ADHD and Motivation

Hello Brains! Having trouble Doing the Thing? You're not alone. Motivation is one of the biggest challenges most ADHDers face. This episode is all about how to fix Motivation Bridge.

And of course, a giant thank you to my brilliant editors and animators Palestrina and JustCallMeGary for working tirelessly to help me bring Motivation Bridge to life (and making me cry). You should...you should sleep now.

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WE WROTE A SONG!!
Get the “The Fish Song” on...


"The Show Must Be Go”, “Carefree”, “Life of Riley”, “Bittersweet”
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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#ADHD #Motivation

[leahapplebee]

Your videos have helped me more than anything in working through the challenges of ADHD. Looking back at my life before I found your channel, I was struggling so much to fully understand how to manage my symptoms and a lot of things were falling apart. Since I've found your channel, I feel less crazy, more validated, and more in control of my mind than I ever have before. It is not an exaggeration to say that your videos have significantly changed my life for the better and I cannot thank you enough for the impact you've had on me. ❤

[ChessHistorian]

the "five minutes or five years" comment hit hard. I've literally procrastinated on a thing for years that I think about every day, and it's not even that hard, I just...

[darkwisteria]

Rewards as an adult haven’t worked for me.
Me: if I do the thing I can have a cookie
Brain: or you can have a cookie now and do it later
Me: can’t argue with that logic

[aldobima]

"don't waste time trying to tell someone how important it is that they get it DONE. They know." touched my heart:')

[christahester]

I honestly started to cry when the brain was struggling to get over the bridge and the average person couldn't see the missing planks from their perspective. You captured that often un-nameable and unexplainable feeling so well

[johnnypayne]

"don't waste time trying to tell someone how important it is that they get IT done. They know." That was so incredibly validating that I stopped eating my lunch and cried. I want to get it done. So bad. I want to do a top-notch job, want to be effective, want to care for people well, but sometimes it's so hard to get myself from point a to point b. When folks tell me, "just get it done" it is so anxiety-producing and stirs up such difficult thinking in my head.

[gigi-xnbj]

i almost started crying when she said people with ADHD see people getting things done and start to think "maybe i am just lazy" bc I really think that at times and its hard not to feel that way ):

[landonmoses]

In one adorable 7 min video, you perfectly explained every single failed project I've ever started in my entire 42 years, and the subconscious ways that I fixed the projects I completed. My mind is significantly blown right now.

[WilliamSok-ibms]

could remember several years ago I was diagnosed with ADHD. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my mom recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[shrestrasharma]

POV: you’re watching this as you’re procrastinating and seeking motivation to get the job done 🥺
These videos always make me cry, and they’re immensely helpful. Thank you.

[TheMysterysea]

"Get it to me whenever" the scariest phrase of my college career

[masuraki]

Today I watched dozens of ADHD videos and this is the one I watched focused on until the end.

[alexfulini]

watching that little brain finally crossing the bridge got me more emotional than I'd like to admit

[klygrover]

The problem with procrastination/urgency is that while you're finally doing the thing, you're simultaneously regretting that you didn't start the thing sooner because you would do such a better job of it if you had. I really like the idea of breaking the thing down into smaller pieces with different deadlines.

[healingthehardway]

“It’s okay to cycle back to your hobbies.” Insanely helpful to hear. I always feel like a failure when I don’t do a little bit of every one of my hobbies every day. The messaging out there is always: if you really want to get better you have to do it every day. feeling of failure! Then I realized when I pick up my banjo for the first time in a year, I haven’t forgotten a thing and I’m the same skill level I was when I stopped. Nothing lost. I’m not a failure. I just pick up where I left off.

[ellaquimque]

Thank you so much for making this! It feels like a back hug that someone out there knows exactly what you feel and what's been missing. It's really hard to explain it to other people since they wouldn't know how hard it is to want it but feels and seems that we can't do it with their pace. Thank you!!! God bless you!

[modernphil]

Thanks for the content. I love this channel because for years i thought it was just me being me. Was filled with anger and hate towards those who criticised and judged me. Knowing there are a lot more like me, who can understand the shoes i am in, fills me with kindness and hope that i havent felt my whole life.

[becciprairie]

I’m literally sitting in my kitchen tearing up whilst watching this video, I feel so spoken to! Thank you @How to ADHD ☀️

[jjju]

God the bridge metaphor hits really hard. I've always had a hard time explaining "I just can't make myself do things...", People don't understand. With that metaphor it's more that I CANT do things because what I need to do them is missing, not that I _wont._ not that I'm not putting in the effort or that I'm not trying or that I gave up. Thank you

[CY-vdsh]

Hey Jessica,

I started watching your videos just a few days ago, and I just want to say that your channel has changed my life. I'm in college right now, and I have been since 2016, and oh my goodness it has been an uphill battle from the very beginning (and that hill has only gotten steeper). I've developed at least 2 mental health conditions and multiple traumas, so as you can imagine the suffering has bern overwhelming for years. I've seriously thought of giving up on my dreams. However, these videos have given me info that can seriously change this battle I've been fighting with college. So thank you so much for giving me enough hope to keep going.