Hi everyone.
When I try to follow a schedule to eat, clean my room and do my homework, it feels good at the beginning, but as time goes on, it just doesn’t feel good anymore.
I’m not even sure if I even feel trully happy about doing all of my responsibilities.
It doesn’t feel as if a burden has been lifted of my shoulder.
It doesn’t feel as if I were “refreshed” or more energetic after I do all of these.
I started slowly like my therapist recommended: I did a schedule to eat 3 times a day. It started rocky but then I manage to do it… but only for a while. Eating just didn’t feel good either.
Every single time I finally clean my room, I don’t feel any good: it just feels as though I wasted time because I don’t feel any better.
Doing math homework is fun, philosophy to, but I don’t like any of the other subjects I actually need to do homework for.
I know it might seem childish to only do things that feel good but I hate not being able to feel anything at all, especially when I do things that are supposed to help me but don’t make me feel anybetter afterwards.
Has someone here went through anything similar? What do you do then, if so?
Edit: I have read all of your replies so far, but I don’t know how to respond properly to them. All I can think of is to say thank you! I will try to change things (although slowly) today using your tips.
I’m not a neurologist, but my understanding is that ADHD is essentially caused by reduced reception to dopamine, the chemical the brain uses to signal feelings of pleasure or satisfaction. So while neurotypical folks might clean their room and have that “job well done” feeling, folks with ADHD may not get that reinforcement.
You’ve probably heard all that before, but I’m outlining it to set up the mechanics of the potential solution I’ll suggest: bribery! Find a simple reward that you can make contingent on completing your tasks. Whatever works best for you. Maybe when you finish your homework you can eat a piece of candy, or you can make an accomplishment chart like in preschool and fill it with the sparkliest stickers you can find. Personally I use an app called Habitica that reframes to-do lists as RPG-style quests; completing them gives you experience points and gold to level up your character and get them little outfits. It sounds silly, but those kinds of more-tangible rewards can sometimes be more effective at giving you that positive reinforcement.
Another thing I’ve found to be helpful is putting on music while I’m doing otherwise-boring tasks to make them more enjoyable.
Unfortunately it can take a lot of trial-and-error to find techniques that work for you, but hopefully these are helpful.
One other thing to note is that if you’re not enjoying the vast majority of activities, including things that you used to enjoy, then you might be experiencing anhedonia, which can be a symptom of depression. To be clear, I can’t diagnose you but if that sounds like what you’re feeling it’d be a good idea to bring it up to your therapist so they can evaluate you.
This is a great reply. I’ll add to it that if you have programmed yourself to get dopamine from something else other than your natural reward system (like weed or alcohol) then you’re going to feel way less when you do things that regular people would feel good from. Sometimes ADHD does that all on its own but we can’t diagnose you here, just give hints at possibilities.
Thank you for the advice! I will try this aswell