mattbdc's comments

completely agree about therapy being labeled a panacea...probably a narrative created by psychiatrists/therapists themselves.

and it's kind of a paradox, because I've learned far more from the Internet/educating myself online, to become more self-aware and change my lifestyle drastically, more to the Puritanical side as many mentioned above (but not all the way).

so it's that paradox I struggle with: disconnecting from the internet is healthy for ADD, but the knowledge/hacks/tweaks gained from it has helped far more than medication/therapy ever did.

lifestyle -- fitness/nutrition/meditating/prioritization, has helped 100x more than medication ever did. was on meds from age 12-20, everything under the sun, and they were net-negative for me. but that's just me. everyone is diff, with so many underlying factors to why our brains operate the way they do. just glad we have this community to discuss it. never had this when I was growing up.

good point about the paradox between drugs + dopamine hits from browsing. completely agree there.

disagree on caffeine, which has shown to have neuroprotective effects, and also enhance neuroplasticity.

and the dopamine/norepinephrine release helps focus/motivation/concentration.

coffee is not for me, a bit too jittery/anxious unless I hit the perfect dose ... but Yerba Mate tea has been a gamechanger.

this is a solid framework for coping/lifestyle modifications for ADHD.

I'll add nutrition to the list.

And for me personally: time-restricted eating/intermittent fasting (water fasts were not good for me, but time-restricted eating/staying in a 'fasted state' is)

information overload is real for sure, but if you can strike that balance between being educated/informed, and also disconnecting/meditating/etc., then it's net-positive.

prioritization and setting time limits/routines/schedules is key here imo.

In such a competitive field, with more and more younger devs being integrated -- the world's best and brightest -- it's completely normal to feel that way.

But the reality is that what you're going through is probably more about a need to optimize for boosted cognitive function/ neuroplasticity / mental performance / healing at the cellular level. It's what a lot of us are dealing with as we approach or welcome the big 4-0 age. Me included.

Supplements, lifestyle modifications and behavioral changes are beneficial to help optimize for enhanced cognitive function. Here are some that have worked for me.

-15-30 min of sunlight + going for a walk every morning -Cold showers (can alternate hot + cold... or even better, 10 min sauna + 1 min cold shower cycles) -NMN/NAD -Creatine -Vitamin D3/K2 -Physical activity/exercise daily -- for me, weekly, it's 3 days of weight training, and 3-4 days of yoga/core work/rebounding/walking/etc. -Meditation/mindfullness -Social interaction (in person!) -Time-restricted eating/intermittent fasting

Hope this helps. It sounds like your programming skills are exactly where they need to be/up to par with industry standards, so focusing on the cognitive/mental performance area should help boost your workflow/output. Good luck! Really enjoyed reading this thread. A lot of gold in here.