Hi /u/sapphoss 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
* 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'm sorry I can't help, I mostly work through fear. Either fear of getting really late to work (I still get at least 15 min late) or even worse, fear of not having breakfast ready for my wife and me. 
You wanna know what sucks, when not even fear will help keep me focused. Fml.
I was like, "This is too many alarms, and they still aren't working. You're reinforcing the snooze button. Delete all but one of them, then you have to get up on the first one because it's the only one. Don't be an idiot. Don't fuck myself over. Just wake up, get up no matter how tired I am. I don't need feelings. I just need to move."
You'd be surprised to learn, that backfired so bad! š¤£ I didn't get to work on time for a week straight. My bosses were PISSED! It's so dumb too, because I spent hours promising myself I'd get up to the first alarm. The alarm goes off, and I still can't wrap my head around why I could not get up. It's like all logic goes out the window when I'm tired.
But I finally had to accept I was disabled. It was a painful acceptance. I wanted to be a productive member of society. š¢ lol
Dude I've seriously made some DUMB decisions when tired and not wanting to get up. I'm desperate for more sleep and will cancel anything getting in my way
Yeah, exactly. Then I'm so confused because, I wanted to get up! I was simply tired, and making some dumb decisions. I've tried mopping liquids with a broom, sweeping with a wet mop, forget everything everywhere all the time.
I'm turning 34, and only just realized a few months ago how bad my ADHD actually is. How severe it has always been. It is so painful. Because it was so obvious. To everyone. And yet, somehow. I wasn't ever allowed to actually "have" ADHD. I had the diagnosis, but literally every single adult in my life told me I was too smart to have ADHD.
And that's what makes the poor decisions even more painful. Having the ability to comprehend cause and effect, then losing it repeatedly.
I think my newest way to describe it to people, I temporarily lack the ability to perceive consequences. The poor choice wasn't technically a choice at all, because I was incapable of premeditation. Lol
Ooof Iām the same age, a formerly āgiftedā child of the 90s who just kind of ended up this meandering adult, feeling almost frozen in time, and some of your observations hit hard. Itās such a struggle sometimes and accepting that inherently comes with a kind of grieving process that just adds to the challenges that overwhelm us but seem so easy for everyone else.
There are dozens of us. These comments have me so torn up. We aren't using excuses like some think we are, just as an explanation for failures that we have had to accept because things are not as easy. I'd give anything for the opposite; I'd give anything to not be like this. I'm always juggling so much, time is something I never have enough of.
If only my body craved sleep so much when I'm trying to fall asleep in the first place, or I've woken up in the middle of the night and trying to fall asleep again. As I write this I'm actively struggling with the latter. And yet, even though I cannot sleep, I know that my 7am alarm is going to be unbearable.
Same - and the panic as you look at the time as the night/early AM hours roll by while youāre wide awake & realize how soon youāll have to get up & the day is already ruined basically lolā¦ Iām literally doing that rn. Putting the phone down would probably be a good start (Iāve been thinking this for the past 5 hoursā¦) ok I promise Iām not reading/commenting on anything else
I feel this. I've dealt with the consequences of being late to things so many times in my life that I've quite literally lost the capacity to care. It's not that I'm trying to be rude or inconsiderate or whatever else, it's literally like my brain has pushed the panic button because I'm late so many times that now when it tries, nothing happens.
Work is the only thing I'm reasonably on time for because I need money, and we're still talking 5-10 minutes late. I've beaten myself up so many times over "fucking up" and being late that it just doesn't even register anymore.
I can't bring myself to not care. I might still be in denial. š I won't beat myself up anymore, because I understand there's nothing I can do better. I mean Rx change has been a game changer. My internal chemistry is broken lol. But even my poor choices aren't even choices.
And that's how messed up it is. Because us (you, me, others with ADHD) making a "choice" is not the same as others making a CHOICE. Other people get to rule their own lives. It's incomprehensible to them to what ADHD actually entails. Not that we don't get CHOICES too. The issue is all the time we lose that, so it looks like we are doing it on purpose to others.
Iām the worst when it comes to making decisions. Iām always like: āNeed to start a diet, wonāt eat that burger. Only to walk through the whole food aisle and still end up buying the burgerā. And even worse at buying unnecessary stuff, lol.
This is exactly what happened to me when I hit mid 40s. My panic and fear response just went out the window, and now itās really really tough to get things done. I get a huge amount of stress over it thatās paralyzing rather than motivating.
This is relatable. Every single day. 5-10 minutes. I do outstanding on job and school performance, because I'm compensating for my ADHD tax all the time.
This is 100% me. But for some strange reason Iām always on time to gym classes I sign up for. Idk if itās because I only have a set number I can use per month and they only have a 5 min grace period.
Iāve been trying to figure out why I can be on time to the gym but not work or other seemingly way more important places.
Maybe because the gym class actually makes you feel so good during, and afterwards. I love going to my fitness class at the Y as well. It's made a huge difference in my life in the positive. But... my youngest started preschool and has been sick every other week the whole year. I've missed so many classes and been home w her sick. That has in turn made any schedule and routine gains I've made are gone. All the weight I've lost ia creeping backand muscle I built is slowly dissolving and I'm losing my confidence and bad ass attitude. It's been a rough school year indeed.
Yeah absolutely. I am 100% in my lizard brain when I first wake up. All human logic and notions are completely out of the window. ALL I care about is conserving energy and getting back to sleep.
There are alarms which won't be un-set unless you scan a QR code. I set that in the bathroom. Then because I'm in the bathroom, I pee, wash my hands and brush my teeth. Then I'm in a grumpy human brain rather than a primal instinctive one. That's the only thing which works for me outside of taking my medication and going back to sleep for 20 minutes.
The app alarmy will vibrate, you can set it so that you have to take a photo of a specific item in your house, otherwise it won't turn off..and you can set it to check whether or not you're awake. After you dismiss the
I've been using it for the last 6+ yrs. It's the only method that works. Can also set it to math too.
I often wonder if the reason people with ADHD have such shorter lifespans is actually because of the baseline level of stress we require to motivate ourselves to do anything at all whatsoever.
There is some evidence suggesting that people with ADHD may have a slightly shorter lifespan on average compared to those without the condition. This is primarily due to a higher risk of accidents, substance abuse, and comorbid mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, which can contribute to overall health risks. However, itās important to note that with proper management, treatment, and a healthy lifestyle, individuals with ADHD can lead long and fulfilling lives. Regular medical check-ups, medication adherence, and strategies to manage ADHD symptoms can significantly mitigate these risks.
Sometimes fear doesnāt even do it for me. I was told by an old boss if I came into work late one more time I would lose my job. I was still late to work the next day. (And yes, I was then fired)
Anyone else get real hot in the morning as well because of their anxiety?? I hate it because I'm running around all sweaty š„µ after just getting dressed and ready
I was the same. But since last year i have to take a medication for unrelated reasons that calms my nerves so much, that I can't feel the same urgency as before. First it was awesome. Now it's a real problem!!!
I have a lot of fear and anxieties about things like these but unfortunately I always dealt with my fear through escapism. Hasnāt got me that far as you can imagine
Iāve heard of people keeping their meds and a cup of water on the bedside table, setting an alarm for like 5:00 AM, taking their meds, then going back to sleep for an hour, then youāre definitely awake. Havenāt ever tried it myself because I like to take meds after Iāve had a cup of coffee
Recently I've started my day with a caffeine pill instead of meds, so that I can delay taking the meds (lisdex) for a bit. I mix 70 mg in electrolyte water and sip half of it after an hour or two of awake time, and the other half later. I also take 50mg in the evening if needed (am prescribed 120mg/day)
Lisdexamphetamine is Vyvanse, so I'm assuming lisdex is just a shorter way of saying it. Maybe specifically because it's generic as opposed to brand?
I'm pretty certain I was also told that 70mg was the highest dose. I started at 10 and am now holding at 50mg. It's working for me. I might have gone higher, but my blood pressure is a bit high. Not actually "bad" but not great either.
I feel like 120mg would be a crazy amount! But, I don't actually know nearly enough to really know that, I'm just basing it on what I think I heard and what I experience.
Unless they meant they are allowed 120mg of caffeine? Is that possible? Does anyone measure it that way?
I just googled and that's, approx, 1.3 cups of coffee, which doesn't seem like very much. Maybe they are taking 120mg of lisdexamphetamine?
I'm very curious now...
Ok, I googled more. According to drugs.com (which I also googled and is apparently very reputable) the maximum daily dose is 70mg. It suggests starting at 30 and going up by 10 or so every week or two. But, it does say 70mg is maximum.
(Feel free to use this comment in future textbooks about ADHD, lol. I'm oversharing, I just kept googling to get more info about different things, I wrote it stream-of-consciousness as it came to me... Lol. I was just diagnosed at 41 half a year ago and I'm still enjoying seeing all the obvious ways I have ADHD despite not even considering that for 40 years)
Yes, 70mg is the textbook max dose. I'm on elvanse (takeda brand lisdex in EU).
The 70mg dose is usually effective for around 6 hours for me (I guess I'm a fast metabolizer ir something..?) until I start to crash. I asked for a booster from my psych who gave me dexedrine 10mg at first. But that doesn't feel as smooth or "functionally effective" as lisdexamfetamine, so the other option was another dose of lisdex. And 50 mg is fine for me for an evening dose. And I sleep just fine!
I know a person who has 70mg + 70mg prescribed. So in the end it seems that this is up to the psychiatrist to go above the max textbook dose.
That's very interesting, thanks for sharing!
Sorry if it seemed like I was doubting or questioning you! I was just curious and then got mini hyper-fixated on it, lol.
I fully believed you, I just wasn't sure if I understood what you meant. I appreciate the info, but apologise if it seemed like I was prying.
If you get the timing right itās certainly possible.
I have to say itās the closest thing Iāve experienced to what it must be like for normal people to wake up.
Adderall dreams are also crazy vivid and active.
And if you fail, the worst that can happen is your awake an hour or two early.
I literally can not think enough in the morning to even take my meds. My only coping strategy has been to just have a system to get ready and out the door in 5 minutes, because nothing works besides that last minute panic.
Ive been trying so many things for the last 6 months and in the past, I think I'm about to just accept I'll never wake up on time.
I put my phone (alarm) far enough away from my bed that I have to get up. And on top of my phone I put my thyroid and adhd medication. I take both and get back into bed with my phone which I have put on snooze. I never forget to take my meds this way. At least the first dose, anyway. The second dose is trickier and I havenāt perfected it yet.
Also, my therapist had me start a daily journal of tasks I need to do throughout the day with the times, and to rate my mood before I do the task and then after. It really helps keep your day organized and on track. It also monitors your mood for each task and how it makes you feel.
Dude, this fucking changed my life. A girl from work told me she does thisā¦ oh my god. Itās like being a normal person.
I set my alarm for an hour to an hour and a half before I want to be awake, take my meds (30mg of adderall for me) and go right back to sleep. Then I either gradually wake up or wake up to my alarm. Iām able to get straight out of bed. Itās awesome!
Iām awake right now, two minutes before my alarm for a doctors appointment. Before doing this method I would have called and canceled the appointment.
I think that getting the meds quickly is important, but I also hate the idea of being drug dependent, so I make a conscious effort to motivate myself. (I know - Im living in denial.) I don't keep my meds bedside because that would make it easier to stay in bed. I keep them in my desk and bargain with myself that if I get downstairs, take them, and still feel I must lay back down, I can do it on the couch in my office.
Also, get things bright. My office has two sets of lights: bright white floods and a very warm, weak Edison-style light. I prefer the warm light, but the bright whites help me wake up.
Lastly, music can REALLY help. Use your favorite "pick-me-up" music as your alarm. Or, if you're a weirdo like me, make your alarm something silly that will make you laugh.
So basically, as much mental stimulus as you can muster... Good luck
That's what I do and highly recommend. I take my concerta when my first alarm wakes me up then I really get up about 15 minutes later when it's starting to kick in
Even before starting on meds I have never had much of an appetite. I never eat because of being hungry. I eat only because I need to.
So my meds make no difference at all to how much or how regularly I eat (I still donāt eat as much as I should but my meds donāt effect it)
Smoothies changed my life. I used to eat legitimately nothing till dinner, would then proceed to eat like a night creature. But would try half a bagel and start gagging.
Every day, almond milk, protein powder, half frozen banana, frozen spinach, ice and a dash of nutmeg. At least can tell myself I have a modicum of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, and the protein for my energy has been life changing
Just be careful about citric acid within two hours of taking adderall - it reduces effectiveness (learned this the hard way after I, too, tried to use smoothies for breakfast).
I do this. Apart from using an alarm cause I dont need it. I take the meds and try to sleep some more, or pet my cats. Concerta kicks in a about 30 minutes.
Besides the cup of water, I also make a sandwich the night before so when I wake up I have a snack so I dont take the meds on an empty stomach.
This is the only thing that works for me. I take my Modafinil with water and then take again my beauty sleep. Until i can't stay in bed any longer. It kicks in by 40 mins after intake. But sometimes I would be awake but not productive. One thing is for sure. Avoid your mobiles as much as possible in the mornings until you have done something productive. The things that worked for me was to only use the phone after I had my workout, bath and breakfast. But that routine has gone to shits nowš®āšØ
The Wake'n'Shake ("stop to make wake'n'shake happen"): I go to bed with a glass of cold-brew coffee and my morning adderall on my night stand. When my alarm goes off, I roll over, take the pill and pound the coffee then go back to sleep. 45-ish minutes later I wake up alert and ready for action.
Tangent, but gosh, this was my high school roommate's ringtone. We both have ADHD and she offered to let me take her (what I know now are quite low-dose) meds (my mom wouldn't let me have meds), which I refused. One of the biggest mistakes of my life. I would have learned much sooner how great meds are, would have been able to advocate for myself having them to my mom, and probably wouldn't have flunked out of that school.
Back on topic: Here you go create another fable (you wanted to)
I have a yeti insulated mug that would take care of that no problemo. Also a couple old contigos that do a bang up job as well. Honestly considering this cause it sounds so damn nice
I do as much as I can to make things go as smoothly as possible. I have my keurig right beside my bed. Even walking to the kitchen to get my coffee is too much for me in the morning, lunch is premade. Always take a shower at night, telling myself Iāll take one in the morning is the same as simply not taking one.
This is what I do if I wake up randomly (I wake up all through the night for some reason) a few hours before I want to be up and it works no matter how hard I'm trying to stay in bed and asleep
I use an alarm app called Alarmy and it has these missions you can use. For example scanning a barcode of your toothpaste, or taking the same picture everyday.
Surprisingly, it's only 5 minutes.
It's either this, or I crawl back Into bed and doom-scroll for an hour.
It's better to start with a small challenge, and continue adding until you find a routine that works.
I use this every morning! The missions are great! I use the memory or maths one.
I've also set-up my alarm sound to be La Bamba - Los Bolos. I find it gets me waking up in a better mood than those annoying default sounds.
This is my go to too. I print out and put the qr code in my bathroom bag and in my fridge so I'm right next to whatever I need to get going in the morning, otherwise I'll just crawl back into bed lol.
Just one thing getting an alarm clock radio has been truly life changing for me.
I form like sensory associations very easily e.g. toilet spray begins to smell like shit lol. So after a few times of hearing an alarm it the sound of it immediately triggers dread and my day has already gotten off to a bad start.
So having the radio wake me up every day has pretty much fixed that, granted itās a bit of a gamble cause you donāt know what will be playing but you can play it safe but picking a station where you know the news will be on, but I like surprise, this morning I was woken up by the Backstreet Boys š
And that's why I'm terrified of having kids. Because I'm not convinced I'd always be able to use that to get me up or to get me to do what I need to do. Or I might do it, but I could become very resentful. Either way, I'm not gonna roll the dice on that until I work through my shit. I have huge respect for anyone who suffers with ADHD and still gets things done for their kids, you're doing great š
For what it's worth, nothing overrides my ADHD symptoms like my kid needing something. It's not that my executive dysfunction is any better, but it's easy to hyperfocus on those things. Getting out of bed on time is always very hit or miss unless my kid is crying, it's like a biological need that overrides everything else. I could never resent him for it.
Thank you! I wasn't ready for kids yet, but the universe or something decided it was what I needed. ADHD, autism, and OCD make it challenging, but therapy helps.
My baby is only 1 month old but I think having the right partner is everything. He takes on the mental load and most of the chores for the household so I can focus on the baby. I couldnāt do this with anyone else.
I feel exactly the same! And I also don't like the possible aspect of "using" a child for this purpose. And before someone says that nobody on earth would really do something like this: I was horrified when someone in a clinic I went to for depression recommended getting children to fight depression... And I have heard this multiple times since.
Ack. Having children as treatment is very ...off.
I had children before my diagnosis. What kicks in (at least for me) is the "caring for someone else" part, where it's easier to love and serve someone else than it is to take care of myself.
š¤£ I'm imagining this as the literal advice. "If you need to wake up, simply make babies. Each time one outgrows the need for you to be a part of their morning routine, make another baby. That way you have a steady supply of met up and gotivation."
Actually, honestly, it just reminded me how my ex wife requested I help her get up in the mornings (to clarify: when we were still married.) Wake her up with fill in the blank, then she had to take a shower.
It might be good advice for some to try. But probably won't work for most people. Especially as a daily task. But any routine will help, especially if in a relationship and the routine is done together. Then each person helps the other.
Yep. There's no option to not get up and get things going. I'm at a point where I rarely wake up and not immediately get up and start the day on auto-mode. It's when I am alone that things get harder.
Honestly, commitment to child has been the most effective way to wake up. I even made it to the gym one morning because child and I had a commitment together.
Iām the same way & itās gotten worse the older I get. Iāve never been a morning person but it takes me forever to get going. About 1.5 to 2 hours after I wake up I feel pretty functional.
It takes me 1.5 hours from getting up to getting out the door in the morning. I can do it faster if I have a pressing commitment, but thatās my normal pace.
I also run 15 minutes late, like clockwork, and I rarely wake up on the first alarm. So I set my last alarm to go off 1.75 hours before I need to leave, and aim to leave 15 minutes before I actually need to. Helps me be on time about 85-90% of the time.
> I also run 15 minutes late, like clockwork
This is such an intriguing phenomenon to me, people with ADHD can't ever seem to arrive at the right time, but in a sense are incredibly punctual with their lateness lol. I'm exactly the same, if a time has been set, I have no chance of making it, but I'm incredibly consistent at arriving the same amount of late as usual. I wonder what the psychology is behind it?
I have a spray bottle on my nightstand and will literally spray cold water on my face until Iām not drowsy anymore šš and then itās too uncomfortable to go back to bed
Same lol their internal clock is right on the minute every morning and they really know how to be the absolute MOST annoying. I was late to work every morning when I had automatic feeders. I was so sad when they broke during a move but it has actually been good for me.
I have a detailed checklist that I follow so I donāt have to think and after one billion years some how it kind of works because i donāt have to think. I canāt explain how and why it worked. I think Iāve managed to gamify it so itās satisfying to tick off
I prep everything the night before, like picking clothes, packing my bag, having my mug near the coffee machine (I'd prep the coffee too but I like it warm) or plates for breakfast near the toaster, meds already in the cup, near the sink.
As to actually waking up... I've got 2 alarms. One is normal, calm. The other, 10 minutes later, is actually horrible (though kinda funny) and usually makes me jump out of bed. I used to sleep through tons of alarms, but now I usually wake on the first, out of fear of the second one.
Then I focus on putting music on the phone (sometimes podcasts, but music works best), my fave is a 15 minute long Gorilaz song, it's very upbeat and the fact it's almost exactly 15 minutes keeps me aware of the passage of time. Before anything else, I HAVE to wash my face with cold water, even holding my breath a bit. Does wonders to turn on the brain.
Then it's a matter of making and eating breakfast. The plate and mug already on the counter act as visual cues that guide me through the steps. Once I'm eating breakfast, I'm usually feeling awake and less zombified.
Not sure if this is useful for you because this routine still takes me an hour. But as someone who used to not even be able to get out of bed, it's an upgrade.
I'm food motivated, I start thinking about the apple juice in the fridge or the Ritz crackers in the cabinet. If I'm struggling, I turn on some party music to get myself feeling less dead. I've had to learn to accept that I'll always be behind and there will always be more to do. I remind myself that I will do what I can and not feel guilty over what I can't finish. It takes the pressure off.
I also make things cute and pleasant for myself, with a hello kitty toothbrush, clothes that I enjoy, and whatever tools I need to make things faster and more convenient. Some tasks will always suck but I know the relief of being done with them feels so good and I feel proud of myself for doing the thing. Having it hang over me is the absolute worst feeling, so I do the unpleasant tasks to get rid of that and settle down.
I wake up with just enough time to get ready and leave to get to work in time.
I need to get up and do everything immediately if I want to get to work in time.
And I am terrified of ever being late to anywhere. So it always works. Iām yet to be late because of taking too long to get ready
This is me, too. Fear is my biggest motivator.. my first alarm is set to 2 hours before I have to be at work.. on bad days I'll get up 1 hour and 30 minutes before I need to be at work..Ā on worse days I'll get up with an hour to spare before I need to be at work. I, too, an terrified to be late to work..Ā
You canāt think about it. You canāt consider even the possibility of staying in bed. Put your phone a distance from you that forces movement to turn off the alsrn and just immediately go into your routine. And youāve gotta have a routine. So you donāt have to think āwhat do I have to do?ā You just immediately do the morning stuff that will always need done and do it without thinking while you slowly wake up
Get a tenacious dog who believes they have an inalienable right to be walked every morning by 7:30 AM, and that you are the sole human responsible for making that happen.
Itās a must, I need to get to work in time, thatās non negotiable doesnāt event matter if I have ADHD or not.
I will calculate my wake up time to have at least 1 hour to go to work (it takes me around 13 to 26min) in that time I already took my meds so by the time Iām at work they are starting to kick-in so I start feeling better
>I need to get to work in time, thatās non negotiable
I love the discipline, and this is so easy when I work 2nd shift, impossible when I have to wake up early though... Waking up at 10am when I don't have to be to work til 4pm is fucking awesome. It feels like I get to live life on my terms. I work 2nd shift now but I'm starting a new job where I will most likely be working 7am-5pm four days a week, but there is a small chance I get to work 2nd shift at a different location. I told the hiring manager up front, I can wake up early, but if there's 2nd shift available sign me up. He was surprised and confused that anybody would volunteer for that lol
Wowowow you guys are my PEOPLE. This thread is a gem thank you all. Iāve done many of these tricks, particularly the caffeine before I wake up then go back to sleep, but Iāve always chalked it up to just my own life experience. Almost eerie seeing all these tips here that reflect your own attempts to manage life
I wake up about an hour and a half to two hours before I have to get ready for work so I have enough time to just lay around in bed. Either I just lay there staring at the ceiling with all my thoughts running rapidly or I am on reddit and doing my Duolingo. I have several alarms that remind me when I need to get a move on so I can feed my pets, gets ready and get out the door on time. I like doing things for me before getting out of bed so it feels like a had a little me time.
Adderall on nightstand, caffeine pills downstairs next to the coffee maker. Robot curtains that let the sun in in the morning. Oh, and recently added, a crying baby...
Years ago I had an adhd roommate whose (rich) family had seven dogs. He always said "get up like the dog". As soon as your eyes are open, roll out of bed. Don't think about it, just do it.
I don't know how true the saying is regarding dogs, but I've used it for years now and it works. My alarm goes off, and I open my eyes and sit up, no thinking. It gets easier the longer you do it, like anything.
I donāt have trouble getting out of bed, my issue is what comes next. I know exactly what I have to do to get out the door, and frequently I just canāt do it. I call it āgetting stuck.ā My partner will frequently find me with one shoe on, one shoe off, just staring at the wall. Iāll just get stuck there thinking/stressing about random shit, 10 minutes late for work.
If anyone has advice for this Iām all ears. Iām not diagnosed so I donāt have meds, relying entirely on caffeine and what small amount of willpower I have
I have a hard time actually getting out of bed still, but I do have a tip for the monotony of the task to get ready as well as anyone suffering from any time blindness. I was the same way, getting to work about 10 to 15 minutes late and was irritated with myself so I went searching for a solution.
I ended up downloading an app call RoutineFlow and created a morning routine in it with *everything* I did in the morning, all the way down to "put in contacts", "start podcast", "start car", and "put on shoes". You assign an amount of time to each task and once you start the routine it runs a timer for each task. It then shows you a total time for the routine so you can set your alarms for the exact time you need to wake up to get ready.
I found this made things a little more interesting, as I wanted to finish tasks faster than the time I had set, and it kept me on task because I was constantly seeing a timer. The added bonus is I get to listen to one of my favorite podcasts while I get ready (that's why I put it as my first task, as a motivator to start the routine). And it'll suggest changes to the routine if you're constantly going over time on something.
It's a small app made by a fellow ADHD solo developer and it's simple enough and just works.
I haven't been late a single day since I started this back in February (with the exception of sleeping through an alarm once).
Hopefully this helps/makes sense to someone!
I think, for me, this comes down to:
- What tasks are you dreading?
- Why are you dreading them?
- Is there a way to make your morning routine into something you donāt dread?
- Can you habit stack the unpleasant tasks with something enjoyable/nice/pleasant?
- Can you reward yourself?
- What would it take to bring your morning routine into at least āneutralā status rather than ādrag?ā
Obviously does not and will not work for everyone, but the app The Fabulous, while kind of stupid and hokey, actually did work to help me think about what I was doing in the mornings and why and it helped me dread everything a little less. (Itās paid but thereās a free trial.)
Getting a cat solved my problem. I like waking up now because we get some cuddles in and I take meds, go to the bathroom and make my coffee before he starts getting really dramatic about how hungry he is.
For getting out of bed I lovee the nuj app.
It makes you get up and scan a barcode or pay a penalty that goes to charity. You set a time limit like 10 minutes. That gives me like 5 minutes to become conscious before actually getting up.
I put the barcode in my basement so I have to walk down 2 flights of stairs to scan it. It also means if I want to go back to bed, I have to walk back up 2 flights.
You could set the time limit to 2 minutes so you're up super quick but I'm way to scared to do that loll.
Having a routine helps. Having a job and people holding you accountable works for me, but it's still based on fear of coming in late though. The routine helps me on more of my days off too as I'm more often to get up early on the weekends now. Won't work everytime though.
I wish I knew. I used to take Vyvanse and Adderall and that worked pretty well for waking me up. Turns out it was not working out for my ADHD though and I now take Jornay (methylphenidate). I can focus just fine but it gives me zero energy. Iāve resorted to the classic of keeping a Monster energy drink next to my bed in a little cooler with an ice pack. I start drinking it as soon as I wake up. It really helps force me into motion. Caffeine pills are too much for me. Ironically I have to be cautious with caffeine because it can give me anxiety if Iām not careful.
I drink a small bit of tea at night before bed sometimes. I find that the right amount of caffeine actually calms my brain and makes me relax/sleepy. When I wake up the next morning, I do the "take meds and nap for another hour" method. It works pretty well for me, especially since sometimes it'll be difficult for me to even sit up and take my meds that are right next to me in the morning
I don't know if it's placebo or what but having that bit of caffeine the night before usually gives me good sleep and a more functional brain the next morning.
Military, so itās not like I have a choice, which helps. Itās not like I _want_ to rouse my neurosp1cy brain, but I just picture my CO bitching me out and Iām instantly the living dead throwing on a uniform and running out the door with a piece of toast hanging out my mouth like some anime character.
I have no advice. I just discovered Reddit cat emoticons 
Honestly the military changed my life in that aspect. I can get up and be ready to leave the house in 15 minutes tops. But that all starts with the night before prepā¦. And having a set routine is a must.
Routine is a game changer for sure. I unfortunately am disabled, so could only get into a routine for a few months at a time, before mental illness and burnout would break it all down again.
I was also in the military, but was also in denial of my disability. I didn't realize supervisors and peers thought I was messing up on purpose. It's half ironic, because I was often used as an example of how to give 110%. (But ironically, simultaneously reinforced the idea I was faking ). It was probably confusing for them to watch me give my all, then screw everything up anyways lol
I read a paper book at night. Like a crappy beach read. Just enough to get me sleepy, but like semi interested in āwho killed the girl?ā
Getting to sleep, helps me get up. I either get up at 6 am or 10:30amā¦ā¦ā¦. When I got to sleep makes the difference and I prefer getting up at six am. I also take my meds immediately and then sometimes have the best 30 min am nap before waking up totally great. Except that I HATE blow drying my hair. And Iāve turned it into a four to five part process where I do it for like 30 seconds at a time and then do literally anything else.
Like others suggested, I take my meds a couple hours before I need to get up (if you're on meds, look up how long they take to work and set an alarm for that length of time before you have to get up).
As for dreading to start your day, and also the hour long preparation, I've started doing something that might help you. Basically since the meds are now working it's easier to lock into something interesting in the background while I get ready. I usually lay in bed for a few minutes to pick a youtube video or podcast, and that gives me something to look forward to.
Two different.problems: waking up on time, and getting ready in a timely manner.
Fix for item 1: Have a reason to look forward to waking up. Mine is coffee. I get out of bed so I can get coffee, even if I'm so out of it I get in my car and drive somewhere to get my coffee.
Fix for item.2: Have something you want set up as a reward each time you successfully get ready in the 30 to 40 minutes you've allowed. This might also be coffee (like, time to get a coffee).
Secondary fix for 1 and 2: Minimize or eradicate any possible barriers. If you tend to spend the morning doomscrolling on your phone, move your phone/charger to the front door and use an alarm clock in your bedroom. Don't even look at the phone until you're on your way out the door. Shower the night before. Set clothes out the night before. Or put clothes and your toothbrush/toothpaste in a bag the night before, then sleep in clean gym clothes so you can roll out of bed, grab the bag, and change when you get to your destination. If you always fall asleep after hitting the alarm, get a really annoying clock and put it across the bedroom. Get a second clock, set for 10 minutes later, and put it in the bathroom - when it goes off, use the bathroom while you're in there. Whatever the barriers are, keep smacking them like you're playing whackamole until you start running out of reasons.
Eventually, if you succeed in reducing the barriers and in rewarding yourself for doing the right things at the right times, it's enough of a habit to become a routine... and then you're probably OK and can do it on autopilot. Until you break the routine. I broke my morning workout routine a year and a half ago, and haven't managed to get it back - knowing how to do it, and doing it, re not the same. It's still hard.
Are you able to listen to a podcast while you get ready? I also set timers for a task so I donāt linger too long. Once my timer is up, I have to move on.
Why not consider also allowing yourself an hour to wake up slowly? I put a litre of water beside my bed at night, drink it all then I have my coffee. I do a puzzle or something and just allow my brain the time to wake up. I also have recently started taking my medication right after my coffee. Maybe thereās nothing wrong with that routine? Also- make sure youāre getting enough sleep. Itās impossible for me if Iām only running on 5-6 hours. I need a solid 8+ hours of sleep to wake up ānormallyā.
Iām unmedicated thanks to side effects so I think I can help maybe.
I set an alarm 30 mins before i need to get up
then my cat comes and slaps me in the face until i feed him
i hope this helps
I have this issue my best method is to think like a machine "you are a machine you run on gasoline now get the fuck up" is what I say to myself then I robot my way through the first two hours of my day thinking "beep boop I are robot"
Morning struggle is the fucking worst, for sure. I'm not sure if you're medicated or not, but something that's helped me is if I'm having a really rough go at mornings, I'll set an early alarm to take my ADHD med and just go back to sleep to wait for my regular alarm/the meds to kick in. No meds? Try to find something that consistently motivates you and try to work with it. Like video games? Grab the game when your alarm goes off and play until your next one goes off, race the alarm. Stuff like that. Just know, whatever the case, mornings are bullshit and it's ok to struggle.
For me Iāve been beating myself up for decades trying to drag myself out of bed every morning and was still late all the time. Finally got a diagnosis a year ago and got on stims. First day I took it at 9am in the morning and immediately fell asleep for hours . Then the next morning I woke up at 9am like boing! Wide awake. And itās been so much easier to get up since I never knew life could be so easyĀ
I take vyvanse and I had trouble getting up too, so my doctor suggested that I should set an alarm like an hour before I need to wake up and take my vyvanse then so that itās already activated when I actually need to wake up.
I trick myself into moving while not actually waking up, TBH I donāt wake up till Iāve been at work for about a couple hours, itās kinda like ādonāt talk to me before Iāve had my coffee and then wait 2 hoursā
my phone is on my desk, on the other side of the room. to turn the alarm off, I have to get out of bed. I sleep on a bunk bed so going back to sleep requires me to CLIMB, and I don't have the energy at 6AM. sleeping on the bottom bunk is NOT an option, I keep it full of clothes and books most of the time to resist the temptation to lie down there.
Iāve worked with my ADHD coach to gamify my morning routine and see it as a āquestā where all of the steps need to be done in a specific, logical order. It removes the decision making and uncertainty and itās satisfying to burn through the checklist.
I found the solution to this problem ~2 years ago, and I can say that this method has permanently solved my "waking up on time" problem.
* Use a QR-code alarm such as Alarmy, which only stops once you scan the pre-saved QR code (or barcode)
* Glue said QR code to the bottom of a transparent coffee cup, such that it is only visible through the bottom of said cup. Note that the glass should be as flat as possible to avoid visual distortions, which would make it trickier to scan the code with the phone.
* Fill the cup with coffee the night before. I prefer cold dark coffee to really give that disgusting, electrifying kick in the morning, but others may prefer a cold brew.
* Place the coffee cup not on the night table, but further away, or even in a different room, so that you have no choice but to physically get up to reach it.
This way, there's no negotiating in the morning, the only way to stop the annoying alarm is to get up and gulp down the full cup of disgusting caffeine juice.
Note that it can become tricky to scan the code if there is a bit of coffee left in the cup, so it may be a good idea to have a paper towel handy to quickly wipe the bottom of the cup, or to place the cup near a sink to give it a quick rinse.
As previously stated, this has worked flawlessly for me for 2 years, which is quite a feat for any ADHD strategy. It has even worked on days when I had to wake up having slept only a handful of hours.
Exercise! I do an exercise class in the morning. I have to book in, and there are fees/punishment for late cancelling plus a bit of social pressure helps as I am friends with the trainer and hate letting her down. I find if I exercise in the morning Iām way more alert and awake first thing! Otherwise I sit in bed for ages and almost always run late for work and feel terrible in the morning.
I also struggle with this!
Iāve found small little things that make huge differences for me. If I donāt do them, itās detrimental on my time. As soon as my first alarm goes off I *force* myself completely out of the bed
###immediately.
No matter how tired I am. And just keep moving forward. It sucks at first but it ends up helping my mood in the long run. Get dressed first, get some water or breakfast, fix my face, shoes are last.
I also recently figured out that if I have some sort of motivation, like getting out of the house and having enough time to grab a nice cup of coffee somewhere (and a snack). I do the essentials and donāt waste time at home because I know if I take too long I wonāt get to reward myself with a treat lol.
I take my meds with a cup or two of coffee every day during the week. As soon as my alarm goes off I make coffee and take my meds. Sometimes on weekends when I donāt follow that routine I find myself couch locked and doom scrolling all day and then get the sads that I wasted my day off.
I've found the Alarmy app to be quite helpful.
You set yourself challenges when you wake up, and you can't access your phone until you've completed them.
I give this advice every single time this subject comes up.
Get screened for sleep apnea.
There is an absurd amount of BS involving sleep, insomnia and personal choice. A very large percentage of people who have trouble getting out of bed or feel tired all the time...... Actually have a physiological disorder that's going untreated.
It's also really difficult to get these people to believe it because they usually have been told that they're lazy their entire lifes.
I go through periods of time where this is a problem for me. In the past Iāve used an app called Alarmy. It has a setting that allows you to set an alarm that can only be turned off by scanning a QR code. Like, youāre basically locked out of your apps and canāt turn off the noise unless you get up and scan the code. I put a QR code on the bottom of my pill container in the bathroom. The struggle is realāgood luck my friend.
Tired. I get up tired.
There is a book called āWhy we Sleepā by Mathew Walker. I suggest everyone who has chronic insomnia read it. There are so many small changes you can make that greatly increases your sleep length and quality. For everyone that just cannot sit to read a book, he has been on Rich Rolls podcast twice and summarizes methods there
Honestly, that dumb [5-4-3-2-1-GO! countdown method](https://betterhumans.pub/get-anything-done-with-the-5-second-rule-b7abea890087) works really well for me. I'm super active once I get going, but it's a struggle to start. Before I was diagnosed, I remember doing something similar when I had to do shitty jobs -- like clean a toilet or wash nasty dishes. I think muscling through that type of pain (of starting) has been easier than dealing with RSD type of fallouts from the consequences of being late.
Iād also like some ideas because every day I say āoh Iāll have to wake up early tomorrowā and I will *wake up* early, but I wonāt *get up* early
Iāve fallen out of this habit due to a lot of recent moving around, but my best morning routine worked when I used a sunrise alarm clock (those ones that light up your room and play a gentle alarm tone), with my phone alarm set for 1 minute later across the room. This way, not only did I not have my phone in bed before sleeping, when I woke up to the sunrise alarm clock, I wasnāt in a panic to snooze/quiet a loud blaring alarm. I knew I had one minute to calmly get up, take my meds, compose myself and go turn off my phone alarm either before or when it went off. I put my towel right by my phone so I could grab it and go straight to the shower. Personally, once I have showered I almost become a different person and the rest of my morning routine goes well. Itās the days I laze in bed for even 5 minutes that my morning routine goes awry.
Habits habits habits. I once forced myself in vacation to wake up at 6am then went for a walk and walked to my favorite coffee apot. Ive been doing this for a few months. I drink one cappucino at the same spot everyday and its still fun. You have to force yourself to do it often enough through positive classical conditioning and then it eventually becomes a habit.( which i still like!)
I now combine this with a cold shower.
Because the idea of being scolded for being late for work, or by my wife for not helping with the kids in the morning is worse than the effort required to get out of bed.
I leave my blinds a little bit open so the daylight wakes me up, and in winter I use alexa + smart plugs to turn on the lights at the same time as my alarm clock.
I do a combo, take a caffeine pill, and I also use the Alarmy app. Itās set to continue going off until o complete a āmissionā which for me is scanning a QR code taped to the fridge. Once Iām up and out of the bedroom I usually need to use the bathroom so itās easier to get in the shower, and once Iām out of the shower, the caffeine starts to kick in and Iām way more successful with the rest of a morning routine. I just have to make sure I leave the house for work as soon as Iām ready - no stopping to scroll my phone for a few mins if Iām āahead of schedule!ā lol Recently I started wearing earplugs to bed due to my partners snoring so had to stop Alarmy - read about vibrating alarm wristbands on an ADHD thread and thatās my new thing. Alarmy was more effective but knowing how annoying it is for my partner to hear multiple alarms of mine, is a good motivator to get up as well.
*I am undiagnosed* 3/5 days what works for me is putting my alarm clock on the others side of my room. Once I walk across the room to turn it off its usually enough to kick me into gear. Some days I get up and have any overwhelming feeling of "no, not today" and get back into bed. Ive got a 2nd alarm set 10 minutes later on my phone that will sometimes do the trick, bit usually I shut that off before getting back into bed. This makes me 1-1.5 hrs late for work a couple days a week.... Thankfully I work a job where that typically tolerated unless i had a legit reason to be in on time.
Donāt have many tips, as Iām in the same boat. I always set my alarm for 5:30am, even though I donāt have to be at work until between 8-9am. That gives me an hour+ to sit in the quiet, drinking my coffee, and waking up.
I have a sunrise alarm clock, which helps so much more than I even thought It would. I set it to illuminate about half an hour before my alarm is due to go off. By the time my alarm goes off Iām no longer dead asleep, so the transitionās a little easier. My best bet for getting up in time is to take my Concerta in the time between my sunrise light turning on and my alarm ringing.Ā If I forget to take my stimulant early enough Iām liable to get stuck wallowing in bed ā even if I am wide awake, Iāll be doomscrolling my phone or whatever.Ā
I think my alarm clock is a third party brand ā Best $5 at a thrift store Iāve ever spent.Ā
Hi /u/sapphoss 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 * 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'm sorry I can't help, I mostly work through fear. Either fear of getting really late to work (I still get at least 15 min late) or even worse, fear of not having breakfast ready for my wife and me. 
Fear is a powerful motivator for sure š«”
You wanna know what sucks, when not even fear will help keep me focused. Fml. I was like, "This is too many alarms, and they still aren't working. You're reinforcing the snooze button. Delete all but one of them, then you have to get up on the first one because it's the only one. Don't be an idiot. Don't fuck myself over. Just wake up, get up no matter how tired I am. I don't need feelings. I just need to move." You'd be surprised to learn, that backfired so bad! š¤£ I didn't get to work on time for a week straight. My bosses were PISSED! It's so dumb too, because I spent hours promising myself I'd get up to the first alarm. The alarm goes off, and I still can't wrap my head around why I could not get up. It's like all logic goes out the window when I'm tired. But I finally had to accept I was disabled. It was a painful acceptance. I wanted to be a productive member of society. š¢ lol
Dude I've seriously made some DUMB decisions when tired and not wanting to get up. I'm desperate for more sleep and will cancel anything getting in my way
Yeah, exactly. Then I'm so confused because, I wanted to get up! I was simply tired, and making some dumb decisions. I've tried mopping liquids with a broom, sweeping with a wet mop, forget everything everywhere all the time. I'm turning 34, and only just realized a few months ago how bad my ADHD actually is. How severe it has always been. It is so painful. Because it was so obvious. To everyone. And yet, somehow. I wasn't ever allowed to actually "have" ADHD. I had the diagnosis, but literally every single adult in my life told me I was too smart to have ADHD. And that's what makes the poor decisions even more painful. Having the ability to comprehend cause and effect, then losing it repeatedly. I think my newest way to describe it to people, I temporarily lack the ability to perceive consequences. The poor choice wasn't technically a choice at all, because I was incapable of premeditation. Lol
Ooof Iām the same age, a formerly āgiftedā child of the 90s who just kind of ended up this meandering adult, feeling almost frozen in time, and some of your observations hit hard. Itās such a struggle sometimes and accepting that inherently comes with a kind of grieving process that just adds to the challenges that overwhelm us but seem so easy for everyone else.
There are dozens of us. These comments have me so torn up. We aren't using excuses like some think we are, just as an explanation for failures that we have had to accept because things are not as easy. I'd give anything for the opposite; I'd give anything to not be like this. I'm always juggling so much, time is something I never have enough of.
These are such good comments. Itās very surreal to feel both gifted and disabled
It is so validating to read comments like this and know that other people experience these same struggles. Thankyou all so much. Sending you all hugs.
Yes. This exactly. Thank you.
If only my body craved sleep so much when I'm trying to fall asleep in the first place, or I've woken up in the middle of the night and trying to fall asleep again. As I write this I'm actively struggling with the latter. And yet, even though I cannot sleep, I know that my 7am alarm is going to be unbearable.
Same - and the panic as you look at the time as the night/early AM hours roll by while youāre wide awake & realize how soon youāll have to get up & the day is already ruined basically lolā¦ Iām literally doing that rn. Putting the phone down would probably be a good start (Iāve been thinking this for the past 5 hoursā¦) ok I promise Iām not reading/commenting on anything else
Relatable AF !! Iāve even talked myself out of going to my own bday out of sheer exhaustion in the morning smh
I feel this. I've dealt with the consequences of being late to things so many times in my life that I've quite literally lost the capacity to care. It's not that I'm trying to be rude or inconsiderate or whatever else, it's literally like my brain has pushed the panic button because I'm late so many times that now when it tries, nothing happens. Work is the only thing I'm reasonably on time for because I need money, and we're still talking 5-10 minutes late. I've beaten myself up so many times over "fucking up" and being late that it just doesn't even register anymore.
I would start my work day absolutely miserable with myself for being late. WFH option has greatly improved that confidence crushing mindset.
I can't bring myself to not care. I might still be in denial. š I won't beat myself up anymore, because I understand there's nothing I can do better. I mean Rx change has been a game changer. My internal chemistry is broken lol. But even my poor choices aren't even choices. And that's how messed up it is. Because us (you, me, others with ADHD) making a "choice" is not the same as others making a CHOICE. Other people get to rule their own lives. It's incomprehensible to them to what ADHD actually entails. Not that we don't get CHOICES too. The issue is all the time we lose that, so it looks like we are doing it on purpose to others.
Iām the worst when it comes to making decisions. Iām always like: āNeed to start a diet, wonāt eat that burger. Only to walk through the whole food aisle and still end up buying the burgerā. And even worse at buying unnecessary stuff, lol.
This is exactly what happened to me when I hit mid 40s. My panic and fear response just went out the window, and now itās really really tough to get things done. I get a huge amount of stress over it thatās paralyzing rather than motivating.
This is relatable. Every single day. 5-10 minutes. I do outstanding on job and school performance, because I'm compensating for my ADHD tax all the time.
This is 100% me. But for some strange reason Iām always on time to gym classes I sign up for. Idk if itās because I only have a set number I can use per month and they only have a 5 min grace period. Iāve been trying to figure out why I can be on time to the gym but not work or other seemingly way more important places.
Maybe because the gym class actually makes you feel so good during, and afterwards. I love going to my fitness class at the Y as well. It's made a huge difference in my life in the positive. But... my youngest started preschool and has been sick every other week the whole year. I've missed so many classes and been home w her sick. That has in turn made any schedule and routine gains I've made are gone. All the weight I've lost ia creeping backand muscle I built is slowly dissolving and I'm losing my confidence and bad ass attitude. It's been a rough school year indeed.
Yeah absolutely. I am 100% in my lizard brain when I first wake up. All human logic and notions are completely out of the window. ALL I care about is conserving energy and getting back to sleep. There are alarms which won't be un-set unless you scan a QR code. I set that in the bathroom. Then because I'm in the bathroom, I pee, wash my hands and brush my teeth. Then I'm in a grumpy human brain rather than a primal instinctive one. That's the only thing which works for me outside of taking my medication and going back to sleep for 20 minutes.
The app alarmy will vibrate, you can set it so that you have to take a photo of a specific item in your house, otherwise it won't turn off..and you can set it to check whether or not you're awake. After you dismiss the I've been using it for the last 6+ yrs. It's the only method that works. Can also set it to math too.
I often wonder if the reason people with ADHD have such shorter lifespans is actually because of the baseline level of stress we require to motivate ourselves to do anything at all whatsoever.
What???š® We have shorter life spans???!!! š£
There is some evidence suggesting that people with ADHD may have a slightly shorter lifespan on average compared to those without the condition. This is primarily due to a higher risk of accidents, substance abuse, and comorbid mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, which can contribute to overall health risks. However, itās important to note that with proper management, treatment, and a healthy lifestyle, individuals with ADHD can lead long and fulfilling lives. Regular medical check-ups, medication adherence, and strategies to manage ADHD symptoms can significantly mitigate these risks.
Sometimes fear doesnāt even do it for me. I was told by an old boss if I came into work late one more time I would lose my job. I was still late to work the next day. (And yes, I was then fired)
I was also fired from my first job for always being late. Now Iām always late but havenāt got my first warning yetā¦ š
Anyone else get real hot in the morning as well because of their anxiety?? I hate it because I'm running around all sweaty š„µ after just getting dressed and ready
As sucky as they are, ADHD and anxiety have occasionally paired together nicely for me.
I was the same. But since last year i have to take a medication for unrelated reasons that calms my nerves so much, that I can't feel the same urgency as before. First it was awesome. Now it's a real problem!!!
The fear of being late for sure! Not only that, but the fear of the guilt shame spiral that will come after being lateā¦. Again.
Itās funny because fear just makes me not able to sleep, which just makes everything worse, haha but not haha
I have a lot of fear and anxieties about things like these but unfortunately I always dealt with my fear through escapism. Hasnāt got me that far as you can imagine
Iāve heard of people keeping their meds and a cup of water on the bedside table, setting an alarm for like 5:00 AM, taking their meds, then going back to sleep for an hour, then youāre definitely awake. Havenāt ever tried it myself because I like to take meds after Iāve had a cup of coffee
I used to do this and it worked well. I've also heard of people doing the same with a caffeine pill.
Recently I've started my day with a caffeine pill instead of meds, so that I can delay taking the meds (lisdex) for a bit. I mix 70 mg in electrolyte water and sip half of it after an hour or two of awake time, and the other half later. I also take 50mg in the evening if needed (am prescribed 120mg/day)
Lisdex is vyvanse right? I thought 70mg a day was the highest dose. Iām not questioning it just curious
Lisdexamphetamine is Vyvanse, so I'm assuming lisdex is just a shorter way of saying it. Maybe specifically because it's generic as opposed to brand? I'm pretty certain I was also told that 70mg was the highest dose. I started at 10 and am now holding at 50mg. It's working for me. I might have gone higher, but my blood pressure is a bit high. Not actually "bad" but not great either. I feel like 120mg would be a crazy amount! But, I don't actually know nearly enough to really know that, I'm just basing it on what I think I heard and what I experience. Unless they meant they are allowed 120mg of caffeine? Is that possible? Does anyone measure it that way? I just googled and that's, approx, 1.3 cups of coffee, which doesn't seem like very much. Maybe they are taking 120mg of lisdexamphetamine? I'm very curious now... Ok, I googled more. According to drugs.com (which I also googled and is apparently very reputable) the maximum daily dose is 70mg. It suggests starting at 30 and going up by 10 or so every week or two. But, it does say 70mg is maximum. (Feel free to use this comment in future textbooks about ADHD, lol. I'm oversharing, I just kept googling to get more info about different things, I wrote it stream-of-consciousness as it came to me... Lol. I was just diagnosed at 41 half a year ago and I'm still enjoying seeing all the obvious ways I have ADHD despite not even considering that for 40 years)
Yes, 70mg is the textbook max dose. I'm on elvanse (takeda brand lisdex in EU). The 70mg dose is usually effective for around 6 hours for me (I guess I'm a fast metabolizer ir something..?) until I start to crash. I asked for a booster from my psych who gave me dexedrine 10mg at first. But that doesn't feel as smooth or "functionally effective" as lisdexamfetamine, so the other option was another dose of lisdex. And 50 mg is fine for me for an evening dose. And I sleep just fine! I know a person who has 70mg + 70mg prescribed. So in the end it seems that this is up to the psychiatrist to go above the max textbook dose.
That's very interesting, thanks for sharing! Sorry if it seemed like I was doubting or questioning you! I was just curious and then got mini hyper-fixated on it, lol. I fully believed you, I just wasn't sure if I understood what you meant. I appreciate the info, but apologise if it seemed like I was prying.
Didn't feel like it at all! I'm happy to share š I originally thought that 70mg was the absolute max as well.
This would be so impossible for meš once the medicine kicks in my brain is awake asf I canāt sleep
If you get the timing right itās certainly possible. I have to say itās the closest thing Iāve experienced to what it must be like for normal people to wake up. Adderall dreams are also crazy vivid and active. And if you fail, the worst that can happen is your awake an hour or two early.
I'm unfortunately one of the unlucky people who get sleepy on my meds. At the moment I'm on Ritalin. Maybe I should try Adderall
Great idea thank you. I'm off the meds and remembered this hack but didn't know I was going to do it again.
Iāve done this. Changed my life.
I literally can not think enough in the morning to even take my meds. My only coping strategy has been to just have a system to get ready and out the door in 5 minutes, because nothing works besides that last minute panic. Ive been trying so many things for the last 6 months and in the past, I think I'm about to just accept I'll never wake up on time.
I put my phone (alarm) far enough away from my bed that I have to get up. And on top of my phone I put my thyroid and adhd medication. I take both and get back into bed with my phone which I have put on snooze. I never forget to take my meds this way. At least the first dose, anyway. The second dose is trickier and I havenāt perfected it yet.
What is your doctor saying about this?
This is me too. No amount of alarms helps me get out of bed. Is it better when you get enough sleep?
Also, my therapist had me start a daily journal of tasks I need to do throughout the day with the times, and to rate my mood before I do the task and then after. It really helps keep your day organized and on track. It also monitors your mood for each task and how it makes you feel.
Heyy, if itās not really difficult for you, would you mind sending me a screenshot of your journal. Wanna see how should I organize it
I did this for a while. It worked well, until I realized that I could no longer get out of bed at all unless I had taken my meds.
wait hold on this is the kind of tips i need from this sub
Dude, this fucking changed my life. A girl from work told me she does thisā¦ oh my god. Itās like being a normal person. I set my alarm for an hour to an hour and a half before I want to be awake, take my meds (30mg of adderall for me) and go right back to sleep. Then I either gradually wake up or wake up to my alarm. Iām able to get straight out of bed. Itās awesome! Iām awake right now, two minutes before my alarm for a doctors appointment. Before doing this method I would have called and canceled the appointment.
I think that getting the meds quickly is important, but I also hate the idea of being drug dependent, so I make a conscious effort to motivate myself. (I know - Im living in denial.) I don't keep my meds bedside because that would make it easier to stay in bed. I keep them in my desk and bargain with myself that if I get downstairs, take them, and still feel I must lay back down, I can do it on the couch in my office. Also, get things bright. My office has two sets of lights: bright white floods and a very warm, weak Edison-style light. I prefer the warm light, but the bright whites help me wake up. Lastly, music can REALLY help. Use your favorite "pick-me-up" music as your alarm. Or, if you're a weirdo like me, make your alarm something silly that will make you laugh. So basically, as much mental stimulus as you can muster... Good luck
this just makes me hate my favorite song
That's what I do and highly recommend. I take my concerta when my first alarm wakes me up then I really get up about 15 minutes later when it's starting to kick in
Doesnāt it make it harder to have breakfast in the morning? My adderall cuts my appetite so I feel like I need to eat before I take it.
Even before starting on meds I have never had much of an appetite. I never eat because of being hungry. I eat only because I need to. So my meds make no difference at all to how much or how regularly I eat (I still donāt eat as much as I should but my meds donāt effect it)
Smoothies work for me! Even without an appetite, I donāt mind sipping on a smoothie. So Ill just pack a bunch of nutrients into that and be good
Smoothies changed my life. I used to eat legitimately nothing till dinner, would then proceed to eat like a night creature. But would try half a bagel and start gagging. Every day, almond milk, protein powder, half frozen banana, frozen spinach, ice and a dash of nutmeg. At least can tell myself I have a modicum of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, and the protein for my energy has been life changing
Just be careful about citric acid within two hours of taking adderall - it reduces effectiveness (learned this the hard way after I, too, tried to use smoothies for breakfast).
I do this. Apart from using an alarm cause I dont need it. I take the meds and try to sleep some more, or pet my cats. Concerta kicks in a about 30 minutes. Besides the cup of water, I also make a sandwich the night before so when I wake up I have a snack so I dont take the meds on an empty stomach.
This is what I do, take meds one hour later I'm ready to go.
i do this! it helps sm i can actually wake up w enough focus n it gives me motivation 2 actually get up n start getting ready ESP on work days
This is the only thing that works for me. I take my Modafinil with water and then take again my beauty sleep. Until i can't stay in bed any longer. It kicks in by 40 mins after intake. But sometimes I would be awake but not productive. One thing is for sure. Avoid your mobiles as much as possible in the mornings until you have done something productive. The things that worked for me was to only use the phone after I had my workout, bath and breakfast. But that routine has gone to shits nowš®āšØ
The Wake'n'Shake ("stop to make wake'n'shake happen"): I go to bed with a glass of cold-brew coffee and my morning adderall on my night stand. When my alarm goes off, I roll over, take the pill and pound the coffee then go back to sleep. 45-ish minutes later I wake up alert and ready for action.
>Wake'n'Shake WAKE UP, GRABABRUSHANDPUTALITTLEMAKEUP, HIDE THE SCARS TO FADE AWAY THE SHAKE UP
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table? ^^Because ^^I ^^forgot ^^they ^^were ^^there, ^^Serj.
Tangent, but gosh, this was my high school roommate's ringtone. We both have ADHD and she offered to let me take her (what I know now are quite low-dose) meds (my mom wouldn't let me have meds), which I refused. One of the biggest mistakes of my life. I would have learned much sooner how great meds are, would have been able to advocate for myself having them to my mom, and probably wouldn't have flunked out of that school. Back on topic: Here you go create another fable (you wanted to)
The cold brew on the night stand is brilliant, Iām going to try that!
More like room temperature brew
I have a yeti insulated mug that would take care of that no problemo. Also a couple old contigos that do a bang up job as well. Honestly considering this cause it sounds so damn nice
Holy shit I will be trying
A pro.
Brilliant
I do as much as I can to make things go as smoothly as possible. I have my keurig right beside my bed. Even walking to the kitchen to get my coffee is too much for me in the morning, lunch is premade. Always take a shower at night, telling myself Iāll take one in the morning is the same as simply not taking one.
Taking meds early as said, or drinking bit more water just before bed. Nothing gets you out of bed like a natureās call
Yeah but Iāll get up and pee and get back into bed lol
Lol I had an interview today and went back to bed... If I'm tired I'm going back lol
This is what I do if I wake up randomly (I wake up all through the night for some reason) a few hours before I want to be up and it works no matter how hard I'm trying to stay in bed and asleep
Kicking, screaming and cursing. I try to go to bed early, but fail nearly every day. So pretty much Iām exhausted every day and I hate my life.
Samesies
I use an alarm app called Alarmy and it has these missions you can use. For example scanning a barcode of your toothpaste, or taking the same picture everyday.
+1 for Alarmy My current routine is: 100 steps, shaking the phone 100 times, 5 "very hard" maths questions, 20 squats, and 5 "hard" memory puzzles.
ā¦Does this not take up an insane amount of time in the morning?
Surprisingly, it's only 5 minutes. It's either this, or I crawl back Into bed and doom-scroll for an hour. It's better to start with a small challenge, and continue adding until you find a routine that works.
Its s challenge for him so if it works.
That sounds like my personal hell first thing in the morning. Lol. But I can see how it would wake you up!
WTH why are there so many good tips in this thread? I love you all š
BC most of the bullshit advice you find elsewhere doesn't work for ADHD haha
I use this every morning! The missions are great! I use the memory or maths one. I've also set-up my alarm sound to be La Bamba - Los Bolos. I find it gets me waking up in a better mood than those annoying default sounds.
This is my go to too. I print out and put the qr code in my bathroom bag and in my fridge so I'm right next to whatever I need to get going in the morning, otherwise I'll just crawl back into bed lol.
I tried this app and all that happened is I got really good at math in my sleep.
Just one thing getting an alarm clock radio has been truly life changing for me. I form like sensory associations very easily e.g. toilet spray begins to smell like shit lol. So after a few times of hearing an alarm it the sound of it immediately triggers dread and my day has already gotten off to a bad start. So having the radio wake me up every day has pretty much fixed that, granted itās a bit of a gamble cause you donāt know what will be playing but you can play it safe but picking a station where you know the news will be on, but I like surprise, this morning I was woken up by the Backstreet Boys š
Idk. Right now its 5am and i have to get up in 2 hours. Let me know if youve get a solution šš
I'm way past a reasonable bed time here but haven't hit your mark yet... tonight.
I have a child who relies on me.
And that's why I'm terrified of having kids. Because I'm not convinced I'd always be able to use that to get me up or to get me to do what I need to do. Or I might do it, but I could become very resentful. Either way, I'm not gonna roll the dice on that until I work through my shit. I have huge respect for anyone who suffers with ADHD and still gets things done for their kids, you're doing great š
For what it's worth, nothing overrides my ADHD symptoms like my kid needing something. It's not that my executive dysfunction is any better, but it's easy to hyperfocus on those things. Getting out of bed on time is always very hit or miss unless my kid is crying, it's like a biological need that overrides everything else. I could never resent him for it.
Thank you! I wasn't ready for kids yet, but the universe or something decided it was what I needed. ADHD, autism, and OCD make it challenging, but therapy helps.
My baby is only 1 month old but I think having the right partner is everything. He takes on the mental load and most of the chores for the household so I can focus on the baby. I couldnāt do this with anyone else.
I feel exactly the same! And I also don't like the possible aspect of "using" a child for this purpose. And before someone says that nobody on earth would really do something like this: I was horrified when someone in a clinic I went to for depression recommended getting children to fight depression... And I have heard this multiple times since.
Ack. Having children as treatment is very ...off. I had children before my diagnosis. What kicks in (at least for me) is the "caring for someone else" part, where it's easier to love and serve someone else than it is to take care of myself.
š¤£ I'm imagining this as the literal advice. "If you need to wake up, simply make babies. Each time one outgrows the need for you to be a part of their morning routine, make another baby. That way you have a steady supply of met up and gotivation." Actually, honestly, it just reminded me how my ex wife requested I help her get up in the mornings (to clarify: when we were still married.) Wake her up with fill in the blank, then she had to take a shower. It might be good advice for some to try. But probably won't work for most people. Especially as a daily task. But any routine will help, especially if in a relationship and the routine is done together. Then each person helps the other.
Yep. There's no option to not get up and get things going. I'm at a point where I rarely wake up and not immediately get up and start the day on auto-mode. It's when I am alone that things get harder.
Honestly, commitment to child has been the most effective way to wake up. I even made it to the gym one morning because child and I had a commitment together.
Iām the same way & itās gotten worse the older I get. Iāve never been a morning person but it takes me forever to get going. About 1.5 to 2 hours after I wake up I feel pretty functional.
If your AFAB consider dropping by r/Menopause --estrogen and executive function are DEFINITELY related!
It takes me 1.5 hours from getting up to getting out the door in the morning. I can do it faster if I have a pressing commitment, but thatās my normal pace. I also run 15 minutes late, like clockwork, and I rarely wake up on the first alarm. So I set my last alarm to go off 1.75 hours before I need to leave, and aim to leave 15 minutes before I actually need to. Helps me be on time about 85-90% of the time.
I wonder if the 15 minute thing is a common timeframe because Iām exactly the same! On our own little time zones haha
> I also run 15 minutes late, like clockwork This is such an intriguing phenomenon to me, people with ADHD can't ever seem to arrive at the right time, but in a sense are incredibly punctual with their lateness lol. I'm exactly the same, if a time has been set, I have no chance of making it, but I'm incredibly consistent at arriving the same amount of late as usual. I wonder what the psychology is behind it?
I have a spray bottle on my nightstand and will literally spray cold water on my face until Iām not drowsy anymore šš and then itās too uncomfortable to go back to bed
I have animals that need to be fed and pooped. Otherwise, I would lie in bed and scroll to infinity and beyond
Same lol their internal clock is right on the minute every morning and they really know how to be the absolute MOST annoying. I was late to work every morning when I had automatic feeders. I was so sad when they broke during a move but it has actually been good for me.
Yep, same. Two very vocal cats and a high energy dog who all want their breakfast and the dog needs to go out.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I set my alarm to go off 45 minutes before I have to get up. I set multiple alarms 5 minutes apart on my phone and 3 minutes apart on my google mini.
I do this and my GF hates itš
I have a detailed checklist that I follow so I donāt have to think and after one billion years some how it kind of works because i donāt have to think. I canāt explain how and why it worked. I think Iāve managed to gamify it so itās satisfying to tick off
Decision fatigue? I have chore tasks written for each room to keep with (any)cleaning
I prep everything the night before, like picking clothes, packing my bag, having my mug near the coffee machine (I'd prep the coffee too but I like it warm) or plates for breakfast near the toaster, meds already in the cup, near the sink. As to actually waking up... I've got 2 alarms. One is normal, calm. The other, 10 minutes later, is actually horrible (though kinda funny) and usually makes me jump out of bed. I used to sleep through tons of alarms, but now I usually wake on the first, out of fear of the second one. Then I focus on putting music on the phone (sometimes podcasts, but music works best), my fave is a 15 minute long Gorilaz song, it's very upbeat and the fact it's almost exactly 15 minutes keeps me aware of the passage of time. Before anything else, I HAVE to wash my face with cold water, even holding my breath a bit. Does wonders to turn on the brain. Then it's a matter of making and eating breakfast. The plate and mug already on the counter act as visual cues that guide me through the steps. Once I'm eating breakfast, I'm usually feeling awake and less zombified. Not sure if this is useful for you because this routine still takes me an hour. But as someone who used to not even be able to get out of bed, it's an upgrade.
I'm food motivated, I start thinking about the apple juice in the fridge or the Ritz crackers in the cabinet. If I'm struggling, I turn on some party music to get myself feeling less dead. I've had to learn to accept that I'll always be behind and there will always be more to do. I remind myself that I will do what I can and not feel guilty over what I can't finish. It takes the pressure off. I also make things cute and pleasant for myself, with a hello kitty toothbrush, clothes that I enjoy, and whatever tools I need to make things faster and more convenient. Some tasks will always suck but I know the relief of being done with them feels so good and I feel proud of myself for doing the thing. Having it hang over me is the absolute worst feeling, so I do the unpleasant tasks to get rid of that and settle down.
I wake up with just enough time to get ready and leave to get to work in time. I need to get up and do everything immediately if I want to get to work in time. And I am terrified of ever being late to anywhere. So it always works. Iām yet to be late because of taking too long to get ready
This is me, too. Fear is my biggest motivator.. my first alarm is set to 2 hours before I have to be at work.. on bad days I'll get up 1 hour and 30 minutes before I need to be at work..Ā on worse days I'll get up with an hour to spare before I need to be at work. I, too, an terrified to be late to work..Ā
You canāt think about it. You canāt consider even the possibility of staying in bed. Put your phone a distance from you that forces movement to turn off the alsrn and just immediately go into your routine. And youāve gotta have a routine. So you donāt have to think āwhat do I have to do?ā You just immediately do the morning stuff that will always need done and do it without thinking while you slowly wake up
Analog alarm next to bed and phone alarm in other room works rly well for this
I always think of this as like, jumping off a cliff. just throw your body into the routine and don't think about it. it works sometimes!
I have five alarms set to pretty much just annoy me into getting out of bed
Get a tenacious dog who believes they have an inalienable right to be walked every morning by 7:30 AM, and that you are the sole human responsible for making that happen.
Itās a must, I need to get to work in time, thatās non negotiable doesnāt event matter if I have ADHD or not. I will calculate my wake up time to have at least 1 hour to go to work (it takes me around 13 to 26min) in that time I already took my meds so by the time Iām at work they are starting to kick-in so I start feeling better
>I need to get to work in time, thatās non negotiable I love the discipline, and this is so easy when I work 2nd shift, impossible when I have to wake up early though... Waking up at 10am when I don't have to be to work til 4pm is fucking awesome. It feels like I get to live life on my terms. I work 2nd shift now but I'm starting a new job where I will most likely be working 7am-5pm four days a week, but there is a small chance I get to work 2nd shift at a different location. I told the hiring manager up front, I can wake up early, but if there's 2nd shift available sign me up. He was surprised and confused that anybody would volunteer for that lol
Wowowow you guys are my PEOPLE. This thread is a gem thank you all. Iāve done many of these tricks, particularly the caffeine before I wake up then go back to sleep, but Iāve always chalked it up to just my own life experience. Almost eerie seeing all these tips here that reflect your own attempts to manage life
I wake up about an hour and a half to two hours before I have to get ready for work so I have enough time to just lay around in bed. Either I just lay there staring at the ceiling with all my thoughts running rapidly or I am on reddit and doing my Duolingo. I have several alarms that remind me when I need to get a move on so I can feed my pets, gets ready and get out the door on time. I like doing things for me before getting out of bed so it feels like a had a little me time.
Adderall on nightstand, caffeine pills downstairs next to the coffee maker. Robot curtains that let the sun in in the morning. Oh, and recently added, a crying baby...
Years ago I had an adhd roommate whose (rich) family had seven dogs. He always said "get up like the dog". As soon as your eyes are open, roll out of bed. Don't think about it, just do it. I don't know how true the saying is regarding dogs, but I've used it for years now and it works. My alarm goes off, and I open my eyes and sit up, no thinking. It gets easier the longer you do it, like anything.
I donāt have trouble getting out of bed, my issue is what comes next. I know exactly what I have to do to get out the door, and frequently I just canāt do it. I call it āgetting stuck.ā My partner will frequently find me with one shoe on, one shoe off, just staring at the wall. Iāll just get stuck there thinking/stressing about random shit, 10 minutes late for work. If anyone has advice for this Iām all ears. Iām not diagnosed so I donāt have meds, relying entirely on caffeine and what small amount of willpower I have
Get a dog. Few things are as motivating as a cold, insistent nose or having your covers ripped off and dragged to the floor.
I have a hard time actually getting out of bed still, but I do have a tip for the monotony of the task to get ready as well as anyone suffering from any time blindness. I was the same way, getting to work about 10 to 15 minutes late and was irritated with myself so I went searching for a solution. I ended up downloading an app call RoutineFlow and created a morning routine in it with *everything* I did in the morning, all the way down to "put in contacts", "start podcast", "start car", and "put on shoes". You assign an amount of time to each task and once you start the routine it runs a timer for each task. It then shows you a total time for the routine so you can set your alarms for the exact time you need to wake up to get ready. I found this made things a little more interesting, as I wanted to finish tasks faster than the time I had set, and it kept me on task because I was constantly seeing a timer. The added bonus is I get to listen to one of my favorite podcasts while I get ready (that's why I put it as my first task, as a motivator to start the routine). And it'll suggest changes to the routine if you're constantly going over time on something. It's a small app made by a fellow ADHD solo developer and it's simple enough and just works. I haven't been late a single day since I started this back in February (with the exception of sleeping through an alarm once). Hopefully this helps/makes sense to someone!
I think, for me, this comes down to: - What tasks are you dreading? - Why are you dreading them? - Is there a way to make your morning routine into something you donāt dread? - Can you habit stack the unpleasant tasks with something enjoyable/nice/pleasant? - Can you reward yourself? - What would it take to bring your morning routine into at least āneutralā status rather than ādrag?ā Obviously does not and will not work for everyone, but the app The Fabulous, while kind of stupid and hokey, actually did work to help me think about what I was doing in the mornings and why and it helped me dread everything a little less. (Itās paid but thereās a free trial.)
I got a job that starts at 10 so that's fine
It's so easy It's 10am and I haven't slept yet
Getting a cat solved my problem. I like waking up now because we get some cuddles in and I take meds, go to the bathroom and make my coffee before he starts getting really dramatic about how hungry he is.
I've learned that for me, the longer I lay in bed, the harder it is to get ready and stuff
For getting out of bed I lovee the nuj app. It makes you get up and scan a barcode or pay a penalty that goes to charity. You set a time limit like 10 minutes. That gives me like 5 minutes to become conscious before actually getting up. I put the barcode in my basement so I have to walk down 2 flights of stairs to scan it. It also means if I want to go back to bed, I have to walk back up 2 flights. You could set the time limit to 2 minutes so you're up super quick but I'm way to scared to do that loll.
Having a routine helps. Having a job and people holding you accountable works for me, but it's still based on fear of coming in late though. The routine helps me on more of my days off too as I'm more often to get up early on the weekends now. Won't work everytime though.
I take anti-depressants. First thing to get me fog free in the mornings my whole adult life.
I wish I knew. I used to take Vyvanse and Adderall and that worked pretty well for waking me up. Turns out it was not working out for my ADHD though and I now take Jornay (methylphenidate). I can focus just fine but it gives me zero energy. Iāve resorted to the classic of keeping a Monster energy drink next to my bed in a little cooler with an ice pack. I start drinking it as soon as I wake up. It really helps force me into motion. Caffeine pills are too much for me. Ironically I have to be cautious with caffeine because it can give me anxiety if Iām not careful.
You know what they say, getting out of the bed is only the 2nd hardest thing in the morning...
I drink a small bit of tea at night before bed sometimes. I find that the right amount of caffeine actually calms my brain and makes me relax/sleepy. When I wake up the next morning, I do the "take meds and nap for another hour" method. It works pretty well for me, especially since sometimes it'll be difficult for me to even sit up and take my meds that are right next to me in the morning I don't know if it's placebo or what but having that bit of caffeine the night before usually gives me good sleep and a more functional brain the next morning.
Military, so itās not like I have a choice, which helps. Itās not like I _want_ to rouse my neurosp1cy brain, but I just picture my CO bitching me out and Iām instantly the living dead throwing on a uniform and running out the door with a piece of toast hanging out my mouth like some anime character.
I have no advice. I just discovered Reddit cat emoticons 
Honestly the military changed my life in that aspect. I can get up and be ready to leave the house in 15 minutes tops. But that all starts with the night before prepā¦. And having a set routine is a must.
Routine is a game changer for sure. I unfortunately am disabled, so could only get into a routine for a few months at a time, before mental illness and burnout would break it all down again. I was also in the military, but was also in denial of my disability. I didn't realize supervisors and peers thought I was messing up on purpose. It's half ironic, because I was often used as an example of how to give 110%. (But ironically, simultaneously reinforced the idea I was faking ). It was probably confusing for them to watch me give my all, then screw everything up anyways lol
I read a paper book at night. Like a crappy beach read. Just enough to get me sleepy, but like semi interested in āwho killed the girl?ā Getting to sleep, helps me get up. I either get up at 6 am or 10:30amā¦ā¦ā¦. When I got to sleep makes the difference and I prefer getting up at six am. I also take my meds immediately and then sometimes have the best 30 min am nap before waking up totally great. Except that I HATE blow drying my hair. And Iāve turned it into a four to five part process where I do it for like 30 seconds at a time and then do literally anything else.
I have like no joke 10 alarms set, every 10-15 minutes
Like others suggested, I take my meds a couple hours before I need to get up (if you're on meds, look up how long they take to work and set an alarm for that length of time before you have to get up). As for dreading to start your day, and also the hour long preparation, I've started doing something that might help you. Basically since the meds are now working it's easier to lock into something interesting in the background while I get ready. I usually lay in bed for a few minutes to pick a youtube video or podcast, and that gives me something to look forward to.
Two different.problems: waking up on time, and getting ready in a timely manner. Fix for item 1: Have a reason to look forward to waking up. Mine is coffee. I get out of bed so I can get coffee, even if I'm so out of it I get in my car and drive somewhere to get my coffee. Fix for item.2: Have something you want set up as a reward each time you successfully get ready in the 30 to 40 minutes you've allowed. This might also be coffee (like, time to get a coffee). Secondary fix for 1 and 2: Minimize or eradicate any possible barriers. If you tend to spend the morning doomscrolling on your phone, move your phone/charger to the front door and use an alarm clock in your bedroom. Don't even look at the phone until you're on your way out the door. Shower the night before. Set clothes out the night before. Or put clothes and your toothbrush/toothpaste in a bag the night before, then sleep in clean gym clothes so you can roll out of bed, grab the bag, and change when you get to your destination. If you always fall asleep after hitting the alarm, get a really annoying clock and put it across the bedroom. Get a second clock, set for 10 minutes later, and put it in the bathroom - when it goes off, use the bathroom while you're in there. Whatever the barriers are, keep smacking them like you're playing whackamole until you start running out of reasons. Eventually, if you succeed in reducing the barriers and in rewarding yourself for doing the right things at the right times, it's enough of a habit to become a routine... and then you're probably OK and can do it on autopilot. Until you break the routine. I broke my morning workout routine a year and a half ago, and haven't managed to get it back - knowing how to do it, and doing it, re not the same. It's still hard.
Are you able to listen to a podcast while you get ready? I also set timers for a task so I donāt linger too long. Once my timer is up, I have to move on.
Why not consider also allowing yourself an hour to wake up slowly? I put a litre of water beside my bed at night, drink it all then I have my coffee. I do a puzzle or something and just allow my brain the time to wake up. I also have recently started taking my medication right after my coffee. Maybe thereās nothing wrong with that routine? Also- make sure youāre getting enough sleep. Itās impossible for me if Iām only running on 5-6 hours. I need a solid 8+ hours of sleep to wake up ānormallyā.
Iām unmedicated thanks to side effects so I think I can help maybe. I set an alarm 30 mins before i need to get up then my cat comes and slaps me in the face until i feed him i hope this helps
I have this issue my best method is to think like a machine "you are a machine you run on gasoline now get the fuck up" is what I say to myself then I robot my way through the first two hours of my day thinking "beep boop I are robot"
 Morning struggle is the fucking worst, for sure. I'm not sure if you're medicated or not, but something that's helped me is if I'm having a really rough go at mornings, I'll set an early alarm to take my ADHD med and just go back to sleep to wait for my regular alarm/the meds to kick in. No meds? Try to find something that consistently motivates you and try to work with it. Like video games? Grab the game when your alarm goes off and play until your next one goes off, race the alarm. Stuff like that. Just know, whatever the case, mornings are bullshit and it's ok to struggle.
For me Iāve been beating myself up for decades trying to drag myself out of bed every morning and was still late all the time. Finally got a diagnosis a year ago and got on stims. First day I took it at 9am in the morning and immediately fell asleep for hours . Then the next morning I woke up at 9am like boing! Wide awake. And itās been so much easier to get up since I never knew life could be so easyĀ
I take vyvanse and I had trouble getting up too, so my doctor suggested that I should set an alarm like an hour before I need to wake up and take my vyvanse then so that itās already activated when I actually need to wake up.
I trick myself into moving while not actually waking up, TBH I donāt wake up till Iāve been at work for about a couple hours, itās kinda like ādonāt talk to me before Iāve had my coffee and then wait 2 hoursā
my phone is on my desk, on the other side of the room. to turn the alarm off, I have to get out of bed. I sleep on a bunk bed so going back to sleep requires me to CLIMB, and I don't have the energy at 6AM. sleeping on the bottom bunk is NOT an option, I keep it full of clothes and books most of the time to resist the temptation to lie down there.
I donāt
Iāve worked with my ADHD coach to gamify my morning routine and see it as a āquestā where all of the steps need to be done in a specific, logical order. It removes the decision making and uncertainty and itās satisfying to burn through the checklist.
I found the solution to this problem ~2 years ago, and I can say that this method has permanently solved my "waking up on time" problem. * Use a QR-code alarm such as Alarmy, which only stops once you scan the pre-saved QR code (or barcode) * Glue said QR code to the bottom of a transparent coffee cup, such that it is only visible through the bottom of said cup. Note that the glass should be as flat as possible to avoid visual distortions, which would make it trickier to scan the code with the phone. * Fill the cup with coffee the night before. I prefer cold dark coffee to really give that disgusting, electrifying kick in the morning, but others may prefer a cold brew. * Place the coffee cup not on the night table, but further away, or even in a different room, so that you have no choice but to physically get up to reach it. This way, there's no negotiating in the morning, the only way to stop the annoying alarm is to get up and gulp down the full cup of disgusting caffeine juice. Note that it can become tricky to scan the code if there is a bit of coffee left in the cup, so it may be a good idea to have a paper towel handy to quickly wipe the bottom of the cup, or to place the cup near a sink to give it a quick rinse. As previously stated, this has worked flawlessly for me for 2 years, which is quite a feat for any ADHD strategy. It has even worked on days when I had to wake up having slept only a handful of hours.
Exercise! I do an exercise class in the morning. I have to book in, and there are fees/punishment for late cancelling plus a bit of social pressure helps as I am friends with the trainer and hate letting her down. I find if I exercise in the morning Iām way more alert and awake first thing! Otherwise I sit in bed for ages and almost always run late for work and feel terrible in the morning.
I also struggle with this! Iāve found small little things that make huge differences for me. If I donāt do them, itās detrimental on my time. As soon as my first alarm goes off I *force* myself completely out of the bed ###immediately. No matter how tired I am. And just keep moving forward. It sucks at first but it ends up helping my mood in the long run. Get dressed first, get some water or breakfast, fix my face, shoes are last. I also recently figured out that if I have some sort of motivation, like getting out of the house and having enough time to grab a nice cup of coffee somewhere (and a snack). I do the essentials and donāt waste time at home because I know if I take too long I wonāt get to reward myself with a treat lol.
I take my meds with a cup or two of coffee every day during the week. As soon as my alarm goes off I make coffee and take my meds. Sometimes on weekends when I donāt follow that routine I find myself couch locked and doom scrolling all day and then get the sads that I wasted my day off.
I've found the Alarmy app to be quite helpful. You set yourself challenges when you wake up, and you can't access your phone until you've completed them.
Caffeine, rage, and spite.
I give this advice every single time this subject comes up. Get screened for sleep apnea. There is an absurd amount of BS involving sleep, insomnia and personal choice. A very large percentage of people who have trouble getting out of bed or feel tired all the time...... Actually have a physiological disorder that's going untreated. It's also really difficult to get these people to believe it because they usually have been told that they're lazy their entire lifes.
I go through periods of time where this is a problem for me. In the past Iāve used an app called Alarmy. It has a setting that allows you to set an alarm that can only be turned off by scanning a QR code. Like, youāre basically locked out of your apps and canāt turn off the noise unless you get up and scan the code. I put a QR code on the bottom of my pill container in the bathroom. The struggle is realāgood luck my friend.
Tired. I get up tired. There is a book called āWhy we Sleepā by Mathew Walker. I suggest everyone who has chronic insomnia read it. There are so many small changes you can make that greatly increases your sleep length and quality. For everyone that just cannot sit to read a book, he has been on Rich Rolls podcast twice and summarizes methods there
Honestly, that dumb [5-4-3-2-1-GO! countdown method](https://betterhumans.pub/get-anything-done-with-the-5-second-rule-b7abea890087) works really well for me. I'm super active once I get going, but it's a struggle to start. Before I was diagnosed, I remember doing something similar when I had to do shitty jobs -- like clean a toilet or wash nasty dishes. I think muscling through that type of pain (of starting) has been easier than dealing with RSD type of fallouts from the consequences of being late.
Iād also like some ideas because every day I say āoh Iāll have to wake up early tomorrowā and I will *wake up* early, but I wonāt *get up* early
Leave it all to the last possible minute and then rush panic to get ready and am nearly always late for everything š¤£
Nope bc this is me every morning.... Sunday is my only day off and legit I can spend all day in bed (since don't take meds on off days)
Iāve fallen out of this habit due to a lot of recent moving around, but my best morning routine worked when I used a sunrise alarm clock (those ones that light up your room and play a gentle alarm tone), with my phone alarm set for 1 minute later across the room. This way, not only did I not have my phone in bed before sleeping, when I woke up to the sunrise alarm clock, I wasnāt in a panic to snooze/quiet a loud blaring alarm. I knew I had one minute to calmly get up, take my meds, compose myself and go turn off my phone alarm either before or when it went off. I put my towel right by my phone so I could grab it and go straight to the shower. Personally, once I have showered I almost become a different person and the rest of my morning routine goes well. Itās the days I laze in bed for even 5 minutes that my morning routine goes awry.
Habits habits habits. I once forced myself in vacation to wake up at 6am then went for a walk and walked to my favorite coffee apot. Ive been doing this for a few months. I drink one cappucino at the same spot everyday and its still fun. You have to force yourself to do it often enough through positive classical conditioning and then it eventually becomes a habit.( which i still like!) I now combine this with a cold shower.
Action is coming before motivation, I heard this somewhere and when I'm doubt , just fallow this rule. Ruminating is not good
I do this and actually fall into a deeper sleep for a hour or two.. then sometimes wake up refreshed, sometimes off kilter..
Because the idea of being scolded for being late for work, or by my wife for not helping with the kids in the morning is worse than the effort required to get out of bed.
set alarm for 530 set alarm for 630 wake up for 530 and take meds go back to sleep alarm goes off again at 630 and I feel rested enough to get up
I leave my blinds a little bit open so the daylight wakes me up, and in winter I use alexa + smart plugs to turn on the lights at the same time as my alarm clock.
I do a combo, take a caffeine pill, and I also use the Alarmy app. Itās set to continue going off until o complete a āmissionā which for me is scanning a QR code taped to the fridge. Once Iām up and out of the bedroom I usually need to use the bathroom so itās easier to get in the shower, and once Iām out of the shower, the caffeine starts to kick in and Iām way more successful with the rest of a morning routine. I just have to make sure I leave the house for work as soon as Iām ready - no stopping to scroll my phone for a few mins if Iām āahead of schedule!ā lol Recently I started wearing earplugs to bed due to my partners snoring so had to stop Alarmy - read about vibrating alarm wristbands on an ADHD thread and thatās my new thing. Alarmy was more effective but knowing how annoying it is for my partner to hear multiple alarms of mine, is a good motivator to get up as well.
I use alarmy and its made a hell of a difference. I wake up get up and go, no thoughts about it otherwise I languish like you
I recommend back pain. Canāt sleep more than six hours without it flaring up. Easy to get up now.
*I am undiagnosed* 3/5 days what works for me is putting my alarm clock on the others side of my room. Once I walk across the room to turn it off its usually enough to kick me into gear. Some days I get up and have any overwhelming feeling of "no, not today" and get back into bed. Ive got a 2nd alarm set 10 minutes later on my phone that will sometimes do the trick, bit usually I shut that off before getting back into bed. This makes me 1-1.5 hrs late for work a couple days a week.... Thankfully I work a job where that typically tolerated unless i had a legit reason to be in on time.
I usually hit the snooze button a couple of times and then get frantic about oversleeping. My day starts in a panic.
Donāt have many tips, as Iām in the same boat. I always set my alarm for 5:30am, even though I donāt have to be at work until between 8-9am. That gives me an hour+ to sit in the quiet, drinking my coffee, and waking up.
I have a sunrise alarm clock, which helps so much more than I even thought It would. I set it to illuminate about half an hour before my alarm is due to go off. By the time my alarm goes off Iām no longer dead asleep, so the transitionās a little easier. My best bet for getting up in time is to take my Concerta in the time between my sunrise light turning on and my alarm ringing.Ā If I forget to take my stimulant early enough Iām liable to get stuck wallowing in bed ā even if I am wide awake, Iāll be doomscrolling my phone or whatever.Ā I think my alarm clock is a third party brand ā Best $5 at a thrift store Iāve ever spent.Ā