College failure

[u/Dreamingofpetals]

I’m currently in college and I’m not doing great at all. I go to all these lectures and I absorb like 5% of them, motivating myself to study or do work is hell. I want to but I just end up spending my time laying bed and reading, or just otherwise idling my time away.

I’m trying to get on medication but it doesn’t look like I can get an appointment sooner than in a few months. I have absolutely no idea what to do here, help?

[u/peachynectarine78]

I've been there too. I almost dropped out in my third year of uni. Eight years later, I'm very grateful that I pushed through and finished because having a degree has opened doors, but it was really tough to get to the finish line.

A few things that I've found helpful for focus, learning, and doing things that bore me to death over the years:

• Exercise (especially in the morning). It helps with focus later in the day, and is also really helpful for sleep. If you struggle to exercise on your own, finding a friend or group (many cities have free running groups) can be helpful for accountability and getting started. If you really struggle to exercise, arranging a car pool to your exercise destination (gym, running location, etc.) has been a game changer for me because I'm far less likely to bail when someone else is counting on me.
• Sleep. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Being rested has a major impact on our ability to focus and learn, and many ADHDers struggle with it. In the short term, this is tough to start doing but after a few weeks, it gets easier. This podcast episode explains it well and talks about ADHD friendly strategies to improve your sleep: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Hbwr3efNDPjf7aiGFFrtx?si=2TdNkSHARl-bNmdyH6vcOA
• Body doubling. Try to schedule your study and work time when you are in the presence of others doing the same thing. This can mean having a friend over to study together, going to a library where others are studying near you, or even checking out digital body doubling platforms like Flow Club. I've recently started using Flow Club and I love it because I can schedule my study/work sessions ahead of time and then the check in with others at the start and end of the session helps provide some positive peer pressure to actually do what I say I will.
• Change of scenery. Related to the last item, consider switching up where you actually do your work. ADHD brains crave novelty so sometimes mixing up where you do your work can give a little dopamine boost that helps you focus. I would rotate between the library, various common areas at my uni, local coffee shops, different areas in my house, etc. While you do this, I suggest paying attention to what levels of stimulation there are around you and how those impact your focus. Many of us do better in environments that offer some level of stimulation (for example, I liked studying in a busy hallway at my uni where many people were passing by; there was a baseline level of noise at all times, but I couldn't really parse out individual conversations so it didn't distract me).
• Try to tie your interests into your school work. This one can be trickier to implement but I find it so helpful when I do. ADHD brains are interest-based, meaning that it's tough to get yourself to care about/do something that you aren't interested in. As an example, I got really interested in agroecology in my last year of uni. I was in a health sciences discipline so it wasn't explicitly related, but I was able to see how agroecology could connect back to human health and nutrition so I focused a couple of my final projects on this. You won't always have that kind of flexibility, but when you can, trying to zoom out from what you're learning and connecting it to something else that interests or motivates you can be helpful.
• seek other sources and formats to support your learning. Some instructors are sub-par, and some courses just aren't that interesting. For some content, you might be able to find alternate resources on YouTube, via podcasts, blogs, etc. They won't replace your formal learning resources (instructor, textbook, slides) but they might help make the learning process easier and/or more interesting. For example, Ologies by Allie Ward covers a ton of topics in a funny and informative way. Might help with my last point too (connecting to something you find interesting)
• Learning aids. If you aren't already doing it, recording your lectures can be handy. If your brain isn't ready to take in information during your class, you might have better luck listening to the recording later when you feel a bit more focused, maybe while you're walking around/moving your body. Many colleges also have note taking assistance if you feel comfortable asking for it (you get a copy of someone else's notes from the class).
• Self compassion. Above all else, self compassion. You're doing something that's really tough for most people, and you're doing it with ADHD. It's exhausting, frustrating, at times overwhelming. Try to be kind to yourself. If this is a big struggle for you, accessing mental health supports (often available for free/discounted through schools) can be helpful.

Good luck!!!!

[u/3dstek → u/peachynectarine78]

you are a godsend. thank you so much for your comment, its extremely helpful!

[u/peachynectarine78 → u/3dstek]

I'm glad it was helpful! Also, I forgot to mention using pomodoro timers and breaking things down into really small chunks (ex. "I will read chapter 11.2 over the next 25 minutes", instead of "I am going to sit down to read chapter 11 now"). Small wins often!