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Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

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Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#71

Post by ravenspeed »

Throwaway49202 wrote: post #4
saperyton wrote: post #3

Many unmedicated people with ADHD have this problem and have figured out their own process for working through the funk period. On a personal level, exercise and coffee have been magical for me. When I'm not feeling it, the task is getting to the coffee pot, but once I'm there the motivation comes on its own. Walking 40-60 minutes outside does wonders as well.

Unfortunately coffee even in small doses makes me paranoid and anxious so much I become absolute clusterfuck (literally start believing aliens are coming). Same with marihuana. This is part of the reason why I can't get medication - Ritalin does this to me too.

Sounds like a sensitive amygdala to me. I would focus on enhancing my serotonine levels. And also GABA (LiOr) at night for insomnia. Prevent excess noradrenaline release (stress, cold showers).

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#72

Post by sph »

rolenthedeep wrote: post #59
nexus2045 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does nicotine work? Asking this as someone who has similar problems to OP (but an average programmer) and have been vaping every day, all day long, for the last few years, and don’t mind a shorter lifespan.

Basically, because nicotine is a stimulant. Nicotine and caffeine seem to have a similar effect on ADHD as amphetamines, but on a much smaller scale. There's also something to be said for the act of smoking. It's a consistent ritual with a direct and immediate reward for very little effort. Perfect for the adhd brain

I mentioned nicotine because in my experience nicotine is much better at releasing dopamine than caffeine does, thus improves focus more than the other. Coffee raises other neurotrasmitters with a little effect on dopamine.

That said, coffee and nicotine are two stimulants that go and feel great together.

Before I was diagnosed with ADHD, I used to chain vape whenever I was coding or before bed to calm down. It had a similar effect amphetamine has on me: holds my focus and calms my mind down, but with noticeable side effects such as high blood pressure, pulse rate and a house that smells of smoke or papaya blast.

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#73

Post by Throwaway49202 »

badpun wrote: post #67
Throwaway49202 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These jobs don't pay enough to afford housing and food around here... It's done by older people who got their real estate when it was still cheap 10-20 (or more) years ago. Younger people have absolutely no chance of making enough to get by from this job. There's also huge competition on these jobs - older people who want to supplement their pension income, etc. I'm not averse to physical work (I like working on my g…

> In my downperiods I am unable to clean my teeth. That sounds like a symptom of depression, not ADHD.

It's not emotional. I'm not feeling down/sad. I just can't focus on doing anything.

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#74

Post by badpun »

Throwaway49202 wrote: post #73
badpun wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In my downperiods I am unable to clean my teeth. That sounds like a symptom of depression, not ADHD.

It's not emotional. I'm not feeling down/sad. I just can't focus on doing anything.

I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of such severe symptoms in ADHD cases. I think you should really consult a psychiatrist.

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#75

Post by ravenspeed »

savryn wrote: post #16

check out this paper I found here recently https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16846100/ for self 'therapy' I highly highly recommend the book Focusing by Eugene Gendlin, it is the unlock key for all other self-help. Jump to ch3 and read a dialogue example, it's figuring out the inside forces, underneath the words and 'theories'. You can do it by yourself (I use a stuffed animal) and there's a pdf on library genesis. (Ho…

Carnivore diet will get you into ketosis. I believe this is the sole reason why it alleviates health issues.

Furthermore, you don't need to be a carnivore to achieve ketosis.

You have more options:

- water fasting (limited amount of studies; but humans in the ancient past did practice water-only fasting) - another form: Buchinger fast, where you limit your calorie intake to 500 kcal. You can drink juices such as coconut water. There is a clinic in Germany where people pay to fast. I think this is a littlle easier for people to get in. Helps you keep your electrolytes up (salt, Mg, K, Ca).

However, I am not sure if fasting alone will help you with a mental condition. It helps your body and brain though, but how much it will alleviate your mental issues is an open question.

I am also unsure if carnivore diet will be good overall for your body. Again, it is a way to get into ketosis, but there are more ways... I would argue more for less carbohydrates and more protein (tyrosine, tryptophane), if on a mental condition. Don't forget choline (acetylcholine). I vote for the Valter Longo approach.

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#76

Post by thegrasshopper2 »

sph wrote: post #22

My suggestions will be unpopular and controversial, but I have been in your shoes, and medication has saved my life. Make it your goal. If you can't get medicated, I would suggest copious amount of caffeine and nicotine, especially the latter. Perhaps don't get into cigarettes, patches are great if you understand that they take hours to reach peak nicotine concentration. Vaping is still 10x better than an unmedicated…

Thanks for the suggestion of nicotine patches for ADHD - I added it to my "in case I cannot access meds anymore" list :)

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#77

Post by thegrasshopper2 »

srcreigh wrote: post #42
ivraatiems wrote: post #12

You could certainly look into temp or contract work for very short duration one-off projects, etc. That kind of work is out there, but setting up a pipeline to get it reliably is probably hard. > Programming is the only thing I can do - and the only thing that makes me enough money to survive. I think you may want to re-evaluate this. Some people with ADHD do better in environments where they are on their feet, activ…

Have you actually tried this? To me this creates an enormous liability of doing a horrible job at whatever 1 week project is received. Is there actually 1-2 week projects? If they end up not getting done, are they really going to be happy with a “Sorry it didn’t get done and I’m out of commission for a month”? The up and down trends don’t really happen on a schedule. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a surprise 2 da…

Speaking from my ADHD, if a project is delayed I can generally keep focus for more - but the deadline has to be behind the corner

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#78

Post by thegrasshopper2 »

Disclaimer: I am now medicated for ADHD, but I was unmedicated for most of my life. Most of these suggestions come from when I was unmedicated. In addition to medications I'm taking a multivitaminic / multimineral supplement to which I sometimes add more vitamin D (helps with depression) and magnesium (helps with energy).

I have similar phases - I'm personally trying to reduce this variability as it annoys me too (not only a problem with my job). I was feeling literally burned out after as little as a week of focus, and all the other aspects of my life tend to fail when I'm burned out.

What I find really helpful is having set routines that don't change easily or are easy to maintain - for example, eating at the same time everyday, going to sleep at roughly the same time. It can feel like jail starting to do this while unmedicated (and likely depressed)

For the routines, weekends are usually my bane as they are an interruption in most of them - I try to stick to my personal routines week-long.

If you can start work with a really low load - I ended up in sick leave for untreated ADHD and I'm currently ramping work hours little at a time, and it seems to help.

It also helps a lot to have set times for work and to drop work as soon as you are done with the hours - you won't be able to make up for lost time anyway, and it only adds to the stress. I'm planning to go to the gym every day after work, so that I cannot "slouch" back into working until late.

(This is with me medicated) To reduce the social media effect on me I time an hour from when I wake up to when I'm allowed to go to my phone and my PC - it's strangely effective, after a week I didn't feel the need to check social media anymore (this from being 8/9 hours a day on it). I got a lot of time and energy back from this. (If I check social media during the day I "get back" at when I was checking them all day long, feeling wise, but it's getting less and less difficult to do so). When I was unmedicated I used various timers for social media (leechblock, for example) and they helped a bit. I also had a routine for studying that required a couple of hours before starting to study (gaming a bit / checking social media / convincing myself to start studying). I prefer having time in the morning before work to do roughly the same now.

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#79

Post by [deleted] »

dimitar wrote: post #13

Have you tried work that comes to you? Like clearing a queue of tickets in technical support or even accepting calls? You basically have to show up to work and you are micromanaged by the queuing software. Sounds horrible, but it leads to consistent performance and when your shift is over your mind is clear from work. You are not stressed about procrastination - you just have to respond to stimuli. You don't have to…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work

#80

Post by sph »

ravenspeed wrote: post #75
savryn wrote: post #16

check out this paper I found here recently https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16846100/ for self 'therapy' I highly highly recommend the book Focusing by Eugene Gendlin, it is the unlock key for all other self-help. Jump to ch3 and read a dialogue example, it's figuring out the inside forces, underneath the words and 'theories'. You can do it by yourself (I use a stuffed animal) and there's a pdf on library genesis. (Ho…

Carnivore diet will get you into ketosis. I believe this is the sole reason why it alleviates health issues. Furthermore, you don't need to be a carnivore to achieve ketosis. You have more options: - water fasting (limited amount of studies; but humans in the ancient past did practice water-only fasting) - another form: Buchinger fast, where you limit your calorie intake to 500 kcal. You can drink juices such as coco…

Carnivore also reduces my tolerance for my meds. They last longer. In fact everything runs better for me on extremely low to zero carb. Mood, sleep, digestion, cardiac output, blood pressure, pulse rate, energy.
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