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Tagging this on: If one is a chronic procrastinator and also find the idea that people doesn't think about something exactly all the time to be a very strange t

Tagging this on: If one is a chronic procrastinator and also find the idea that people doesn't think about something exactly all the time to be a very strange thought, it might be worth doing at least an initial evaluation for ADD. ADD/ADHD-PI is kind of a terrible name, but procrastination and a mind that never rests is a combination that while not unique, is quite uncommon outside "ADD type" brains/people. It's not that a diagnosis is going to solve all problems instantly, but it can help avoid depression, burnout, and various secondary issues. For me personally, I would say it brought me back to life. That's why I encourage others, because there was almost nothing left of me when I finally got the help I needed, and maybe I can help someone else take the same step someone once helped me take!

throwaway713 6y ago
> find the idea that people doesn't think about something exactly all the time to be a very strange thought I'm not sure I understand; how could one not be thinking about things constantly? If I try to just sit there and think about nothing, it doesn't work. The only time when the thinking has stopped for me is while under anesthesia.
- jameshush 6y ago
  throwaway713, you can definitely not think about things. I'm no doctor or mental health expert so I'm not sure if thinking all the time is bad... But it _sounds_ bad to me. For me I day dream all the time. I don't think about anything when I play guitar. I don't think about anything when I do the dishes. I don't think about anything when I'm laying in a hammock looking at the sky. I don't really think when I'm exercising outside of "this is hard!". Even when I'm dating someone she'll ask "What are you thinking about?" and more often then not the response is "literally nothing." So yeah, it's definitely possible to not think about things. Maybe it's worth the cash on a therapy session just to double check? https://www.betterhelp.com/ https://www.betterhelp.com/ Is a good source. To me this sounds like the equivalent of a tooth ache for your mental health, better to get it checked now then wait.
blompa 6y ago
I came here to say exactly this. I found this article[0] here a few months ago on HN and it dramatically changed my life for the better. I had always thought I was just "easily distracted" and a "natural procrastinator", when in reality I actually had ADHD. Now that I am medicated and it is mind-blowing how my life has changed. I can hold more than one thought in my head at a time, I can get back on track to what I was doing before without forgetting what I was doing, I don't sleep in until 10am anymore and I don't binge eat anymore. Consequently my self-esteem has improved dramatically too. [0] https://gekk.info/articles/adhd.html https://gekk.info/articles/adhd.html

throwaway713 6y ago

> find the idea that people doesn't think about something exactly all the time to be a very strange thought I'm not sure I understand; how could one not be thinking about things constantly? If I try to just sit there and think about nothing, it doesn't work. The only time when the thinking has stopped for me is while under anesthesia.

jameshush 6y ago
throwaway713, you can definitely not think about things. I'm no doctor or mental health expert so I'm not sure if thinking all the time is bad... But it _sounds_ bad to me. For me I day dream all the time. I don't think about anything when I play guitar. I don't think about anything when I do the dishes. I don't think about anything when I'm laying in a hammock looking at the sky. I don't really think when I'm exercising outside of "this is hard!". Even when I'm dating someone she'll ask "What are you thinking about?" and more often then not the response is "literally nothing." So yeah, it's definitely possible to not think about things. Maybe it's worth the cash on a therapy session just to double check? https://www.betterhelp.com/ https://www.betterhelp.com/ Is a good source. To me this sounds like the equivalent of a tooth ache for your mental health, better to get it checked now then wait.

blompa 6y ago

I came here to say exactly this. I found this article[0] here a few months ago on HN and it dramatically changed my life for the better. I had always thought I was just "easily distracted" and a "natural procrastinator", when in reality I actually had ADHD. Now that I am medicated and it is mind-blowing how my life has changed. I can hold more than one thought in my head at a time, I can get back on track to what I was doing before without forgetting what I was doing, I don't sleep in until 10am anymore and I don't binge eat anymore. Consequently my self-esteem has improved dramatically too. [0] https://gekk.info/articles/adhd.html https://gekk.info/articles/adhd.html