adhd tips from a girlie who was diagnosed in her late twenties and has had little to no support since and is being so brave about it:

1) Make it easy, make it accessible, and make it appealing. If anything this is the most important thing, all tips going forward are based around this concept.

2) That thing you think would help you but you haven’t bought/done it yet because you’re technically surviving without it? buy it, you need it. doesn’t matter if people around you might think it’s wasteful or that you’re lazy, you’re not, just do it, trust me.

3) expanding on tip #2, if you’re like me and eggs are your main source of protein because they’re quick and easy and feeding yourself is a near insurmountable task- buy yourself an electric egg cooker, make a bunch of hard boiled eggs and keep them in your fridge for quick and easy protein to add to any meal (handful of crackers, a hard boiled egg and a banana? 5 star meal right there.). Other easy protein includes: potstickers (put them in instant ramen), edamame (they have microwaveable snack packs), chickpeas (put in salads!), beans (can of beans microwaved with shredded cheese and some tortilla chips), peanut butter (with crackers, apple and cheese, adult lunchable style) and tofu (cut into cubes, throw them into a ziplock with some seasoning and potato starch, shake that shit up and bake it until crispy).

4) spend a little extra (if you are able) on daily use items that excite you, it will make you more likely to remember/want to do said daily task. for example: the only reason i remember to use sunscreen is because i bought some fancy japanese sunscreen that smells like roses so i get excited to use it, same for laundry detergent and body wash! there’s a gajillion different body wash scents out there, switch it up!

5) if there’s a task you continuously struggle with take a moment to think about which part of the task is making it difficult, it could be something even as small as “i don’t put my dirty clothes in the hamper because my hamper has a lid on it and lifting the lid is one step too many” sounds a little stupid huh? but trust your gut, it’s not stupid if it works. See tip #2 and BUY A HAMPER WITHOUT A LID.

6) if you are having trouble starting a task, break the task down further, sometimes the way i start tasks is just by going “ok step 1) stand up-“ and so forth. don’t worry about the task as a whole just take it one step at a time.

7) if you’re halfway through a task and have to stop, leave it out. all this, “put things away when you’re done with them.” is bullshit. you will be much more likely to finish the task if restarting it is easier because you left it out. you can also create faux deadlines like “I gotta finish this project before my friend comes over on tuesday because after I finish it I can clean off the dinner table.” etc.

8) It’s okay to outsource tasks and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, humans are designed to ask for, and to require help (what do babies do when they’re first born?? cry for help!!) ask for help and receive help without shame, if it makes your life better, you are WINNING.

9) if you have one big overwhelming task that you think you need to get done before anything else, but you feel motivated to do other tasks, do those other tasks first, it’s okay. otherwise in all likelihood (at least in my case) you’ll put everything off until the last minute and then have to do said overwhelming task and those other tasks won’t get done at all. doing smaller tasks also lowers the mental load and you can use them as a motivation launch pad to tackle bigger things.

10) If you notice you tend to not put something away/forget to do something, perhaps consider moving and storing the item closer to where it ultimately ends up or where you are more likely to see it. For example, my makeup, pills, and mail are all stored on my desk because that’s where I tend to do my makeup, take my pills and deal with my mail. I used to store my pills in my bathroom medicine cabinet but all too often I would forget because they weren’t in my line of sight. now that they’re on my desk, I have multiple chances per day to pass by them, go “oh I gotta take those.” and take them.

11) Open storage, open storage, OPEN STORAGE

12) motivation can look like all kinds of things. sometimes the only reason I get out of bed is because i remember I have a fun snack and I get to go eat it if I get up. it’s okay to lean into those simple “animal-brain” type motivators, you’ll eat because then you can use that fun new kitchen gadget you got a daiso? neat. you’ll shower because then you can paint your nails that fun new color you got? fantastic. you’ll go to the dmv and do that annoying thing because you’ll take yourself out for boba after? superb. lean-IN to those small motivators, they aren’t stupid or childish, they are VITAL.

13) don’t buy into the cult of “if it’s worth doing, do it properly” it’s guaranteed to set you up for failure. if it’s worth doing, do it in whatever capacity you are able to. i put sunscreen on once a day because that’s fucking better than not doing it at all and i sure as all hell will fail at reapplying it multiple times a day. if it’s worth doing, do it half-assed babieeee.

go forth and prosper!!! xoxo ✌️🩵

keep in mind that this is a high school project, its not going to be perfect, and it might not even be good but this is what i´ve come up with in the time frame i was given. that being said we should start off by covering the basics of the most talked about mental illnesses...

psychosis

Behavioral: disorganized behavior, aggression, agitation, hostility, hyperactivity, hypervigilance, nonsense word repetition, repetitive movements, restlessness, self-harm, social isolation, lack of restraint, or persistent repetition of words or actions

Cognitive: thought disorder, confusion, belief that an ordinary event has special and personal meaning, belief that thoughts aren't one's own, disorientation, racing thoughts, slowness in activity, thoughts of suicide, unwanted thoughts, difficulty thinking and understanding, or false belief of superiority

Mood: anger, anxiety, apathy, excitement, feeling detached from self, general discontent, limited range of emotions, loneliness, or nervousness

Psychological: fear, hearing voices, depression, manic episode, paranoia, persecutory delusion, religious delusion, or visual hallucinations

Speech: deficiency of speech, excessive wordiness, incoherent speech, or rapid and frenzied speaking

Also common: memory loss, nightmares, or tactile hallucination

Bpd

Behavioral: impulsivity, self-destructive behavior, or self-harm

schizophrenia

Behavioral: social isolation, disorganized behavior, aggression, agitation, compulsive behavior, excitability, hostility, repetitive movements, self-harm, or lack of restraint

Cognitive: thought disorder, delusion, amnesia, belief that an ordinary event has special and personal meaning, belief that thoughts aren't one's own, disorientation, mental confusion, slowness in activity, or false belief of superiority

Mood: anger, anxiety, apathy, feeling detached from self, general discontent, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, elevated mood, or inappropriate emotional response

Psychological: hallucination, paranoia, hearing voices, depression, fear, persecutory delusion, or religious delusion

Speech: circumstantial speech, incoherent speech, rapid and frenzied speaking, or speech disorder

Also common: fatigue, impaired motor coordination, lack of emotional response, or memory loss

Anxiety

Effects of anxiety on your body

a churning feeling in your stomach.

feeling light-headed or dizzy.

pins and needles.

feeling restless or unable to sit still.

headaches, backache or other aches and pains.

faster breathing.

a fast, thumping or irregular heartbeat.

sweating or hot flushes.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/symptoms/.          

Depression

Mood: anxiety, apathy, general discontent, guilt, hopelessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, mood swings, or sadness

Sleep: early awakening, excess sleepiness, insomnia, or restless sleep

Whole body: excessive hunger, fatigue, loss of appetite, or restlessness

Behavioral: agitation, excessive crying, irritability, or social isolation

Cognitive: lack of concentration, slowness in activity, or thoughts of suicide

Weight: weight gain or weight loss

Also common: poor appetite or repeatedly going over thoughts

autism

Behavioral: inappropriate social interaction, poor eye contact, compulsive behavior, impulsivity, repetitive movements, self-harm, or persistent repetition of words or actions

Developmental: learning disability or speech delay in a child

Cognitive: intense interest in a limited number of things or problem paying attention

Psychological: unaware of others' emotions or depression

Also common: anxiety, change in voice, sensitivity to sound, or tic

Autism spectrum disorder - Symptoms and causes

MAYO CLINIC

"Even if we break"

“Even if we break” a book written by an autistic woman 

Marieke Nijkamp was born and raised in the Netherlands. A lifelong student of stories, language, and ideas, she spends as much time in fictional worlds as she does the real world. She loves to travel, garden, roll dice, and daydream.

for her life is a lot different than most people, its gives her a lot of inspiration to work off of, not much is known about her but im sure her words would describe her better than mine, click here to find out more about her

Olly Alexander

Years & Years achieved momentous success. The band have also been responsible for helping deconstruct norms surrounding gender and sexuality thanks to the honesty of frontman Olly Alexander. 

Olly has also spoken about his struggle with eating disorders, bulimia, self-harm and depression, as well as his experiences with treatment. 

"The likelihood is that you or someone you know closely will suffer from a mental health condition in your lifetime," Olly said in an interview with author Owen Jones. "It's like any other part of your body – your mental health gets sick, and it needs treatment."

In Ollys case, they’re mental issues came from their daily life, but it’s not the mental illness that caused them their songwriting or even performing skills, but it, as well as their gender identity and sexuality, definitely play heavily on inspiring them 

Its Britney Bitch...

While not much concrete information is known about Britney Spears (and we won't speculate here), the singer has recently opened up about her issues with anxiety and social situations. 

"I moved to Los Angeles when I was very young. I was so under scrutiny," Britney told Marie Claire UK. "If a hair was out of place, I'd be so anxious. I would get very anxious about so many things." 

Similarly, speaking to Flaunt magazine the singer said: "I get nervous in a lot of situations. Parties, clubs. When there are a lot of people around I'm a weird, anxiety-ridden person."

Britney has put her shift in lifestyle down to helping with her anxiety. "I have kids now too, so everything is on a way lower scale. I'm actually a very boring person. I don't go out. I don't really do anything," she said. "I should be Mother Mary, seriously. I think my life has done a complete 360. Things are just different now. It's a different time. It's a different era."

Anxiety is really something that will make some people shut down, entirely , so to believe that the anxiety is pushed aside and still allows them to shine let’s me know that their success is not riding on the shoulders of how full or anxiety they are

a world that doesn't exist...

All my research points to a common diagnosis.  Like Carlos Fuentes, I believe writing to be an unnatural act (how, pray tell, does Fuentes make his living?), possibly a psychotic act, the kind of act our children should be protected from.  Hence in this age of victimization, in which left-handed Palestinian lesbians and other categories of the oppressed daily compete to raise our consciousness, I wish to direct your sympathy to writers, a neglected minority who are paid (not very well) to exercise their psychoses in public.

Do I use the word psychotic merely for dramatic effect?  Au contraire.  I have chosen that word for its clinical accuracy.  A psychotic cannot separate a false reality from true reality; this “impaired contact with reality” may express itself in delusion or hallucination or some other altered state experienced only by the psychotic person—a precise description of the writing act!  We writers make our living by creating a false reality.  We alone inhabit that solitary universe, exploring and domesticating it until the time comes for a publisher to entice other people to join us—by which time, of course, we’re merrily constructing another false reality.

Most of the time the solitary universe is far more interesting than the dull reality we live in.  (I will divulge a dirty little secret: writers lead astonishingly dull lives.) Often we get so caught up in the false reality that we lose track of which reality is real, or even which one we want to be real.

All of the writers fit the basic criteria for mental illness, including delusional tendencies, hallucinations, and even textbook psychosis. This is important to take into consideration , simply because of the fact that we the readers, and we the writers are all making up a entirely fake reality…and living in it. We see it, we feel it, we smell it, we indulge in nothing more than pen ink on dead trees and hallucinate , we all do it, it’s in our human nature.

The Writer as Psychotic - Philip Yancey

  A version of this article appeared in Books and Culture, Sept/Oct 1996 issue. ___________________________________________________________

PHILIP YANCEY

Vincent Van Gogh

Plagued by psychiatric illness throughout his life, van Gogh committed suicide in 1890, he was 37. Evidence suggests that he had manic depression, a chronic mental illness thought affects many creative people. Although treatment with lithium carbonate is now available, the drug also dampens creative abilities.

This meant that he sometimes felt very angry or sad and was not able to control his emotions. Sometimes, he would harm himself and have blackouts. Van Gogh used painting as a way to express his emotions and way to help with his illness.

Van Gogh’s did not get the help he needed and there was not the same understanding of mental health as there is today. Van Gogh felt alone and was not able to handle the pressure of his emotions. It is truly a depressing tale.

I love this, not the suicide part but the fact that the text includes how the drugs he could have been on dampens creative flow, and thinking that he didn't have that then, he might have never made the paintings we know him for on a drug like that. not to mention the fact that he wouldn't be as known as he is today if he hadn't done what he did, he only got reconized after his death

Truddi Chase , the girl of 92 personalities

“When Truddi Chase was just two years old, she moved out to the country with her mother and stepfather. At this time, she was sexually abused by her stepfather, and the trauma ultimately caused her DID.

For years, Chase was able to suppress her memories by holding them in alternate personalities that rarely came to the surface. Each of her 92 personalties served different roles and held different memories. One personality named Black Catherine held most of her rage. Another personality, Rabbit, held the pain.

Chase wrote a book about her life, When Rabbit Howls. Her life was also turned into a made-for-TV movie called The Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase starring Shelly Long, and Chase was interviewed by Oprah as well.”

I’m sure something like that was really traumatic for such a young mind to endure , but her mindset did not make her creative, it just gave her a story to tell the world. Movies and books have been written about her, as well as her book.

(There is not a single good picture of her on the entire internet, they are ALL of her crying)

if you want to read up on the topic anymore, you can click here

All in all...

After the couple of weeks of research I've done, I've come to the conclusion, at least in this experiment, that mental illness can contribute especially in the inspiration aspect , but is not the cause of creativity. I've come to this conclusion after watching my artistic peers and even tracking my own raw emotions while creating. From book writing to creating song lyrics and painting entire pictures, while my emotions may come from my clinically diagnosed depression (which heavily influences me), that's not the case for everyone. Some authors are schizophrenic, writing their reality. Some actors have multiple personalities, acting out the other parts of themselves. Some painters are autistic, painting the many wonders of life they get to experience. Some song writers are depressed, and they allow their heavy hearts to bleed on pages, and then on record. That doesn't mean everyone does, that's like weaponizing dreaming, every mind is capable of creating ungodly and inhumane thoughts, its in our nature, and imbeded deeply into our minds, a spark and thought is born, whether the result of a mental disability/ strength , or not, humans are creative creatures. I'm lead to assume that most artists are self-inflicted mentally ill, we put ourselves in fast pace , high pressure environments, and usually live dull lives outside of those environments , causing us the unjust stress we inflict on ourselves

this quote has the same logic, their mental illness didn't make them creative, they just knew how to flip it and use it to their advantage.

Trauma didn't make me nice, I consciously made me nice because I don't want anyone else to suffer like I did. Trauma didn't make me strong, I made me strong. Don't you dare ever tell me my trauma made me anything but scared, broken, and confused. Don't give credit to the abusers for me being a good person. They didn't make me good, I made myself good.