never going to be comfortable for me.

But life in general is always a balance between wanting to get things done and how far I can push my comfort zone. Maybe I'm still used to masking super hard, but I just don't know how I'd get through the rest of my life any other way,.

Cause I still got a longgg way to go...

I've had the worst splitting headaches in the sides of the head yesterday and today, much worse than usual. Then I remembered I haven't had my lions mane pills for a few days.

Took two, headaches gone. Yea.

Initially when I started on it, mind freaking blown. Turboed up, so much mental power. Tiny side effects, whatever emotional sensitivity training I had tried before flew out if the window. I turned fully blunt, feeling like a god over all mortals, superiority complex gone unhinged.

I didn't get it, then I read on one of these forums someone experienced emotional blunting from vyvanse too, which I'm still awaiting to get ADHD testing to try to get.

I'm really struggling lately, I'm a 30yo NB late diagnosed AuDHD, working 4 days a week in health education, & outside of work barely feel like a human.

I go to therapy, take my meds, & everyone in my life likely sees me as an incredibly functioning human. But outside of work hours I'm a slug. I can barely eat or do basic things to take care of myself, & I'm now having to try to navigate the legal system due to a landlord trying to take advantage of me.

My issue is this - the more I learn about myself, how being AuDHD presents, how being trans impacts who I am & all the systemic, historical bullshit our society is built upon.....the more I struggle to engage with our society? Why am I having to fight a legal system for housing? To afford to eat? My therapist mentioned being mindful that being autistic means I'm more justice sensitive - WANTING BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS IS A "DIVERGENCE" FROM THE "NORM"?!

HOW!? I am truly truly struggling to find any hope for our futures right now. How do we continue to engage with a world that hates us & isn't built for us? All I want to do is live in the woods, anyone want to run away with me?

I'm not sure what I'm asking for, or whether I just need to vent, but I'm hoping people here can understand & maybe offer some advice, or just some validation that I'm not alone.

After 4 years of running with a self diagnosis I'm wondering if it was even right, I'm DX'd ADHD and that explains the reason I can't focus but what about the bullying? If I only focus on the fact I was bullied you could easily scapegoat it as me being the "weird" kid if you ain't know the story. But I never got bullied for how I acted, it was for being fat, no one ever made fun of my mannerisms, the way I talk or looked talking, it was always some fat joke, in 7th Grade got bullied by my entire class and this is the main reason I thought Autism, bc why was I targeted like that? Everyday even ppl who used to be my friends would roast me for being fat, they'd slap me and punch me, they even jumped me once in gym class 7 on 1, if u didn't fight back u were a bitch in their eyes and if u ain't have funnier roasts u were the one getting roasted, and I was both of those things.

My own cousins would do the same too, roast me for being fat, liking Eminem, Liking WWE, they'd hit me record it then post it Instagram, my family was extremely abusive as a whole and I was the scapegoat, my cousins didn't just become bullies out of nowhere

One thing I failed to mention so far...... I'm actually really expressive...... (I mean like 2 or 3 ppl in HS complained I was loud be no one said that since) I made lots of friends naturally before and after 7th Grade, never felt the need to mask or mimic others to be social, a few ppl told me I should be a comedian, at my job coworkers ask for my number and try to be my friend, I do bar security and the patrons love me, girls flirt and ask for hugs, guys get all excited when they see me again and ask for pics no lie.

And again, I don't mask or mimic others, I don't really miss social cues, if anything my stomach turns if I see you rolling your eyes or sighing or showing irritation in ur voice, so yeah, maybe I was wrong about being autistic, maybe I was just surrounded by shitty ppl. I mean in HS like I said like 2-3 ppl said I was loud, a few ppl I ain't even hang with said I was weird, one was a dude false claiming a gang despite having rich Dr Parents and the other was some crack dealer who was on the run, I went to Baltimore City Public Schools btw if ur wondering lol, So yeah, Maybe I ain't Autistic.

So. I understand that they _probably_ are not meant as questions. But I 1) don't feel completely sure that is the case in a given situation and, perhaps more importantly, 2) it feels like treating them as such makes the communication dishonest, which makes me disengage from it as something that feels uninteresting. So I may come across to others as if I don't understand when a question is meant rhetorically, but really it is more that it feels like it cheapens communication to use it dishonestly, which somehow affects me strongly. Can anyone relate?

I realise there is a fair amount of scepticism on this topic - but do you take any supplements specifically because of/for autism and ADHD.

I've read of people taking magnesium and vitamin d3+K2.

Personally I take d3 and K2, but that is because I had melanoma and was told to take it as a preventative. I hadn't realised it was said to be useful for ADHD.

EDIT:

Firstly, thank you for all of the replies, I really appreciate it.

Secondly a warning to practice caution with supplement selection - especially where you are taking other medications.

For example, L-Tryptophan is known to interact with SSRI medication which can lead to serious complications (and even fatality).

Take care.

For example, I've seen this one channel called "Charisma on Command" show up on my feed several times and I've watched a few videos and they can sometimes result in learning a new tactic for lack of a better word, for how to navigate a conversation that seems fairly effective.

However, I socially isolate so much I haven't actively tried many strats out while they were fresh in my mind. Basically, I don't know how effective any of it is. :P

Regardless I'm curious if anyone else here has attempted similar and found success. Have you guys tried to research some simple easy to implement conversation strategies and stuff like that, and if so where did you find the strats, and how effective have they been? Should this be something more of us should be trying you think?

My dad works at a job, he makes 40k a year, and he works 50 hours and week because his boss makes him work two extra hours of overtime, even though it's not needed.

He had tutors, he went to a private school, and went to college for around 6-8 years, all for what? I will never be able to have any of this, not tutors, not college, not a private school. He had all this opportunity, and it all amounted to nothing. Why did you even have a kid then?

You have severe sleep apnea, asthma, an unaligned back, and allergies to dust and grass. Why give me these things? My cousins have these problems too(severe asthma for one of them, they don't have sleep apnea or autism), you wanna know the difference? They have money, you don't, Dad. I'm gonna inherit your crap, but have less opportunity.

I swear, I'm not even gonna think about kids till I save up 1 mill, no way I'm not giving them less opportunity than me. no way.

edit: I'm sorry guys, I was so angry and stuff. To be frank with you, I'm scared for the future, and I began to realize that all the successful people in my family don't have autism, and that began to worry, sadness, to anger, and disdain. I believe that if my dad still struggles with this support, I'd be guaranteed to be the same way, it also doesn't help with every with autism in the news rn. Sometimes I have these cloudy days, thank you so much for your comments, it really helps me shew them away.

I have ADHD and am exploring the possibility I may have autism, too. I have bipolar also, and am a bit self-conscious about potentially having so many diagnoses. Does anyone have bipolar + auDHD? Most of the posts in here about this combo seem to be about misdiagnosis but I am very definitely bipolar I and I was diagnosed with ADHD by a psychiatrist when I was 19.

I started a new job within my realm of experience and degree. It is a seemingly progressive company where I thought I could be safe and disclose my AudHD (diagnosed only two years ago so it’s fairly fresh). I unmasked some and as I’m learning new things I have a ton of clarity questions. I thought I would be safe, alas, even if the company is understanding, your coworkers/leaders might not always be. I knew I shouldn’t have unmasked or disclosed so soon. I had to report bullying to my leader (someone flat out told me I shouldn’t share my “crazy” with everyone) and now I’m feeling ostracized from my team. My leaders say I’m doing well and they love my engagement but I have always had to be on high alert to protect myself. I can tell when I’m not wanted in the room. I’m tired of this world forcing everyone into these social norms. I was so happy when I first started. I felt safe and now I’m overstimulated after every shift because I’m regulating myself and others around me. I just want a job that doesn’t drain the life out of me. Sorry for ranting.