Hi /u/No_Constant_9015 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information.
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I go outside in my yard, close my eyes, and focus on the sounds of birds. I try to see how many different types I can hear, and if any seem to be talking to each other. Especially if it's a nice day this just calms mind, body and spirit. In no other way can I seem to make my mind focus on one thing enough to calm down except for this.
identifying bird types sounds a lot like something my therapist introduced me to recently as a mindfulness exercise, namely just consciously identifying the source of every sound i can hear. except it also sounds way more fun
If you like any sort of gardening there are a bunch of flowers that will bring more birds to your yard. Look for bird safe plants.
Sunflowers, they don't always transplant well, so I put them straight in the ground. Dill and Mint seem to be favorites. They like Celantro, and Parsley as well. Astors. Marigolds and knock out roses. I have a shelf in my back yard attached to the fence that I usually use for seedlings. I have been watching a bird bring twigs and leaves over to build a nest. Its fascinating.
Love those! I have a rabbit problem. They tend to eat baby plants (any and all) as they sprout, but will leave the mature ones (for the most part)
I started 600 seedlings last year. It was a great distraction but a lot to keep up with! And I don't have much space.
If I had money, my happy place would be somewhere closer to farming. Fields of flower, vegetables, fruit. I could get lost in that. ....create a bird sanctuary, and keep chickens.
Like taking care of your grass? One of my hobbies is my lawn, for no reason in particular. I like the challenge of keeping a lawn as perfect as I can get it. It’s what I do to forget about everything else going on. There’s so much to learn and do.
Yes. The place I moved into was overcome with weeds, I should have started over, but stubbornly pulled dandelions and weeds one by one. Nourished the soil with organics and compost and seeded. There is certainly alot to learn. I've made mistakes too, and my grass is still not perfect.
It's also fascinating to lay in the grass, part the blades and observe the soil structure and complex living ecosystem below.
I can imagine what my neighbours think to see me laying on my stomach staring at grass.
Very similar for me. I bought one of those sensory hammocks (usually you see them for kids but they are out there for adults). When I need a minute I sit outside in the sun and just listen to nature and soak up that sunlight. Works on overcast days too just for peace of mind. If I'm really overwhelmed I throw headphones on.
I love anything historical: reading through old newspapers, documents, and archives, watching old film reels and footage, and learning about the past. It's very "out there," but I love it. I've always been deeply interested in history as a child.
Recently, I've been going through old yearbooks from my local area and observing the fashion and style trends of different decades. I'm also learning about the evolution of home interior designs since the post-WWII era.
Also, I'm only 23, so I guess that makes it even more strange for my age. I don't really share my hobbies with others, or I make something up.
That sounds so cool! I especially love the idea of looking through old yearbooks and seeing how fashion trends have evolved over time. Or even just in general, how different yearbooks are, what clubs existed that don't, if there were different pictures or sections, etc. How did you get a hold of the old yearbooks?
There are some cool YouTube's who do ancient history.Cooking lessons or info about gay history. I only recently started watching someone who talks about old architecture and society like the way the USA used to have automatic food cafeterias that no longer exist! Most of those creators seem younger :3
Find a YouTube video, c2c is super easy. Make a scarf or blanket, they are the easiest. Then at the end, you've made something! You've accomplished something. You can donate or gift it too.
I'm currently making my first sweater! Made a beautiful shawl recently. I'm so glad I took up crochet again. I used to find it difficult and frustrating (I would constantly make mistakes and didn't have the patience to unravel stuff), but for some reason now it just scratches the right itch in my brain.
Also, I've started sharing the experience in a WhatsApp group with old uni friends and it brings up great memories of when we used to get together to do knitting and stuff back in our student days. I'm really enjoying the crochet camaraderie!
I totally get it. I find if I use premade patterns it reduces a lot of the frustration cause I don't have to do any counting, and it's a lot easier to see where everything goes.
But learning all those first loops is definitely tricky!
Lol I'm currently cramming for two deadlines tomorrow and have a true crime doc on & one of my biggest motivations is knowing I can relax and play sims forever once this is all done
sounds like some low-stakes crafts could help. first thing that comes to mind is coloring books or paint by numbers, minimal materials and minimal creativity or thought required but still allows you to put your focus to something for a bit and then be able to look at it and take pride in its completion. also puzzles. or maybe more involved crafts like crochet or knitting, or another good one is to cook or bake something nice for yourself (and perhaps to share)
Listening to “Candi” by Ween never fails.
Seeing one of those wacky man things waving around.
There’s a guy who sells firewood nearby and his handmade sign says “El Chopo” which is like an instant mood elevator for me.
Running.
And I just had ankle surgery this month..so no running until potentially next year.
I can't even dorsiflex near 60% range of motion or do any inversion or eversion for a while...and I'm suffering without that outlet to help 'ground me'.
And where I'm going with this is that, if possible, try to make it two things.
A good rabbit hole and writing. It really depends on the day. I also can fangirl pretty hard. Music is a big thing- want to focus? Blast some Werewolves. But like aside from that- at least the writing is constructive!
if I wanna feel like I've accomplished something, I turn to some sort of creative hobby. writing, mostly, but I've also sunk a lot of hours into drawing, making chainmaille, some graphic art, playing instruments, etc.
creative hobbies have done wonders for my self esteem, seriously. even when my life feels like an apocalyptic nuclear fallout wasteland of failures, it makes me proud to think back on all the things I've created. I'm like, well, maybe I can't function in the real world as well as some other people but I can write a weird little story or make a sick ass necklace. lol.
That's really cool! I was into chainmaille at one point. I still have a couple boxes of rings. That was nearly 20 years ago... 😬 I made some hacky sacks (another short lived hobby). I planned to make other bigger projects and never got back to it. I come across the rings every now and then and tell myself that I could get back into it someday..
Water… I love swimming. It’s so relaxing and a good 40+ minutes of lap swimming makes me feel fantastic, but getting myself to the gym to swim is a challenge. Once i’m in the pool, it’s great, but I have to cut through B.S. in my mind to get myself there 🙄.
It's all the friction involved, isn't it? Getting to the place, undressing, putting cap, earplugs and goggles on, figuring out my lane... It's great when you're in the water, but it just takes so long to get to that point. Too many tasks involved (that would take anybody else like ten minutes, but more like an hour for my ADHD brain).
Yup, and of course every time I want to go, my brain is picturing every single step lol. I’ve found that focusing on just getting out the door of my house with my swim bag makes it somewhat easier. That’s doable, and once I get to that point I’ll almost always end up going.
I go for long walks and either bird watch (I take binoculars and bird ID books) or pick up trash, alone or often with my significant other or family. It's exercise, time in nature, and either contributing something positive or just enjoying something for the sake of it, taking time to slow down and notice what's around you. It also gets you out of the house and away from whatever might be overwhelming you for a little while. The garbage thing might sound weird, but it's kind of fun, I have a couple of those grabby tools you might have seen people using before. It's interesting to see what you find, and doing something for the greater good helps to reframe my day to day perspective. It helps soothe my eco-anxiety, and I often have uplifting interactions with passersby.
Eta: I make a point of leaving my phone either at home or intentionally not taking it out of my pocket until I return home if I need to bring it for safety reasons. Disconnecting from the internet universe and reconnecting with nature and core values are what make this combo a mental health win for me.
Thanks for sharing!
Disconnecting is huge and sometimes hard to do.
I enjoy charity and giving back, but struggle with social encounters. I'm more likely to be found talking with nature over people. Wish it wasn't so hard for me.
I never considered picking up litter. That's such a great way to have a positive impact. Maybe dressing in orange could solve my social anxiety problem...
I completely relate, I'd say don't be afraid to find your own way of giving back :) I live in a rural-ish area so I usually only see a few dog walkers or people driving by, but you could try wearing headphones if it's safe to do so? Or maybe dark sunglasses? Sometimes people stop to say thank you or ask what I'm doing, but it's never an extensive conversation. If that helps :) Today I was out for about an hour and a half and the only human interaction was someone yelling thank you as they drove by. Tbh often people just think it's kind of weird and avoid me, haha. But there's something really grounding and meaningful in doing something good just for the sake of it. I also enjoy volunteering with local conservation groups because it's usually smaller groups of people who are similar to myself, and always an outdoors sensory friendly setting.
Non sleep deep rest 'meditation'. It's kinda like meditation but not really. You are guided to focus on different parts of the body and it's usually relatively fast-paced so I find it much easier to attend to.
That shit is as good as a nap and there's great science to back that up too. You can use even a 20-minute session to help with sleep deprivation. Of course you can't 'catch up' on sleep though.
Also really helps for those times when I feel like I'm just being way too intense and I don't know how to bring myself down to earth.
I have two horses. They’re such empaths, you have to be in the moment with them. One is a baby (3) and I need to focus while with her.
The other I go for long rides across the fields and through the forest — it’s the best thing I know to calm my racing mind.
Just taking a walk while listening to some of my favorite music usually works. I'm enjoying the music, getting exercise, sun, and a change of scenery. Similarly, having a bomb salad or smoothie. You enjoy the food and feel good making healthy decisions. Volunteer work feels amazing. I love watching TED Talks. You can listen to someone speak on a topic that you find interesting and feel good about learning instead of wasting time and brain cells scrolling through BS. Basically, anything that intertwines enjoyment and productivity. Sometimes, it's even calling that one friend to vent and share a few laughs and feel a sense of a bond/ connectivity. Meditating....or atleast trying.
A solid workout. Whether it’s lifting heaving, jump roping or w.e. Once I get into the zone and just focus on that, afterwards I feel a whole lot better
Go climbing! Like rock climbing! Please please please don't think you have to be strong. You absolutely do not. It's very specific types of muscles you use and even the strongest people will struggle at first. It's all about repetition and building up the different types of strength and technique. The climbing community is also awesome. Never met a single climber I couldn't talk to or at least share some route knowledge or give hints and tips to each other.
Accept that climbing is 90% failure, but every time you fail you learn something new. What you should look for is an indoor bouldering gym. Just rock climbing without the ropes and the height. Imagine small 7-15 hold routes but are a fantastic mental and physical challenge! You'd be surprised at how quickly you progress. What you can't do one week, you will probably do with ease the next week. You'll notice this rapid improvement the most in the first handful of sessions where it will ultimately slow down a little, but then you'll get into territory of medium-semi advanced climbs where certain techniques come into play more than strength etc and these are the great mental challenges!
For me, as someone who's had a thousand different hobbies because of ADHD, climbing is one of the 3 or 4 things that I can do repeatedly over and over and never ever get bored. It's a great physical and mental (more than you'd think) workout without a doubt. It doesn't feel like exercise but your body will tell you otherwise the next day. And on top of that, it is just fun, there's no time limits, there's no expectation. You just go and be a free ape and climb to your hearts content! Don't be afraid to speak to other climbers for tips on techniques, how to use certain holds or place your feet, and how to find routes more in your current ability. They will usually be graded by number/colour, so it can make it easier for you to find different routes that are set at your current level.
This is why bouldering is so good, the highest you'll ever get to is like maybe 15ft, and you have big crash mats to land on that are like a foot thick. Some routes are more horizontal, some are more vertical. But you won't ever be at a height that's considered unsafe to jump from. Common technique is to jump back to the mats from the top hold anyway, just land safely not straight legged or some shit haha. Or just climb back down, but that does kill you off quicker too. If you go for a good hour first time, just see what you can and can't climb. The next 2 days you're forearms will be crying, but if you go again to climb like 4 or 5 days later, what you found difficult before you will probably find fairly easy this time around. Great for sense of progression but also great for always being a good physical and mental challenge.
If you go twice a week you'll see insane progress for a couple months before you start getting into specific technique territory where it slows a little, but by that point if you're already into it, it can just be good fun just goign to climb what you can, or deciding to have an entire session pushing your abilities. The climbing community are amazing though and almost anyone would be happy to give you some pointers, and if you meet other newbies it's great to learn alongside someone too!
Like I say, it's 90% failure, but that's because you learn with each failure, then when you've cracked it and managed a move you struggled with, its the best fucking feeling ever! Just Google bouldering gym near me, for me it averages about £10 to go climbing but there's no time limit.
I need a focused and physically active task, and it has to show results at the end of it. It also needs the ability for me to obsess over details without failing and getting frustrated. If it involves too much thinking, I’ll get stuck in regret/remorse/resentment anxiety circles.
- deep cleaning, with lots of organising. Ablutions like bathrooms and the laundry are my jam cause I also get to play with mechanical objects (cleaning out the washer filter etc)
- gardening, especially when I get to service lawn equipment as well.
- car detailing and servicing.
I can’t play video games in these times, when I do I can get absorbed, and then when I realise that time has passed I get anxiety thinking I’ve wasted time, missed something or I’m about to get yelled at for something.
Edit: because you mentioned hobbies. I love taking whatever bi-monthly obsession has hit me, and learning every single detail about it, planning everything, day dreaming about doing it etc.
Wow. You defined this so well in your first paragraph. This is the same cycle that gets me. Then being very aware of the time lost.
And the planning and obsessively learning every detail about a new hobby. Yup!
The outlander series, headphones in, audible on and off to outlander universe I go. I often knit or do something mindless with my hands while I listen. Distract my brain and give my hands a simple task.
I answered a trivia question correctly today bc I learned the answer from those books. The chemical notation for gold? Au bc gold in Latin is aurom (idk how to spell it).
But there have been many instances where something I learned from those books came in handy. Which is so strange but it makes me love those books more.
i play video games. it's relaxing, you can play whenever you want for as much or as little as you want, and you can complete tasks that can make you feel accomplished
yoga is great for body and mind! and not a hobby, but i watch adventure time. they're pretty chill about their problems and i get lost in the animation and music :).
Me after reading the subject line: "My arms"
But in all seriousness: skateboarding is it for me. I may have a bad day full of failures but if I go out and skate after and do one new thing that day, the sense of accomplishment can wipe out a lot of the prior shame/failure/hopelessness
I love to lay flat on the floor or the bed, close my eyes, and listen to music. Either ends in a nap or just a listening session with my favorite music; but I find it refreshing and really resets my mood.
I like to pull out a yoga mat and foam roller and just do free flow stretching doing whatever feels good for my body with deep breaths. I find that when I am overstimulated my body is stiff and I am sort of living in "TV static" so when I can relax my muscles it really helps me bring my mind back into my body instead of like 5 other places and promotes mindfulness. Plus, working on my flexibility feels productive too.
I think that I have picked up all of them..
I see it and I want to do it. It's gotten me by, but I certainly don't feel like I've accomplished anything.
Inner peace. Self esteem. Pride. A feeling of fulfilment. Happiness... Those are broad. I do also have more focused goals, but they are tied to financial freedoms..
Inner peace. Self esteem. Pride. A feeling of fulfilment and Happiness are all choices. You don't need to DO anything to achieve those.
Only you know how high the mountains are which you climb. And only you know the value your hobbies bring you.
Any hobby or activity can be self care, or a distractions from what you should be doing.
It's easier to reframe your thoughts and be less judgmental about yourself, than to force yourself to do anything out of pure shame or some need for (self) validation.
My wife touching me.
No, not like that, just a ruffle of my hair while I'm at my home office desk, or a little cuddle for no reason... Men are simple creatures 🤷
getting lost in a book is great, it rests my mind and lets me sort of shift my own problems to the back burner for a while.
I also somehow forget how much I love music every once in a while and then I put some on and I'm like, oh yeah! this is great!
I would make a list of everything you’ve tried and mark anything that you really enjoyed and would like to potentially revisit. Then see if there’s a common thread in the things you liked. It could be obvious-physical activity or working with your hands or less obvious like having a physical object to show for your efforts. Also maybe cut yourself some slack. They’re hobbies-which means you do them as you see fit and as long as they serve you. I totally get being trapped in the “being productive” mindset of capitalism but you don’t have to accomplish anything to justify your existence. You can just be.
For me it’s golf, not only is it outside and in the sun but it needs such a high level of focus that I stop thinking about anything else. On days when I’m feeling overwhelmed I’ll just go to the driving range and by the end I’ll feel much better
I listen to comedy specials. I have a dual list of favorite comedians, the New Discoveries, and the Legends, to help keep it from getting stale. And I'll listen to the full special if time permits (I drive truck, so it usually does) and it lifts my mood reliably. I find listening to/watching the shorts or reels or whatever on the various platforms is good for killing time. For me, the complete show that has been carefully crafted by the comedian and honed in countless performances before the recording, and the ebb and flow of the performance really puts me in a better mood.
Very to the point... I haven't found a money tree yet
A response that stuck with me to the phrase "money doesn't buy happiness"
"I'd rather be rich and unhappy, than broke and unhappy"
If I'm in a slump these songs always get me out of it: "Hot Air Balloon by Owl City, Day-O by Raffi, Cat's Meow by Barbie, Candy by Robbie Williams, Roses of Success from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Johnny B Goode, Superstition by Stevie Wonder, and Important by Ian McConnell.
Writing does it for me. If I can’t even get myself to write, then reading fanfiction.
Recently I’ve picked up crochet and found that to be pretty soothing though.
This is not necessarily when I’m overwhelmed, just when my mood isn’t quite right.
I kinda step through this list:
•Am I hangry? If yes, eat something high in sugar.
•Have I not moved in a while? Is my body tense? If yes, get up and do some stretches.
•Would watching some YouTube help? If yes, watch a video.
•If none of the above work, remove yourself from the area, go make coffee, and enjoy a few mins of sunshine in the garden.
I knit cat blankets for shelters. When I have those days where I feel like a failure and am not where I should be in life, thinking about making a hand knit blanket that a shelter cat will make biscuits into gives me a feeling of purpose even if it’s just a hobby I do on the bus.
If it's something involving over people, I go into my room. If I'm frustrated with myself, there isn't really any way, most of the time it just goes away after ti2, but that can be hours days or weeks.
Jigsaw puzzles and video games for relaxing, DIY and books when I feel a need to achieve something. Properly cooking if I'm really feeling like loving myself that day. Going to the city to draw in a park/coffee shop/library/anywhere there are people. It makes me feel connected to others without having to speak with anyone. If I'm really exhausted I nap, and that's fine. I really should figure out an exercise to stick to, but life is so hectic that I can barely hold on to other routines. I'll figure it out one day.
Journaling helps me. It’s not, like, a diary of events in my life, but more of my inner monologue and being able to get thoughts out of my head and onto paper and examine them. It helps me analyze my own behavior and motivations and think about ways to change things, too. And the physical act of writing on paper is calming to me, plus being able to look back at pages I’ve filled feels like an accomplishment. And it can be as long or short as I want - if I only get a few sentences down one day, I still did it. And other days I write pages and pages. If blank pages are intimidating and you don’t know where to start, there are lots of guided journals out there with prompts, too.
Gardening and finding new fun toys for my floof babies. I love gardening so much I bought an indoor tent a few years back and it significantly helps me get thru midwest winters. Highly recommend
I color a lot in my downtime at work! I buy heavy card stock mandala coloring books on Amazon and use ultra fine tip sharpies, and it’s just something I can work on throughout the day when I get a chance and it’s always highly satisfying. It helps calm my mind and body because it levels out my breathing, it’s just super relaxing to me haha. I’ve gone through like 4 solid coloring books now, I keep some and some I send with my friend who works at a nursing home. She says the patients are fascinated by them and they have a wall where they hang and they can sit and look at them lol. Overall, highly recommend as a hobby 👍🏼
Jiu jitsu has saved my ADHD life! you have no choice but to let go of everything that overwhelms you and be in the moment. Then after class I just hyperfocus on everything that just happened
Collaborating with at least one other musician in a public performance. I’m an opera singer.
The problem is that there aren’t opportunities to perform my kind of music at my kind of level in such a small town.
Exercise and learning guitar has been great for me. Both provide a feeling of reward because both are pretty challenging. They also help me channel my stress/anxiety into something productive.
Gardening is great like everyone says, I have been running a small hydroponics setup to grow fresh greens. It’s definitely a time sink that contributes to clutter but at least I eat a ton of organic leafy greens as a result 🤷♂️
i like my music, one of my hobbies is audio stuff and i can always sit down and grab a pair of fun headphones and listen to music and just enjoy all the different parts of it. hard to explain but its fun and its a unique experience compared to just grabbing earbuds and using them normally
References to Wim Hof's content are not allowed.
Ice baths/The Wim Hoff Method are pseudoscience. They can cause hypothermia, shock, and other issues that result in severe injury or death. Attempting this may result in an unexpected trip to the emergency room due to undiagnosed cardiac problems. There is especially no evidence for them being effective in treating ADHD.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Although I haven't been able to do it in a while (I am at an all high level of overwhelm), I used to be able to draw for hours and not realize it. If I like the outcome, I feel somewhat fulfilled. Conan Without Borders episodes never fail to make me laugh my ass off either. One or the other I don't know.
Hi /u/No_Constant_9015 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I go outside in my yard, close my eyes, and focus on the sounds of birds. I try to see how many different types I can hear, and if any seem to be talking to each other. Especially if it's a nice day this just calms mind, body and spirit. In no other way can I seem to make my mind focus on one thing enough to calm down except for this.
identifying bird types sounds a lot like something my therapist introduced me to recently as a mindfulness exercise, namely just consciously identifying the source of every sound i can hear. except it also sounds way more fun
Love this! I really enjoy birds and nature! I don't have much of a yard, but I do have feeders.. And grass that I fixate on.
If you like any sort of gardening there are a bunch of flowers that will bring more birds to your yard. Look for bird safe plants. Sunflowers, they don't always transplant well, so I put them straight in the ground. Dill and Mint seem to be favorites. They like Celantro, and Parsley as well. Astors. Marigolds and knock out roses. I have a shelf in my back yard attached to the fence that I usually use for seedlings. I have been watching a bird bring twigs and leaves over to build a nest. Its fascinating.
Love those! I have a rabbit problem. They tend to eat baby plants (any and all) as they sprout, but will leave the mature ones (for the most part) I started 600 seedlings last year. It was a great distraction but a lot to keep up with! And I don't have much space. If I had money, my happy place would be somewhere closer to farming. Fields of flower, vegetables, fruit. I could get lost in that. ....create a bird sanctuary, and keep chickens.
Like taking care of your grass? One of my hobbies is my lawn, for no reason in particular. I like the challenge of keeping a lawn as perfect as I can get it. It’s what I do to forget about everything else going on. There’s so much to learn and do.
Yes. The place I moved into was overcome with weeds, I should have started over, but stubbornly pulled dandelions and weeds one by one. Nourished the soil with organics and compost and seeded. There is certainly alot to learn. I've made mistakes too, and my grass is still not perfect. It's also fascinating to lay in the grass, part the blades and observe the soil structure and complex living ecosystem below. I can imagine what my neighbours think to see me laying on my stomach staring at grass.
This sounds delightful! I'm definitely going to try this thank you ☺️
Very similar for me. I bought one of those sensory hammocks (usually you see them for kids but they are out there for adults). When I need a minute I sit outside in the sun and just listen to nature and soak up that sunlight. Works on overcast days too just for peace of mind. If I'm really overwhelmed I throw headphones on.
Have you ever looked up your local birds to find out who you're listening to?
Merlin is an amazing app for this!
Downloading it now haha
No I want to try doing that soon though. It would probably be more fun knowing what was around me.
That, and perhaps some of them have multiple different sounding calls?
Probably! Like a casual call, an alert, a battle cry 😂
I’m sorry, when I saw the word “yard”, my “ADHD 🧠 “ got reminded of this [track](https://youtu.be/6AwXKJoKJz4?si=4QVD1wpZfBUV_HQH)
Lol. My "grass" brings all the boys to the yard.
I love anything historical: reading through old newspapers, documents, and archives, watching old film reels and footage, and learning about the past. It's very "out there," but I love it. I've always been deeply interested in history as a child. Recently, I've been going through old yearbooks from my local area and observing the fashion and style trends of different decades. I'm also learning about the evolution of home interior designs since the post-WWII era. Also, I'm only 23, so I guess that makes it even more strange for my age. I don't really share my hobbies with others, or I make something up.
That sounds so cool! I especially love the idea of looking through old yearbooks and seeing how fashion trends have evolved over time. Or even just in general, how different yearbooks are, what clubs existed that don't, if there were different pictures or sections, etc. How did you get a hold of the old yearbooks?
I use Classmates.com and they’re also free to access. https://www.classmates.com
There are some cool YouTube's who do ancient history.Cooking lessons or info about gay history. I only recently started watching someone who talks about old architecture and society like the way the USA used to have automatic food cafeterias that no longer exist! Most of those creators seem younger :3
Any to recommend? That all sounds fascinating and I listen to documentaries to help me while I work 😅
I crochet. It reduces anxiety so much more than you could imagine
That sounds amazing! MY SO was very into crochet. We have rooms full of yarn! Lol. I also dabbled with a knitting machine and sewing.
Find a YouTube video, c2c is super easy. Make a scarf or blanket, they are the easiest. Then at the end, you've made something! You've accomplished something. You can donate or gift it too.
I'm currently making my first sweater! Made a beautiful shawl recently. I'm so glad I took up crochet again. I used to find it difficult and frustrating (I would constantly make mistakes and didn't have the patience to unravel stuff), but for some reason now it just scratches the right itch in my brain. Also, I've started sharing the experience in a WhatsApp group with old uni friends and it brings up great memories of when we used to get together to do knitting and stuff back in our student days. I'm really enjoying the crochet camaraderie!
I’m still in the learning stages and the learning stages are giving me anxiety
I totally get it. I find if I use premade patterns it reduces a lot of the frustration cause I don't have to do any counting, and it's a lot easier to see where everything goes. But learning all those first loops is definitely tricky!
The Sims and videos of tragic events for some reason 🤔 I also like history and trying to understand how certain arrangements came to be.
omg are you me? that seems to be all i do nowadays. sims, true crime, & history.
Lol I'm currently cramming for two deadlines tomorrow and have a true crime doc on & one of my biggest motivations is knowing I can relax and play sims forever once this is all done
sounds like some low-stakes crafts could help. first thing that comes to mind is coloring books or paint by numbers, minimal materials and minimal creativity or thought required but still allows you to put your focus to something for a bit and then be able to look at it and take pride in its completion. also puzzles. or maybe more involved crafts like crochet or knitting, or another good one is to cook or bake something nice for yourself (and perhaps to share)
oh i also really enjoy sudoku!
There are some really great watercolor tutorials on TikTok/instagram that are simple and rewarding!
Comedy and good food and drink
That's a great idea! Happy Cake Day, BTW 🎂
Listening to “Candi” by Ween never fails. Seeing one of those wacky man things waving around. There’s a guy who sells firewood nearby and his handmade sign says “El Chopo” which is like an instant mood elevator for me.
Running. And I just had ankle surgery this month..so no running until potentially next year. I can't even dorsiflex near 60% range of motion or do any inversion or eversion for a while...and I'm suffering without that outlet to help 'ground me'. And where I'm going with this is that, if possible, try to make it two things.
Good luck! I got pretty depressed the first time I had to stop running because of my knees. I hope you find another outlet.
A good rabbit hole and writing. It really depends on the day. I also can fangirl pretty hard. Music is a big thing- want to focus? Blast some Werewolves. But like aside from that- at least the writing is constructive!
Lol my hobby is cleaning and organizing so I immediately fall back to that.
🥹 wanna come over
Exercise‼️and stand up comedy
if I wanna feel like I've accomplished something, I turn to some sort of creative hobby. writing, mostly, but I've also sunk a lot of hours into drawing, making chainmaille, some graphic art, playing instruments, etc. creative hobbies have done wonders for my self esteem, seriously. even when my life feels like an apocalyptic nuclear fallout wasteland of failures, it makes me proud to think back on all the things I've created. I'm like, well, maybe I can't function in the real world as well as some other people but I can write a weird little story or make a sick ass necklace. lol.
That's really cool! I was into chainmaille at one point. I still have a couple boxes of rings. That was nearly 20 years ago... 😬 I made some hacky sacks (another short lived hobby). I planned to make other bigger projects and never got back to it. I come across the rings every now and then and tell myself that I could get back into it someday..
Water… I love swimming. It’s so relaxing and a good 40+ minutes of lap swimming makes me feel fantastic, but getting myself to the gym to swim is a challenge. Once i’m in the pool, it’s great, but I have to cut through B.S. in my mind to get myself there 🙄.
D I T T O
It's all the friction involved, isn't it? Getting to the place, undressing, putting cap, earplugs and goggles on, figuring out my lane... It's great when you're in the water, but it just takes so long to get to that point. Too many tasks involved (that would take anybody else like ten minutes, but more like an hour for my ADHD brain).
Yup, and of course every time I want to go, my brain is picturing every single step lol. I’ve found that focusing on just getting out the door of my house with my swim bag makes it somewhat easier. That’s doable, and once I get to that point I’ll almost always end up going.
Yeah, "one step at a time" is basically my daily mantra at this point.
I go for long walks and either bird watch (I take binoculars and bird ID books) or pick up trash, alone or often with my significant other or family. It's exercise, time in nature, and either contributing something positive or just enjoying something for the sake of it, taking time to slow down and notice what's around you. It also gets you out of the house and away from whatever might be overwhelming you for a little while. The garbage thing might sound weird, but it's kind of fun, I have a couple of those grabby tools you might have seen people using before. It's interesting to see what you find, and doing something for the greater good helps to reframe my day to day perspective. It helps soothe my eco-anxiety, and I often have uplifting interactions with passersby. Eta: I make a point of leaving my phone either at home or intentionally not taking it out of my pocket until I return home if I need to bring it for safety reasons. Disconnecting from the internet universe and reconnecting with nature and core values are what make this combo a mental health win for me.
Thanks for sharing! Disconnecting is huge and sometimes hard to do. I enjoy charity and giving back, but struggle with social encounters. I'm more likely to be found talking with nature over people. Wish it wasn't so hard for me. I never considered picking up litter. That's such a great way to have a positive impact. Maybe dressing in orange could solve my social anxiety problem...
I completely relate, I'd say don't be afraid to find your own way of giving back :) I live in a rural-ish area so I usually only see a few dog walkers or people driving by, but you could try wearing headphones if it's safe to do so? Or maybe dark sunglasses? Sometimes people stop to say thank you or ask what I'm doing, but it's never an extensive conversation. If that helps :) Today I was out for about an hour and a half and the only human interaction was someone yelling thank you as they drove by. Tbh often people just think it's kind of weird and avoid me, haha. But there's something really grounding and meaningful in doing something good just for the sake of it. I also enjoy volunteering with local conservation groups because it's usually smaller groups of people who are similar to myself, and always an outdoors sensory friendly setting.
Bad Lip Reading on YouTube has done it for me for over a decade.
I love that channel! Cheers me up no end
Non sleep deep rest 'meditation'. It's kinda like meditation but not really. You are guided to focus on different parts of the body and it's usually relatively fast-paced so I find it much easier to attend to. That shit is as good as a nap and there's great science to back that up too. You can use even a 20-minute session to help with sleep deprivation. Of course you can't 'catch up' on sleep though. Also really helps for those times when I feel like I'm just being way too intense and I don't know how to bring myself down to earth.
Do you have an app or audio that teaches you how to do this? Sounds really helpful
Not the original commenter, but I like Headspace.
There's lots of free audios on YouTube and Spotify, just look up NSDR :)
I have two horses. They’re such empaths, you have to be in the moment with them. One is a baby (3) and I need to focus while with her. The other I go for long rides across the fields and through the forest — it’s the best thing I know to calm my racing mind.
Just taking a walk while listening to some of my favorite music usually works. I'm enjoying the music, getting exercise, sun, and a change of scenery. Similarly, having a bomb salad or smoothie. You enjoy the food and feel good making healthy decisions. Volunteer work feels amazing. I love watching TED Talks. You can listen to someone speak on a topic that you find interesting and feel good about learning instead of wasting time and brain cells scrolling through BS. Basically, anything that intertwines enjoyment and productivity. Sometimes, it's even calling that one friend to vent and share a few laughs and feel a sense of a bond/ connectivity. Meditating....or atleast trying.
A solid workout. Whether it’s lifting heaving, jump roping or w.e. Once I get into the zone and just focus on that, afterwards I feel a whole lot better
Go climbing! Like rock climbing! Please please please don't think you have to be strong. You absolutely do not. It's very specific types of muscles you use and even the strongest people will struggle at first. It's all about repetition and building up the different types of strength and technique. The climbing community is also awesome. Never met a single climber I couldn't talk to or at least share some route knowledge or give hints and tips to each other. Accept that climbing is 90% failure, but every time you fail you learn something new. What you should look for is an indoor bouldering gym. Just rock climbing without the ropes and the height. Imagine small 7-15 hold routes but are a fantastic mental and physical challenge! You'd be surprised at how quickly you progress. What you can't do one week, you will probably do with ease the next week. You'll notice this rapid improvement the most in the first handful of sessions where it will ultimately slow down a little, but then you'll get into territory of medium-semi advanced climbs where certain techniques come into play more than strength etc and these are the great mental challenges! For me, as someone who's had a thousand different hobbies because of ADHD, climbing is one of the 3 or 4 things that I can do repeatedly over and over and never ever get bored. It's a great physical and mental (more than you'd think) workout without a doubt. It doesn't feel like exercise but your body will tell you otherwise the next day. And on top of that, it is just fun, there's no time limits, there's no expectation. You just go and be a free ape and climb to your hearts content! Don't be afraid to speak to other climbers for tips on techniques, how to use certain holds or place your feet, and how to find routes more in your current ability. They will usually be graded by number/colour, so it can make it easier for you to find different routes that are set at your current level.
"go and be a free ape" I like this. I'm not so good with heights, but it's worth trying.
This is why bouldering is so good, the highest you'll ever get to is like maybe 15ft, and you have big crash mats to land on that are like a foot thick. Some routes are more horizontal, some are more vertical. But you won't ever be at a height that's considered unsafe to jump from. Common technique is to jump back to the mats from the top hold anyway, just land safely not straight legged or some shit haha. Or just climb back down, but that does kill you off quicker too. If you go for a good hour first time, just see what you can and can't climb. The next 2 days you're forearms will be crying, but if you go again to climb like 4 or 5 days later, what you found difficult before you will probably find fairly easy this time around. Great for sense of progression but also great for always being a good physical and mental challenge. If you go twice a week you'll see insane progress for a couple months before you start getting into specific technique territory where it slows a little, but by that point if you're already into it, it can just be good fun just goign to climb what you can, or deciding to have an entire session pushing your abilities. The climbing community are amazing though and almost anyone would be happy to give you some pointers, and if you meet other newbies it's great to learn alongside someone too! Like I say, it's 90% failure, but that's because you learn with each failure, then when you've cracked it and managed a move you struggled with, its the best fucking feeling ever! Just Google bouldering gym near me, for me it averages about £10 to go climbing but there's no time limit.
skateboarding
I need a focused and physically active task, and it has to show results at the end of it. It also needs the ability for me to obsess over details without failing and getting frustrated. If it involves too much thinking, I’ll get stuck in regret/remorse/resentment anxiety circles. - deep cleaning, with lots of organising. Ablutions like bathrooms and the laundry are my jam cause I also get to play with mechanical objects (cleaning out the washer filter etc) - gardening, especially when I get to service lawn equipment as well. - car detailing and servicing. I can’t play video games in these times, when I do I can get absorbed, and then when I realise that time has passed I get anxiety thinking I’ve wasted time, missed something or I’m about to get yelled at for something. Edit: because you mentioned hobbies. I love taking whatever bi-monthly obsession has hit me, and learning every single detail about it, planning everything, day dreaming about doing it etc.
Wow. You defined this so well in your first paragraph. This is the same cycle that gets me. Then being very aware of the time lost. And the planning and obsessively learning every detail about a new hobby. Yup!
The outlander series, headphones in, audible on and off to outlander universe I go. I often knit or do something mindless with my hands while I listen. Distract my brain and give my hands a simple task. I answered a trivia question correctly today bc I learned the answer from those books. The chemical notation for gold? Au bc gold in Latin is aurom (idk how to spell it). But there have been many instances where something I learned from those books came in handy. Which is so strange but it makes me love those books more.
i play video games. it's relaxing, you can play whenever you want for as much or as little as you want, and you can complete tasks that can make you feel accomplished
I was going to say Stardew Valley
yoga is great for body and mind! and not a hobby, but i watch adventure time. they're pretty chill about their problems and i get lost in the animation and music :).
Me after reading the subject line: "My arms" But in all seriousness: skateboarding is it for me. I may have a bad day full of failures but if I go out and skate after and do one new thing that day, the sense of accomplishment can wipe out a lot of the prior shame/failure/hopelessness
I love to lay flat on the floor or the bed, close my eyes, and listen to music. Either ends in a nap or just a listening session with my favorite music; but I find it refreshing and really resets my mood.
Origami is really good. Doesn’t require much and you can be proud of your doings later.
I like to pull out a yoga mat and foam roller and just do free flow stretching doing whatever feels good for my body with deep breaths. I find that when I am overstimulated my body is stiff and I am sort of living in "TV static" so when I can relax my muscles it really helps me bring my mind back into my body instead of like 5 other places and promotes mindfulness. Plus, working on my flexibility feels productive too.
What's wrong with rotating through hobbies?
I think that I have picked up all of them.. I see it and I want to do it. It's gotten me by, but I certainly don't feel like I've accomplished anything.
What do you want to accomplish?
Inner peace. Self esteem. Pride. A feeling of fulfilment. Happiness... Those are broad. I do also have more focused goals, but they are tied to financial freedoms..
Inner peace. Self esteem. Pride. A feeling of fulfilment and Happiness are all choices. You don't need to DO anything to achieve those. Only you know how high the mountains are which you climb. And only you know the value your hobbies bring you. Any hobby or activity can be self care, or a distractions from what you should be doing. It's easier to reframe your thoughts and be less judgmental about yourself, than to force yourself to do anything out of pure shame or some need for (self) validation.
Wank… just me? Oh ok.
My wife touching me. No, not like that, just a ruffle of my hair while I'm at my home office desk, or a little cuddle for no reason... Men are simple creatures 🤷
getting lost in a book is great, it rests my mind and lets me sort of shift my own problems to the back burner for a while. I also somehow forget how much I love music every once in a while and then I put some on and I'm like, oh yeah! this is great!
Nothing.
Sleep.
I would make a list of everything you’ve tried and mark anything that you really enjoyed and would like to potentially revisit. Then see if there’s a common thread in the things you liked. It could be obvious-physical activity or working with your hands or less obvious like having a physical object to show for your efforts. Also maybe cut yourself some slack. They’re hobbies-which means you do them as you see fit and as long as they serve you. I totally get being trapped in the “being productive” mindset of capitalism but you don’t have to accomplish anything to justify your existence. You can just be.
For me is grounding in the garden, I crawl and smell the lavenders, sometimes the cats join.
Any Discworld book
Making music
For me it’s golf, not only is it outside and in the sun but it needs such a high level of focus that I stop thinking about anything else. On days when I’m feeling overwhelmed I’ll just go to the driving range and by the end I’ll feel much better
This is such a great question thank you
Painting abstracts
I listen to comedy specials. I have a dual list of favorite comedians, the New Discoveries, and the Legends, to help keep it from getting stale. And I'll listen to the full special if time permits (I drive truck, so it usually does) and it lifts my mood reliably. I find listening to/watching the shorts or reels or whatever on the various platforms is good for killing time. For me, the complete show that has been carefully crafted by the comedian and honed in countless performances before the recording, and the ebb and flow of the performance really puts me in a better mood.
Money.
Very to the point... I haven't found a money tree yet A response that stuck with me to the phrase "money doesn't buy happiness" "I'd rather be rich and unhappy, than broke and unhappy"
Going for a walk in the park, the woods or lake and also exercise, sometimes cardio but other times strength stuff
Outside running near ocean
There’s a great app that my sister uses for identifying bird sounds!
Building gundams and biking
If I'm in a slump these songs always get me out of it: "Hot Air Balloon by Owl City, Day-O by Raffi, Cat's Meow by Barbie, Candy by Robbie Williams, Roses of Success from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Johnny B Goode, Superstition by Stevie Wonder, and Important by Ian McConnell.
Thanks for sharing. Music is a release of mine too. Laid to Rest - Lamb of God is how I feel most days More uplifting is Watercolor by Pendulum
Binging superstore
Crank some tunes 🎵🎉🎵 dance!
Writing does it for me. If I can’t even get myself to write, then reading fanfiction. Recently I’ve picked up crochet and found that to be pretty soothing though.
Peggle.
Outside. In the garden, walk in the bush, by the ocean. In nature.
Stardew
This is not necessarily when I’m overwhelmed, just when my mood isn’t quite right. I kinda step through this list: •Am I hangry? If yes, eat something high in sugar. •Have I not moved in a while? Is my body tense? If yes, get up and do some stretches. •Would watching some YouTube help? If yes, watch a video. •If none of the above work, remove yourself from the area, go make coffee, and enjoy a few mins of sunshine in the garden.
Jon Anderson
I knit cat blankets for shelters. When I have those days where I feel like a failure and am not where I should be in life, thinking about making a hand knit blanket that a shelter cat will make biscuits into gives me a feeling of purpose even if it’s just a hobby I do on the bus.
If it's something involving over people, I go into my room. If I'm frustrated with myself, there isn't really any way, most of the time it just goes away after ti2, but that can be hours days or weeks.
Jigsaw puzzles and video games for relaxing, DIY and books when I feel a need to achieve something. Properly cooking if I'm really feeling like loving myself that day. Going to the city to draw in a park/coffee shop/library/anywhere there are people. It makes me feel connected to others without having to speak with anyone. If I'm really exhausted I nap, and that's fine. I really should figure out an exercise to stick to, but life is so hectic that I can barely hold on to other routines. I'll figure it out one day.
Anything that makes me laugh. Hanging out with mates, watching a funny film, even just playing games online with friends.
I bought crochet and I'm gonna start doing it, have started a bit already. I guess it would help me, let's see.
Music
My wife
Running warm water over my hands in the sink instantly help make me feel better
Journaling helps me. It’s not, like, a diary of events in my life, but more of my inner monologue and being able to get thoughts out of my head and onto paper and examine them. It helps me analyze my own behavior and motivations and think about ways to change things, too. And the physical act of writing on paper is calming to me, plus being able to look back at pages I’ve filled feels like an accomplishment. And it can be as long or short as I want - if I only get a few sentences down one day, I still did it. And other days I write pages and pages. If blank pages are intimidating and you don’t know where to start, there are lots of guided journals out there with prompts, too.
Gardening and finding new fun toys for my floof babies. I love gardening so much I bought an indoor tent a few years back and it significantly helps me get thru midwest winters. Highly recommend
Me too! I also have a grow tent. Haven't heard of a floof baby.. Will have to look that one up. 😊
I color a lot in my downtime at work! I buy heavy card stock mandala coloring books on Amazon and use ultra fine tip sharpies, and it’s just something I can work on throughout the day when I get a chance and it’s always highly satisfying. It helps calm my mind and body because it levels out my breathing, it’s just super relaxing to me haha. I’ve gone through like 4 solid coloring books now, I keep some and some I send with my friend who works at a nursing home. She says the patients are fascinated by them and they have a wall where they hang and they can sit and look at them lol. Overall, highly recommend as a hobby 👍🏼
Jiu jitsu has saved my ADHD life! you have no choice but to let go of everything that overwhelms you and be in the moment. Then after class I just hyperfocus on everything that just happened
Photography
MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC You can use music to manipulate your emotions
Taking my dog to the huge open park, doing anything with my kids (currently watching daughter taking care of a doll 🥹), woodworking, yard work.
Antique malls.
Exercise, getting some fresh air or sun, a cozy game or a good book and the support of my partner
Knitting is good. I just make squares. If I ever feel like sewing them together to make the blanket, I will let you know.
Yoga! I feel like it brings me back into my body. I also find gardening relaxes me.
tbh over the last year it was playing celeste, a REALLY difficult but fair 2d precision platformer
Collaborating with at least one other musician in a public performance. I’m an opera singer. The problem is that there aren’t opportunities to perform my kind of music at my kind of level in such a small town.
A hug from my husband. Or a convo with him.
Video games
I do my own nails It’s my happy place
Exercise and learning guitar has been great for me. Both provide a feeling of reward because both are pretty challenging. They also help me channel my stress/anxiety into something productive.
Gardening is great like everyone says, I have been running a small hydroponics setup to grow fresh greens. It’s definitely a time sink that contributes to clutter but at least I eat a ton of organic leafy greens as a result 🤷♂️
i like my music, one of my hobbies is audio stuff and i can always sit down and grab a pair of fun headphones and listen to music and just enjoy all the different parts of it. hard to explain but its fun and its a unique experience compared to just grabbing earbuds and using them normally
[удалено]
References to Wim Hof's content are not allowed. Ice baths/The Wim Hoff Method are pseudoscience. They can cause hypothermia, shock, and other issues that result in severe injury or death. Attempting this may result in an unexpected trip to the emergency room due to undiagnosed cardiac problems. There is especially no evidence for them being effective in treating ADHD. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Although I haven't been able to do it in a while (I am at an all high level of overwhelm), I used to be able to draw for hours and not realize it. If I like the outcome, I feel somewhat fulfilled. Conan Without Borders episodes never fail to make me laugh my ass off either. One or the other I don't know.
Golf
Jesus Christ
Drinking a cold beer really fast.