It could be a number of things that people have mentioned in here.
Just allow yourself to do what you actually want to do. If you feel like you actually want to watch movies or TV shows then you need to consciously stop picking up your phone.
At the same time, if you only want to watch a movie or TV show because its what you "think" is expected of a "normal" person, stop. Just let yourself lay on the couch/bed and scroll.
We place too many expectations on ourselves these days to be doing certain things, instead of just doing the things we actually want.
I had that last night. I went to finally watch Pluto, which I read the manga and seen the first episode before so knew I was love it, but when I started it I was like "Can I speed this up?" Which wouldn't have made it as good. " Do I have time for this? I could be doing something else?" When I had did some chores and didn't have anything the next day just for this. Once I was into it, I had a hard time stopping, but had to because I was too tired to appreciate it.
I think I been consuming media that not very important to me and that I don't have to pay close attention that I normalize that. When years ago I use to purposely consume a big chunk of media. So the opposite of what I do now. Making setting aside time and focusing hard to do.
Stop having social media, if you are unable to look at it, you simply won't.
90% of your life is building an environment around you that incentivizes you to do the work that you need to do, not only to be productive, but also to be happy.
You'll be really fucking bored, but also find that you have other things to be doing, and then go do those instead, because they're more interesting.
It's the level of commitment. You can start and stop online activities with almost no preparation or planning. When you watch a movie, you have to mentally prepare yourself to be in one spot and paying attention to one thing for an hour and a half. When you play video games, it takes effort to turn on the console or launch Steam / Epic / whatever.
Because your brain is naturally "designed" to maximise things that trigger happy chemicals while minimising effort to get them.
So slowly frying your neurons from scrolling an endless supply of garbage where you don't have to move or work or even use your brain to make a choice of what to watch or pay attention enough to follow a story is always going to be your brains preferred choice.
It's kind of a running joke that if you can get yourself through the diagnosis gauntlet
sorting it with insurance
finding a provider
waiting the months for the appointment
dealing with insurance
then doing it all over again for the psychiatrist to actually get the prescription
and then again for the therapist (to wrangle the realization that your entire life is ADHD lol)
is something only a non-ADHDer can manage. Get someone close to you on board who can help keep you accountable, and run the gauntlet mate. Check out !adhd.
people who have it seem to be convinced everyone else has it. it's a cognitive bias. just like white folks think racism isn't real because they don't experience it.
Just because a sizable part of the population has it, doesn't make it any less legitimate. So sick and tired of the stigma around ADHD. I'm tired of defending it
bingo. they require attention and effort and you might get something out of them..
social media... is designed to require neither... just like reality tv or candy crush... which are junk.
and same with food. a good meal requires attention and effort to make... cup o noodles requires almost none, but has very little nutritional value beyond hitting your salt and fat receptors.
Your brain is a large energy eater. Slow oxygen transfer in the lungs would be my guess. Sitting around, your body downcycles to a lower energy requirement and the longer it remains in that statethe more effort it takes to get out of it
We have this thing called autistic inertia, which sounds similar, and since people already mentioned ADHD, maybe start here and see if anything rings a bell and go from there:
I only recently learned the term, and I too felt it in my bones..
So validating each time I discover another bit of my autism has a name and is known by others and isn't just me being "useless".
Unfortunately that's pretty common. Personally I think that the accumulation of trauma (which is unavoidable being neurodiverse in a neurotypical world) makes the brain even more defensive, making it ever harder to break through the walls it creates in "self defence".
I wish I had something more encouraging or helpful to say, but I have the same struggles.
Well fuck. I share a lot of those autistic traits and only a few of the ADHD ones. Would focusing on a medical diagnosis for ADHD still help if thats the case
There is a lot of overlap and comorbidity between autism and ADHD, having one definitely doesn't rule out having the other, and if you think diagnosis and or medication will help, I say go for it, just mention your suspicions about potentially having both to the doctor.
ADHD and CPTSD here (how we love our initialisms!), the latter of which shares a lot of behavioral overlap with autism. From my experience and that of friends and family, yes. A proper evaluation from a knowledgeable practitioner should get you moving on both fronts. I highly recommend finding a psychiatrist versed in both.
Often I fall back to films or games I've already developed an emotional attachment to. Because the mental energy it takes to develop a new attachment is significant. I find I can trick it by putting something on while I do something else and then come back to watch or listen to it later where it's already somewhat familiar.
My ADHD doesn't really let me have long term (hour plus) focus easily. It wants the easy dopamine hit from something that it knows it already can drop into.
ADHD. A lot of people might say depression, and ADHD gets misdiagnosed this way too, especially because people are much more familiar with the way depression manifests rather than how ADHD actually manifests beyond stereotypical hyperactivity and difficulty focusing.
What you're describing is executive dysfunction and energy regulation problems. The reason you can't stop scrolling is because your brain doesn't produce dopamine enough, and it's only used to the short bursts it can produce. This creates a feedback loop where you're stuck stimulating yourself with quick, easy dopamine hits, and that's why anything that seems like a prolonged task feels like an impossible endeavor. It's also why you'll get tunnel vision if you ever do start playing that game.
Others have said depression, but this can also be caused by burnout or ADHD. If you’ve tried the usual suggestions (better sleep, exercise, diet) and it’s really bothering you, then talking to a doctor could help narrow down the possibilities.
This. Way too many people these days are confusing burnout or addiction with ADHD. Literally seeing YouTubers state they are burned out and then declare it's ADHD, and how Adderall helped them be productive magically.
No shit the METH analogue is making you productive, it's fucking meth. It'll perk up anyone no matter how burned out you are. There's a reason it was commonly used by students who hadn't slept and could only afford ramen while finishing their thesis back in the day.
It sucks how that's being over diagnosed and causing a shortage in people who actually need it. Psychologists in the USA have way too much power - how can you basically prescribe meth to someone without even a blood test or further testing to rule out other non-focus causes, but a nurse can't even get you some heart medication over there?
Edit: very late, but let the record show Adderall was indeed being over prescribed in the USA:
So Adderall is an amphetamine salt. Not a methamphetamine. Not that they don't have methamphetamine drugs that are prescribed for ADHD. But they are drastically different drugs.
I do think their prescriptions are over dosing, but to say that over prescribing is preventing those that need it is the wrong conclusion. If there is that much need, then there should be increased production. However the federal government restricts the productions to a certain level.
Like most drugs to treat mental illnesses, it's a lot of "try this and report" to determine the effectiveness and the dosage. We don't truly understand the neurotransmitters or how they affect mood and mental health. We work on correlation. It's only by how the patient self reports the effects that they can adjust the dosage and potentially change to different drugs.
Meth analogue. It's not straight up meth but works on the same receptors, much how synthetic opioids do. It'll still perk up and focus a normal burnt out person too.
I do think their prescriptions are over dosing, but to say that over prescribing is preventing those that need it is the wrong conclusion. If there is that much need, then there should be increased production
Two things can be true. If it's being over prescribed, then technically production meets need, but need has also been artificially raised. That said, there at least was a shortage due to over prescription, and in some places still are.
Like most drugs to treat mental illnesses, it's a lot of "try this and report" to determine the effectiveness and the dosage.
Except a lot doesn't try basic things first when unsure to rule out other possible causes. Not even blood tests in many cases to see if it's not some other illness or deficiency. Or just overwork. I know correlation isn't causation but that Americans especially seem to be diagnosed much higher than Europeans with ADHD despite the healthcare not being socialized seems to correlate with the extreme work culture Americans have. There's basically no vacations, a consumerist culture that encourages debt, and high work schedules. When you work that much, it's not unreasonable your brain starts to complain about not having fun and refuses to easily concentrate anymore and instead prefers seeking dopamine. Combine that with dopamine hitters that require a short attention span like TikTok or much of social media in general and that's a recipe for a burnout very similar to ADHD. But giving Adderall to someone burnt out is the same as giving coffee to someone sleep deprived - it's only getting you through the symptoms but not actually fixing the problem. And the American mental health system seems to extremely easily give drugs rather than figure out if you actually need them first, or if there's another way to actually fix the problem.
Actually, that's the American health system in general. Mild hypertension? Don't bother encouraging the patient to just go for an evening walk every other day for some mild exercise first to see if that helps, just take some calcium ion channel inhibitors! A bit overweight with some slightly elevated blood glucose levels? Let's not get them to consult a nutritionist first, just go straight for the ozempic.
To me the current over diagnosis of ADHD and over prescription of medication in general is more a sign of the private healthcare system and runaway capitalism in general in the USA, rather than extremely significant prior under-diagnostics.
Then there are also people who drink or used to drink a lot or use lots of recreational drugs in higher than safe doses and call it adhd when they experience memory or attention problems…
When I finally admitted I needed help, it was after years of positive lifestyle changes not having any effect. That’s very bad too because I pretty much tortured myself for too long, most of my potential went down the drain and I became a person who pretty much no longer trusts themselves and is always scared of pursuing opportunities because of inevitable spiraling into dysfunction.
That scenario is something nobody should end up in and people need to feel supported to seek help to minimize such damage, but those making zero effort and completely jumping over so many first steps in helping the typical and very common symptoms is really irresponsible. Having people claim to have adhd just because they have memory problems, or attention problems from spending unrestricted and unmonitored amount on apps designed to break the brain, or a textbook burnout… It’s not just insensitive to those who are suffering from the disability, it is also detrimental to give amphetamines to a body that needs care, rest, or exercise.
There could be any number of things causing you to feel like that. Depression, burn out (very common in people on the spectrum), vitamin deficiencies, thyroid problems… our bodies are kind of like really crappy cars that just show a check engine light for every problem, except with feeling tired. The only way to rule out any physical problems is to get blood work done.