User Profile

Autism and ADHD often ends up in an interesting dichotomy in my head. Routines are good, but then boring. We need to be stimulated, but not too stimulated. Burnout comes from both sides of the equation. And many systems that are really ADHD defense mechanisms were created by the autistic side of me.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (64%)

Pain at any level is distracting, and ADHD brains aren’t great at filtering out sensory distractions.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (62%)

[I]mpulsivity and hyperactivity symptoms evolve over time[…]. While an impulsive child might run into the street, an impulsive adult might […] say yes to an extra project (or five).

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (62%)

Some people use small talk to see if they have chemistry with another person, which helps us decide if a deeper relationship is possible.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (55%)

Evidence suggests that ADHD brains don’t release anticipatory dopamine the same way neurotypical brains do. Reuptake—the reabsorption of the dopamine—may also happen before it makes it to a receptor. When this happens, our brains don’t “learn” that a behavior like filling out tax forms will lead to anything good. And if nothing good comes from a behavior, what’s the point of doing it? This is why it feels as though activities that are more immediately rewarding hijack our brains. When we abandon tax forms and start playing video games, we feel good, and dopamine gets released. If there’s enough dopamine to hit at least some receptors, our brain learns to prioritize video games, making it more likely that we will end up firing up the game console the next time we need to do something similarly tedious.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (35%)

It doesn’t matter if the task is critical to something I care deeply about, or entirely irrelevant and a giant waste of my time. What matters is whether or not my brain feels like doing it. Sometimes I really can’t do something unless my brain cooperates.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (34%)

Those with ADHD tend to have a later chronotype—that is, the time we’re naturally inclined to sleep is later than usual. For those with these chronotypes, melatonin (the sleep hormone) is released later, delaying our bedtime.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (25%)

I was still waiting tables while working on the channel and learning about my brain. At this point, I had worked at restaurants for so long and gotten so good at it that I barely had to think about what I was doing. I was on autopilot. … One day, the system was updated and the menus were rearranged. They didn’t change completely, but they were different enough to keep me from relying on muscle memory or mental autopilot. I was now in what I call manual mode: I had to think about each action, actively look for what I needed, figure out which category a menu item was in, and then scan the screen for what I was looking for. In other words, I had to rely on my executive function. These changes were disabling. … Now when I’m struggling to (executive) function, I check if any of the systems I rely on have been thrown into manual mode. And to remind myself that when a lot of my life is on manual mode, it’s not a good time to add more to my plate.

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (23% - 24%)

Examples of the ADHD Tax … - Vegetables. (Yup. Go check the drawer. I’ll wait.)

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (22%)

Almost every system I set up to manage the stuff in my life broke down almost immediately, usually due to some combination of the following: I forgot to use it. I forgot how to use it. I lost it. I got bored of it. I forgot it existed. I put it in a Very Important Place and now I can’t find it. I promised myself I’d update it later. (I did not.) I got distracted. I broke my phone and hadn’t backed it up. I accidentally deleted the app or couldn’t remember my password. I couldn’t afford it anymore. Life happened—I got sick or went to a friend’s house on a day I was supposed to clean/cook/organize a thing, and I never went back to it again. And when a system fell apart, so did whatever it was supposed to help me manage. My stuff. My time. My relationships. My finances

— How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe (19%)