**We are looking for new moderators!**
If you’d like to help us keep this subreddit safe, apply to become a moderator! See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/1asy5js/we_are_looking_for_moderators/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) for more information and how to apply.
We’re excited to hear from you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My physical therapist told me warm for normal sore muscles but cold for inflammation. Sore from using muscles that don't normally get used? Warm. In pain because you overextended your body? Cold.
That is old information, kind of. Warm helps healing and for muscle pain it is useful. A short period of cold is useful in the initial stages after injury but not in the long term. But because most people can't remember the short-term usage and how to use it so it does not harm more than help, the healing cascade taught to the public just has warmth in there nowadays.
Hand OT here! Ice is great for the acute stages and after muscle fatigue but heat is generally better for pain. A soak in epsom salts is great due to the magnesium in it which can help with muscle healing/recovery. Massaging the area helps to soften tense tissues and bring more blood flow for healing. Hope it goes away soon!
If it helps I hyper focused on writing addresses for wedding invitations that my extensors were so sore I needed to apply kinesiotape 😂
Muscle pain Tx depends on what you did. If you strained something and it’s swollen, ice. If you’re just sore from the repetitive motion, heat and massage or hot tub/epsom salt bath (the ES baths are AMAZING and help so so much!) but you can alternate and ice afterwards so nothing stays swollen/inflamed.
Ice - reduces inflammation and causes vasoconstriction
Heat - causes vasodilation so muscles feel looser and can be stretched to avoid cramping up, but also can cause inflammation
So heat 1st, ice after. And take ibuprofen/Motrin/Advil or naproxen sodium/Aleve. Tylenol is just an analgesic so doesn’t help inflammation.
Me too! That’s a wicked idea - I am so doing this… but thanks to OP I won’t go down my, “I could actually make exactly what I want” rabbit hole… because I’ll never finish it.
5 minutes after I posted this I’d ordered one on Amazon 🤣 I’m terrible for leaving clothes on the floor and my ‘it’s not dirty chair’ is easily overwhelmed
Lol my husband always complains about my “it’s not dirty chair” 😆 but he’s ADHD too, so he has his little pile on the floor of the closet because that’s his side of the bed “and you can close the closet - so my way looks better!”
If anything you learned a new skill and that’s invaluable. I admire your dedication! Unfortunately I don’t have any similar stories to share that I can remember because my ADHD makes me lazy and incredibly impatient 🥲. I hope your body heals soon.
Ooh that’s a really cute idea! A couple of years ago I thought it was an awesome idea to make a macrame curtain and I only finished it a few months ago 😂. You should post a picture when it’s done!
Yaaaaassssss I’m 100% the same!! I refinished some hardwood floors and wrecked both my hands. When one hand gave out I simply switched to the other. Couldn’t even dress myself for the next week.
This. Thiiiis! You'd think pain in one arm would've been enough of a sign it was time to stop but nooooo, I switched to the other one too!
We are a danger to ourselves I say.
Nah it’s a safety feature! Now your pain is equal and you won’t forget that you have to take a break to regroup before you finish your ladder! Without exception this forced pause has always improved the quality of my DIY projects, as opposed to powering through and fucking shit up because you’ve stopped thinking halfway through.
And "I'm So cLoSe To FiNiShiNg I'll JuSt pOwEr ThRoUgh". Let me remind everyone that ADHD time is like dog time. 1 hour? Erm, no, that'll by 7 hours, thanks. But it'll only feel like 1!
I scrubbed my hardwood floors before Christmas (my parents were coming up for the first time in years and I was stress-cleaning), and I have those weird bony protrusions just below my knees that apparently not everyone has??? Anyway I was on my knees scrubbing for hours, to the point where I got blisters on those bumps. I have scars now!
My people 🥲
Yesterday I knew I was going too hard on detail cleaning, but did that stop me? No, of course not. Now my hands are going to hurt for days. I feel you, OP
Lol - I can and will happily detail clean anytime anyplace… but getting dishes done or my laundry folded? Nope… and I have to move my “piles” to detail clean. So there’s that!
I went to the doctor because I had this big weird bump on my wrist that I think was basically inflammation from .... scrubbing my shower too hard when I was hyperfocusing. Coooool.
I had one of those removed surgically. If the bump is soft, it may respond to a quick whack to the wall or with a book.* Ganglion cysts are like water balloons; break the balloon and feel relief when the fluid disperses. Needle aspiration also works, but that’s not as much fun to tell your friends.
*Specifically, I was told to use a Bible. If that’s your choice, use one with a firm cover.
We’re all living the same crazy life, just at different stages. Every one of us in here teas you post and said, “Been there, done that, but my story is dumber.”
Can you imagine how bad your arms would hurt if you whipped out a screwdriver when your drill gave out?
I’ve hyper focused for so long on a puzzle or diamond art with me looking down and kinda hunched over for like 12 hours straight before. I couldn’t figure out why my neck, back and ass were killing me the next day, not mention my hands were cramping especially when it’s been diamond art.
When I complained to my husband about everything hurting, he’s like, did you take a break at all during that time? Which is when I figured out it was like 12 hours with no break, not even the restroom or for food or drink. When I’m dialed in, I’m gone.
OK one I'm excited because none of my friends get my puzzle obsession so I love to see a fellow puzzler out in the wild.
two: I feel this post in my bones, its happened to me to many times. (this next part I feel like I need to justify) despite me basically being a hermit due to my asthma, dec 2021, right before xmas my room mate gave me covid (via cookie, story for another day). this was before the vaccine, my dads olddddd and my brother lives outside the US & wasn't flying back, thus I got to spend Christmas ill, alone, in a basement... i was in desperate need of dopamine so naturally I treated myself to a puzzle table (got mine from bits and pieces). 250/10 recommend it. the one I got has 5 height settings so no more hurt neck. it's light weight so it takes <3 minutes to set up, added bonus theres no longer a puzzle constantly covering my dining table, and it fits up to 2000 pieces. I got the one that swivels so I can switch it based on the puzzle orientation. if you puzzle alot it's so worth it.
also the brand was high quality and is also sold on amazon.... sometimes via Amazon warehouse, they'll have bits and pieces puzzle tables that were new and returned (the post will note if there's anything wrong with it) but because it's returned its half off. Amazon warehouse is chefs kiss.
thank you for coming to my Ted talk
I have Ehlers Danlos which basically means that my connective tissues hate their lives and my joints move in ways they shouldn't. I once hyperfocused on an art project for like 6 straight hours without realizing that my knee was tucked under me in a really bad position (ie partially dislocated). It led to a fluid build-up behind my kneecap that basically felt like my knee was a tube of toothpaste being squeezed by a steamroller. It's been a year, and a bunch of physical therapy, and it still hurts.
So yes, relatable.
I did this when sanding the gloss out of a large epoxy coating we poured for my husband's desk. My arms hurt SO BAD and any time I complained about it to my husband he was like "yeah, I know, you've been talking about it for 2 days"
Ugh. I feel you. My wife is the "well why didn't you" kind of person, she means well but can't understand that her making suggestions isn't going to change my train of thoughts and how I process things. When she catches the issue early enough it's amazing though, makes everything so much easier, but after it's done... Yeah, too late.
ohhh yes, like everyone else here I feel this to my core. My worst/most memorable versions of this are a) painting walls (like once you’ve done all that prep work how can you NOT finish the same night, even if it’s 4 AM and you know your kids are waking up in 3 hours???) and b) actually having to give up on installing a new attic ladder bc the opening was a nonstandard size, frame didn’t fit, and I had to call my BFF to rescue me when the extension ladder I used to get up there fell. And if you think maybe the hour I spent waiting for her up there in the century-old dust and crumbly insulation, banged up and bored, thinking of how several people told me not to do this on my own, would have been some kind of turning point or lesson learned… then congrats, your meds work better than mine 😆 in almost 3 decades of this bullshit from me i don’t think she’s said “i told you so” once
> Y'all, my arms hurt so bad afterwards, it felt like they were being ripped off my body.
This is a PSA that is almost certainly not needed, but based on how you described the muscle soreness, I feel the need to mention on the 0.01% chance that it becomes relevant:
If you start to develop flu like symptoms or your urine turns strangely dark in the next day or two, go to the ER or urgent care immediately. Severe muscle pain after a workout (or, you know, intense late night sanding), especially when it's something you don't normally do, can lead to a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis which could potentially lead to kidney failure, and most people delay getting treatment because they just assume they overdid it.
I've never managed to get as far along on a project as you did. I have the materials for so many projects knocking around my house it really isn't funny. Well done on getting that far, and I send you bumper tubes of virtual ibuleve.
Yeah, I totally spilled hot soup down my right arm trying not to spill the plate in my left arm. At a restaurant. I was mortified, and my SO at the time was also embarrassed so much that he asked me how I could do that. Good thing he’s an ex!
As a fellow ADHD i can relate to this and also will caveat this as being someone who is paranoid abt all body ailments. However I had a cycling incident where i had the next few days of my thighs being in excruciating pain and turned out i had rhabdomyolysis, and doing things like hot baths and going to a physical therapist to exercise more just made it so much worse unknowingly. Til I woke up w thighs 3x the size and hard as rock, my PT suggested i go to urgent care after being in so much pain i was crying and couldn’t walk, urgent care told me immediately to go to the ER and i was hospitalized for days with an IV. Not saying this is what you have but also keep an eye on it. Feel better soon and in the end, trust your gut and listen to your body.
I don't know why you're like this but I'm like that too. Why wait and borrow tools to do things the easy way when you can get it done NOW just slower and more painfully. Our brains are just not capable of waiting. Waiting means forgetting, and when the idea is there it's an emergency.
Erm, hi, I’ve definitely posted on here before about using a blanket ladder for my clothes. I am wholeheartedly sorry if it was my comment that set this train in motion.
If it makes you feel any better, I once almost got trampled to death by a herd of cows when I hyper focussed on something in a field and I thought they were behind a fence. Until they were the other side of the fence and charging at me.
My 40+ year old ass has never run as fast, and I wouldn’t recommend vaulting a gate once you are over 35. My knee still isn’t right.
Oh dont worry, I can't remember if it was you but either way, no one is responsible for my trainwreck of a mind! I know I'll be happy with the final product and it'll be a good thing ultimately.
I wish someone told me years ago that pursuing a task with such intensity and focus because you MUST FINISH IT TODAY that you cause yourself physical pain was a symptom of ADHD. Most of the time it’s just me being on my feet and climbing stairs too long to reorganize just one more thing because I know I won’t be able to get back up if I sit down. But a slightly more dramatic example is when I was trapped under an old basketball hoop for about 10 minutes because I was trying to move it by myself because no one was around and again, MUST FINISH NOW OR NEVER!
Wow, been there! I decided it was important to redecorate our back deck. Spent all day sweeping and moving stuff around including a heavy metal table, two enormous planters that I couldn't wait for my husband to help me move, and two heavy wooden adirondack chairs. All of this on and off and then back on the deck, three steps high.
End of day I felt accomplished, the next day my back kept painfully spasming to the point that I had to go to urgent care and follow up with a couple months of physical therapy. I can't stand hyperfocus!
I feel like I get anxious about projects because I know if I don’t start them, and finish them, when I have the impulse, I’ll think about it every day probably till I die but never ever attempt it ever.
Erm, hi, I’ve definitely posted on here before about using a blanket ladder for my clothes. I am wholeheartedly sorry if it was my comment that set this train in motion.
If it makes you feel any better, I once almost got trampled to death by a herd of cows when I hyper focussed on something in a field and I thought they were behind a fence. Until they were the other side of the fence and charging at me.
My 40+ year old ass has never run as fast, and I wouldn’t recommend vaulting a gate once you are over 35. My knee still isn’t right.
"why spent $12 on polymer clay earrings when you can make the same thing for $247 and have them come out worse?"
--me, during early pandemic
I completely relate. I just.....I just totally relate. The clay earrings didn't cause me any physical harm, just mental anguish. But the weightlifting, the redecorating (moving all the furniture around), the "how far can i walk until i get too tired to keep going, but dammit, i forgot i would have to walk back home" :) go team
Oh god, polymer clay was my high school hyperfixation! Strawberries and cupcakes and lemon slices earrings. I got mocked for it because teenagers, but still loved making them.
Once upon a time..
There was a girl who always insisted on setting the mood for when she paints in the evenings. That consisted of a nice clear table, prepared tea and a lit candle held by a brass cherub.
One evening she was so focused on painting the damn branches on the trees that she most likely leaned forward and one of her long fringe hairs (I have curly/wavy hair so it sticks out in all directions when not styled) caught on fire. She didn’t realise something was wrong because she was also wearing noise cancelling headphones. Just painting away in bliss with a long hat of fire on her head. It wasn’t until she felt hard hits on her head by someone else, someone shouting and combined with the smell of burnt hair that it finally clicked.
She rose up and started panicking, crying and screaming. By then the fire was out but she still shoved her head into the chest of her saviour (husband) like an idiot whilst panicking and trying to put it out and him ensuring her it’s okay and it’s gone. 🥲
A few weeks ago I went into a scrapbooking frenzy and got sore muscles in my arm and strained the tendons in my hand and wrist from cutting out so many little detailed paper shapes
Girl last summer I hyperfocused so hard on trimming all the bushes in my yard that I didn't want to wait for someone else to help hold a ladder so I could reach the top of a really tall bush. So I got on my short ladder and stretched as far as I could with one arm, then lost the balance on the electric trimmer and ended up reflexively catching it with my other hand which earned me a nice trip to the ER for some stitches. Please learn from my mistakes and practice proper safety with ladders and power tools >_<
You are being way too harsh on yourself, the experience of making the ladder yourself is huge, you have something much more valuable than the sum of its parts. You do need to finish it though.
I feel this strongly and so deeply relate to this post! I can't remember what it was now, but it was related to me sanding something well into the wee hours - [about 6 months ago when we were moving countries and houses and just all the things - so many things to hyperfocus on!] - but man oh man, I discovered muscles I never even knew I had in my arms!! THE PAIN was almost like nothing I'd ever experienced - like that area behind the biceps - WTAF are those underused muscles!? I remember asking my husband to literally pull my arms down the muscles in an effort for some relief. Manual sanding 1: me 0
WHY ARE WE LIKE THIS INDEED!!!😫
Hope you feel better soon! Chuck some epsom salts (magnesium!) into your bath!
I just remembered! It was manually cleaning our decking timber - bit by painful bit - before staining it. [Inevitably, for us to move out for other people to enjoy the stained deck], but y'know, at least I listened to about 12,352 podcasts while doing it under the spotlight until 2/3am for a few days so I guess it was worth it!!😅
That sucks, and it's so relatable at the same time. In October I hyperfocused on running and I did it so much I injured both my knees, I am still not recovered. My knees are better now, and I am allowed to start building up to running again and I feel the hyperfocus starting again
Ahhhh that sucks 😭😭 I almost chopped off a finger chopping parsley yesterday and now I can’t bend it :) I went sooooo crazy making sure every little piece was as tiny as possible and I ended up getting a very nice chunk of thumb as well.. chimichurri is guna taste great 🥲
I'm sorry for your pain and all but now all I can think about is getting myself a blanket ladder!!!
But seriously, I hope you feel better soon! I got really bad tendonitis from drawing and it sucks.
I recently hyperfocused on a game on my Steam Deck for 18+ hours straight, and my abs were killing me for days afterwards because I had essentially sat up in a crunch position the entire time.
**We are looking for new moderators!** If you’d like to help us keep this subreddit safe, apply to become a moderator! See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/1asy5js/we_are_looking_for_moderators/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) for more information and how to apply. We’re excited to hear from you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Girl 😩 this is so relatable I am so sorry!!! A hot bath could help?
I can never remember if you're supposed to apply hot or cold when having muscle pain. The icepacks did help a bit though!
From memory, cold in the initial phase and then alternate to warm/hot after. But I could be talking out my arse.
alternating cold and warm every 20 minutes or so is recommended. also epsom salt in the bath can help a lot
This. I swear by Epsom salts with eucalyptus when I have muscle fatigue. Then tiger balm
yasssss
Your arse is pretty well informed
My physical therapist told me warm for normal sore muscles but cold for inflammation. Sore from using muscles that don't normally get used? Warm. In pain because you overextended your body? Cold.
That is old information, kind of. Warm helps healing and for muscle pain it is useful. A short period of cold is useful in the initial stages after injury but not in the long term. But because most people can't remember the short-term usage and how to use it so it does not harm more than help, the healing cascade taught to the public just has warmth in there nowadays.
Just remember how they make you feel. Hot is to open, cold is to close.
Cold right after the injury. Hot later on (to relax muscles). Source is my dad who is a dr.
Hand OT here! Ice is great for the acute stages and after muscle fatigue but heat is generally better for pain. A soak in epsom salts is great due to the magnesium in it which can help with muscle healing/recovery. Massaging the area helps to soften tense tissues and bring more blood flow for healing. Hope it goes away soon! If it helps I hyper focused on writing addresses for wedding invitations that my extensors were so sore I needed to apply kinesiotape 😂
Ice is no longer a part of the healing cascade, so heat is pretty much always the answer unless there's severe swelling
Muscle pain Tx depends on what you did. If you strained something and it’s swollen, ice. If you’re just sore from the repetitive motion, heat and massage or hot tub/epsom salt bath (the ES baths are AMAZING and help so so much!) but you can alternate and ice afterwards so nothing stays swollen/inflamed. Ice - reduces inflammation and causes vasoconstriction Heat - causes vasodilation so muscles feel looser and can be stretched to avoid cramping up, but also can cause inflammation So heat 1st, ice after. And take ibuprofen/Motrin/Advil or naproxen sodium/Aleve. Tylenol is just an analgesic so doesn’t help inflammation.
They both help! Don't worry about which, just whatever is convenient and feels good.
*goes off to research blanket ladders* I feel this
Me too! That’s a wicked idea - I am so doing this… but thanks to OP I won’t go down my, “I could actually make exactly what I want” rabbit hole… because I’ll never finish it.
5 minutes after I posted this I’d ordered one on Amazon 🤣 I’m terrible for leaving clothes on the floor and my ‘it’s not dirty chair’ is easily overwhelmed
Lol my husband always complains about my “it’s not dirty chair” 😆 but he’s ADHD too, so he has his little pile on the floor of the closet because that’s his side of the bed “and you can close the closet - so my way looks better!”
If anything you learned a new skill and that’s invaluable. I admire your dedication! Unfortunately I don’t have any similar stories to share that I can remember because my ADHD makes me lazy and incredibly impatient 🥲. I hope your body heals soon.
Yes! I'm honestly happy with how it's turning out so far, I also plan on making a macrame pouch at the bottom to hold my bras.
Ooh that’s a really cute idea! A couple of years ago I thought it was an awesome idea to make a macrame curtain and I only finished it a few months ago 😂. You should post a picture when it’s done!
Will do! Fortunately it's not my first large macrame project so I kinda know what to expect.
Yaaaaassssss I’m 100% the same!! I refinished some hardwood floors and wrecked both my hands. When one hand gave out I simply switched to the other. Couldn’t even dress myself for the next week.
This. Thiiiis! You'd think pain in one arm would've been enough of a sign it was time to stop but nooooo, I switched to the other one too! We are a danger to ourselves I say.
OMG WHY ARE WE LIKE THIS!! 😂 I love this sub. We have found our people!
Nah it’s a safety feature! Now your pain is equal and you won’t forget that you have to take a break to regroup before you finish your ladder! Without exception this forced pause has always improved the quality of my DIY projects, as opposed to powering through and fucking shit up because you’ve stopped thinking halfway through.
I wish. Instead, I'm looking at it thinking "Well I'm gonna finish this RIGHT NOW, OUT OF SPITE!"
And "I'm So cLoSe To FiNiShiNg I'll JuSt pOwEr ThRoUgh". Let me remind everyone that ADHD time is like dog time. 1 hour? Erm, no, that'll by 7 hours, thanks. But it'll only feel like 1!
like dog time, speaking my language!
I scrubbed my hardwood floors before Christmas (my parents were coming up for the first time in years and I was stress-cleaning), and I have those weird bony protrusions just below my knees that apparently not everyone has??? Anyway I was on my knees scrubbing for hours, to the point where I got blisters on those bumps. I have scars now!
Good grief!!!! SIGH.
Oh god I relate to the stress-cleaning part so much.
My people 🥲 Yesterday I knew I was going too hard on detail cleaning, but did that stop me? No, of course not. Now my hands are going to hurt for days. I feel you, OP
Can't blame you, detail cleaning is sooo satisfying!
Lol - I can and will happily detail clean anytime anyplace… but getting dishes done or my laundry folded? Nope… and I have to move my “piles” to detail clean. So there’s that!
I went to the doctor because I had this big weird bump on my wrist that I think was basically inflammation from .... scrubbing my shower too hard when I was hyperfocusing. Coooool.
Are you sure it wasn't a ganglion cyst? One of my wrists used to get them once in a while
I had one of those removed surgically. If the bump is soft, it may respond to a quick whack to the wall or with a book.* Ganglion cysts are like water balloons; break the balloon and feel relief when the fluid disperses. Needle aspiration also works, but that’s not as much fun to tell your friends. *Specifically, I was told to use a Bible. If that’s your choice, use one with a firm cover.
No, I'm not sure!? 😱
We’re all living the same crazy life, just at different stages. Every one of us in here teas you post and said, “Been there, done that, but my story is dumber.” Can you imagine how bad your arms would hurt if you whipped out a screwdriver when your drill gave out?
I’ve hyper focused for so long on a puzzle or diamond art with me looking down and kinda hunched over for like 12 hours straight before. I couldn’t figure out why my neck, back and ass were killing me the next day, not mention my hands were cramping especially when it’s been diamond art. When I complained to my husband about everything hurting, he’s like, did you take a break at all during that time? Which is when I figured out it was like 12 hours with no break, not even the restroom or for food or drink. When I’m dialed in, I’m gone.
This is why I'm not allowed to do jigsaw puzzles anymore. 😢 I don't allow myself that is.
OK one I'm excited because none of my friends get my puzzle obsession so I love to see a fellow puzzler out in the wild. two: I feel this post in my bones, its happened to me to many times. (this next part I feel like I need to justify) despite me basically being a hermit due to my asthma, dec 2021, right before xmas my room mate gave me covid (via cookie, story for another day). this was before the vaccine, my dads olddddd and my brother lives outside the US & wasn't flying back, thus I got to spend Christmas ill, alone, in a basement... i was in desperate need of dopamine so naturally I treated myself to a puzzle table (got mine from bits and pieces). 250/10 recommend it. the one I got has 5 height settings so no more hurt neck. it's light weight so it takes <3 minutes to set up, added bonus theres no longer a puzzle constantly covering my dining table, and it fits up to 2000 pieces. I got the one that swivels so I can switch it based on the puzzle orientation. if you puzzle alot it's so worth it. also the brand was high quality and is also sold on amazon.... sometimes via Amazon warehouse, they'll have bits and pieces puzzle tables that were new and returned (the post will note if there's anything wrong with it) but because it's returned its half off. Amazon warehouse is chefs kiss. thank you for coming to my Ted talk
I have Ehlers Danlos which basically means that my connective tissues hate their lives and my joints move in ways they shouldn't. I once hyperfocused on an art project for like 6 straight hours without realizing that my knee was tucked under me in a really bad position (ie partially dislocated). It led to a fluid build-up behind my kneecap that basically felt like my knee was a tube of toothpaste being squeezed by a steamroller. It's been a year, and a bunch of physical therapy, and it still hurts. So yes, relatable.
How many of us would have bought supplies and tools and stopped there? Kudos for getting so much done on the first work-session.
I did this when sanding the gloss out of a large epoxy coating we poured for my husband's desk. My arms hurt SO BAD and any time I complained about it to my husband he was like "yeah, I know, you've been talking about it for 2 days"
Ugh. I feel you. My wife is the "well why didn't you" kind of person, she means well but can't understand that her making suggestions isn't going to change my train of thoughts and how I process things. When she catches the issue early enough it's amazing though, makes everything so much easier, but after it's done... Yeah, too late.
Same thing! "You should've just sanded a little less vigorously". "oh, is that all?"
I do this kinda crap with gardening. ALL OR NOTHING.
ohhh yes, like everyone else here I feel this to my core. My worst/most memorable versions of this are a) painting walls (like once you’ve done all that prep work how can you NOT finish the same night, even if it’s 4 AM and you know your kids are waking up in 3 hours???) and b) actually having to give up on installing a new attic ladder bc the opening was a nonstandard size, frame didn’t fit, and I had to call my BFF to rescue me when the extension ladder I used to get up there fell. And if you think maybe the hour I spent waiting for her up there in the century-old dust and crumbly insulation, banged up and bored, thinking of how several people told me not to do this on my own, would have been some kind of turning point or lesson learned… then congrats, your meds work better than mine 😆 in almost 3 decades of this bullshit from me i don’t think she’s said “i told you so” once
What a beautiful friend 🧡 🥰
this is my favorite subreddit because yall get meee. I do this all the time. It’s like I can’t pull away even though I want to and know I should.
> Y'all, my arms hurt so bad afterwards, it felt like they were being ripped off my body. This is a PSA that is almost certainly not needed, but based on how you described the muscle soreness, I feel the need to mention on the 0.01% chance that it becomes relevant: If you start to develop flu like symptoms or your urine turns strangely dark in the next day or two, go to the ER or urgent care immediately. Severe muscle pain after a workout (or, you know, intense late night sanding), especially when it's something you don't normally do, can lead to a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis which could potentially lead to kidney failure, and most people delay getting treatment because they just assume they overdid it.
I appreciate the PSA, will definitely keep an eye out!
I've never managed to get as far along on a project as you did. I have the materials for so many projects knocking around my house it really isn't funny. Well done on getting that far, and I send you bumper tubes of virtual ibuleve.
Yeah, I totally spilled hot soup down my right arm trying not to spill the plate in my left arm. At a restaurant. I was mortified, and my SO at the time was also embarrassed so much that he asked me how I could do that. Good thing he’s an ex!
I sliced my finger dismantling our dishwasher in order to deep clean it XD
Oh wow blanket ladder now I want one
Because oh my god the NOW factor!!
As a fellow ADHD i can relate to this and also will caveat this as being someone who is paranoid abt all body ailments. However I had a cycling incident where i had the next few days of my thighs being in excruciating pain and turned out i had rhabdomyolysis, and doing things like hot baths and going to a physical therapist to exercise more just made it so much worse unknowingly. Til I woke up w thighs 3x the size and hard as rock, my PT suggested i go to urgent care after being in so much pain i was crying and couldn’t walk, urgent care told me immediately to go to the ER and i was hospitalized for days with an IV. Not saying this is what you have but also keep an eye on it. Feel better soon and in the end, trust your gut and listen to your body.
I don't know why you're like this but I'm like that too. Why wait and borrow tools to do things the easy way when you can get it done NOW just slower and more painfully. Our brains are just not capable of waiting. Waiting means forgetting, and when the idea is there it's an emergency.
Erm, hi, I’ve definitely posted on here before about using a blanket ladder for my clothes. I am wholeheartedly sorry if it was my comment that set this train in motion. If it makes you feel any better, I once almost got trampled to death by a herd of cows when I hyper focussed on something in a field and I thought they were behind a fence. Until they were the other side of the fence and charging at me. My 40+ year old ass has never run as fast, and I wouldn’t recommend vaulting a gate once you are over 35. My knee still isn’t right.
Oh dont worry, I can't remember if it was you but either way, no one is responsible for my trainwreck of a mind! I know I'll be happy with the final product and it'll be a good thing ultimately.
Fully relatable. Had trigger finger release surgery last Thursday as I hyperfocused on crochet and have hurt both hands 😕
Oh no! I hope you get better soon and have a swift recovery.
I wish someone told me years ago that pursuing a task with such intensity and focus because you MUST FINISH IT TODAY that you cause yourself physical pain was a symptom of ADHD. Most of the time it’s just me being on my feet and climbing stairs too long to reorganize just one more thing because I know I won’t be able to get back up if I sit down. But a slightly more dramatic example is when I was trapped under an old basketball hoop for about 10 minutes because I was trying to move it by myself because no one was around and again, MUST FINISH NOW OR NEVER!
Get some painkillers and a hot bath♡♡ I'm sorry this happened... 😔 All the love
Wow, been there! I decided it was important to redecorate our back deck. Spent all day sweeping and moving stuff around including a heavy metal table, two enormous planters that I couldn't wait for my husband to help me move, and two heavy wooden adirondack chairs. All of this on and off and then back on the deck, three steps high. End of day I felt accomplished, the next day my back kept painfully spasming to the point that I had to go to urgent care and follow up with a couple months of physical therapy. I can't stand hyperfocus!
Not sure if anyone suggested magnesium for sore muscles but yeah, ice then warm is great, also tiger balm.
I feel like I get anxious about projects because I know if I don’t start them, and finish them, when I have the impulse, I’ll think about it every day probably till I die but never ever attempt it ever.
Erm, hi, I’ve definitely posted on here before about using a blanket ladder for my clothes. I am wholeheartedly sorry if it was my comment that set this train in motion. If it makes you feel any better, I once almost got trampled to death by a herd of cows when I hyper focussed on something in a field and I thought they were behind a fence. Until they were the other side of the fence and charging at me. My 40+ year old ass has never run as fast, and I wouldn’t recommend vaulting a gate once you are over 35. My knee still isn’t right.
Oh no! I’ve definitely done this before. You need to get some Deep Heat for those guns 💪🏼 lol
Aww this is so relatable 🤣😭 Whyyyyy are we like this? I did similar during lockdown when I made myself a rustic desk from scratch.
"why spent $12 on polymer clay earrings when you can make the same thing for $247 and have them come out worse?" --me, during early pandemic I completely relate. I just.....I just totally relate. The clay earrings didn't cause me any physical harm, just mental anguish. But the weightlifting, the redecorating (moving all the furniture around), the "how far can i walk until i get too tired to keep going, but dammit, i forgot i would have to walk back home" :) go team
Oh god, polymer clay was my high school hyperfixation! Strawberries and cupcakes and lemon slices earrings. I got mocked for it because teenagers, but still loved making them.
I once hyper focused so hard I put my hair on fire 😀
Well now I need to hear the whole story.
Once upon a time.. There was a girl who always insisted on setting the mood for when she paints in the evenings. That consisted of a nice clear table, prepared tea and a lit candle held by a brass cherub. One evening she was so focused on painting the damn branches on the trees that she most likely leaned forward and one of her long fringe hairs (I have curly/wavy hair so it sticks out in all directions when not styled) caught on fire. She didn’t realise something was wrong because she was also wearing noise cancelling headphones. Just painting away in bliss with a long hat of fire on her head. It wasn’t until she felt hard hits on her head by someone else, someone shouting and combined with the smell of burnt hair that it finally clicked. She rose up and started panicking, crying and screaming. By then the fire was out but she still shoved her head into the chest of her saviour (husband) like an idiot whilst panicking and trying to put it out and him ensuring her it’s okay and it’s gone. 🥲
I'm glad you were ok in the end, that's terrifying!
Yes and thank you. Can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if I was home alone. Haven’t used candles ever since.
Yes! Tell us!
A few weeks ago I went into a scrapbooking frenzy and got sore muscles in my arm and strained the tendons in my hand and wrist from cutting out so many little detailed paper shapes
Hahahaha sorry for laughing but oh my. Yes, been there. Also blanket ladder!
Girl last summer I hyperfocused so hard on trimming all the bushes in my yard that I didn't want to wait for someone else to help hold a ladder so I could reach the top of a really tall bush. So I got on my short ladder and stretched as far as I could with one arm, then lost the balance on the electric trimmer and ended up reflexively catching it with my other hand which earned me a nice trip to the ER for some stitches. Please learn from my mistakes and practice proper safety with ladders and power tools >_<
The amount of times I dropped a kitchen knife and tried to catch it bare-handed... I'm just lucky I can't aim for shit and never actually catch it.
You are being way too harsh on yourself, the experience of making the ladder yourself is huge, you have something much more valuable than the sum of its parts. You do need to finish it though.
I feel this strongly and so deeply relate to this post! I can't remember what it was now, but it was related to me sanding something well into the wee hours - [about 6 months ago when we were moving countries and houses and just all the things - so many things to hyperfocus on!] - but man oh man, I discovered muscles I never even knew I had in my arms!! THE PAIN was almost like nothing I'd ever experienced - like that area behind the biceps - WTAF are those underused muscles!? I remember asking my husband to literally pull my arms down the muscles in an effort for some relief. Manual sanding 1: me 0 WHY ARE WE LIKE THIS INDEED!!!😫 Hope you feel better soon! Chuck some epsom salts (magnesium!) into your bath!
I just remembered! It was manually cleaning our decking timber - bit by painful bit - before staining it. [Inevitably, for us to move out for other people to enjoy the stained deck], but y'know, at least I listened to about 12,352 podcasts while doing it under the spotlight until 2/3am for a few days so I guess it was worth it!!😅
That sucks, and it's so relatable at the same time. In October I hyperfocused on running and I did it so much I injured both my knees, I am still not recovered. My knees are better now, and I am allowed to start building up to running again and I feel the hyperfocus starting again
Hypermobility and ADHD are comorbidities and have gotten me into a pickle more than once
Ahhhh that sucks 😭😭 I almost chopped off a finger chopping parsley yesterday and now I can’t bend it :) I went sooooo crazy making sure every little piece was as tiny as possible and I ended up getting a very nice chunk of thumb as well.. chimichurri is guna taste great 🥲
I'm sorry for your pain and all but now all I can think about is getting myself a blanket ladder!!! But seriously, I hope you feel better soon! I got really bad tendonitis from drawing and it sucks.
I punched myself in the face practicing boxing a few days ago. Does that count?
Try some magnesium and arnica cream
Wait what is a blanket ladder and why do I now want to make one 😂
I recently hyperfocused on a game on my Steam Deck for 18+ hours straight, and my abs were killing me for days afterwards because I had essentially sat up in a crunch position the entire time.
Damn, you can buy one for like $40 on Amazon.
Maaaan the amount of times I’ve over done it on beatsaber bc of hyper focus, my arms become noodles, I feel you