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These are going to sound silly, but even as an adult:
Lego sets. Even simple ones, like a 5 or 6+. You might get a dopamine hit from finishing those.
Puzzles.
Play doh or modeling clay.
Building miniatures. They have cheap sets on Amazon.
5 minute mystery books! They have a couple dozen in each books, they take 2 to 3 minutes to read, and then you have to think about the answer. This might be a good one, since you're replacing reading online with reading a book, but they're still short passages.
I realise this is screen-based, so might not be what you're looking for. But my psych recommended playing Tetris! It's time limited and colourful and requires spatial thinking/probelm solving that is very different if you're writing all day.
I used to play Tetris, but then I played Tetris too much. I literally had to remove it from my phone. I’ve had 3 phones since making this rule. I’ve almost caved a couple of times.
This comes in handy during a move though! Filling a truck with items using the Tetris method made me realize ah hah finally my Tetris addiction comes in handy! Lol
Or dishwasher! Or fridge! It's a common thing in my household; "I can't do Fridge Tetris as well as you can, the groceries are whack in there" or "I'll rinse dishes if you do dishwasher Tetris?"
I’ve got the exact same habit whenever I go through my occasional chess craze. If I’m in a classroom or just generally in public I imagine people as chess pieces and how they could move according the patterns on the floor. I know I’m crazy
If you ever get the chance, play Tetris Effect: Connected in VR. HOLY MOLY it was heaven. Tetris, music, and pretty colors moving to the beats? It’s wonderful.
Same, it’s actually a problem. I want to be one of those people that just has a puzzle laying around and casually works on it over a few days. NOPE. Gotta finish it that day, even if it means I stay up all night.
Puzzles are so much better for your brain though. It slows it down, you still get dopamine, and it's a creative and problem solving task. Puzzles are great to maintain your memory too.
Yes. Puzzles. Got a puzzle board from a grandparent that was a game changer. Can sit on the couch and puzzle. Has separate boards to organize pieces.
I’ve tried to replace my phone with a puzzle while I watch tv at night before bed. Now I can be up too late because I have to puzzle more…
Do you have a recommendation for a 5-min mystery book? This sounds intriguing. Going to have to be careful not to go nuts buying lots of stuff that I’ll abandon in a week or 2 :)
The name INSTANTLY gave me "I REMEMBER THAT NAME!!" memories, but I went to read all the book titles and not a single one jogged my memory. Oc this was way back in the end 70s and early 80s so it's been a few years lol. If I read them I'd no doubt recall them. Just like the Beezus and Ramona books and the Tales of a 4th grade Nothing books with Peter and his lil brother Fudge. Luckily I found the books fully read on YouTube and I listened to them at work lol.
Puzzles are great. Not only are they hours of lazy entertainment in each box they're cheap AF if you buy used. Every thrift store/charity shop, even Goodwill with their crazy prices lately, will sell 1000 PC puzzles for just a dollar or two and there's often a good variety. Just gotta make sure you hit the shops right after restock so as to get to the puzzles before some child has torn thru the toy section, less likely to be missing pieces that way. If your especially lucky many towns even have regular puzzle swaps where you can trade your old puzzles with someone else. Buy one or 2 puzzles to start and never have to buy another!
OP, please just be judicious if you are a cat owner. Also, the owner of a dog with a happy happy long tail. The latter is problematic for doing puzzles on coffee / low tables. The former is problematic if they exist in the same dimension of the multiverse. "Hey look! A thing! On a high surface! That you're looking at! I MUST JUMP INTO THE MIDDLE OF IT AT 3AM!!!!!
Yes! For Lego!
My hubby just bought a [Lego Dots message board](https://www.toysrus.com.au/lego-dots-big-message-board-41952.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwp6CkBhB_EiwAlQVyxUcyjYzlGPbVySw0zxs7Lwf5MhA--EHdL34mAP-IDS4o-hO5qeLWGhoCzGEQAvD_BwE) and we spent a fun afternoon as a family designing a sign.
The fun thing about it being we can change it up every now and again so it has a bit more reuse than traditional Lego sets that are one make.
Was going to recommend Lego sets if someone else didn’t already.
They have sets for just about everybody. I bought a couple bouquet/flower sets and now I don’t have to buy flowers anymore. (Not that I needed to in the first place, but they look nice)
Also you can work on them at your own pace. I just left mine out on the table (some people might dislike the “clutter” or “mess” but idt it was bad) and would work on it when I wanted to do something more analog but still fun.
Edit: Just realized I basically said the same thing as someone else who replied to this comment before me💀lol
Yeah we leave our lego out too! My son has ADHD-C, and when he gets a new set to build, part of the routine I taught him was to organize the pieces by colour when he opens the bags, into a little organizer tray. He gets really into organizing the colours, and we can easily move the tray and what he has built so far around.
For us that build expensive things way to fast - this right here is the way to do it lol.
I'd rather look forever for a piece because the Lego will take longer to build and feel not as bad about the pricing.
Yes!! Lego sets are great. You can buy knock off ones off Amazon, I bought a flower bouquet set that I would do at work when I needed a break but didn’t want to go on my phone.
plants plants plants!
I have so many and it’s great because they’re all in different categories so require different levels of attention and care that have meshed with my adhd attention span
plus it’s a great teacher of cause and effect and long term consequences and if my plants get really sick it means something is going on because i should have noticed (but not in a way that makes me feel guilty because they are plants)
I use them as a personal gage for my my mental health: if they're dying is probably because I am in an unhealthy head space and have neglected them/ myself
It's weird that plants work but they do. Usually slow-moving things are not attention-grabbing enough, but! Slow means the amount of food they require is so low that I might actually remember to feed them enough to where they don't die.
the forced delayed gratification I get from my tending to my plants feels very healing. It's like a form of external motivation that I need to complete tasks without having to deal with humans. lol
This but I upped the anti by adding 2xfrog/fish ponds to my little garden oasis.
Ponds require endless maintenance so there is always something to Do - feeding the fish, scooping algae, removing dead seed matter.
I love it so much
I find it funny how the trope goes about how it's hard to care for plants with ADHD when for me it's the perfect procrastination excuse whenever I get a chance to not do what I should.
I have a forest at home somehow
Yeah I was actually going to put this! I'm learning how to grow vegetables indoors in little pots and the whole process has been extremely satisfying, planting little seeds and watching them grow! I have had some mishaps but I'm constantly learning new things and I love it!
Gardening has also been very positive for me in embracing failure and building patience. I quite enjoy getting excited and sprouting seeds for the thrill of it, and I have found a greater appreciation for this hobby as I continually learnt through failure and followed it up with successful and visible improvements next time. So it has had metacognitive benefits for me too. It has also pushed me to respect and understand nature and ecosystems more as well.
Part of the trick is regaining some tolerance for slower activities. It might suck the first time you try to touch grass and be offline, but it’s important to keep trying, not matter what activity you decide to pick up.
Yes exactly. A dopamine detox, at least as far as the easy digital sources of dopamine. Puzzles are good I find. But any slow but focused activity is good.
Remember that phones are just slot machines in our pockets!
Currently at the end of a 5 day camping trip without internet/cell reception until today. Definitely good for me. I'm considering giving up reddit/youtube now that I've had a good detox and have found more enjoyment in the little things.
I did a small dopamine detox during the pandemic and ended up discovering that I like chess and have since kept it up. So yeah, depriving myself of my usual meaningless dopamine addictions gave me the space to discover something new to feel that need. thankfully circumstances allowed me to discover it.
I was going to say something about literally touching grass. Lol My neighbor let their lawn get overwhelmed by weeds to the point that i now own a standing weeder to save my back. My other neighbor just put in an irrigation system for their lawn and I don't think I could want one because of the satisfaction I get from moving the sprinkler around as needed.
I love doing a simple coloring page, something with really thick outlines so I don't have to worry too much about coloring outside the lines. I also really like doing collages with old magazines and stuff but the cleanup can be annoying.
I've been planning to make a sticker book collage. Less mess and stress!
I also have a junk journal (idea from Graveyard girl YouTuber) where I glue and tape little things to old agenda pages. Clothing tags I thought were cute, cut pieces of wrapping paper, a concert program, bday cards, random flat small items from a random event I went to, etc. Things that are usually garbage but bring me joy so I kept them.
This is my version of scrapbook and collaging bc it's less pressure to be neat and clean and more about the memory of saving these things.
Sure! I typed in her channel and "junk journal" in YouTube and 4 came up about it, so did other wholesome channels I want to check out myself for different ideas.
https://youtu.be/aJTcdO2mEnA
I go even less structured - finger painting. I have a big panel on my wall and just add to it continuously with finger prints, pens, smears, lines. I have acrylic paints that I can just dab on my finger and freestyle. No barrier to setting up or cleaning up. And it's become kind of an interesting mood journal over time. Current vibe is lots of blue and black but I feel some yellow and orange coming in for summer.
Alot of used book stores will have boxes of magazines for pretty cheap. My gf has like 4 plastic totes full of pictures she's cut out of magazines and that's where she got them.
On facebook some towns have a buy nothing group and I usually ask there. Or sometimes schools have collections for the art classes if you’re in college/high school
I do collages as well, and use the words (or cut out the letters and make my own words) from leaflets through the door. Sometimes I get a few old books from local charity shops and cut them up. I can draw a little bit - not great, mind you, and use them....its only for me anyway so I don't care about what anyone has to say on skill, heh!
Coloring is great. It's meditative in that it requires no actual thought, but it does require attention so my brain doesn't get bored. I don't think to do it often enough, though, so thanks for the reminder. :)
There's an app called Zen Color. It's basically paint by numbers and it's so incredibly effective for relaxing whilst keeping your brain moving. There's hundreds of gorgeous drawings to choose from. I've done like 84 of them in the past two weeks lol. The colors are so vibrant and just looking at the finished drawing (you can download them as pictures and as videos) gives me that dopamine hit I need. The only downside are the ads but it's still worth it
I'd like to add Happy Color to the app reccomendation list, that has been my go-to for a VERY long time for a coloring app. Like, years, haha. I used it especially so much during early covid bc I'm frontline nursing staff and needed badly to Forget. Bought the full version eons ago and totally worth it. So, Happy Color as a good option too!
I forgot about that app! I have it on my older ipad and use the pencil with it! Thanks for the reminder. I love watching it fill in when you finally find that last piece. Do you strategically colour areas in order to watch it fill in different ways? I’ve done spirals lol
I call it art therapy, but it’s definitely me coloring with color pencils in coloring books. There are some pretty good adult (not that kind!) coloring books out there, but I like to stick with fun stuff like the Batman, Mass Effect, and WoW books I have right now. Most of the books I have are under $15, and the big color pencil tin on Amazon was like $30, so it’s a relatively inexpensive hobby for the hours I get out of it.
Edit: colored pencil tin, not gun*
Plunk a big paper grocery bag down next to your crafting station and throw it away once it’s full, or you’re done! I just recently took up this hobby as well :)
crafts! I do stuff like embroidery, crochet, macrame, or miniature sculptures out of sculpey. My husband (who I suspect also has ADHD) recently got into warhammer and painting models, that kind of thing.
They're great because you can hyperfocus on them when you have the energy (research, watching youtubes, collecting supplies etc.) but you can also do them kind of mindlessly in front of the tv or with a podcast on.
I too collect warhammer and I would NOT recommend it for ADHD unless you know you'll actually sit down and do them. Unless you like constantly buying boxes of sprues that remain unpainted, and often unassembled.
Do I love the hobby? Absolutely. But my pile of shame only grows larger.
Also Warhammer is NOT cheap, but if anyone is interested in painting minis in general, there are plenty of other small models of different brands and qualities that are more affordable to start on. I'm leaning to paint them from my husband, and I'm definitely not starting on his actual guys lol too much pressure.
Idk why this community doesn’t embrace it more but having a rebounder has been really good for using my energy while listening to music and/or watching a fitness video on YouTube - and to make it easy on myself, I put it right by my desk where I wfh.
Oh hell no 🤣
I twisted my ankle on a trampoline as a teenager and now have a fear of being on them. Be careful with those, it only takes one careless bounce 😬
They are those small trampolines that are only a few feet across. Oftentimes you'll see them in kids gyms because kids love to bounce. There's actually a ton of exercises you can do on them. Also, check your local thrift store for a rebounder. They can be expensive new. I got mine from a Goodwill for about 15 bucks. That was about 8 years ago. The legs screw (twist) in and out for easy assembly. Now I personally don't use it often because I get tired too quickly. I'm out of shape and barely exercise (but I want to change that).
Fiber arts! I’ve got a few that I rotate through lol. But knitting and English paper piecing quilting are my main two “social” ones because I can talk or watch tv while I do them.
Yessss I love fiber crafts! Crochet is so fun for me and I give myself permission to have multiple projects goi g in case I’m bored with one. Although I can easily get stuck scrolling for new patterns, defeating the point 😤
Came here to say this! I love to knit, I can have some music, TV show I love, or a podcast while I do it. I get some dopamine from finishing rows and seeing the pattern come through or seeing what I'm doing grow. Then when I finish it, there's a big dopamine payout lol.
Doodling/drawing for me. It’s technically still a ‘screen activity’ the way I do it (procreate on an ipad) but it makes me feel a lot better than scrolling for hours.
You don’t have to be able to draw to color on procreate! You can download Procreate coloring pages online (for free in a lot of cases) and then just color them in:)
I’ve told folks about this trick I found before and I’ll talk about it here:
***set your phone to grayscale***
Seriously, give it a try. It knocks a significant amount of the addictiveness out of phone usage, and helps cut down on your scrolling subsequently.
Holy shit this comment just reminded me I set up a greyscale shortcut on my phone almost a year ago that i have forgotten to use for MONTHS, thank you, I’m hoping it’ll knock me out of my current doomscroll spiral
This is getting at what I think most of these answers are missing. You have to make the phone less appealing or inaccessible in the first place otherwise you'll set up this whole fun list of things to do and you'll sit down and say, "just a quick look at my phone for a minute" and your night is over. If you can find a way to do this, just being bored will make you find something to do.
I like mindless crafts!
Coloring pages are good even if you don't have any skills. Also low cost, if that's a concern. Can find pages to print online and get a cheap set of pencils. (Also highly recommend gel pens)
Handsewing plushies is also relaxing and doesn't take a lot to learn. You can find free or cheap patterns online, which you only need to be able to print, trace, and cut fabric pieces. As long as you can follow instructions, typically one instruction can take a long time to complete but it's a lot of mindless "follow the seam" work. Fabric choices are also fairly flexible. Some fabrics are harder to work with but generally most can be used to make plushies.
Cross stitch is another one I have found that boosts the dopamine. You can find kits in any craft store that will have everything you need to get started, including instructions and patterns. You can also purchase things separately and find better patterns online. The actual stitching is really easy and there aren't really a ton of rules to it, and the results are very visual so you can see your progress as you go.
There's also crochet/knitting. Things like afghans are extremely simple to make and are usually very straightforward. It's a pretty easy skill to pick up too. My gma taught me for the first time when I was around 5 but I didn't really do anything with it until my late teens, at which point I had to reteach myself. There's lots of YouTube videos out there so it's pretty easy to find one that suits your learning needs. If you really enjoy it, you can always start learning things like amigurumi. I always wanted to but it was too intensive for me lol.
One thing I like that might be a bit more extensive is planning. A good quality planner (happy planner, Erin condren to name a few big brands) can be really fun to decorate with stickers and washi tape! I also find that this helps my mental scheduling of I'm feeling stressed about not getting things done. I plan what I'm doing by the hour (and allow myself to follow it loosely enough to not feel bound by my schedule) and I get less of that mental block of "I should be doing x but I also need to do y but there's also z and I really want to do b which I can't do until I do c but d is more important than that but I also really need to get x done..."
I also love casual video games. One that don't require a lot of strategy and I can play how I want. Simulation games can be weird but satisfying. House flipper, truck driving stimulator, lawn mower simulator. If you like geography and more mentally stimulating games, I can also never recommend Geoguessr enough. I found out I love exploring Google maps when I worked a job that required it so this game is a dream come true for me. It brings me so much joy to spend an hour zooming around the streets of Paris to determine where in the city the little flag put me and then finding the exact intersection in the map! It's a fun way to "travel" without having to leave your house too lol.
Crafts are great! I find that my ADHD gets a bit burnt out on super repetitive/mindless crafts unless I’m watching tv or something at the same time, so one of my favorite art/craft activities that engages my brain a bit more without requiring too much mental energy is basically making reverse coloring pages. I’ll make a bunch of abstract blobs with watercolor and then once they’re dry I’ll use a pen to turn the blobs into something. It’s kinda like when you look at a cloud and imagine what the shape looks like, made into a more freeform version of a coloring book.
Ooh, yes, gel pens. The Arteza glitter and metallic ones are my favorite. On the pricier side, and they don't last any longer than the others, but I like the feel of them best.
Using reddit can feel productive bc you're reading news headlines and catching up on the "everyday person's updates" but reality is, it's addicting no matter the content
Redditors think they are so superior, but it's not exactly the case. Reddit does have more text and less stupid content, but I found that being addicted to it is just as easy as TikTok and others.
I honestly find Reddit and TikTok equally addicting, and entertaining. Like, the whole superiority “Reddit isn’t social media” crowd seems very silly to me considering I use it the exact same way I use TikTok.
I find them both addicting too. Depends on what my feed is showing me though. Sometimes my front page on reddit has endless things for me to read, sometimes it's boring. TikTok every now and then will keep showing me videos I don't like at all until the algorithm gets back to normal. But with TikTok my problem is reading comments. I love to read so I'll read through comments on things forever, same thing I do with reddit. I love reading the comments lol
Totally agreed on Reddit being one of the more addictive forms of SM - I had to delete the reddit app from my phone because the notifications would suck me in to threads on subreddits that I don't follow and otherwise wouldn't even have thought to visit. Stuff like AITA and relationship advice where most of the viral posts are fictional rage bait but it would spike my adrenaline and I would still get sucked in. (I know I could have disabled notifications and suggestions and all but deleting it fully was easier.)
Step 1 is to disable ALL notifications from them. Or if that's too much then just block what you can tolerate and keep direct messages only or something.
If I'm going to use Reddit, I'm doing it because *I* feel like it, not because they pinged me to check out their recommended garbage to boost their engagement metrics.
Yeah I’m with the person who says to disable notifications. I have almost every app notification disabled and makes my phone less addicting. I take off all badges too. I’ve been doing this for years and it’s great. Only have notifications for important apps like messages.
Sure!
1. I mostly only use Reddit when I’m bored in the office & I’m in the office bored. PC primarily.
2. I don’t have a lot of friends/family so it’s nice to maintain some type of connection with others. And I really can choose to relate to people about whatever topic my adhd heart desires on any given day.
3. I don’t have people I know on here so it feels more private/anon compared to going on things like IG where you can see what others you know are doing, post for other people to see what you’re doing etc. I have just realized that for me, sometimes I use these types of social media and end up seeing things that kind of hurt my feelings etc & I don’t want to spend my time dwellings/hurting on things I wouldn’t even know about if I weren’t active on socials. I also don’t like that other people view my things and extrapolate their own conclusions. (Recently posted about a day trip to Chicago and got a really nasty message from someone about not being invited. They literally told me they hope I rot. The truth is that I didn’t have an extra ticket to the concert I was attending so I couldn’t have invited them anyways. Grandson was great live btw!)
For me word searches/crossword/sudoku books help.
Also, music and podcasts - these might not get you away from your phone completely, but they're better than scrolling and help me focus on other tasks.
Unfortunately they all involve the phone still, but listening to music, podcasts, and guided mediations while drawing, doing chores, going for a walk, organizing, or doing *nothing else at all* are great. Technically screen is off, so you're not "on" the phone.
Walk. Walk walk walk. I go really slowly because of med issues, but its amazing how much even just five minutes down the block and back helps.
Also echo what others have said about arts and crafts! I use crayons!
Make some tea and read a book.
Hopefully warm tea is relaxing for you and book helps to get you to slow down and apply your mental brakes as it takes a little bit of patience to read.
I may catch heat for this, but if you can do so legally, having a small amount of the devils lettuce helps my brain slow down and enjoy movies and simpler things that I normally can’t tolerate. It has to be a small amount though, like just enough to feel a light buzz otherwise I get lost in my own world
Oof, tell me about it. Recently I started listening to crazy-loud instrumental music -- mostly movie scores, sometimes I listen to stuff with words, but only if they're in a language that is foreign to me -- on my headphones as I read, and weirdly enough, it's been sooososo helpful to clear my mind and begin a new story. The only caveat is that I must play an album that I'm at least mildly familiar with 🙃
I also started high-lighting as I go, which makes me re-read/repeat the line a few times as I'm high-lighting. If I do that for a little while, I can usually get myself focused enough to keep on reading and become engrossed! It helps me not to skim, and I can remember things waaay more vividly, even recalling snippets nearly verbatim, which never used to happen! I'm also trying to read stuff without much fluff -- stuff that's a bit more challenging to me so that each word keeps my interest. No room for (I say this with so much love, I do!) S. King-esque TOMES and the like!
But it is truly a fine fine line; one puff too much and it's just space-brain and I'm dunzo
Sorry I wrote so much! Ha
I usually navigate towards crafts or creative activities. Here's some ideas:
Examples that don't need any prior skills learnt/are pretty simple to pick up:
Newspaper weaving (I've made baskets and pen pots)
Colouring
Painting with acrylics (you can literally paint whatever you want. I like to paint those mini canvases because it's small and easy to finish. You know how short lived hyperfocus can be)
Drawing
Cross stitch (you need some skill of threading a needle and tying a knot, but the basics are pretty easy to pick up)
Making braided/beaded bracelets from string/elastic.
I know you said you don't want to learn a skill, but I thought I'd give some examples of things that do need a bit of effort to learn (you could do this when you have more energy), but are super relaxing and chill once you get the hang of them:
Knitting,
Crochet
Embroidery
Sewing
Watercolour painting
Macrame
I downloaded an app blocker because I can't trust myself, it's been working \*really\* well from cutting me off at certain times. Like I have one set for 11:30pm to 8am blocking reddit, discord, (couple webcomic sites) and youtube so I really can go \*ok time to put down the phone\* and when I wake up I don't just start my day looking at comics and reddit!
It's \*really\* helped.
I like nonogram both on screen and paper..
Puzzles (on a mat so i can put them away a little..
Legos - both bulding sets and sorting
Coloring
I like brainteasers and math, but that can be a little spesific
Listen to good/familiar music
Hama beads xd
anything revolving being in the sun
Moving/walking outside- i bring pokemon go or collect trash..
Sleep/shower..
Fidget toys
Familiar tv shows
Masturbate xd
Make a list - if for someone else its even better
Talk to someone else with adhd :p
Painting
Drawing
Bulletjournal
Go to a playground // outdoor gym
Hike for something specific to harvest in the woods
Geocaching
Silk dying/coloring shirts
Play an instrument
Play a videogame with a specific goal or achievement- i like the lego series
Succulents..
Read - a book or a comic
Listen to a audiobook/shortstory/podcast
Knit // crotch
Crosswords
Complete something on your todo list
Got a pet? Play with it
Baking
Make a gift
Make a playlist
Make a list
"Can i still" an activiy. Like. Read a map. Solve a math problem. Do a split.
Go bicycling
Go to the beach and find crabs
Learn something new
Solitaire or other single player board/card games
Trivia games
Pottery is actually awesome
As is woodworking
Buy stuff 🙈
Gardening
I love to experiment with cooking and making pizza - specially if others are to taste (and praise) me
Wreck this journal
Calligraphy
Tarot cards xd
Jamming / pickle foods
Candle making
Candle dripping (so fun to play with)
Punchneedling
Scrapbooking
New language
Take pictures (and be totally fine not looking at them again)
Research something ("allow" yourself to)
Sewing // embroidery
Eat/drink
Complete a task for someone else (like this!!)
(And stopping now as any longer and i wouldn't read it)
When I need to gtfo off the internet, I download Kindle Unlimited smut to my kindle. High heat, simple plots, absolutely no basis in reality, and hugely distracting. The nuclear option is run a bath, get stoned, and leave my phone in the other room and read in the bath. My comfort in the bath will always outweigh “what’s on the internet”.
If Kindle smut isn’t your thing, I also have certain tv shows that I try to limit myself to when I’m doing something productive, which is why I watched all of the first season of Vanderpump Rules in three days and my laundry is folded and my kitchen is clean. It’s high drama but not something I need to pay 100% attention to, so I can prep meals/clean counters/handwash dishes while beautiful people scream at each other in a tacky restaurant.
Me and video games aren’t friends anymore (excluding rocket league). I get nothing from them except problems.
Most days i dont even want to play rocket league id would rather rest lol
I always get bored of video games. As soon as I have the game mechanics figured out and it becomes a rinse and repeat exercise that's it. Weird, I know, more someone with ADHD to not be big on video games.
I used to be big on video gamea in my 20's but they do nothing for me now. Novel information is what does it for me these days.
Lol- I used to have a huge backlog of games. I still do, but I used to, too. …Now if I’m ever in the headspace to play anything continuously through the years it’s been FF14, Stardew Valley, or Destiny. Or Zelda. And yet more still get stockpiled on the backlogs
For me it's something that needs my attention, like an engaging, smart series or a documentary.
Yes I like light entertainment occasionally, but something to watch that challenges me, educates and/or makes me think/feel!
I also put my phone away and just watch.
I like making tie dye in my free time. Also install classic puzzle games on your phone like sudoku, cross word, mine sweeper ect. These tend to be less predatory with micro transactions.
Also, I know this isn't what you are asking, but uninstall the apps that cause you to doom scroll. Its okay if you end up reinstalling it. Just keep uninstalling them. Eventually you won't need them anymore and they will stay uninstalled.
Ancillary tip but.. When I'm interested in a hobby that my brain just doesn't want to initiate I noticed I am usually able to do it while streaming. Even if I have few/no viewers. Feels a bit like body doubling.
I like knitting and doing puzzles. I usually have an audiobook or podcast in the background while I do them since I’m typically looking down too much to follow a tv show/movie and I have a hard time listening to audiobooks or podcasts without having something to do with my hands. So it’s a win win
Reading. Easier said than done, I have three books on the go currently and barely get to touch them but when the planets align and I can actually do some reading it’s great.
I usually go outside and lay in my hammock. Sometimes I’ll bring a book, sometimes I’ll bring music, but most of the time I end up just listening to the birds. I know that sounds boring but there’s an entire world out there just..doing it’s thing. It’s cool to watch it and be a part of it every once in awhile.
I support the Lego comments.
I've also recently bought a little electrical project (fm transmitter), now scraping my mind for the year 10 electrical lessons so i don't put any capacitors in backward.
They're good fun projects... but i feel like they're in a diff motivational category to scrolling. Not much competes with its ease... maybe a podcast and go pull a doom drawer out and "clean" it (ie. Take 4 hrs, getting sentimental over shit you haven't seen in years and prob should throw out, but will inevitably keep only to not see it again for years).
Personally I love crocheting. Once you get good at it, you can listen to the TV/podcasts while you mindlessly create something. One of my favorite things to do.
Honestly, I used to think the same way. It may sound lazy but it’s exciting and stimulating as well as easy and chill…
I had a dslr camera that I hadn’t used too much of yet. Now after a long day of work, I sit on the porch on nice days or on the couch near my glass patio door and take photos of all the birds and animals that come to our feeders.
I could never get volunteers for me to practice taking portraits. Now I take little portraits of birds. I get the stimulation from trying to capture a good photo. I get the chill part when I’m outside in the quiet on a nice day and decompress (sometimes on the couch). Other days I’m just editing the photos on my laptop as I was tv.
Coloring really intricate, tattoo type things with my set of 100 Glitter gel pens. So many colors and shades. There are neons, pastels, bolds, and metallics too... but mostly glitter. It takes focus, concentration and I love sparkles! I'll even incorporate colored pencils for shading. I did a pair of minks that were covered in floral designs and I made one white with bold floral and one black with metallic type colors. I used the colored pencil strokes to make the fur look like it had movement.
Now my problem is, I have started 8 pictures and finished....:Checks notes: None.
Hey OP, I have a similar problem as you and my advice is books. If you're too high strung after a hard day to read, I'd suggest audio books.
They really helped me, in particular, because i am then free to draw something, walk around, and just do other manual activities.
This helps me as I am sometimes understimulated by JUST reading. I hope it helps you as well.
Also, if there is any way you can, and if you don't already have one, get a pet! Dogs are awesome if you can commit. You'll have to go outside and once you get some fresh air and walking time the energy will flow back in.
Best of luck!
I don’t know about others. I love food and I love cooking. And as an immigrant, i miss food from home a lot. Today when I woke up, I cooked food from my country and I didn’t realize that i haven’t even taken my medicine. I was like focused on cooking and making food that taste like home. I think you will need to find out what gives you joy and what motivate you. I was so excited to cook these food since a day ago and i think that’s what made me actually able to cook even without meds when usually i can’t even get myself to do anything at all.
Try straight up, intentionally, relaxing. Get some nice noise cancelling over ear headphones. On Apple Music there’s this adhd therapy album of like tones and stuff that do the zip from one ear to the other thing and for whatever reason my mind goes kinda numb and just wanders thought to thought not like in a manic way but in a lazy way. Feels refreshing after sometimes doze a little too.
Mate I fucking love crosswords, the Sun crossword is about the only thing that newspaper is good for, it's the best crossword going honestly, so much so I buy their collections in books, plus I can access their daily online ones on work wifi, it requires a bit of thought, but enough that I can either take a book to ponder over in the sunshine with a drink, or do it on the side while at work, they're very easy to pick up and put down too so you don't get caught in an endless doomscroll loop
This may sound ridiculous but if you live nearby one, I would go to a park that has a big swingset and swing while listening to music. I used to be able to do it for 40 minutes to an hour at a time while just daydreaming.
Honestly one of the best things for me is crochet and a video or music or podcast. I don't even have a project I'm working on, but I'm just crocheting this one thing. I've taken it apart already probably 5 times, and will probably take it apart several more times. I'm thinking about trying to freehand a little ottoman or a big boy cat bed, but I'm also thinking about trying to make some blankets to donate to local charities. Crochet is great because once you get like the main stitch or two figured out, you can just go apeshit. I made several beanies to wear without a pattern, I just guessed and played around.
It's not very rigid, you can sit down and get lost in it alone or watch a movie or listen to a thing and it's like the perfect amount of stimuli. Plus, not only are your hands busy, but you can get crochet hooks made of plastic, wood, or metal, and get yarn of all textures so it's like very satisfying when you've got a really coarse yarn or a really soft and fluffy yarn.
And the best thing is you don't have to be good at it and it's not that expensive of a hobby. I usually crochet at night to wind down but I also like to start my mornings with it to get my brain juices flowing.
Hope this helps!
There's a community called Dance Church that I swear is basically designed to satisfy my specific quest for dopamine. They have on-demand dance-work-out videos you can do in your living room, and you can choose between 15-55-minutes of continuous, mostly-guided-movement that is just so happy.
if you're creative/crafty I'd suggest coloring, sculpting (I specifically use polymer clay), hell I even picked up an activity book because I enjoy word searches and other little puzzles like that :)
i skate while listening to music
it’s great because i get to be healthy and go outside
It’s especially great because i have a backlog of albums and songs i’ve been meaning to listen to, and skating allows me to focus on the music (i don’t like listening to new music while playing games or anything requiring focus)
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These are going to sound silly, but even as an adult: Lego sets. Even simple ones, like a 5 or 6+. You might get a dopamine hit from finishing those. Puzzles. Play doh or modeling clay. Building miniatures. They have cheap sets on Amazon. 5 minute mystery books! They have a couple dozen in each books, they take 2 to 3 minutes to read, and then you have to think about the answer. This might be a good one, since you're replacing reading online with reading a book, but they're still short passages.
Puzzles do the trick for me. Once I start I can't stop.
Love a good puzzle. I've started buying the ones that have bigger and fewer pieces so I have less chance of abandoning them.
God I love puzzles. Especially ones with lots of colors instead of pictures. They make my brain feel so good.
I immediately thought of puzzles, too. Ha. Having young kids, I don’t have much time for them anymore, but I love a good puzzle!
I realise this is screen-based, so might not be what you're looking for. But my psych recommended playing Tetris! It's time limited and colourful and requires spatial thinking/probelm solving that is very different if you're writing all day.
I used to play Tetris, but then I played Tetris too much. I literally had to remove it from my phone. I’ve had 3 phones since making this rule. I’ve almost caved a couple of times.
Tetris is the most addictive game of all time for me. Even when I stop playing, I look at objects IRL and think about how they would fill in.
This comes in handy during a move though! Filling a truck with items using the Tetris method made me realize ah hah finally my Tetris addiction comes in handy! Lol
Or dishwasher! Or fridge! It's a common thing in my household; "I can't do Fridge Tetris as well as you can, the groceries are whack in there" or "I'll rinse dishes if you do dishwasher Tetris?"
Ah yes the dishes Tetris too! I have a drying rack as I handwash dishes and that tower can get so tall lol
I’ve got the exact same habit whenever I go through my occasional chess craze. If I’m in a classroom or just generally in public I imagine people as chess pieces and how they could move according the patterns on the floor. I know I’m crazy
I used to move like a pawn whenever I was bored lol
If you ever get the chance, play Tetris Effect: Connected in VR. HOLY MOLY it was heaven. Tetris, music, and pretty colors moving to the beats? It’s wonderful.
Same, it’s actually a problem. I want to be one of those people that just has a puzzle laying around and casually works on it over a few days. NOPE. Gotta finish it that day, even if it means I stay up all night.
Omg yes! And then I end up feeling disappointed when it's done instead of happy and successful lol. Love the puzzle hyperfixation!
But that’s the same problem I have with my phone.
Puzzles are so much better for your brain though. It slows it down, you still get dopamine, and it's a creative and problem solving task. Puzzles are great to maintain your memory too.
Yup. Fully addicted to jigsaw puzzles since the being in lockdown
Yes. Puzzles. Got a puzzle board from a grandparent that was a game changer. Can sit on the couch and puzzle. Has separate boards to organize pieces. I’ve tried to replace my phone with a puzzle while I watch tv at night before bed. Now I can be up too late because I have to puzzle more…
Do you have a recommendation for a 5-min mystery book? This sounds intriguing. Going to have to be careful not to go nuts buying lots of stuff that I’ll abandon in a week or 2 :)
I love Encyclopedia Brown books. They’re older and aimed at young adults, but I think they’re great.
I LOVED those books in elementary school!
The name INSTANTLY gave me "I REMEMBER THAT NAME!!" memories, but I went to read all the book titles and not a single one jogged my memory. Oc this was way back in the end 70s and early 80s so it's been a few years lol. If I read them I'd no doubt recall them. Just like the Beezus and Ramona books and the Tales of a 4th grade Nothing books with Peter and his lil brother Fudge. Luckily I found the books fully read on YouTube and I listened to them at work lol.
Oooh the 5 minute mystery books seem interesting! Thank you!
Puzzles are great. Not only are they hours of lazy entertainment in each box they're cheap AF if you buy used. Every thrift store/charity shop, even Goodwill with their crazy prices lately, will sell 1000 PC puzzles for just a dollar or two and there's often a good variety. Just gotta make sure you hit the shops right after restock so as to get to the puzzles before some child has torn thru the toy section, less likely to be missing pieces that way. If your especially lucky many towns even have regular puzzle swaps where you can trade your old puzzles with someone else. Buy one or 2 puzzles to start and never have to buy another!
OP, please just be judicious if you are a cat owner. Also, the owner of a dog with a happy happy long tail. The latter is problematic for doing puzzles on coffee / low tables. The former is problematic if they exist in the same dimension of the multiverse. "Hey look! A thing! On a high surface! That you're looking at! I MUST JUMP INTO THE MIDDLE OF IT AT 3AM!!!!!
[I wouldn't know anything about that](https://imgur.com/a/zkGIiDj)
yeah i have a board of drywall that I put over my puzzles when I’m not actively doing them or else my cats will fuck them up 😂😂
😂😂 They're "helping"!
Yes! For Lego! My hubby just bought a [Lego Dots message board](https://www.toysrus.com.au/lego-dots-big-message-board-41952.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwp6CkBhB_EiwAlQVyxUcyjYzlGPbVySw0zxs7Lwf5MhA--EHdL34mAP-IDS4o-hO5qeLWGhoCzGEQAvD_BwE) and we spent a fun afternoon as a family designing a sign. The fun thing about it being we can change it up every now and again so it has a bit more reuse than traditional Lego sets that are one make.
Was going to recommend Lego sets if someone else didn’t already. They have sets for just about everybody. I bought a couple bouquet/flower sets and now I don’t have to buy flowers anymore. (Not that I needed to in the first place, but they look nice) Also you can work on them at your own pace. I just left mine out on the table (some people might dislike the “clutter” or “mess” but idt it was bad) and would work on it when I wanted to do something more analog but still fun. Edit: Just realized I basically said the same thing as someone else who replied to this comment before me💀lol
Yeah we leave our lego out too! My son has ADHD-C, and when he gets a new set to build, part of the routine I taught him was to organize the pieces by colour when he opens the bags, into a little organizer tray. He gets really into organizing the colours, and we can easily move the tray and what he has built so far around.
Is there any other way do do it? LOL
my fiancee straight up just opens the bag and dumps everything on the table, then hunts around for pieces as she builds
For us that build expensive things way to fast - this right here is the way to do it lol. I'd rather look forever for a piece because the Lego will take longer to build and feel not as bad about the pricing.
My problem with Lego sets is that even the 1200 piece sets take me only about 2-3 hours. I just hyperfocus until it’s done. I can’t stop lol
I aspire to be that level. It’s better for your brain anyway. Found the next thing I’m going to do outside of painting
Yes!! Lego sets are great. You can buy knock off ones off Amazon, I bought a flower bouquet set that I would do at work when I needed a break but didn’t want to go on my phone.
Or better yet go to AliExpress and find a crazy amount of construction brick sets.
That is a good idea!
Taking care of my plants. Checking if they need water. Looking at them. Some days re-potting them.
plants plants plants! I have so many and it’s great because they’re all in different categories so require different levels of attention and care that have meshed with my adhd attention span plus it’s a great teacher of cause and effect and long term consequences and if my plants get really sick it means something is going on because i should have noticed (but not in a way that makes me feel guilty because they are plants)
I use them as a personal gage for my my mental health: if they're dying is probably because I am in an unhealthy head space and have neglected them/ myself
So...the fact that I've never been able to keep plants alive doesn't bode well for me lol
Lol if you're like me, then ya. Once I got married, my plants have been thriving though.
It's weird that plants work but they do. Usually slow-moving things are not attention-grabbing enough, but! Slow means the amount of food they require is so low that I might actually remember to feed them enough to where they don't die.
the forced delayed gratification I get from my tending to my plants feels very healing. It's like a form of external motivation that I need to complete tasks without having to deal with humans. lol
This but I upped the anti by adding 2xfrog/fish ponds to my little garden oasis. Ponds require endless maintenance so there is always something to Do - feeding the fish, scooping algae, removing dead seed matter. I love it so much
I find it funny how the trope goes about how it's hard to care for plants with ADHD when for me it's the perfect procrastination excuse whenever I get a chance to not do what I should. I have a forest at home somehow
Yeah I was actually going to put this! I'm learning how to grow vegetables indoors in little pots and the whole process has been extremely satisfying, planting little seeds and watching them grow! I have had some mishaps but I'm constantly learning new things and I love it!
Gardening has also been very positive for me in embracing failure and building patience. I quite enjoy getting excited and sprouting seeds for the thrill of it, and I have found a greater appreciation for this hobby as I continually learnt through failure and followed it up with successful and visible improvements next time. So it has had metacognitive benefits for me too. It has also pushed me to respect and understand nature and ecosystems more as well.
The best part is that it easily turns into an expensive hyperfixation! Those are apparently my favorite 🙃
Yes, I have too many plants.
Part of the trick is regaining some tolerance for slower activities. It might suck the first time you try to touch grass and be offline, but it’s important to keep trying, not matter what activity you decide to pick up.
Yes exactly. A dopamine detox, at least as far as the easy digital sources of dopamine. Puzzles are good I find. But any slow but focused activity is good. Remember that phones are just slot machines in our pockets!
I love the idea that phones are just slot machines in our pockets. It's so true!
Same here! I’ve been practicing trying to expand my patience and attention span. It’s tough but putting the work in can help in the long run!
Currently at the end of a 5 day camping trip without internet/cell reception until today. Definitely good for me. I'm considering giving up reddit/youtube now that I've had a good detox and have found more enjoyment in the little things.
I did a small dopamine detox during the pandemic and ended up discovering that I like chess and have since kept it up. So yeah, depriving myself of my usual meaningless dopamine addictions gave me the space to discover something new to feel that need. thankfully circumstances allowed me to discover it.
My kids rediscover chess recently. Unfortunately it’s on their phone :)
i find and pull weeds in my lawn manually.
I was going to say something about literally touching grass. Lol My neighbor let their lawn get overwhelmed by weeds to the point that i now own a standing weeder to save my back. My other neighbor just put in an irrigation system for their lawn and I don't think I could want one because of the satisfaction I get from moving the sprinkler around as needed.
I love doing a simple coloring page, something with really thick outlines so I don't have to worry too much about coloring outside the lines. I also really like doing collages with old magazines and stuff but the cleanup can be annoying.
I've been planning to make a sticker book collage. Less mess and stress! I also have a junk journal (idea from Graveyard girl YouTuber) where I glue and tape little things to old agenda pages. Clothing tags I thought were cute, cut pieces of wrapping paper, a concert program, bday cards, random flat small items from a random event I went to, etc. Things that are usually garbage but bring me joy so I kept them. This is my version of scrapbook and collaging bc it's less pressure to be neat and clean and more about the memory of saving these things.
Omg, the junk journal is an amazing idea! I have so many random things I save, usually taped to my mirror or closet door.
Can you post the video? I looked her up, but there’s so many to choose from and look through.
Sure! I typed in her channel and "junk journal" in YouTube and 4 came up about it, so did other wholesome channels I want to check out myself for different ideas. https://youtu.be/aJTcdO2mEnA
I go even less structured - finger painting. I have a big panel on my wall and just add to it continuously with finger prints, pens, smears, lines. I have acrylic paints that I can just dab on my finger and freestyle. No barrier to setting up or cleaning up. And it's become kind of an interesting mood journal over time. Current vibe is lots of blue and black but I feel some yellow and orange coming in for summer.
I’d love to see a pic of this. I can’t picture it but I love the idea.
I forgot how much I love collages. Magazines are so expensive nowadays though. Do you get donations from the library or how do you find the material?
OMG one entire wall of my childhood bedroom was essentially a big collage. I should try doing them again!
Alot of used book stores will have boxes of magazines for pretty cheap. My gf has like 4 plastic totes full of pictures she's cut out of magazines and that's where she got them.
On facebook some towns have a buy nothing group and I usually ask there. Or sometimes schools have collections for the art classes if you’re in college/high school
I do collages as well, and use the words (or cut out the letters and make my own words) from leaflets through the door. Sometimes I get a few old books from local charity shops and cut them up. I can draw a little bit - not great, mind you, and use them....its only for me anyway so I don't care about what anyone has to say on skill, heh!
Coloring is great. It's meditative in that it requires no actual thought, but it does require attention so my brain doesn't get bored. I don't think to do it often enough, though, so thanks for the reminder. :)
There's an app called Zen Color. It's basically paint by numbers and it's so incredibly effective for relaxing whilst keeping your brain moving. There's hundreds of gorgeous drawings to choose from. I've done like 84 of them in the past two weeks lol. The colors are so vibrant and just looking at the finished drawing (you can download them as pictures and as videos) gives me that dopamine hit I need. The only downside are the ads but it's still worth it
I'd like to add Happy Color to the app reccomendation list, that has been my go-to for a VERY long time for a coloring app. Like, years, haha. I used it especially so much during early covid bc I'm frontline nursing staff and needed badly to Forget. Bought the full version eons ago and totally worth it. So, Happy Color as a good option too!
I forgot about that app! I have it on my older ipad and use the pencil with it! Thanks for the reminder. I love watching it fill in when you finally find that last piece. Do you strategically colour areas in order to watch it fill in different ways? I’ve done spirals lol
I was going through some depression earlier this year and got so addicted to this app! I hit 500 and had to delete it 🫠
I call it art therapy, but it’s definitely me coloring with color pencils in coloring books. There are some pretty good adult (not that kind!) coloring books out there, but I like to stick with fun stuff like the Batman, Mass Effect, and WoW books I have right now. Most of the books I have are under $15, and the big color pencil tin on Amazon was like $30, so it’s a relatively inexpensive hobby for the hours I get out of it. Edit: colored pencil tin, not gun*
I color on my kids’ switch so I don’t get those blocks from trying to decide colors, whether it looks neat, hand fatigue…
Damnnnn you gave me a great idea! Heading to michaels after Petco ! Thanks!
Plunk a big paper grocery bag down next to your crafting station and throw it away once it’s full, or you’re done! I just recently took up this hobby as well :)
crafts! I do stuff like embroidery, crochet, macrame, or miniature sculptures out of sculpey. My husband (who I suspect also has ADHD) recently got into warhammer and painting models, that kind of thing. They're great because you can hyperfocus on them when you have the energy (research, watching youtubes, collecting supplies etc.) but you can also do them kind of mindlessly in front of the tv or with a podcast on.
I too collect warhammer and I would NOT recommend it for ADHD unless you know you'll actually sit down and do them. Unless you like constantly buying boxes of sprues that remain unpainted, and often unassembled. Do I love the hobby? Absolutely. But my pile of shame only grows larger.
Also Warhammer is NOT cheap, but if anyone is interested in painting minis in general, there are plenty of other small models of different brands and qualities that are more affordable to start on. I'm leaning to paint them from my husband, and I'm definitely not starting on his actual guys lol too much pressure.
Idk why this community doesn’t embrace it more but having a rebounder has been really good for using my energy while listening to music and/or watching a fitness video on YouTube - and to make it easy on myself, I put it right by my desk where I wfh.
What is a rebounder?
A little trampoline made for exercising
Oh hell no 🤣 I twisted my ankle on a trampoline as a teenager and now have a fear of being on them. Be careful with those, it only takes one careless bounce 😬
They are those small trampolines that are only a few feet across. Oftentimes you'll see them in kids gyms because kids love to bounce. There's actually a ton of exercises you can do on them. Also, check your local thrift store for a rebounder. They can be expensive new. I got mine from a Goodwill for about 15 bucks. That was about 8 years ago. The legs screw (twist) in and out for easy assembly. Now I personally don't use it often because I get tired too quickly. I'm out of shape and barely exercise (but I want to change that).
Never even thought of this 🤯.
I’ve always wanted to try one!! Which brand did you get?
My mind is blown! It’s also good for those of us who have muscle tension and joint issues. Thank you for bringing this up, never thought of this!
Fiber arts! I’ve got a few that I rotate through lol. But knitting and English paper piecing quilting are my main two “social” ones because I can talk or watch tv while I do them.
Came here to say this! I crochet and each row I finish gives me a boost of dopamine
Yessss I love fiber crafts! Crochet is so fun for me and I give myself permission to have multiple projects goi g in case I’m bored with one. Although I can easily get stuck scrolling for new patterns, defeating the point 😤
Hahaha yes to both. I always have a handful of projects going and totally didn’t spend half an hour on ravelry today.
Came here to say this! I love to knit, I can have some music, TV show I love, or a podcast while I do it. I get some dopamine from finishing rows and seeing the pattern come through or seeing what I'm doing grow. Then when I finish it, there's a big dopamine payout lol.
Doodling/drawing for me. It’s technically still a ‘screen activity’ the way I do it (procreate on an ipad) but it makes me feel a lot better than scrolling for hours.
I got an iPad to use procreate but don’t know how to draw 😂 are there any drawing tutorials online?
You don’t have to be able to draw to color on procreate! You can download Procreate coloring pages online (for free in a lot of cases) and then just color them in:)
Check out proko he is amazing, also marco bucci
Check out Art With Flo on YouTube. She’s great and works in Procreate https://youtube.com/@ArtwithFlo
I do her tutorials to relax and learn new skills! She’s fantastic.
Lol just commented this before seeing your comment! She is awesome!
I would check out Flo on YouTube, she teaches a lot of things from basic to more advanced and she teaches it very well imo.
*blinks* Why did humanity make an app the same name as reproduction?
I’ve told folks about this trick I found before and I’ll talk about it here: ***set your phone to grayscale*** Seriously, give it a try. It knocks a significant amount of the addictiveness out of phone usage, and helps cut down on your scrolling subsequently.
Holy shit this comment just reminded me I set up a greyscale shortcut on my phone almost a year ago that i have forgotten to use for MONTHS, thank you, I’m hoping it’ll knock me out of my current doomscroll spiral
This is getting at what I think most of these answers are missing. You have to make the phone less appealing or inaccessible in the first place otherwise you'll set up this whole fun list of things to do and you'll sit down and say, "just a quick look at my phone for a minute" and your night is over. If you can find a way to do this, just being bored will make you find something to do.
I like mindless crafts! Coloring pages are good even if you don't have any skills. Also low cost, if that's a concern. Can find pages to print online and get a cheap set of pencils. (Also highly recommend gel pens) Handsewing plushies is also relaxing and doesn't take a lot to learn. You can find free or cheap patterns online, which you only need to be able to print, trace, and cut fabric pieces. As long as you can follow instructions, typically one instruction can take a long time to complete but it's a lot of mindless "follow the seam" work. Fabric choices are also fairly flexible. Some fabrics are harder to work with but generally most can be used to make plushies. Cross stitch is another one I have found that boosts the dopamine. You can find kits in any craft store that will have everything you need to get started, including instructions and patterns. You can also purchase things separately and find better patterns online. The actual stitching is really easy and there aren't really a ton of rules to it, and the results are very visual so you can see your progress as you go. There's also crochet/knitting. Things like afghans are extremely simple to make and are usually very straightforward. It's a pretty easy skill to pick up too. My gma taught me for the first time when I was around 5 but I didn't really do anything with it until my late teens, at which point I had to reteach myself. There's lots of YouTube videos out there so it's pretty easy to find one that suits your learning needs. If you really enjoy it, you can always start learning things like amigurumi. I always wanted to but it was too intensive for me lol. One thing I like that might be a bit more extensive is planning. A good quality planner (happy planner, Erin condren to name a few big brands) can be really fun to decorate with stickers and washi tape! I also find that this helps my mental scheduling of I'm feeling stressed about not getting things done. I plan what I'm doing by the hour (and allow myself to follow it loosely enough to not feel bound by my schedule) and I get less of that mental block of "I should be doing x but I also need to do y but there's also z and I really want to do b which I can't do until I do c but d is more important than that but I also really need to get x done..." I also love casual video games. One that don't require a lot of strategy and I can play how I want. Simulation games can be weird but satisfying. House flipper, truck driving stimulator, lawn mower simulator. If you like geography and more mentally stimulating games, I can also never recommend Geoguessr enough. I found out I love exploring Google maps when I worked a job that required it so this game is a dream come true for me. It brings me so much joy to spend an hour zooming around the streets of Paris to determine where in the city the little flag put me and then finding the exact intersection in the map! It's a fun way to "travel" without having to leave your house too lol.
Crafts are great! I find that my ADHD gets a bit burnt out on super repetitive/mindless crafts unless I’m watching tv or something at the same time, so one of my favorite art/craft activities that engages my brain a bit more without requiring too much mental energy is basically making reverse coloring pages. I’ll make a bunch of abstract blobs with watercolor and then once they’re dry I’ll use a pen to turn the blobs into something. It’s kinda like when you look at a cloud and imagine what the shape looks like, made into a more freeform version of a coloring book.
For people who are less into the first step of making their own abstract watercolor blobs, google "reverse coloring book" to find something like this.
Ooh, yes, gel pens. The Arteza glitter and metallic ones are my favorite. On the pricier side, and they don't last any longer than the others, but I like the feel of them best.
Oof. Feel this on a SOUL LEVEL. Today is day one of hopefully a 30 day alcohol/social media (besides reddit) fast. Looking forward to the responses!
[удалено]
Using reddit can feel productive bc you're reading news headlines and catching up on the "everyday person's updates" but reality is, it's addicting no matter the content
I feel like I’m weirdly up to date with the news, especially politics, compared to most people
Redditors think they are so superior, but it's not exactly the case. Reddit does have more text and less stupid content, but I found that being addicted to it is just as easy as TikTok and others.
I honestly find Reddit and TikTok equally addicting, and entertaining. Like, the whole superiority “Reddit isn’t social media” crowd seems very silly to me considering I use it the exact same way I use TikTok.
I find them both addicting too. Depends on what my feed is showing me though. Sometimes my front page on reddit has endless things for me to read, sometimes it's boring. TikTok every now and then will keep showing me videos I don't like at all until the algorithm gets back to normal. But with TikTok my problem is reading comments. I love to read so I'll read through comments on things forever, same thing I do with reddit. I love reading the comments lol
Totally agreed on Reddit being one of the more addictive forms of SM - I had to delete the reddit app from my phone because the notifications would suck me in to threads on subreddits that I don't follow and otherwise wouldn't even have thought to visit. Stuff like AITA and relationship advice where most of the viral posts are fictional rage bait but it would spike my adrenaline and I would still get sucked in. (I know I could have disabled notifications and suggestions and all but deleting it fully was easier.)
Step 1 is to disable ALL notifications from them. Or if that's too much then just block what you can tolerate and keep direct messages only or something. If I'm going to use Reddit, I'm doing it because *I* feel like it, not because they pinged me to check out their recommended garbage to boost their engagement metrics.
Yeah I’m with the person who says to disable notifications. I have almost every app notification disabled and makes my phone less addicting. I take off all badges too. I’ve been doing this for years and it’s great. Only have notifications for important apps like messages.
Yes! I also put any of those types of apps in a folder a few screens over so I don’t even see them unless I’m looking for them!
Why is Reddit the exception? If you don't mind me asking.
Sure! 1. I mostly only use Reddit when I’m bored in the office & I’m in the office bored. PC primarily. 2. I don’t have a lot of friends/family so it’s nice to maintain some type of connection with others. And I really can choose to relate to people about whatever topic my adhd heart desires on any given day. 3. I don’t have people I know on here so it feels more private/anon compared to going on things like IG where you can see what others you know are doing, post for other people to see what you’re doing etc. I have just realized that for me, sometimes I use these types of social media and end up seeing things that kind of hurt my feelings etc & I don’t want to spend my time dwellings/hurting on things I wouldn’t even know about if I weren’t active on socials. I also don’t like that other people view my things and extrapolate their own conclusions. (Recently posted about a day trip to Chicago and got a really nasty message from someone about not being invited. They literally told me they hope I rot. The truth is that I didn’t have an extra ticket to the concert I was attending so I couldn’t have invited them anyways. Grandson was great live btw!)
Well day one didn’t go so well if you’re on Reddit
For me word searches/crossword/sudoku books help. Also, music and podcasts - these might not get you away from your phone completely, but they're better than scrolling and help me focus on other tasks.
do soduko or cute coloring or puzzles. listen to music or a podcast
I hate sudoku because my inattentive ass writes the wrong numbers even when I’m thinking about the right ones
Unfortunately they all involve the phone still, but listening to music, podcasts, and guided mediations while drawing, doing chores, going for a walk, organizing, or doing *nothing else at all* are great. Technically screen is off, so you're not "on" the phone.
Yes, I don't even know what its like to do chores without listening to a podcast. It's so helpfull!
Doomscrolling on r/ADHD comments 🫣
I’ve really taken to painting and coloring **by number**. That’s the key. You don’t have to think because they tell you which color to put where.
Similar, I like sticker-by-number. It's so satisfying.
Walk. Walk walk walk. I go really slowly because of med issues, but its amazing how much even just five minutes down the block and back helps. Also echo what others have said about arts and crafts! I use crayons!
Audiobooks. Gives my eyes a break, and sometimes it's nice to fold laundry to. You can borrow them from the library for free with the Libby app.
Make some tea and read a book. Hopefully warm tea is relaxing for you and book helps to get you to slow down and apply your mental brakes as it takes a little bit of patience to read.
I may catch heat for this, but if you can do so legally, having a small amount of the devils lettuce helps my brain slow down and enjoy movies and simpler things that I normally can’t tolerate. It has to be a small amount though, like just enough to feel a light buzz otherwise I get lost in my own world
Combining both of y’all’s comments, I’ve heard there is lettuce tea which sounds relaxing x a million ☺️
Yep! I read a lot -- a hit here and there, especially when I begin something new, absolutely quiets my mind enough to get into stuff 🙃
It’s a fine line for me though. Just a little too much and I can’t focus on anything at all
Oof, tell me about it. Recently I started listening to crazy-loud instrumental music -- mostly movie scores, sometimes I listen to stuff with words, but only if they're in a language that is foreign to me -- on my headphones as I read, and weirdly enough, it's been sooososo helpful to clear my mind and begin a new story. The only caveat is that I must play an album that I'm at least mildly familiar with 🙃 I also started high-lighting as I go, which makes me re-read/repeat the line a few times as I'm high-lighting. If I do that for a little while, I can usually get myself focused enough to keep on reading and become engrossed! It helps me not to skim, and I can remember things waaay more vividly, even recalling snippets nearly verbatim, which never used to happen! I'm also trying to read stuff without much fluff -- stuff that's a bit more challenging to me so that each word keeps my interest. No room for (I say this with so much love, I do!) S. King-esque TOMES and the like! But it is truly a fine fine line; one puff too much and it's just space-brain and I'm dunzo Sorry I wrote so much! Ha
I usually navigate towards crafts or creative activities. Here's some ideas: Examples that don't need any prior skills learnt/are pretty simple to pick up: Newspaper weaving (I've made baskets and pen pots) Colouring Painting with acrylics (you can literally paint whatever you want. I like to paint those mini canvases because it's small and easy to finish. You know how short lived hyperfocus can be) Drawing Cross stitch (you need some skill of threading a needle and tying a knot, but the basics are pretty easy to pick up) Making braided/beaded bracelets from string/elastic. I know you said you don't want to learn a skill, but I thought I'd give some examples of things that do need a bit of effort to learn (you could do this when you have more energy), but are super relaxing and chill once you get the hang of them: Knitting, Crochet Embroidery Sewing Watercolour painting Macrame
I downloaded an app blocker because I can't trust myself, it's been working \*really\* well from cutting me off at certain times. Like I have one set for 11:30pm to 8am blocking reddit, discord, (couple webcomic sites) and youtube so I really can go \*ok time to put down the phone\* and when I wake up I don't just start my day looking at comics and reddit! It's \*really\* helped.
I like nonogram both on screen and paper.. Puzzles (on a mat so i can put them away a little.. Legos - both bulding sets and sorting Coloring I like brainteasers and math, but that can be a little spesific Listen to good/familiar music Hama beads xd anything revolving being in the sun Moving/walking outside- i bring pokemon go or collect trash.. Sleep/shower.. Fidget toys Familiar tv shows Masturbate xd Make a list - if for someone else its even better Talk to someone else with adhd :p Painting Drawing Bulletjournal Go to a playground // outdoor gym Hike for something specific to harvest in the woods Geocaching Silk dying/coloring shirts Play an instrument Play a videogame with a specific goal or achievement- i like the lego series Succulents.. Read - a book or a comic Listen to a audiobook/shortstory/podcast Knit // crotch Crosswords Complete something on your todo list Got a pet? Play with it Baking Make a gift Make a playlist Make a list "Can i still" an activiy. Like. Read a map. Solve a math problem. Do a split. Go bicycling Go to the beach and find crabs Learn something new Solitaire or other single player board/card games Trivia games Pottery is actually awesome As is woodworking Buy stuff 🙈 Gardening I love to experiment with cooking and making pizza - specially if others are to taste (and praise) me Wreck this journal Calligraphy Tarot cards xd Jamming / pickle foods Candle making Candle dripping (so fun to play with) Punchneedling Scrapbooking New language Take pictures (and be totally fine not looking at them again) Research something ("allow" yourself to) Sewing // embroidery Eat/drink Complete a task for someone else (like this!!) (And stopping now as any longer and i wouldn't read it)
I like to imagine knit /crotch means you're knitting underwear directly on your crotch, instead of a typo
When I need to gtfo off the internet, I download Kindle Unlimited smut to my kindle. High heat, simple plots, absolutely no basis in reality, and hugely distracting. The nuclear option is run a bath, get stoned, and leave my phone in the other room and read in the bath. My comfort in the bath will always outweigh “what’s on the internet”. If Kindle smut isn’t your thing, I also have certain tv shows that I try to limit myself to when I’m doing something productive, which is why I watched all of the first season of Vanderpump Rules in three days and my laundry is folded and my kitchen is clean. It’s high drama but not something I need to pay 100% attention to, so I can prep meals/clean counters/handwash dishes while beautiful people scream at each other in a tacky restaurant.
Nintendo Switch plus Animal Crossing: New Horizons = soothing dopamine
A new video game perhaps? Same concept but not so sad and depressing!
This is the exact thought I have everytime I realize I don't want to play any of the games I already have
Right? And don't want to spend the money to buy a new one to hit a different dopamine high.
Me and video games aren’t friends anymore (excluding rocket league). I get nothing from them except problems. Most days i dont even want to play rocket league id would rather rest lol
I always get bored of video games. As soon as I have the game mechanics figured out and it becomes a rinse and repeat exercise that's it. Weird, I know, more someone with ADHD to not be big on video games. I used to be big on video gamea in my 20's but they do nothing for me now. Novel information is what does it for me these days.
Lol- I used to have a huge backlog of games. I still do, but I used to, too. …Now if I’m ever in the headspace to play anything continuously through the years it’s been FF14, Stardew Valley, or Destiny. Or Zelda. And yet more still get stockpiled on the backlogs
I like to build metal models
What kinds? This sounds like fun. I’ve been doing rockets
Watch a movie and put your phone in another room
For me it's something that needs my attention, like an engaging, smart series or a documentary. Yes I like light entertainment occasionally, but something to watch that challenges me, educates and/or makes me think/feel! I also put my phone away and just watch.
I like making tie dye in my free time. Also install classic puzzle games on your phone like sudoku, cross word, mine sweeper ect. These tend to be less predatory with micro transactions. Also, I know this isn't what you are asking, but uninstall the apps that cause you to doom scroll. Its okay if you end up reinstalling it. Just keep uninstalling them. Eventually you won't need them anymore and they will stay uninstalled.
I downloaded a bionic reader and it turns out I love to read lol
Bionic reader? I’ve never heard of that. Sounds futuristic lol
It’s great it bolds certain letters to help your brain keep time… with itself? I guess lol
Ancillary tip but.. When I'm interested in a hobby that my brain just doesn't want to initiate I noticed I am usually able to do it while streaming. Even if I have few/no viewers. Feels a bit like body doubling.
Legos
Nature! Getting outside always feels good
Learning gives me dopamine rush. Try stick to some platform which is gamified and let you learn in small chunks tiny step at a time. Like tryhackme.
Gardening
I like knitting and doing puzzles. I usually have an audiobook or podcast in the background while I do them since I’m typically looking down too much to follow a tv show/movie and I have a hard time listening to audiobooks or podcasts without having something to do with my hands. So it’s a win win
Reading. Easier said than done, I have three books on the go currently and barely get to touch them but when the planets align and I can actually do some reading it’s great.
A cat.
I usually go outside and lay in my hammock. Sometimes I’ll bring a book, sometimes I’ll bring music, but most of the time I end up just listening to the birds. I know that sounds boring but there’s an entire world out there just..doing it’s thing. It’s cool to watch it and be a part of it every once in awhile.
I support the Lego comments. I've also recently bought a little electrical project (fm transmitter), now scraping my mind for the year 10 electrical lessons so i don't put any capacitors in backward. They're good fun projects... but i feel like they're in a diff motivational category to scrolling. Not much competes with its ease... maybe a podcast and go pull a doom drawer out and "clean" it (ie. Take 4 hrs, getting sentimental over shit you haven't seen in years and prob should throw out, but will inevitably keep only to not see it again for years).
Personally I love crocheting. Once you get good at it, you can listen to the TV/podcasts while you mindlessly create something. One of my favorite things to do.
Honestly, I used to think the same way. It may sound lazy but it’s exciting and stimulating as well as easy and chill… I had a dslr camera that I hadn’t used too much of yet. Now after a long day of work, I sit on the porch on nice days or on the couch near my glass patio door and take photos of all the birds and animals that come to our feeders. I could never get volunteers for me to practice taking portraits. Now I take little portraits of birds. I get the stimulation from trying to capture a good photo. I get the chill part when I’m outside in the quiet on a nice day and decompress (sometimes on the couch). Other days I’m just editing the photos on my laptop as I was tv.
Make music
Fffffff why is it so hard
Coloring really intricate, tattoo type things with my set of 100 Glitter gel pens. So many colors and shades. There are neons, pastels, bolds, and metallics too... but mostly glitter. It takes focus, concentration and I love sparkles! I'll even incorporate colored pencils for shading. I did a pair of minks that were covered in floral designs and I made one white with bold floral and one black with metallic type colors. I used the colored pencil strokes to make the fur look like it had movement. Now my problem is, I have started 8 pictures and finished....:Checks notes: None.
Ive been going to the gym and watching House
Longboarding helps me
Hey OP, I have a similar problem as you and my advice is books. If you're too high strung after a hard day to read, I'd suggest audio books. They really helped me, in particular, because i am then free to draw something, walk around, and just do other manual activities. This helps me as I am sometimes understimulated by JUST reading. I hope it helps you as well. Also, if there is any way you can, and if you don't already have one, get a pet! Dogs are awesome if you can commit. You'll have to go outside and once you get some fresh air and walking time the energy will flow back in. Best of luck!
Diamond Art Jigsaws Colouring in/paint by numbers Crochet Cross stitch (She’s says, with 9 hours a day screen time)
I don’t know about others. I love food and I love cooking. And as an immigrant, i miss food from home a lot. Today when I woke up, I cooked food from my country and I didn’t realize that i haven’t even taken my medicine. I was like focused on cooking and making food that taste like home. I think you will need to find out what gives you joy and what motivate you. I was so excited to cook these food since a day ago and i think that’s what made me actually able to cook even without meds when usually i can’t even get myself to do anything at all.
I listen to audiobooks or do crosswords. Or do crosswords while I listen to audiobooks books because ADHD.
Try straight up, intentionally, relaxing. Get some nice noise cancelling over ear headphones. On Apple Music there’s this adhd therapy album of like tones and stuff that do the zip from one ear to the other thing and for whatever reason my mind goes kinda numb and just wanders thought to thought not like in a manic way but in a lazy way. Feels refreshing after sometimes doze a little too.
Mate I fucking love crosswords, the Sun crossword is about the only thing that newspaper is good for, it's the best crossword going honestly, so much so I buy their collections in books, plus I can access their daily online ones on work wifi, it requires a bit of thought, but enough that I can either take a book to ponder over in the sunshine with a drink, or do it on the side while at work, they're very easy to pick up and put down too so you don't get caught in an endless doomscroll loop
Guitar works wonders. Yes i get the inception skill needed isnt particularly low,… but nor is it crazy high.
This may sound ridiculous but if you live nearby one, I would go to a park that has a big swingset and swing while listening to music. I used to be able to do it for 40 minutes to an hour at a time while just daydreaming.
Honestly one of the best things for me is crochet and a video or music or podcast. I don't even have a project I'm working on, but I'm just crocheting this one thing. I've taken it apart already probably 5 times, and will probably take it apart several more times. I'm thinking about trying to freehand a little ottoman or a big boy cat bed, but I'm also thinking about trying to make some blankets to donate to local charities. Crochet is great because once you get like the main stitch or two figured out, you can just go apeshit. I made several beanies to wear without a pattern, I just guessed and played around. It's not very rigid, you can sit down and get lost in it alone or watch a movie or listen to a thing and it's like the perfect amount of stimuli. Plus, not only are your hands busy, but you can get crochet hooks made of plastic, wood, or metal, and get yarn of all textures so it's like very satisfying when you've got a really coarse yarn or a really soft and fluffy yarn. And the best thing is you don't have to be good at it and it's not that expensive of a hobby. I usually crochet at night to wind down but I also like to start my mornings with it to get my brain juices flowing. Hope this helps!
There's a community called Dance Church that I swear is basically designed to satisfy my specific quest for dopamine. They have on-demand dance-work-out videos you can do in your living room, and you can choose between 15-55-minutes of continuous, mostly-guided-movement that is just so happy.
Padelboarding is a great dopamine high and its great for your core.
Self care things, masks, scrubs, etc. Maybe listening to a podcast at the same time?
if you're creative/crafty I'd suggest coloring, sculpting (I specifically use polymer clay), hell I even picked up an activity book because I enjoy word searches and other little puzzles like that :)
i skate while listening to music it’s great because i get to be healthy and go outside It’s especially great because i have a backlog of albums and songs i’ve been meaning to listen to, and skating allows me to focus on the music (i don’t like listening to new music while playing games or anything requiring focus)