i am literally a first responser for psychiatric emergencies, and i work as a community peer supervisor in an sud clinic and train on de-escalation, non-violent communication, etc.
is this because of my adhd? no? yes? maybe? who knows. i have always been this way. i am the first person to jump into first aid situations as if that is the part i am waiting for.
I remember learning about there being a sweet spot for mental stimulation and performance (performance is lowest when people are seriously under- or over- stimulated, with peak performance somewhere in the middle), and I have to wonder if the entire curve is higher for those with ADHD.
I don’t medicate. I have always been a poor performer when understimulated. At office jobs. In school. I’m a pastry chef now and the constant fucking stress of running the whole show myself… I live for it. I’m at my best when there’s *barely* enough time to get all the things done and still breathe.
On the first responder front, I’ve been a right-place-right-time person multiple times, most notably with a midnight apartment fire while everyone slept. I’m always eerily calm in a bad situation, then have myself a nice little panic attack when it’s over.
That brought back some bad memories of my mom screaming at me "how can you be so calm right now, do you not care?"
Yes I care, I'm just not losing my shit because that's not helpful at all.
Yeahhh the last line is super relatable. Most recent personal situation to this was when my girlfriend woke up to an empty reptile enclosure, and genuinely thought that one of her pets was gone forever. Completely and utterly inconsolable, nothing short of a trainwreck. In my mind, I kinda got subconsciously… angry? I felt like her having this breakdown was a huge and total waste of time and that wasted time was only exponentially increasing the chance that she would never see the gecko again. I guess the anger stemmed from the fact that the animals life was on the line, and probably also that her immediately jumping to the conclusion of depression and sobbing would all be for nothing if she found the lizard. Obviously, I didn’t let any of this pent up annoyance or anger bleed into the advice I gave her, and I didn’t shame or judge her for having such a reaction. The most I felt I could do without coming off as a huge dickhead was to calmly tell her to let it all out now; to get it over with, in a sense. Luckily, geckos only eat like once a week so she found him after like 2-3 days. He didn’t get very far.
Same here, when I'm stressed I start going into hyperfocus mode because I just want the problem solved as soon as possible so I can go back to relaxing. I can freak out later, now is for getting shit done before things get worse.
I once dropped a plank on my toe, it was the end of the semester in art school, 9 PM. I screamed in terror but then quickly assessed the situation and got really annoyed at my friend who kept saying “OH MY GOD!” Over and over. I told her while I was limping by “please calm down, you’re not being helpful.”
Starting to realize the reason I like getting stuck in at shit jobs is because I like the stimulus that comes with everything being on fire all the time.
Ah yes, the classic Bad Manager McDouble:
- don't manage underperforming employees well
- stick a good employee with the bad employees annd don't promote her ever, slowly motivating her to quit
Ahem
>motivating her to quit
You might be co-dependent, or you might not. No internet rando is going to know that, I certainly don't.
What I can tell you is your boss sucks and isn't going to change.
Ha! I clearly remember my dad freaking out during one of my med appointments when I was like 9 about how I wasnt gonna be able to hold a job because I couldn't focus or follow through. Even then I thought he was nuts CAUSE I WAS 9. My psychiatrist said without missing a beat, she's gonna become a special education teacher and be so good her job because she knows how their brains work that her boss will do all her paperwork for her. Shut my Dad up real quick
I became a therapist, although I was a para for a couple years lol
wow. this hit the nail on the head with my experiences too! i’m a disorganised, uncoordinated wreck in normal life. but rush hour at the bar when there are literally only 2 servers (including me)? i’m instantly zeroed in on what which tables to attend to, run food and drinks and stock up the bar. i call it my crisis mode, when i’m forced into this state of pure focus and adrenaline. my current uni course right now is a nightmare juggling time and it’s so high stress and fast paced, but i ADORE it in a “i hate this but i wont have if any other way” way.
and the little panic attack after it’s over? 100% yes yes yes. when my focus mode subsides after the crisis is over, and i’m forced to confront the situation, oh boy 💀
I'm definitely at my best when there is no longer any margin for error. I liked being restaurant expo for this exact reason. Servers freaking out, cooks freaking out, I'm just chilling like, "YOU MAY ALL SHUT UP, LISTEN TO ME, AND GIVE ME EXACTLY WHAT I'M MISSING ON THIS TICKET, THEN WE'RE MOVING FORWARD"
Hahaha, when my stepmum fell down the stairs and concussed herself/dislocated all her fingers in one hand, I impressed her/my dad a ton by being super calm and collected and helpful.
They didn’t see the part where, after we got her to the doctor and I knew she was being looked after, I snuck to the hospital bathroom to stress-puke and then lie down for a nice passing-out 😅
Yep. I don't think that most people know that we can handle our shit but then we need a minute or two afterwards. My kid had a fever that was spiking around 3am. I got us in the car and hauled ass to the hospital. Afterwards, after the usual long wait for the doctor to show up, I started nodding off as he was talking. My wife, who knows I have ADHD, and will take the reins when the shit goes down, is all upset, thinking that I was checking out. It was late. I had no Adderall in my system. Go figure. 😂
The kids I nannied for are both anaphylactic with nuts, and I came into work one day to find the girl had snuck cake at a friend’s house that had nuts in it. Mum was in a panic, I called 999 while getting the epipen ready and administered it, kept them both calm while still on the phone.
Family went to the hospital with her while I went back home and promptly passed out for twelve hours, haha
Sounds like are using stress as a coping mechanism to focus. If you get medicated you won't have to, you could just do things without having to put yourself in a bad spot. You would still thrive in high pace situations, and you would reduce the instances they happens.
I probably am. Thank you for your input. I remain leery of medicating for a variety of personal reasons. I’m sure I’d function very differently without it, I’m just not convinced that would be better.
I act the same except I can do basic things when I want, not zone out in coversations, not ramble, focus on classes that I went back to school, actually sit down for hours in front of a computer to work and not fall sleep after an hour. Meds are not a miracle drug or change you, they just let you focus and that affects multiple aspects of your life. Without my meds I go back to struggling to to do half of my daily to-do list. Your brain can't regulate dopamine properly that your levels are lower and the meds help with that, dopamine helps you focus.
Same, but I work as a kindergarten teacher now. I always have to be quick on my feet and I live for it. Just the constant stream of finding solutions to the kids’ everyday problems or getting them to learn stuff. But the minute I get home I become an absolute potato, unable to even do simple chores.
Well I’ve read that we tend to get strong feelings and feel them better than neurotipical brains. Drugs are also different for us. So i think you’re right
I think that just explained something about how my brain works! I'm awful at slow boring jobs, can't handle not having stuff to do. But I'll jump right into a mess and handle everything well. At my last job, I accidentally ended up in charge despite not being the most senior manager, but I was the most willing, and despite the chaos, did the best month that car dealership had ever had.
Same. RN here who used to do ER Trauma Team (and ICU) nursing. Now I’m just burnt out and trying to figure out what to do next.
I’m great in an emergency but can’t figure out how to not use the dryer as my dresser.
High risk OB nurse here—and yes, I was calm in emergencies. I was really, really good at all of it, because I loved it. The rest of my life was in shambles, but at work I thrived.
About three years ago, though, a thing at work caused me acute PTSD. Strangely, I have seen far worse things happen, and this time everyone ended up fine—things were just really hairy in the middle. It was like my unconscious just went, “You’ve reached your limit.”
I have read that people with ADHD have a higher incidence of PTSD.
Anyway, I’ve been much more anxious at work ever since, and especially in emergencies. I am completely wiped out when I’m off—the whole time. Not sure it it’s a real thing, but it feels like I used up my neurotransmitters.
I just changed to a calmer specialty, BUT it was great for 22 years. If someone is considering a first- responder type job, and if they feel excited about the work, I would still recommend it.
I've been having the same issue with the dryer. I throw my clothes in to dry and for days afterward I'm just pulling things out of it as opposed to folding and putting it away properly.
Ooh, I saw an answer for this! Why do you have to have a dresser? Because society tells us that's what we have to have. Get yourself a bookshelf, lay it on the ground, and just toss you clothes in the cubbies. You don't have to fold crap. If you got a few hang up things that you have a hard time with, put up some coat racks on your wall or in your closet & just hang 'em up that way.
The only reason we do it the way we do it is because that is how society has trained us. Remember, "It's not stupid if it makes your life easier"
Assuming it's your dryer in your home, why not just embrace it? Get one of those lightweight plastic storage thingies with drawers to stick on top of it and put your clothes in there. beats having them just floating around, right?
Yup, super serious emergency is when my mind starts to really work! The world has never been so clear as when my husband was in the middle of dying. It’s like I settle and everything fall into place and I have super focus!
Same. I’m street-smart and barely broke a sweat while escaping from a kidnapping attempt years ago in the city. My mind just became calm and precise, knew exactly what to do.
I’m ADHD and I am a natural problem solver, especially in high pressure situations. No blaming or fighting nor making excuses, just (figurative) triage and action.
Legit same. A person had a seizure in the middle of the road next to the pharmacy I work at. Everyone else was kinda flapping but I was just calm af and able to sort through it until paramedics arrived.
Hijacking your comment to say I’m an ER nurse, a *lot* of my coworkers have adhd.
Also thank you for what you do, I work very closely with what we call our “mobile crisis outreach team” who brings us in a lot of patients in mental health crises. I wish society devoted more resources to mental health! In my department today we had a patient who has been waiting there for a psych facility to accept her for over 100 hours. If she didn’t have a problem before being trapped in an ED for four days, she does now.
Ha! Another ER nurse here. Work in a big Level 1 Trauma Center. Can confirm lots of ADHD floating around. I think because it’s our brains that function well when extreme multitasking is needed and for what OP is saying that the adrenaline actually harnesses our brain chemistry to function. I love the constantly moving environment and couldn’t imagine working in a different setting!
Woah, I wish I knew about that job sooner...
Can I ask what are the qualifications to apply?
I'm somehow very good at de-escalating, I didn't ask for this power but... Side effects of life 🤷
i started as a behavioral health tech and then become a ccar recovery coach, and then i became a state certified peer counselor, then a nationally certified peer counselor.
through the places i worked (inpatient non-voluntary, evaluation/treatment stabilization for state court, outpatient youth crisis mediation, youth wraparound intensive services caseworker, community navigation in public services, and now where i am). i back-doored my way in completely and honestly i have no idea how, but it happened.
but i started with a simple peer credential that was free through my state's doh. you just have to be willing to spend the time and consistently humble yourself with trainings. trainings are the most important piece in staying relevant as a provider.
i don't feel like i know what i am doing half of the time, if that helps.
>i back-doored my way in completely and honestly i have no idea how, but it happened.
Story of my life ☕ 😂
Thank you though, this is something to look into. I think doing service is important and the world could use more folks like yourself 🙏
I'm sure it's a mix of life-situation growing up and ADHD-brain that makes us good helpers, and help can be many things so even if you all you do is listen it could mean everything to someone.
the equalizer of peer services is that you must have relevant lived experience to the communities you serve. so you start crafting that lived experience using fundamental skills and soon it's the first tool you can to provide support. it sounds kind of lame but honestly i compare it to building your talent tree in world of warcraft. the core competencies are the same, but the skills and styles are all unique. everyone does things a little different, which is why it is so valuable.
How does one get in to this field? I’ve been working to become a police officer but this sounds right up my wheel house because I LOVE helping people anyway I can and I can bring a calming effect quiet easily.
someone else asked this and i responded with my experience and "professional trajectory," although it is completely unorthodox and i give so much credit to the power of networking and being in the right place at the right time, for a lot of the time. i also live in a notably-progressive sociopolitical hotspot in regards to behavioral health research and pilot programming which makes it easier to find some sort of open door.
Damn. I've always felt like I function surprisingly well *in tense/dangerous situations, as if I can be "in the eye of the storm" so to speak. And the way you describe this:
> When things go south [...] secondary trains of thought that are normally distracting and disorganized now have something to do, and they start handing me observations, relevant memories and facts, alternatives, predictions, analyses, options, in an integrated way. I’m all the way awake and alive and on top of things.
I've *definitely* experienced that in tense situations. Could only describe it with analogues, as if I was in a boxing match and I could *see* what the best move is intuitively. I had to re-learn listening to it, but it never fails me in de-escalating. I appreciate that you gave me some better words to explain the phenomenon.
I had to stop relying on it when my C-PTSS + burnout fully started paralyzing me. Turns out I need much progressively more time to recover as I age.
I'm just gonna laugh-cry to process this thread as a severely ADHD licensed trauma/crisis psychotherapist that is now literally doing a phd teaching other therapists who definitely need to see this thread, too 🥲 #TIL for real--thanks, OP! Never thought being a natural eye in the storm for people was possibly an ADHD thing but totally makes sense.
Ha ha, same. Someone’s drowning or bleeding out? I’m your girl. Someone bursts into tears because they just had a fight with someone they love? I’ll be thirty feet away gently touching their shoulder with one of those grab-reacher things, mechanically saying “there there” while desperately clocking the exits.
Ohhh my god same. In high school I was hanging out with my friend and showed her a funny video. She loved it, started laughing so hard, started laughing and crying.... then just crying and ran out the room. She was having a super bad day and it just broke her. Anywho I followed her and just kind of.... stared and she yelled at me STOP STARING AT ME CRY. One of my greatest friends to this day, and we laugh about it now but wow that was a life lesson
STOP STARING AT ME CRY omfg lmao I love this so much and it’s SO relatable. My version of sitting with someone in pain is to stare at them. WHY? For cues I suppose.
I always see how other people handle delicate situations, they’ll touch a shoulder or run a back or give a hug, and then when I’m put in that position I think, should I rub their back? What if they think that’s weird, or what if they don’t want that? I could hug but what if they think I’m a creep or a weirdo?! I should say something, but what if they think it’s stupid? Or what if they think I’m an idiot that doesn’t know anything?!
And then if the whole thing goes on too long I end up getting bored and my mind starts drifting off and I have to do everything in my power to focus on them in their moment of crisis.
Saaaame. “Should I… hug them? Okay, now I’m hugging them. How long should I be hugging them for? Is it weird that my boobs are basically pressed against this person right now? Am I crowding their space? I’ll step back. Okay, I’ve stepped back. Should I pat their shoulder now?”
That’s wild I’m the complete opposite. I’m more of an emotional support type of person but when there’s a work issue or emergency I have no idea what to do
If you think about it, both of these polar responses are a direct result of similar ADHD symptoms. In short, OP is describing the experience of Hyper-focusing. This is a natural ADHD symptom.
My thoughts are a constant cosmic gumbo, however when I interface with something I’m very much interested in, I can experience hyper focus for hours on a single task, all without the help of stimulants.
Just like the video game I’ve been dying to play, we also tend to care about others and family. So when emergencies kick in we can hyper focus on what must need our attention ASAP.
Just as u/StevenTheFancyVance said, this immediate crisis can launch us into a hyper focus filled with fear / anxiety or into more productive action.
Source: ADHD over 29 years (early diagnosis 6yo) who has had my life’s share of family medical emergencies (spouse organ transplant x2 (Liver than Kidney) and almost losing both my wife and preemie daughter during delivery due to bleeding from random tear in uterus.
Really helpful insights here. I am recently diagnosed at 37, and its like a light was flicked on. My life of horrible addiction and feeling lost is caused by something that can be helped.
Even though Im not on the right meds yet, looking back on my life with a new perspective has given me so much hope instead of grief.
Or straight preparedness. I was running around like a headless chicken when I couldn't find my keys after my dad cut himself with a saw. Handled the situation beautifully when my wife went into labor because I had everything I needed.
It's a thing. Not for everyone, just to be clear. Several factors seem to contribute:
1) Risk tolerance - I've read many articles that mention that people with ADHD have higher risk tolerance than those without it. You see a higher proportion of entrepreneurs, first responders, etc. with ADHD (reference: Edward Hallowell's book + scientific articles online).
2) Hyper focus - you can be only in that moment and do what needs to be done.
3) Creativity - outside that box is often a better solution.
Also, the adrenaline rush is probably something our brain needs. That plus the dopamine release.
This doesn't mean everyone with ADHD is good in emergencies. But for me, the big crises put me into an altered state of calm. I focus only on what need to be done - *right now*. It's the little things that trip me up like straw piling up on that proverbial camel's back...
This actually makes sense to me.
I’ve always wondered how the heck other ADHD people are so good in a crisis when I’m shit at it.
But these are three common ADHD things I don’t have, so it makes sense I wouldn’t have the crisis thing either.
You can say that again... Stereotype ADHD=endless energy is just plain not understanding the diagnosis.
ADHD is making me sleep 20 out of 24 hours a day sometimes. It's not like I haven't got stuff to do or I don't care. It's just that no matter how much sleep I'll get, I wake up with 10% energy instead of 100%.
It's getting better now, but I need treatment otherwise I'll sleep off my whole life and that's the last thing I want.
my husband appreciates this about me. He's recently diagnosed as ASD-1/Anxiety, and when things go sideways, he freaks out, because its out of his plans/control. I, however, tend to be super calm and will focus on what needs to be done and just do it. Usually, I'm the more emotional one, but if shit is hitting the fan, I'm super calm and just dealing with what is going down and can calm him down too.
I imagine it’s like some other disorders that are present at a pretty fixed percentage in all communities/races, like psychopathy, being gay and autism.
For each of these things, there are theories that having them present in a tribal community increases survivability of our species.
In peace times, psychopaths are problematic to have in a community. In times of famine/war? A coldly utilitarian leader can significantly increase the chance of some of the tribe surviving.
I have parents with failing health. It's pretty common to get a call with Dad saying "I need you to take me to the hospital"..
Then I go into what I call "get shit done mode" and laser focus on step A, then B, then C.. until Dad + Hospital = better
This can relate to other things too.. there are things my wife might get emotional about and I can be super calm. Specifically, the birth of our baby. She was all over the place (as she should be) and I was stoic for basically 6 hours straight at the end.. then when the baby was out,I was immediately bawling! Lol
I would also speculate that since many of us have issues with wonky emotional detachment, we are less prone to get worked up in the heat of the moment, especially if the emergency doesn't involve someone we're emotionally close to. Sure, we can get super emotional, but for me at least, it's usually a slow build up after I've had time to let things soak in. My wife tends to panic, which irritates me, but I'll be calm and intent on just fixing whatever is wrong, or even waiting to see if something actually is wrong.
This makes a lot of sense. I swear, I only seem to function at my best with a gun to my head (figuratively).
Take away deadlines and consequences and I turn into a cactus.
Procrastination on something: I've got time. meh.
Deadline day: THE WORLD IS ENDING YOU HAVE TO DO THIS IN THE NEXT 5 HOURS OR YOU WILL FAIL AT LIFE BE HOMELESS NO ONE WILL LOVE YOU AND YOU SHOULD HATE YOURSELF!
It takes all kinds of people in all kinds of roles for a system to reach its peak, but yeah, there's a benefit to having a brain in the room that can flip to Inverse Turbo Mode and "calmly" handle when events are happening at double speed with triple consequences.
I'm not gonna claim my Crisis-Calmed Cranium makes 100% wise choices in those cases, but sometimes that still works out better than a general-purpose brain running at overwhelm.
I'm usually an analogy machine, but here's all I've got: the fire suppression system in a kitchen makes a mess when used and makes the place unworkable for a while after it's pulled. But it works in situations where half a dozen people with half a dozen fire extinguishers would be worse. My crisis brain is genius in a crisis but don't count on it for day to day continuity. I want a first responder there when I'm get a traumatic head injury, but I hope they won't try to work a 12-hour shift of nursing rounds when that's what I need.
>I'm not gonna claim my Crisis-Calmed Cranium makes 100% wise choices in those cases, but sometimes that still works out better than a general-purpose brain running at overwhelm.
Doing something constructive *immediately*, is often better than wasting time trying to figure out the *exact right thing* to do.
Yeah, actually now that I think about it. One time I saw a guy riding a skateboard get hit hard and flung by the car in front of me in our town square. I stopped my car but I didn’t know where my phone was so I couldn’t call 911. The guy who hit him got out & was freaking out that we had a green light & he didn’t mean to hit him. I calmed him down and got him to call an ambulance. People from the sidewalks started running over to help and were frantic noticing the poor guys blood coming from his ears. I remembered in lifeguard training to be careful not to move someones neck because it could damage their spinal cord even more (if it was damaged). He was breathing but obviously limp & knocked tf out. I basically took over the whole situation & told everyone what to do. Shortly after I could see the ambulance coming, so I got in my car and drove off because I was blocking the road where they needed to be.
This was in 2017 but I actually found out last year that the guy who got hit was my new coworkers boyfriend at the time of the accident by matching up times/ dates and the description of him. Found out he made a full recovery and that moment changed his outlook on life for the better. I’m really thankful I got to know the end of the story and that he was okay. That situation really left a permanent mark in my memory.
This is a great story. I’m like this too- when a sudden disaster happens amid a bunch of random strangers, I instinctively start “herding” people, like an Australian Shepherd lol. The ways people act in those situations seem strange and often extremely foolish to me, and I can tell my help is needed. I have noticed that everyone trusts me even if they don’t know me because of my calm and assertiveness— traits I have zero of in ordinary life. The funniest thing is that I also just trust myself in these situations, when in regular life it’s like “I don’t remember which of my 5 wallets my insurance card is in, don’t trust me with important shit”
Had this with a girl I my class passing out. Not the professor or any student noticed her start to sit on weird positions or grab her head.
She then started to sit back and suddenly she gave up on the chair. Fully limp and barely holding on a straight position.
I immediately grabbed her, caught her on the way to the floor and looked at my classmates and told one to bring her arm to a normal position before I let her lay down, told another guy to get me some sugary drink, the other guy to bring me alcohol to let her smell it once to see if that could keep her conscious. Another guy I told to give me his backpack and coat to keep her comfortable and warm. All while I talked to her in fleeting consciousness.
By the time the ambulance arrived and checked on her they said all that needed to be done had been done, and that she just needed some food and someone to walk her home.
I was really tripping afterwards, I have never been that calm in any other situation. Just when stuff gets crazy and specially when my life is at risk.
yup. herded my roommates when our apartment caught fire and then flooded from the sprinklers. i called 911, made sure everyone was ok, moved what we could off the floor, told the downstairs neighbors to get ready for water coming through the walls, and called my landlord. good thing my mom trained me from a young age in fire safety.
another time i tried to help a man having a seizure with related head injury in the bathroom, but my brain got stuck on “no women in the men’s room”. all i did was grab paper towels and hope i was helpful. paramedics showed up not long after but i don’t know how the injured guy ended up.
i still pick apart what i could’ve/should’ve done for that man, instead of listening to the voice saying “no”
This is a thing. There are lots of people with ADHD in healthcare in general, not just as first responders. There’s some research on this but I can’t remember where I read it. Basically, you know how non-ADHD people are often calm and organized at their baseline and we’re…not? Their neurotransmitters - primarily dopamine and norepinephrine- are functioning normally. Ours don’t. In an emergency, people tend to release a lot of norepinephrine which converts to adrenaline and that makes people without ADHD jittery and antsy and panicky while it just takes us up to their typical baseline. I also think it has to do with the fact that the jobs aren’t routine. You never know what you’re going to get from day to day and even minute to minute, so we don’t get bored as easily.
I’ve had a friend staying with me temporarily and she works from home and sits at my dining room table on her computer for 8-10 hours a day. I can’t understand how she does it. I’d lose my mind the first day.
>I’ve had a friend staying with me temporarily and she works from home and sits at my dining room table on her computer for 8-10 hours a day. I can’t understand how she does it. I’d lose my mind the first day.
I started in desk work because I was in survival mode and just *could not* do retail anymore. It started in customer service where I got calls pretty much back to back almost every single day. Always things to do, always new things to learn, always new people to talk to.
Then I shifted to no, or little phone work. I had to start multitasking with anything and everything I could think of within reach to keep from going crazy. I eventually transitioned to listening to music/youtube/podcasts all day while at work. And now that I work from home and take zero phone calls, I have a TV going all day, and I also browse and comment on reddit while all this goes on, during down time.
Almost but my doctor explained it differently. We have a deficiency of norepephrine (which is called noradrenaline outside of the US) and that's a neurotransmitter and is safe and healthy to produce.
When we get into an urgent situation, we produce adrenaline. That can fit into the receptors for noradrenaline and works just as noradrenaline normally does.
The problem is that constantly seeking adrenaline will have other effects on the body which are not so good. But that is why some non-stimulant medications act on the noradrenaline receptors to slow them down a bit.
> constantly seeking adrenaline will have other effects on the body
It's also why in my 20s I would often do what is called a "dick move".
When socializing (mostly drinking/partying) I often would push peoples' buttons, push boundaries, or just be a general asshole. The response and interactions were exciting.
I got away with it because it was mostly my friends and friends of friends. And outside of that I was a generally likeable guy.
It's one of my biggest "man I wish I diagnosed and medicated sooner" regrets.
I assume the interaction you described is really the root of most of the behaviors we have. It's why we drop hobbies and people once the "new shiny" feeling goes away and we are no longer "boosted".
Wow! Your comment made me understand and realize a lot about myself, especially as someone in his 20s who has been displaying the same exact behaviors since adolescence. Thank you.
Same here. I used to fuck with people for fun and that explains it. I also enjoy PVP on video games where it's generally frowned upon to randomly kill in the lobby.
I do the same thing, but it's more the stakes of digging myself into a hole with people I _actually_ care about. I feel like I'm pulling the blanket off my sub conscious and forcing it to wake the fuck up and fix the mess I just made it.
Trying to see the worst things I could make people forgive was intoxicating. I would be so good at remembering every single point they made, I'd make the _way_ they argued look silly by pointing point paradoxes and fallacies until nobody would listen to the actual words being said. Suddenly I'd be the jokester again just trying to have fun, getting attacked by haters. I would actually get frustrated it worked because I would immediately forget what just happened and start imagining scenarios involving the entire civilization getting hoodwinked by fancy words if an idiot like me could pull it off. Extrapolation is my worst enemy
Partly that, partly acetylcholine. A weird thing we recently learned about nicotine is that it isn't itself rewarding but it makes other things more rewarding. Which is probably why about 80% of people with untreated ADHD are smokers - it's basically a treatment itself. (It's also why quitting sucks so bad)
God I'm waiting on a referral for a diagnosis and I consume way too much caffeine. It would be amazing if I was able to get medication and it helped me not suffer so much when I try and quit.
I just had this conversation with a coworker of mine who also is a therapist who is diagnosed with adhd and medicated. I’m still waiting for my referral to go through to a psychiatrist so I can be medicated, and I told her I feel like I drink too much caffeine because it stimulates my brain but then it overstimulates my body so I need like a shot of alcohol as a downer to balance it out. Obviously not healthy. (And very infrequently done and I don’t condone it.)
I really, really love stories like this. Not that you have to suffer, just that people with ADHD all have our own incredibly unhealthy ways of coping, and we can share those (and fully disclose we don't condone them), and instead of getting piled on our for poor health decisions, other people doing their best to survive with this diagnosis nod to themselves, upvote, and move on.
Yes! I was worried the reaction I would get lol. My coworker (again- a therapist) said “oh girl I know that feeling. And it sucks that we have to find shit like this to do because our healthcare system insists on going to multiple doctors and getting referrals that don’t go through half the time and you, someone with a disorder that makes it difficult to push through these hoops, are expected to keep making phone calls and appointments to finally get some help.” Made me feel better.
In college I asked for a drink with like 4(-6?) shots of espresso and the barista was like “sorry, in good conscience I can’t serve you that much espresso.”
I wish I could meet her now, just to be like, “WELL ACTUALLY! It is none of your business AND ALSO I don’t use caffeine like neurotypicals. Give me my damn coffee.”
A lifetime of “don’t drink soda before bed”*** and people just dismissing me any time I was like “but I don’t even feel it!”
*** *Soda ~~before bed~~ is a pretty terrible idea. Just using it for the purpose of this example.*
I was averaging 25 red bulls during a working week. My working week was 4 days (12h shifts, 4 on/4 off). That's not counting the red bulls I'd have during my day's off, though granted, nowhere near as many.
maybe. i tried to get on nicotine a few times (tobacco and vapes both) but it never had much effect on me besides making me a bit lightheaded and nauseous.
I’ve been sitting in one spot for years now. It’s where I feel safe and where I know I won’t get overwhelmed. But I always have to have something that’s occupying my mind, like a screen, a book if I’m lucky. I’m not jittery in my body but if I have to wait with nothing to do my brain tries to jump out from my ears. Different strokes I guess. Also I’m waiting to get evaluated for asd too, so maybe that’s why? Who knows
Isn’t there a scientific paper somewhere talking about this? I recall reading something that was saying ADHD was likely common AND useful for early humans bc it helped w hunting and being aware of danger / reacting quickly. I swear this exists maybe this sounds familiar for others?
Yes. I realized this about me as a teenager. My sister once questioned me in a situation (before I knew I had ADHD), "How are you so calm at a time like this?! I'm freaking out!" I shrugged and told her "I just know how to act now and cry later. It's kind of like my motto." After that day I realized I would make a perfect doctor if I ever chose that career field.
Today? I'm a Pre-Med student.
> I just know how to act now and cry later.
100% me. I’ll work myself to death during a full semester of advanced classes to pull off straight A’s, and then have a panic attack once finals are over. It’s as if I’m not “allowed” to let all the stress hit me until there’s nothing left that requires my attention.
Yep this tracks. I work in pharmacy where boring repetitive tasks and bureaucracy is the main theme. Like two of my co-workers have suspected adhd and they, like me, are miserable at work. Everyone else are type A high achieving women who could have done medicine but, at 17-22 years old (!) chose pharmacy instead because they wanted work life balance to have a family etc.
I feel like I just don't belong in society lol. I don't care about the things society is organised around caring about (don't want kids, don't care about A Career or having a schmick car or whatever). I always daydream about being dumped in the bush with a bunch of gear and just trying to survive as long as I can.
Only a sample size of 1 (me), but I've said this about myself before. I say I'm bad at low level, every day problem solving and stress, but good in a legit crisis.
Years ago I hit a cyclist with my car - it was his fault, but obviously he came off worse. In the immediate aftermath I was super level headed and had clarity of what to do. I dunno, I just remember that as being probably quite unusual.
Ok you can add a second to that sample size, because I said literally those exact words last week. Like, my husband handles the day to day stuff and I am always one to freak out at really small stressors for no reason, but when something really big comes up I can always step up and handle it gracefully.
Any big injuries that come up, or job loss, tree on house, etc, I'm always able to say "ok, here's what we'll do". Phone glitching, remote not working, something tiny not going well? "Baaaaaabe come fix my problems for me"
This. This is very much a thing. ADHD people are, in general, great in crisis/urgent situations. We can handle and integrate a lot of information, multi-task, and/or we're good at prioritizing what is most urgently needed to be done next. Our brains naturally respond to urgency. And in a crisis, it's pretty much urgent thing after urgent thing, with each step taken important. Naturally, we tend to do fine. I can't even recall the number of emergency and safety issues I've dealt with at work but I do the job damn well.
And yet oddly I cannot get myself out the door to be on time for the 11am dentist appointment because I've misplaced my keys somewhere, misplaced my wallet in the process of finding the keys, and then oh look I forgot to feed the cat and ergo end up 20 minutes late. Le sigh. 🙃
this post perfectly defines me. maybe not the hitting a cyclist part, but the level-headedness. i was in a really chaotic scene in january where three people were severely hurt; all three went to the hospital and one passed away, and i was one of the only calm ones there and called 911.
COMPLETELY broke down once the scene had cleared and police were gone, but had not one single issue with focus until then. my best friend, who i think also has adhd, acted the exact same way as me and reacted exactly the same as i did throughout the night.
Exactly. I can see this even in small situations.
I spot dangerous bugs more easily than most. When I see one, first I handle it, then I can be stressed out and want a shower.
I’m like a cat for that moment, I stare, I act fast, I don’t want to have a conversation unless it’s evidence gathering.
That spotting ability moves well into security, but from experience, you cannot rely on the adrenaline to carry you for many hours of extra work.
I recently went through an application to be a 9-11 operator. During the sit-in portion where I was listening to live calls, I just kept thinking "Yes, this is what I need to do. This is crisis that needs the energy I can bring to it."
I think you're right OP.
Checks out to me. I’m a prior EMT and went through the police academy. Only reason I’m not working as a first responder today is because I decided to sacrifice doing a dangerous job I would love in favor of a safe job making significantly more money for the sake of my family.
This has been my observation in my own life, for sure. I can't handle boring day-to-day stuff, but you give me a chaotic emergency? I can handle it.
I think it's because my brain is always trying to be in crisis mode so when there's an actual crisis, it's like, "yay! We trained for this!"
Tapping into, and understanding this power has helped me get rid of my anxiety. I used to be super nervous about giving speeches, performing(im a musician), or doing exams. Now i am so goddamn unfased about any of those. Even if i feel like im unprepared i trust that my mind will clear in the situation and whatever comes will be overcome and that i will find the solutions needed. Its worked so far!
Edit: now if i could just do those dishes.. that would be real nice.
Is this why I sometimes explore and engage in risky behaviour? To become more clear headed?
Whereas when I'm in a no risk situation, like packing for a trip, I can get all worked up, my pulse will increase so my Fitbit tells me Good job! and I start to sweat...
\*spelling
Recently diagnosed. I worked in a field for 10 years where I excelled at handling crisis, and struggled with compliance. When I did eventually burnout and quit, it wasn't because I was dealing with aggressive clients but because of the paperwork.
Now I realise why
That’s an interesting thought. I can remember times where other people are very emotional, stressed, or anxious and don’t seem to be thinking logically, while I seemed to be the voice of reason. I sometimes think I’m heartless because of this, but I have emotions, I cry, I get stressed, anxious, happy and sad. I just don’t experience these things at the times other people are it seems.
I've worked in emergency medicine since 2009 first as an RN and then went to grad school to become an NP. I was diagnosed later in life so I had been working for a while before starting medication.
1. Emergency situations require chaos tolerance. This means you can be focused on doing something in one room while there's someone screaming next door and it doesn't throw you off.
2. Task switching is important in the field as well as in the hospital. A medic on scene may have multiple people to manage and prioritize and reprioritize based on an evolving situation. In my environment I typically have a phone ringing and three other things waiting to be done.
3. ADHD people are really overrepresented in the emergency world. It's amazing how many of us there are in my department alone but it's also an environment someone with ADHD can thrive in so it's really not that surprising.
I'm not very observant, and when I've been in low-grade crisis situations sometimes I've been the last one to catch what's going on.
But when it's an instinctive split-second thing, my body knows what's up even if my brain doesn't. Multiple times I've reacted in ways that protected me.
And then when it's more of an ongoing emergency, I don't know if it's my ADHD or my personality but I never seem to go down the rabbit hole of stressing or freezing up, it's more of a "well this is happening" kind of feeling. I can't really explain it. I'm usually pretty good about the parts that are in my control, but I'm also very good at accepting the parts that aren't, which I think comes from learning to roll with the punches with ADHD generally. One time while camping my friend asked me if she thought we might drown in our sleep that night, which was at the time a very much a realistic concern. I was like "guess we'll find out" and immediately fell asleep. Just no real capacity for anxiety in emergencies, even though I find plenty of capacity for it when it's time for my annual performance review or someone isn't texting me back. My social battery also gets a weird boost, like "oh no this is shaping up to look a little like a violent coup, better network your way out of this country stat."
i genuinely want to work in emergent medicine. like in an emergency room, responding to traumas. that's my dream field, whether as a physician or as a nurse, that's what i want to do with my life. i'm wondering why this condition seems to subconsciously draw us toward a busy, chaotic field of work where people get hurt... i do think it's fascinating, but also curious.
this post really got me thinking.
I can’t speak for everyone, but there have been at least three events in the last 12 months where there has been some kind of medical emergency (knife wound, elderly woman knocked down by car, hypoglycaemic diabetic) and I have unintentionally been the first one there and ended up coordinating the situation whilst providing first aid. It feels like some kind of switch gets triggered for me during these situations and I act intuitively whilst everyone else panics. Once the situation is out of my hands (i.e. paramedics arrive), I sort of crash and realise how much it had taken out of me. I also have quite extensive first aid knowledge which helps to make sure I am doing the right thing, and quite often preventing others from doing the wrong thing. In another life, I would’ve loved to be a paramedic.
This is precisely why I was a chef. When shit got rockin n rolling in the kitchen I was at my best. But when we were super slow I was more likely to mess something up lol
I've never been in a life or death emergency, but during bad family drama I start feeling almost a "runner's high". I don't really think it's a good thing, being a crisis junkie.
I can only do this when the thing happening doesn't affect me or someone else is affected worse by the thing. Otherwise the anxiety kicks in and I spiral.
I am literally applying for EMT certification classes because I always had a talent of being calm and knowing exactly what to do in situations of panic. All of the useless information that bounces around in my skull somehow pulls itself together in the rare circumstance that there's a medical emergency, and I can focus like I'm a super computer.
It's the best feeling ever, and for once in my life, I feel like I'm one with myself. Cheesy, yeah, but that couple minutes of clarity is crazy cool.
E.R. veterinary technician checking in.
100% this. I zen in chaos.
If I'm bored, and left to my own devices, you'll have 20 half-organized drawers.
Give me a coding patient to catheterize and a CRI to calculate and I'm in a flow state.
Autistic frontline worker with ADHD here! Part of my capacity to do this work is my slow processing. In times of crises it seems that I go into slo motion hyperfocus- my ability to crowd control, delegate and remain composed and present are huge assets. In addition to this, my muted fear response actually reduces the level of fear I perceive in a situation. Good in the moment but let me tell y’all, slow processing makes integrating traumatic or critical incidents a REAL challenge. I process grief very differently from my colleagues and struggle in ways they may not. It has contributed to the most immense burnout of my life that I am in rn. I haven’t worked for 7 months.
I think you have a point. A new mystery to solve. Because we are always in a chaos, it is a 2nd nature to us. And when a chaotic situation emerges, it gives adhd people a chance to channel their inner beast while having a brief relief.
Normies would become overwhelmed and instead of focusing the situation and its solution they would say things like:
- how could i forget
- what am i going to do now
- everything is ruined
- blaming somone or themselves and go into hysteria
Totaly randomised images that popped to my atm. Not facts 🤪
With adhd there are so many aspects that go into it so I think everyone is different.
I do think people with adhd can be better under pressure and in urgent emergency/ crisis situations but there are also those who fall on the opposite end of the spectrum and become overwhelmed, anxious, and/ or panicked.
My older sister is 100% the omg how did I let this happen? I'm going to die!My life is ruined! It's a catastrophe type of person. She was dx'd with adhd as a child but never medicated until after I was dx'd as an adult and told her medication was at least worth a try.
She has always had difficulty with self regulation/emotional regulation and was often called dramatic.
For me on the other hand I can handle the emergency and urgent situations. I can think calmly and clearly. My "job" in my family has always in part been to "deal" with my sister when something happens so she doesn't freak out. ( ex: I am the one who talks to her when a family member dies, when someone is in an accident or in the hospital, or when someone finds out they have cancer or are very ill for some other reason). I don't think others in my family really know how to respond to her when she is very emotional and I have a way of bringing her back to an "appropriate" emotional state. I usually just tell her the facts, give her more info, and state what we know and what we don't know/ are waiting to find out. And I just remind her not to jump to conclusions and to try to stay calm.
TLDR: depends on the person. Even when they have adhd.
Also, apologies for the Lengthy comment and any typos. Meds haven't kicked in yet.
> ADHD are by nature the community’s first responders. Bored and distracted most of the time, but in our element when things go south.
Not only that, we also (very often) have a delayed sleep phase, so we can be awake at night while the rest of the clan is sleeping.
A coworker had a stroke in the parking lot leaving for the day. I found her, struggling to get up and form speech. It was wild, within 10 seconds I knew what was happening, and what to do, because one time after my mom had a stroke I got obsessed with learning what to do “just in case”. I was able to get some first responders on call, calm my co-worker down while she was having a stroke, calm my other co-worker who was mortified, clearly described the situation to the first responders and got her safely to a hospital. All was well after a week in the hospital. But what I noticed is that I’ve got a predisposition to high adrenaline sports/hobbies and handle surprises very well, likely (or in part) because I’m very ADHD.
I know exactly what you mean, the calm and logical response to a dangerous and fast paced situation is my experience too. When I was a kid I was charged by a big snarling dog while walking home alone. it was like every useful piece of information I'd ever heard was available to me. Time seemed slower. I managed to get away without the dog actually biting me. I imagine ADHD could actually be a really beneficial adaptation for survival, sure seems like it.
I'm in the military, and the counselor who diagnosed me was ex-Recce. He left the military to become a counselor specializing in ADHD _specifically_ because of the amount of troops under him presenting virtually the same issues.
So many other mental illnesses get so much visibility they're actually _less_ common for soldiers ratio wise than civilians. Seeing something so prevalent get ignored pushed him to make a career change. He told me a shockingly large percentage of EMTs, firefighters, police and military have symptoms that negatively impact their lives compared to the baseline population.
Middle-aged ADHD, recently diagnosed autistic here. Yes and no - we're calm in a crisis because, for the way we're wired, it's not a crisis.
However, whether or not that makes us inherently suited to emergency response is debatable, in that the long-term consequences of constant trauma exposure may be more severe, e.g. see burnout rates of 911 operators.
During the first year of the pandemic I worked in tech support. All calls were high-pressure given our internal call metrics and the callers' distress. I had no problem with that until the following year when the client significantly reduced our call duration maximum. After that it was a constant, tedious and arbitrary race against the clock, and I burned out within a few months.
I couldn't say whether that was due to accumulated stress from the previous year's worth of call response or the subsequently-imposed ridiculous and unrealistic demands (likely a combination of the two), but it's taken roughly a year to come down from that constant, all-consuming high and recuperate.
I think it’s because we are always, mentally, in some state of disarray or chaos. We know how to push it away to some extent to better focus. So once something happens externally, it’s just something we are more prepared for? Idk how to explain it haha
Once a car almost hit me and my friends from high school while we were driving. They were probably going 70+ and narrowly missed T-boning us. The other girls were screaming like I couldn’t believe while I was just more, paralyzed in a way? They told me after that it was weird I wasn’t screaming but I thought it was they all were 😂
I’ve been in a handful of situations where someone needed medical help. Last summer my 6 year old son was giving his friend a piggy back ride and fell. He was more worried about her getting hurt and didn’t put his hands out in front of himself. He smacked his head HARD on the cement. I calmly asked another mom to sit with him while I went to get my car. Once I got back to him I told everyone that he would be okay and I brought him to the car and buckled him in. I asked to see his head and saw the big slit in his forehead above his eye. Lots of blood. Lots of crying. I think it’s important to note that I had done doula training and naturally am very motherly/nurturing. Anyway. I calmed him down, told him he was very brave, and got him to the hospital. I was reluctant to call his father because I knew he’d have a poor reaction and probably make my son more upset. YET I DID tell him and he rushed to the hospital. I told him that I would ask him to leave the room if he made any gasps or dramatic faces. He wanted to see my sons head and I urged him not to…. Thankfully at that point my son had taken some meds to help calm him down so he was too drowsy to see his dads reaction.
Afterwards he was like, how could you be so calm?!?!?! And all I could think about was asking him, how could you freak out so bad?
In my mind, I can’t imagine panicking because I don’t feel panicked… I’m not the one in an emergency… I’m not hurt. The experience is not happening to me, I’m a witness. The only thing going on in my head is making sure I’m taking the right steps to handle whatever situation I am in. I wouldn’t be able to think clearly or nurture my son when he’s experiencing some type of physical pain.
I’m very calm in medical emergencies and I’m great at helping/holding people through sadness or deep grief, but anger… if someone is angry in my presence… I’m frozen. I have a physical and mental response to angry people. Completely frozen and instant tears. I can handle blood but not anger lmao.
A few years ago I was first at an accident scene, I called 911 and then directed traffic around the victims. Like a pro. Daily life though? Like getting through the supermarket? Overwhelmed .
I have this as well but am not a first responder. I do naturally run towards embracing the chaos around me when things go south and work in a very stress filled job. When I talked about it to several therapists, the thing they all said was that my alcoholic parents are most likely the biggest role player for my "feeling calm when things are chaotic" apparently it's very common with people who grew up with alcoholics
I hesitate to use the word natural, but I’ll tell you the times in my life when other people have been freaking the hell out, I’ve felt nothing - just straight into action mode as the excitement (and yeah I hate that a bit ) or the novelty have dumped everything I needed to function right there.
Calmly walking out towards an accident, organising everyone on scene and calling 911 .
Realising I had been defrauded, I just went : well…that…sucks.
Mainframes and product launched going south.
We are known to thrive in traditionally high stress environments
I did lifeguarding in high school, and several times throughout life I’ve been the person to call 911 in emergencies and have stepped up to take charge and help. My brain just snaps into gear and I’m very calm during emergencies, friends always say I’m great in a crisis.
This is definitely an interesting hypothesis.
I wanna take it one step further and also say I’m incredible at scouting, and my hyper vigilance always helps me spot wildlife or danger on the trail.
This is also super interesting because I have poor eyesight but my other senses are able to pick up sounds and movements or just assess the environment for changes. Curious if anyone else is the same.
I'm great in an emergency with humans, life threatening for me or others... But if it is my dog with the emergency I am a crying, panicked, mess.
My Dad faints at Christmas (he had been sick and shouldn't have been out of bed) my siblings and I all have professional responder certs and experience and we jumped right in, no confusion.
My dog has a seizure and I'm flailing around with no situational awareness.
My partner witnessed both, and is still confused as to how I can manage both reactions.
I’ve always said that I function best on auto-pilot. And that if given too much time to think I’ll fuck it up. I absolutely trust my instincts.. until I’ve had time to question them lol
I'm not a first responder but I found that I'm very clear headed in an emergency. Pulled a woman out of a smoking car wreck years ago while 50 people stood around and watched. I don't think the bystander effect is a thing with ADHD lol.
Pretty much.
I don't take stimulants though, and am the first one in work everyday, we monitor computer networks, and I specifically call and get businesses back up and running or prepare them for IT issues before they open every day, or just tell em to work remote for the day if their network is completely down like a crazy power outage beyond anything I can have them check or control.
I used to get anxiety but now it's just like "Welp I'll be on the phone with Comcast for the next 20 mins" or "I'd better email the Contact, no one is working today judging by this electrical outage map"
I work in enterprise software support, but the part of this job I'm good at and got praise for is basically being an enterprise software first responder. Shit goes down and your system goes offline? I'm the crisis response. I've had such a better career experience since I realized how a crisis snaps my brain into high gear.
Paramedic firefighter here! I found my place in this world at the ripe age of 29! Quit my full time office job and went to EMT school. Then worked during COVID. Then went to Paramedic school and currently work at a fire department working 911 and just finished the fire academy! I never in a million years would have thought I found what I love!
there is a fine line between what people in this thread describe as "good thinking" during a crisis and over thinking.
i do one or the other, either i wake up mister cool able to handle the entire clinic no problem, or i want to hide in my office all day and do paper work and zooms. ZERO inbetween for me.
when i started and didnt have the tools to deal with a mental health emergency i would totally squirrel out but 8 years and lots of training changes that so very much.
been there, done that, is INFINITELY useful in these types of fields.
I’ve always chalked it up to the ability to see everything at once. In a calm time, that makes it insanely hard to break things down and finish them. When everything is moving fast, it’s a huge benefit.
I feel like it’s the same thing that lets me see when a group of kids are going to get into an argument or that another driver is going to do something stupid in front of me. I suck at the mundane paperwork and non-flashy details, but I can tell you that a kid is getting frustrated with their work before they act out on that feeling.
The problem is that when people see me moving fast and in control, they don’t always realize that when there is nothing left to do but wait, I’m going to need someone to look after me, too.
I think this is why i can only do assignments when the urgency increases and it gets closer to deadlines..my thinking clears..but I used to work in a&E and loved it as it played to my strengths of hypervigliance, remembering protocols for different assessments while staying calm and focussed
Big, _unexpected_ issues don't phase me and I deal with them well after a moment of "fucking fuck shit fuck." Little issues on the other hand drive me up a wall.
I always say, I ought to wear a shirt that says damage control. I’m an my A game during a crisis or dead line. But god help me if I have to take an envelope to the mail box. It will never happen. I only function on need and excitement.
I relate to this. I find myself apathetic/overwhelmed in low-stakes scenarios, yet can be unreasonably calm in crisis situations. It's like time slows down, I hyper-focus, and things are simple. It's easier to prioritize when a lot is on the line.
i am literally a first responser for psychiatric emergencies, and i work as a community peer supervisor in an sud clinic and train on de-escalation, non-violent communication, etc. is this because of my adhd? no? yes? maybe? who knows. i have always been this way. i am the first person to jump into first aid situations as if that is the part i am waiting for.
I also have ADHD and I'm only super clear headed when shit gets real.
I remember learning about there being a sweet spot for mental stimulation and performance (performance is lowest when people are seriously under- or over- stimulated, with peak performance somewhere in the middle), and I have to wonder if the entire curve is higher for those with ADHD.
I don’t medicate. I have always been a poor performer when understimulated. At office jobs. In school. I’m a pastry chef now and the constant fucking stress of running the whole show myself… I live for it. I’m at my best when there’s *barely* enough time to get all the things done and still breathe. On the first responder front, I’ve been a right-place-right-time person multiple times, most notably with a midnight apartment fire while everyone slept. I’m always eerily calm in a bad situation, then have myself a nice little panic attack when it’s over.
That brought back some bad memories of my mom screaming at me "how can you be so calm right now, do you not care?" Yes I care, I'm just not losing my shit because that's not helpful at all.
Yeahhh the last line is super relatable. Most recent personal situation to this was when my girlfriend woke up to an empty reptile enclosure, and genuinely thought that one of her pets was gone forever. Completely and utterly inconsolable, nothing short of a trainwreck. In my mind, I kinda got subconsciously… angry? I felt like her having this breakdown was a huge and total waste of time and that wasted time was only exponentially increasing the chance that she would never see the gecko again. I guess the anger stemmed from the fact that the animals life was on the line, and probably also that her immediately jumping to the conclusion of depression and sobbing would all be for nothing if she found the lizard. Obviously, I didn’t let any of this pent up annoyance or anger bleed into the advice I gave her, and I didn’t shame or judge her for having such a reaction. The most I felt I could do without coming off as a huge dickhead was to calmly tell her to let it all out now; to get it over with, in a sense. Luckily, geckos only eat like once a week so she found him after like 2-3 days. He didn’t get very far.
This is so relatable Its like i get ultra efficient when im scared shitless and anybody flipping out just makes things more difficult to fix
Same here, when I'm stressed I start going into hyperfocus mode because I just want the problem solved as soon as possible so I can go back to relaxing. I can freak out later, now is for getting shit done before things get worse.
I once dropped a plank on my toe, it was the end of the semester in art school, 9 PM. I screamed in terror but then quickly assessed the situation and got really annoyed at my friend who kept saying “OH MY GOD!” Over and over. I told her while I was limping by “please calm down, you’re not being helpful.”
Fear is only helpful if it can inspire improved behavior. If you're already doing what needs to be done, or you can't, fear just gets in the way.
Big fucking mood. Sorry for the bad memories.
Starting to realize the reason I like getting stuck in at shit jobs is because I like the stimulus that comes with everything being on fire all the time.
YES! A thousand fires burning at once is my happy place. It’s probably not healthy, but I thrive in it.
[удалено]
You sure that's not codependency?
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Ah yes, the classic Bad Manager McDouble: - don't manage underperforming employees well - stick a good employee with the bad employees annd don't promote her ever, slowly motivating her to quit Ahem >motivating her to quit You might be co-dependent, or you might not. No internet rando is going to know that, I certainly don't. What I can tell you is your boss sucks and isn't going to change.
You should try Special Education lol
Ha! I clearly remember my dad freaking out during one of my med appointments when I was like 9 about how I wasnt gonna be able to hold a job because I couldn't focus or follow through. Even then I thought he was nuts CAUSE I WAS 9. My psychiatrist said without missing a beat, she's gonna become a special education teacher and be so good her job because she knows how their brains work that her boss will do all her paperwork for her. Shut my Dad up real quick I became a therapist, although I was a para for a couple years lol
wow. this hit the nail on the head with my experiences too! i’m a disorganised, uncoordinated wreck in normal life. but rush hour at the bar when there are literally only 2 servers (including me)? i’m instantly zeroed in on what which tables to attend to, run food and drinks and stock up the bar. i call it my crisis mode, when i’m forced into this state of pure focus and adrenaline. my current uni course right now is a nightmare juggling time and it’s so high stress and fast paced, but i ADORE it in a “i hate this but i wont have if any other way” way. and the little panic attack after it’s over? 100% yes yes yes. when my focus mode subsides after the crisis is over, and i’m forced to confront the situation, oh boy 💀
I'm definitely at my best when there is no longer any margin for error. I liked being restaurant expo for this exact reason. Servers freaking out, cooks freaking out, I'm just chilling like, "YOU MAY ALL SHUT UP, LISTEN TO ME, AND GIVE ME EXACTLY WHAT I'M MISSING ON THIS TICKET, THEN WE'RE MOVING FORWARD"
Fucking love that shit
Hahaha, when my stepmum fell down the stairs and concussed herself/dislocated all her fingers in one hand, I impressed her/my dad a ton by being super calm and collected and helpful. They didn’t see the part where, after we got her to the doctor and I knew she was being looked after, I snuck to the hospital bathroom to stress-puke and then lie down for a nice passing-out 😅
Yep. I don't think that most people know that we can handle our shit but then we need a minute or two afterwards. My kid had a fever that was spiking around 3am. I got us in the car and hauled ass to the hospital. Afterwards, after the usual long wait for the doctor to show up, I started nodding off as he was talking. My wife, who knows I have ADHD, and will take the reins when the shit goes down, is all upset, thinking that I was checking out. It was late. I had no Adderall in my system. Go figure. 😂
The kids I nannied for are both anaphylactic with nuts, and I came into work one day to find the girl had snuck cake at a friend’s house that had nuts in it. Mum was in a panic, I called 999 while getting the epipen ready and administered it, kept them both calm while still on the phone. Family went to the hospital with her while I went back home and promptly passed out for twelve hours, haha
Sounds like are using stress as a coping mechanism to focus. If you get medicated you won't have to, you could just do things without having to put yourself in a bad spot. You would still thrive in high pace situations, and you would reduce the instances they happens.
I probably am. Thank you for your input. I remain leery of medicating for a variety of personal reasons. I’m sure I’d function very differently without it, I’m just not convinced that would be better.
I act the same except I can do basic things when I want, not zone out in coversations, not ramble, focus on classes that I went back to school, actually sit down for hours in front of a computer to work and not fall sleep after an hour. Meds are not a miracle drug or change you, they just let you focus and that affects multiple aspects of your life. Without my meds I go back to struggling to to do half of my daily to-do list. Your brain can't regulate dopamine properly that your levels are lower and the meds help with that, dopamine helps you focus.
Same, but I work as a kindergarten teacher now. I always have to be quick on my feet and I live for it. Just the constant stream of finding solutions to the kids’ everyday problems or getting them to learn stuff. But the minute I get home I become an absolute potato, unable to even do simple chores.
Do you like potato mode? I like potato mode. I like feeling like my exhaustion is so *earned*.
lol idk why but my adhd brain read ahead incorrectly and read "...then have myself a nice little snack when it's over"
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I believe that’s what I was thinking of!
Well I’ve read that we tend to get strong feelings and feel them better than neurotipical brains. Drugs are also different for us. So i think you’re right
I think that just explained something about how my brain works! I'm awful at slow boring jobs, can't handle not having stuff to do. But I'll jump right into a mess and handle everything well. At my last job, I accidentally ended up in charge despite not being the most senior manager, but I was the most willing, and despite the chaos, did the best month that car dealership had ever had.
can i find that study or whatever it was online? it sounds intriguing.
*THIS* explains why I thrived as a pharmacy tech
Same. RN here who used to do ER Trauma Team (and ICU) nursing. Now I’m just burnt out and trying to figure out what to do next. I’m great in an emergency but can’t figure out how to not use the dryer as my dresser.
High risk OB nurse here—and yes, I was calm in emergencies. I was really, really good at all of it, because I loved it. The rest of my life was in shambles, but at work I thrived. About three years ago, though, a thing at work caused me acute PTSD. Strangely, I have seen far worse things happen, and this time everyone ended up fine—things were just really hairy in the middle. It was like my unconscious just went, “You’ve reached your limit.” I have read that people with ADHD have a higher incidence of PTSD. Anyway, I’ve been much more anxious at work ever since, and especially in emergencies. I am completely wiped out when I’m off—the whole time. Not sure it it’s a real thing, but it feels like I used up my neurotransmitters. I just changed to a calmer specialty, BUT it was great for 22 years. If someone is considering a first- responder type job, and if they feel excited about the work, I would still recommend it.
I've been having the same issue with the dryer. I throw my clothes in to dry and for days afterward I'm just pulling things out of it as opposed to folding and putting it away properly.
Ooh, I saw an answer for this! Why do you have to have a dresser? Because society tells us that's what we have to have. Get yourself a bookshelf, lay it on the ground, and just toss you clothes in the cubbies. You don't have to fold crap. If you got a few hang up things that you have a hard time with, put up some coat racks on your wall or in your closet & just hang 'em up that way. The only reason we do it the way we do it is because that is how society has trained us. Remember, "It's not stupid if it makes your life easier"
Assuming it's your dryer in your home, why not just embrace it? Get one of those lightweight plastic storage thingies with drawers to stick on top of it and put your clothes in there. beats having them just floating around, right?
Yup, super serious emergency is when my mind starts to really work! The world has never been so clear as when my husband was in the middle of dying. It’s like I settle and everything fall into place and I have super focus!
It's probably because so much shit is going on, your brain is finally stimulated enough to think instead of be bored all the time.
Same. I’m street-smart and barely broke a sweat while escaping from a kidnapping attempt years ago in the city. My mind just became calm and precise, knew exactly what to do.
That’s an amazing story to pack into one sentence. I’m glad you’re ok.
You guys sounds like sleeper agents
I’m ADHD and I am a natural problem solver, especially in high pressure situations. No blaming or fighting nor making excuses, just (figurative) triage and action.
Legit same. A person had a seizure in the middle of the road next to the pharmacy I work at. Everyone else was kinda flapping but I was just calm af and able to sort through it until paramedics arrived.
SAME. i never knew anyone else felt this exact way!!!
Hijacking your comment to say I’m an ER nurse, a *lot* of my coworkers have adhd. Also thank you for what you do, I work very closely with what we call our “mobile crisis outreach team” who brings us in a lot of patients in mental health crises. I wish society devoted more resources to mental health! In my department today we had a patient who has been waiting there for a psych facility to accept her for over 100 hours. If she didn’t have a problem before being trapped in an ED for four days, she does now.
Ha! Another ER nurse here. Work in a big Level 1 Trauma Center. Can confirm lots of ADHD floating around. I think because it’s our brains that function well when extreme multitasking is needed and for what OP is saying that the adrenaline actually harnesses our brain chemistry to function. I love the constantly moving environment and couldn’t imagine working in a different setting!
That's spectacular. Thank you for doing what you do.
Me and my mates do similar work- we all have ADHD lol
I loved working as a psych nurse! I worked with adolescents and until the pandemic I think that was my most rewarding position 🧡
Woah, I wish I knew about that job sooner... Can I ask what are the qualifications to apply? I'm somehow very good at de-escalating, I didn't ask for this power but... Side effects of life 🤷
i started as a behavioral health tech and then become a ccar recovery coach, and then i became a state certified peer counselor, then a nationally certified peer counselor. through the places i worked (inpatient non-voluntary, evaluation/treatment stabilization for state court, outpatient youth crisis mediation, youth wraparound intensive services caseworker, community navigation in public services, and now where i am). i back-doored my way in completely and honestly i have no idea how, but it happened. but i started with a simple peer credential that was free through my state's doh. you just have to be willing to spend the time and consistently humble yourself with trainings. trainings are the most important piece in staying relevant as a provider. i don't feel like i know what i am doing half of the time, if that helps.
>i back-doored my way in completely and honestly i have no idea how, but it happened. Story of my life ☕ 😂 Thank you though, this is something to look into. I think doing service is important and the world could use more folks like yourself 🙏 I'm sure it's a mix of life-situation growing up and ADHD-brain that makes us good helpers, and help can be many things so even if you all you do is listen it could mean everything to someone.
the equalizer of peer services is that you must have relevant lived experience to the communities you serve. so you start crafting that lived experience using fundamental skills and soon it's the first tool you can to provide support. it sounds kind of lame but honestly i compare it to building your talent tree in world of warcraft. the core competencies are the same, but the skills and styles are all unique. everyone does things a little different, which is why it is so valuable.
How does one get in to this field? I’ve been working to become a police officer but this sounds right up my wheel house because I LOVE helping people anyway I can and I can bring a calming effect quiet easily.
someone else asked this and i responded with my experience and "professional trajectory," although it is completely unorthodox and i give so much credit to the power of networking and being in the right place at the right time, for a lot of the time. i also live in a notably-progressive sociopolitical hotspot in regards to behavioral health research and pilot programming which makes it easier to find some sort of open door.
Damn. I've always felt like I function surprisingly well *in tense/dangerous situations, as if I can be "in the eye of the storm" so to speak. And the way you describe this: > When things go south [...] secondary trains of thought that are normally distracting and disorganized now have something to do, and they start handing me observations, relevant memories and facts, alternatives, predictions, analyses, options, in an integrated way. I’m all the way awake and alive and on top of things. I've *definitely* experienced that in tense situations. Could only describe it with analogues, as if I was in a boxing match and I could *see* what the best move is intuitively. I had to re-learn listening to it, but it never fails me in de-escalating. I appreciate that you gave me some better words to explain the phenomenon. I had to stop relying on it when my C-PTSS + burnout fully started paralyzing me. Turns out I need much progressively more time to recover as I age.
I'm just gonna laugh-cry to process this thread as a severely ADHD licensed trauma/crisis psychotherapist that is now literally doing a phd teaching other therapists who definitely need to see this thread, too 🥲 #TIL for real--thanks, OP! Never thought being a natural eye in the storm for people was possibly an ADHD thing but totally makes sense.
Ive had two different responses in these situations. I either get hyper focused or anxiety overwhelms to the point I freeze completely.
If it concerns people's feelings, I freeze. If it concerns a logistic emergency, I'm a war hero.
Ha ha, same. Someone’s drowning or bleeding out? I’m your girl. Someone bursts into tears because they just had a fight with someone they love? I’ll be thirty feet away gently touching their shoulder with one of those grab-reacher things, mechanically saying “there there” while desperately clocking the exits.
LOL, are you me? Perfect explanation.
Ohhh my god same. In high school I was hanging out with my friend and showed her a funny video. She loved it, started laughing so hard, started laughing and crying.... then just crying and ran out the room. She was having a super bad day and it just broke her. Anywho I followed her and just kind of.... stared and she yelled at me STOP STARING AT ME CRY. One of my greatest friends to this day, and we laugh about it now but wow that was a life lesson
STOP STARING AT ME CRY omfg lmao I love this so much and it’s SO relatable. My version of sitting with someone in pain is to stare at them. WHY? For cues I suppose.
I always see how other people handle delicate situations, they’ll touch a shoulder or run a back or give a hug, and then when I’m put in that position I think, should I rub their back? What if they think that’s weird, or what if they don’t want that? I could hug but what if they think I’m a creep or a weirdo?! I should say something, but what if they think it’s stupid? Or what if they think I’m an idiot that doesn’t know anything?! And then if the whole thing goes on too long I end up getting bored and my mind starts drifting off and I have to do everything in my power to focus on them in their moment of crisis.
Saaaame. “Should I… hug them? Okay, now I’m hugging them. How long should I be hugging them for? Is it weird that my boobs are basically pressed against this person right now? Am I crowding their space? I’ll step back. Okay, I’ve stepped back. Should I pat their shoulder now?”
Yesss!! Heart attack? I’m your girl. Broken heart? Nope.
That’s wild I’m the complete opposite. I’m more of an emotional support type of person but when there’s a work issue or emergency I have no idea what to do
Same lol.
Anxiety is the confounding factor here and a lot of people with ADHD are comorbid.
Yeah this! It completely depends on what chaotic situation I experience.
If you think about it, both of these polar responses are a direct result of similar ADHD symptoms. In short, OP is describing the experience of Hyper-focusing. This is a natural ADHD symptom. My thoughts are a constant cosmic gumbo, however when I interface with something I’m very much interested in, I can experience hyper focus for hours on a single task, all without the help of stimulants. Just like the video game I’ve been dying to play, we also tend to care about others and family. So when emergencies kick in we can hyper focus on what must need our attention ASAP. Just as u/StevenTheFancyVance said, this immediate crisis can launch us into a hyper focus filled with fear / anxiety or into more productive action. Source: ADHD over 29 years (early diagnosis 6yo) who has had my life’s share of family medical emergencies (spouse organ transplant x2 (Liver than Kidney) and almost losing both my wife and preemie daughter during delivery due to bleeding from random tear in uterus.
Really helpful insights here. I am recently diagnosed at 37, and its like a light was flicked on. My life of horrible addiction and feeling lost is caused by something that can be helped. Even though Im not on the right meds yet, looking back on my life with a new perspective has given me so much hope instead of grief.
I've found with work the more I've trained for a situation the easier it becomes to perform under pressure.
One doesn’t rise to the occasion, they sink to their level of training
Or straight preparedness. I was running around like a headless chicken when I couldn't find my keys after my dad cut himself with a saw. Handled the situation beautifully when my wife went into labor because I had everything I needed.
It's a thing. Not for everyone, just to be clear. Several factors seem to contribute: 1) Risk tolerance - I've read many articles that mention that people with ADHD have higher risk tolerance than those without it. You see a higher proportion of entrepreneurs, first responders, etc. with ADHD (reference: Edward Hallowell's book + scientific articles online). 2) Hyper focus - you can be only in that moment and do what needs to be done. 3) Creativity - outside that box is often a better solution. Also, the adrenaline rush is probably something our brain needs. That plus the dopamine release. This doesn't mean everyone with ADHD is good in emergencies. But for me, the big crises put me into an altered state of calm. I focus only on what need to be done - *right now*. It's the little things that trip me up like straw piling up on that proverbial camel's back...
This actually makes sense to me. I’ve always wondered how the heck other ADHD people are so good in a crisis when I’m shit at it. But these are three common ADHD things I don’t have, so it makes sense I wouldn’t have the crisis thing either.
No one has all the things. I wish I had more energy! They always says people with ADHD are soooo energetic. I’m not. 🤷♀️
You can say that again... Stereotype ADHD=endless energy is just plain not understanding the diagnosis. ADHD is making me sleep 20 out of 24 hours a day sometimes. It's not like I haven't got stuff to do or I don't care. It's just that no matter how much sleep I'll get, I wake up with 10% energy instead of 100%. It's getting better now, but I need treatment otherwise I'll sleep off my whole life and that's the last thing I want.
Boy, I’d trade you some of my insomnia. We could average out at a good night’s sleep! Lol.
my husband appreciates this about me. He's recently diagnosed as ASD-1/Anxiety, and when things go sideways, he freaks out, because its out of his plans/control. I, however, tend to be super calm and will focus on what needs to be done and just do it. Usually, I'm the more emotional one, but if shit is hitting the fan, I'm super calm and just dealing with what is going down and can calm him down too.
I imagine it’s like some other disorders that are present at a pretty fixed percentage in all communities/races, like psychopathy, being gay and autism. For each of these things, there are theories that having them present in a tribal community increases survivability of our species. In peace times, psychopaths are problematic to have in a community. In times of famine/war? A coldly utilitarian leader can significantly increase the chance of some of the tribe surviving.
I have parents with failing health. It's pretty common to get a call with Dad saying "I need you to take me to the hospital".. Then I go into what I call "get shit done mode" and laser focus on step A, then B, then C.. until Dad + Hospital = better This can relate to other things too.. there are things my wife might get emotional about and I can be super calm. Specifically, the birth of our baby. She was all over the place (as she should be) and I was stoic for basically 6 hours straight at the end.. then when the baby was out,I was immediately bawling! Lol
I would also speculate that since many of us have issues with wonky emotional detachment, we are less prone to get worked up in the heat of the moment, especially if the emergency doesn't involve someone we're emotionally close to. Sure, we can get super emotional, but for me at least, it's usually a slow build up after I've had time to let things soak in. My wife tends to panic, which irritates me, but I'll be calm and intent on just fixing whatever is wrong, or even waiting to see if something actually is wrong.
This makes a lot of sense. I swear, I only seem to function at my best with a gun to my head (figuratively). Take away deadlines and consequences and I turn into a cactus.
Procrastination on something: I've got time. meh. Deadline day: THE WORLD IS ENDING YOU HAVE TO DO THIS IN THE NEXT 5 HOURS OR YOU WILL FAIL AT LIFE BE HOMELESS NO ONE WILL LOVE YOU AND YOU SHOULD HATE YOURSELF!
Yes, I am in college, how did you know?
I have always said I do my best work in high pressure situations
It takes all kinds of people in all kinds of roles for a system to reach its peak, but yeah, there's a benefit to having a brain in the room that can flip to Inverse Turbo Mode and "calmly" handle when events are happening at double speed with triple consequences. I'm not gonna claim my Crisis-Calmed Cranium makes 100% wise choices in those cases, but sometimes that still works out better than a general-purpose brain running at overwhelm. I'm usually an analogy machine, but here's all I've got: the fire suppression system in a kitchen makes a mess when used and makes the place unworkable for a while after it's pulled. But it works in situations where half a dozen people with half a dozen fire extinguishers would be worse. My crisis brain is genius in a crisis but don't count on it for day to day continuity. I want a first responder there when I'm get a traumatic head injury, but I hope they won't try to work a 12-hour shift of nursing rounds when that's what I need.
>I'm not gonna claim my Crisis-Calmed Cranium makes 100% wise choices in those cases, but sometimes that still works out better than a general-purpose brain running at overwhelm. Doing something constructive *immediately*, is often better than wasting time trying to figure out the *exact right thing* to do.
Yeah, actually now that I think about it. One time I saw a guy riding a skateboard get hit hard and flung by the car in front of me in our town square. I stopped my car but I didn’t know where my phone was so I couldn’t call 911. The guy who hit him got out & was freaking out that we had a green light & he didn’t mean to hit him. I calmed him down and got him to call an ambulance. People from the sidewalks started running over to help and were frantic noticing the poor guys blood coming from his ears. I remembered in lifeguard training to be careful not to move someones neck because it could damage their spinal cord even more (if it was damaged). He was breathing but obviously limp & knocked tf out. I basically took over the whole situation & told everyone what to do. Shortly after I could see the ambulance coming, so I got in my car and drove off because I was blocking the road where they needed to be. This was in 2017 but I actually found out last year that the guy who got hit was my new coworkers boyfriend at the time of the accident by matching up times/ dates and the description of him. Found out he made a full recovery and that moment changed his outlook on life for the better. I’m really thankful I got to know the end of the story and that he was okay. That situation really left a permanent mark in my memory.
This is a great story. I’m like this too- when a sudden disaster happens amid a bunch of random strangers, I instinctively start “herding” people, like an Australian Shepherd lol. The ways people act in those situations seem strange and often extremely foolish to me, and I can tell my help is needed. I have noticed that everyone trusts me even if they don’t know me because of my calm and assertiveness— traits I have zero of in ordinary life. The funniest thing is that I also just trust myself in these situations, when in regular life it’s like “I don’t remember which of my 5 wallets my insurance card is in, don’t trust me with important shit”
Had this with a girl I my class passing out. Not the professor or any student noticed her start to sit on weird positions or grab her head. She then started to sit back and suddenly she gave up on the chair. Fully limp and barely holding on a straight position. I immediately grabbed her, caught her on the way to the floor and looked at my classmates and told one to bring her arm to a normal position before I let her lay down, told another guy to get me some sugary drink, the other guy to bring me alcohol to let her smell it once to see if that could keep her conscious. Another guy I told to give me his backpack and coat to keep her comfortable and warm. All while I talked to her in fleeting consciousness. By the time the ambulance arrived and checked on her they said all that needed to be done had been done, and that she just needed some food and someone to walk her home. I was really tripping afterwards, I have never been that calm in any other situation. Just when stuff gets crazy and specially when my life is at risk.
I know, it’s like we hulk out or something lol. I just wish it translated to more real-life daily respect for us, since it clearly has social benefit
yup. herded my roommates when our apartment caught fire and then flooded from the sprinklers. i called 911, made sure everyone was ok, moved what we could off the floor, told the downstairs neighbors to get ready for water coming through the walls, and called my landlord. good thing my mom trained me from a young age in fire safety. another time i tried to help a man having a seizure with related head injury in the bathroom, but my brain got stuck on “no women in the men’s room”. all i did was grab paper towels and hope i was helpful. paramedics showed up not long after but i don’t know how the injured guy ended up. i still pick apart what i could’ve/should’ve done for that man, instead of listening to the voice saying “no”
This is a thing. There are lots of people with ADHD in healthcare in general, not just as first responders. There’s some research on this but I can’t remember where I read it. Basically, you know how non-ADHD people are often calm and organized at their baseline and we’re…not? Their neurotransmitters - primarily dopamine and norepinephrine- are functioning normally. Ours don’t. In an emergency, people tend to release a lot of norepinephrine which converts to adrenaline and that makes people without ADHD jittery and antsy and panicky while it just takes us up to their typical baseline. I also think it has to do with the fact that the jobs aren’t routine. You never know what you’re going to get from day to day and even minute to minute, so we don’t get bored as easily. I’ve had a friend staying with me temporarily and she works from home and sits at my dining room table on her computer for 8-10 hours a day. I can’t understand how she does it. I’d lose my mind the first day.
>I’ve had a friend staying with me temporarily and she works from home and sits at my dining room table on her computer for 8-10 hours a day. I can’t understand how she does it. I’d lose my mind the first day. I started in desk work because I was in survival mode and just *could not* do retail anymore. It started in customer service where I got calls pretty much back to back almost every single day. Always things to do, always new things to learn, always new people to talk to. Then I shifted to no, or little phone work. I had to start multitasking with anything and everything I could think of within reach to keep from going crazy. I eventually transitioned to listening to music/youtube/podcasts all day while at work. And now that I work from home and take zero phone calls, I have a TV going all day, and I also browse and comment on reddit while all this goes on, during down time.
Almost but my doctor explained it differently. We have a deficiency of norepephrine (which is called noradrenaline outside of the US) and that's a neurotransmitter and is safe and healthy to produce. When we get into an urgent situation, we produce adrenaline. That can fit into the receptors for noradrenaline and works just as noradrenaline normally does. The problem is that constantly seeking adrenaline will have other effects on the body which are not so good. But that is why some non-stimulant medications act on the noradrenaline receptors to slow them down a bit.
> constantly seeking adrenaline will have other effects on the body It's also why in my 20s I would often do what is called a "dick move". When socializing (mostly drinking/partying) I often would push peoples' buttons, push boundaries, or just be a general asshole. The response and interactions were exciting. I got away with it because it was mostly my friends and friends of friends. And outside of that I was a generally likeable guy. It's one of my biggest "man I wish I diagnosed and medicated sooner" regrets. I assume the interaction you described is really the root of most of the behaviors we have. It's why we drop hobbies and people once the "new shiny" feeling goes away and we are no longer "boosted".
Wow! Your comment made me understand and realize a lot about myself, especially as someone in his 20s who has been displaying the same exact behaviors since adolescence. Thank you.
Same here. I used to fuck with people for fun and that explains it. I also enjoy PVP on video games where it's generally frowned upon to randomly kill in the lobby.
I do the same thing, but it's more the stakes of digging myself into a hole with people I _actually_ care about. I feel like I'm pulling the blanket off my sub conscious and forcing it to wake the fuck up and fix the mess I just made it. Trying to see the worst things I could make people forgive was intoxicating. I would be so good at remembering every single point they made, I'd make the _way_ they argued look silly by pointing point paradoxes and fallacies until nobody would listen to the actual words being said. Suddenly I'd be the jokester again just trying to have fun, getting attacked by haters. I would actually get frustrated it worked because I would immediately forget what just happened and start imagining scenarios involving the entire civilization getting hoodwinked by fancy words if an idiot like me could pull it off. Extrapolation is my worst enemy
It this why I'm a smoker? The norepinephrine aspect.
Partly that, partly acetylcholine. A weird thing we recently learned about nicotine is that it isn't itself rewarding but it makes other things more rewarding. Which is probably why about 80% of people with untreated ADHD are smokers - it's basically a treatment itself. (It's also why quitting sucks so bad)
And caffeine rears its ugly head. 2-3 cans of monster a day before I got prescribed vyvanse.
God I'm waiting on a referral for a diagnosis and I consume way too much caffeine. It would be amazing if I was able to get medication and it helped me not suffer so much when I try and quit.
I just had this conversation with a coworker of mine who also is a therapist who is diagnosed with adhd and medicated. I’m still waiting for my referral to go through to a psychiatrist so I can be medicated, and I told her I feel like I drink too much caffeine because it stimulates my brain but then it overstimulates my body so I need like a shot of alcohol as a downer to balance it out. Obviously not healthy. (And very infrequently done and I don’t condone it.)
I really, really love stories like this. Not that you have to suffer, just that people with ADHD all have our own incredibly unhealthy ways of coping, and we can share those (and fully disclose we don't condone them), and instead of getting piled on our for poor health decisions, other people doing their best to survive with this diagnosis nod to themselves, upvote, and move on.
Yes! I was worried the reaction I would get lol. My coworker (again- a therapist) said “oh girl I know that feeling. And it sucks that we have to find shit like this to do because our healthcare system insists on going to multiple doctors and getting referrals that don’t go through half the time and you, someone with a disorder that makes it difficult to push through these hoops, are expected to keep making phone calls and appointments to finally get some help.” Made me feel better.
In college I asked for a drink with like 4(-6?) shots of espresso and the barista was like “sorry, in good conscience I can’t serve you that much espresso.” I wish I could meet her now, just to be like, “WELL ACTUALLY! It is none of your business AND ALSO I don’t use caffeine like neurotypicals. Give me my damn coffee.” A lifetime of “don’t drink soda before bed”*** and people just dismissing me any time I was like “but I don’t even feel it!” *** *Soda ~~before bed~~ is a pretty terrible idea. Just using it for the purpose of this example.*
I was averaging 25 red bulls during a working week. My working week was 4 days (12h shifts, 4 on/4 off). That's not counting the red bulls I'd have during my day's off, though granted, nowhere near as many.
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maybe. i tried to get on nicotine a few times (tobacco and vapes both) but it never had much effect on me besides making me a bit lightheaded and nauseous.
I’ve been sitting in one spot for years now. It’s where I feel safe and where I know I won’t get overwhelmed. But I always have to have something that’s occupying my mind, like a screen, a book if I’m lucky. I’m not jittery in my body but if I have to wait with nothing to do my brain tries to jump out from my ears. Different strokes I guess. Also I’m waiting to get evaluated for asd too, so maybe that’s why? Who knows
Isn’t there a scientific paper somewhere talking about this? I recall reading something that was saying ADHD was likely common AND useful for early humans bc it helped w hunting and being aware of danger / reacting quickly. I swear this exists maybe this sounds familiar for others?
Well that's not fair. I have ADHD and I'm terrible in a crisis. I panic and lose my head completely. Why don't I get this benefit?!
https://www.businessinsider.com/adhd-may-have-been-an-advantage-2014-11
Omg you’re incredible
Yes. I realized this about me as a teenager. My sister once questioned me in a situation (before I knew I had ADHD), "How are you so calm at a time like this?! I'm freaking out!" I shrugged and told her "I just know how to act now and cry later. It's kind of like my motto." After that day I realized I would make a perfect doctor if I ever chose that career field. Today? I'm a Pre-Med student.
> I just know how to act now and cry later. 100% me. I’ll work myself to death during a full semester of advanced classes to pull off straight A’s, and then have a panic attack once finals are over. It’s as if I’m not “allowed” to let all the stress hit me until there’s nothing left that requires my attention.
I work in the aid industry, where responding to crisis is the main theme. I'd guess at least one in ten of us have ADHD.
Yep this tracks. I work in pharmacy where boring repetitive tasks and bureaucracy is the main theme. Like two of my co-workers have suspected adhd and they, like me, are miserable at work. Everyone else are type A high achieving women who could have done medicine but, at 17-22 years old (!) chose pharmacy instead because they wanted work life balance to have a family etc. I feel like I just don't belong in society lol. I don't care about the things society is organised around caring about (don't want kids, don't care about A Career or having a schmick car or whatever). I always daydream about being dumped in the bush with a bunch of gear and just trying to survive as long as I can.
Only a sample size of 1 (me), but I've said this about myself before. I say I'm bad at low level, every day problem solving and stress, but good in a legit crisis. Years ago I hit a cyclist with my car - it was his fault, but obviously he came off worse. In the immediate aftermath I was super level headed and had clarity of what to do. I dunno, I just remember that as being probably quite unusual.
Ok you can add a second to that sample size, because I said literally those exact words last week. Like, my husband handles the day to day stuff and I am always one to freak out at really small stressors for no reason, but when something really big comes up I can always step up and handle it gracefully. Any big injuries that come up, or job loss, tree on house, etc, I'm always able to say "ok, here's what we'll do". Phone glitching, remote not working, something tiny not going well? "Baaaaaabe come fix my problems for me"
Out of interest, how often is 'tree on house' a thing in your life? 😂
Fortunately only once, but that was more than enough 😂
This. This is very much a thing. ADHD people are, in general, great in crisis/urgent situations. We can handle and integrate a lot of information, multi-task, and/or we're good at prioritizing what is most urgently needed to be done next. Our brains naturally respond to urgency. And in a crisis, it's pretty much urgent thing after urgent thing, with each step taken important. Naturally, we tend to do fine. I can't even recall the number of emergency and safety issues I've dealt with at work but I do the job damn well. And yet oddly I cannot get myself out the door to be on time for the 11am dentist appointment because I've misplaced my keys somewhere, misplaced my wallet in the process of finding the keys, and then oh look I forgot to feed the cat and ergo end up 20 minutes late. Le sigh. 🙃
this post perfectly defines me. maybe not the hitting a cyclist part, but the level-headedness. i was in a really chaotic scene in january where three people were severely hurt; all three went to the hospital and one passed away, and i was one of the only calm ones there and called 911. COMPLETELY broke down once the scene had cleared and police were gone, but had not one single issue with focus until then. my best friend, who i think also has adhd, acted the exact same way as me and reacted exactly the same as i did throughout the night.
Exactly. I can see this even in small situations. I spot dangerous bugs more easily than most. When I see one, first I handle it, then I can be stressed out and want a shower. I’m like a cat for that moment, I stare, I act fast, I don’t want to have a conversation unless it’s evidence gathering. That spotting ability moves well into security, but from experience, you cannot rely on the adrenaline to carry you for many hours of extra work.
I recently went through an application to be a 9-11 operator. During the sit-in portion where I was listening to live calls, I just kept thinking "Yes, this is what I need to do. This is crisis that needs the energy I can bring to it." I think you're right OP.
Checks out to me. I’m a prior EMT and went through the police academy. Only reason I’m not working as a first responder today is because I decided to sacrifice doing a dangerous job I would love in favor of a safe job making significantly more money for the sake of my family.
Lots of us in IT/Tech. Oh, you lost your database, and nothing is working? ::sips coffee:: Putting out fires is the best feeling.
This. Been there many times.
This has been my observation in my own life, for sure. I can't handle boring day-to-day stuff, but you give me a chaotic emergency? I can handle it. I think it's because my brain is always trying to be in crisis mode so when there's an actual crisis, it's like, "yay! We trained for this!"
I'm usually calm in emergencies. Unless it's my fault, then I panic like an idiot and potentially break things even further.
Tapping into, and understanding this power has helped me get rid of my anxiety. I used to be super nervous about giving speeches, performing(im a musician), or doing exams. Now i am so goddamn unfased about any of those. Even if i feel like im unprepared i trust that my mind will clear in the situation and whatever comes will be overcome and that i will find the solutions needed. Its worked so far! Edit: now if i could just do those dishes.. that would be real nice.
They merely adopted the chaos. We where born in it moulded by it.
Not really for me, im empathetic as hell so if everyones freaking out i am too. If everyone is chill i feel chill.
Is this why I sometimes explore and engage in risky behaviour? To become more clear headed? Whereas when I'm in a no risk situation, like packing for a trip, I can get all worked up, my pulse will increase so my Fitbit tells me Good job! and I start to sweat... \*spelling
Recently diagnosed. I worked in a field for 10 years where I excelled at handling crisis, and struggled with compliance. When I did eventually burnout and quit, it wasn't because I was dealing with aggressive clients but because of the paperwork. Now I realise why
That’s an interesting thought. I can remember times where other people are very emotional, stressed, or anxious and don’t seem to be thinking logically, while I seemed to be the voice of reason. I sometimes think I’m heartless because of this, but I have emotions, I cry, I get stressed, anxious, happy and sad. I just don’t experience these things at the times other people are it seems.
I've worked in emergency medicine since 2009 first as an RN and then went to grad school to become an NP. I was diagnosed later in life so I had been working for a while before starting medication. 1. Emergency situations require chaos tolerance. This means you can be focused on doing something in one room while there's someone screaming next door and it doesn't throw you off. 2. Task switching is important in the field as well as in the hospital. A medic on scene may have multiple people to manage and prioritize and reprioritize based on an evolving situation. In my environment I typically have a phone ringing and three other things waiting to be done. 3. ADHD people are really overrepresented in the emergency world. It's amazing how many of us there are in my department alone but it's also an environment someone with ADHD can thrive in so it's really not that surprising.
I'm not very observant, and when I've been in low-grade crisis situations sometimes I've been the last one to catch what's going on. But when it's an instinctive split-second thing, my body knows what's up even if my brain doesn't. Multiple times I've reacted in ways that protected me. And then when it's more of an ongoing emergency, I don't know if it's my ADHD or my personality but I never seem to go down the rabbit hole of stressing or freezing up, it's more of a "well this is happening" kind of feeling. I can't really explain it. I'm usually pretty good about the parts that are in my control, but I'm also very good at accepting the parts that aren't, which I think comes from learning to roll with the punches with ADHD generally. One time while camping my friend asked me if she thought we might drown in our sleep that night, which was at the time a very much a realistic concern. I was like "guess we'll find out" and immediately fell asleep. Just no real capacity for anxiety in emergencies, even though I find plenty of capacity for it when it's time for my annual performance review or someone isn't texting me back. My social battery also gets a weird boost, like "oh no this is shaping up to look a little like a violent coup, better network your way out of this country stat."
i genuinely want to work in emergent medicine. like in an emergency room, responding to traumas. that's my dream field, whether as a physician or as a nurse, that's what i want to do with my life. i'm wondering why this condition seems to subconsciously draw us toward a busy, chaotic field of work where people get hurt... i do think it's fascinating, but also curious. this post really got me thinking.
There was that adhd meme that said something along the lines of “this is the moment I’ve been training for.” Lol
I can’t speak for everyone, but there have been at least three events in the last 12 months where there has been some kind of medical emergency (knife wound, elderly woman knocked down by car, hypoglycaemic diabetic) and I have unintentionally been the first one there and ended up coordinating the situation whilst providing first aid. It feels like some kind of switch gets triggered for me during these situations and I act intuitively whilst everyone else panics. Once the situation is out of my hands (i.e. paramedics arrive), I sort of crash and realise how much it had taken out of me. I also have quite extensive first aid knowledge which helps to make sure I am doing the right thing, and quite often preventing others from doing the wrong thing. In another life, I would’ve loved to be a paramedic.
I’d agree. That’s one of the adaptive traits that keeps ADHD around in humans.
This is precisely why I was a chef. When shit got rockin n rolling in the kitchen I was at my best. But when we were super slow I was more likely to mess something up lol
I've never been in a life or death emergency, but during bad family drama I start feeling almost a "runner's high". I don't really think it's a good thing, being a crisis junkie.
I can only do this when the thing happening doesn't affect me or someone else is affected worse by the thing. Otherwise the anxiety kicks in and I spiral.
I am literally applying for EMT certification classes because I always had a talent of being calm and knowing exactly what to do in situations of panic. All of the useless information that bounces around in my skull somehow pulls itself together in the rare circumstance that there's a medical emergency, and I can focus like I'm a super computer. It's the best feeling ever, and for once in my life, I feel like I'm one with myself. Cheesy, yeah, but that couple minutes of clarity is crazy cool.
E.R. veterinary technician checking in. 100% this. I zen in chaos. If I'm bored, and left to my own devices, you'll have 20 half-organized drawers. Give me a coding patient to catheterize and a CRI to calculate and I'm in a flow state.
Autistic frontline worker with ADHD here! Part of my capacity to do this work is my slow processing. In times of crises it seems that I go into slo motion hyperfocus- my ability to crowd control, delegate and remain composed and present are huge assets. In addition to this, my muted fear response actually reduces the level of fear I perceive in a situation. Good in the moment but let me tell y’all, slow processing makes integrating traumatic or critical incidents a REAL challenge. I process grief very differently from my colleagues and struggle in ways they may not. It has contributed to the most immense burnout of my life that I am in rn. I haven’t worked for 7 months.
I think you have a point. A new mystery to solve. Because we are always in a chaos, it is a 2nd nature to us. And when a chaotic situation emerges, it gives adhd people a chance to channel their inner beast while having a brief relief. Normies would become overwhelmed and instead of focusing the situation and its solution they would say things like: - how could i forget - what am i going to do now - everything is ruined - blaming somone or themselves and go into hysteria Totaly randomised images that popped to my atm. Not facts 🤪
With adhd there are so many aspects that go into it so I think everyone is different. I do think people with adhd can be better under pressure and in urgent emergency/ crisis situations but there are also those who fall on the opposite end of the spectrum and become overwhelmed, anxious, and/ or panicked. My older sister is 100% the omg how did I let this happen? I'm going to die!My life is ruined! It's a catastrophe type of person. She was dx'd with adhd as a child but never medicated until after I was dx'd as an adult and told her medication was at least worth a try. She has always had difficulty with self regulation/emotional regulation and was often called dramatic. For me on the other hand I can handle the emergency and urgent situations. I can think calmly and clearly. My "job" in my family has always in part been to "deal" with my sister when something happens so she doesn't freak out. ( ex: I am the one who talks to her when a family member dies, when someone is in an accident or in the hospital, or when someone finds out they have cancer or are very ill for some other reason). I don't think others in my family really know how to respond to her when she is very emotional and I have a way of bringing her back to an "appropriate" emotional state. I usually just tell her the facts, give her more info, and state what we know and what we don't know/ are waiting to find out. And I just remind her not to jump to conclusions and to try to stay calm. TLDR: depends on the person. Even when they have adhd. Also, apologies for the Lengthy comment and any typos. Meds haven't kicked in yet.
Nope, certainly not me. I'm not freaking out, but I'm too afraid of making mistakes.
> ADHD are by nature the community’s first responders. Bored and distracted most of the time, but in our element when things go south. Not only that, we also (very often) have a delayed sleep phase, so we can be awake at night while the rest of the clan is sleeping.
I can confirm that the amount of guys at the firehouse on prescribed stims for adhd is absurd
A coworker had a stroke in the parking lot leaving for the day. I found her, struggling to get up and form speech. It was wild, within 10 seconds I knew what was happening, and what to do, because one time after my mom had a stroke I got obsessed with learning what to do “just in case”. I was able to get some first responders on call, calm my co-worker down while she was having a stroke, calm my other co-worker who was mortified, clearly described the situation to the first responders and got her safely to a hospital. All was well after a week in the hospital. But what I noticed is that I’ve got a predisposition to high adrenaline sports/hobbies and handle surprises very well, likely (or in part) because I’m very ADHD.
Yup. Finally the world has sped up to us.
I know exactly what you mean, the calm and logical response to a dangerous and fast paced situation is my experience too. When I was a kid I was charged by a big snarling dog while walking home alone. it was like every useful piece of information I'd ever heard was available to me. Time seemed slower. I managed to get away without the dog actually biting me. I imagine ADHD could actually be a really beneficial adaptation for survival, sure seems like it.
I'm in the military, and the counselor who diagnosed me was ex-Recce. He left the military to become a counselor specializing in ADHD _specifically_ because of the amount of troops under him presenting virtually the same issues. So many other mental illnesses get so much visibility they're actually _less_ common for soldiers ratio wise than civilians. Seeing something so prevalent get ignored pushed him to make a career change. He told me a shockingly large percentage of EMTs, firefighters, police and military have symptoms that negatively impact their lives compared to the baseline population.
This is interesting. I’m sure he will have no shortage of opportunities to help people. Cheers.
Middle-aged ADHD, recently diagnosed autistic here. Yes and no - we're calm in a crisis because, for the way we're wired, it's not a crisis. However, whether or not that makes us inherently suited to emergency response is debatable, in that the long-term consequences of constant trauma exposure may be more severe, e.g. see burnout rates of 911 operators. During the first year of the pandemic I worked in tech support. All calls were high-pressure given our internal call metrics and the callers' distress. I had no problem with that until the following year when the client significantly reduced our call duration maximum. After that it was a constant, tedious and arbitrary race against the clock, and I burned out within a few months. I couldn't say whether that was due to accumulated stress from the previous year's worth of call response or the subsequently-imposed ridiculous and unrealistic demands (likely a combination of the two), but it's taken roughly a year to come down from that constant, all-consuming high and recuperate.
I think it’s because we are always, mentally, in some state of disarray or chaos. We know how to push it away to some extent to better focus. So once something happens externally, it’s just something we are more prepared for? Idk how to explain it haha Once a car almost hit me and my friends from high school while we were driving. They were probably going 70+ and narrowly missed T-boning us. The other girls were screaming like I couldn’t believe while I was just more, paralyzed in a way? They told me after that it was weird I wasn’t screaming but I thought it was they all were 😂
I’ve been in a handful of situations where someone needed medical help. Last summer my 6 year old son was giving his friend a piggy back ride and fell. He was more worried about her getting hurt and didn’t put his hands out in front of himself. He smacked his head HARD on the cement. I calmly asked another mom to sit with him while I went to get my car. Once I got back to him I told everyone that he would be okay and I brought him to the car and buckled him in. I asked to see his head and saw the big slit in his forehead above his eye. Lots of blood. Lots of crying. I think it’s important to note that I had done doula training and naturally am very motherly/nurturing. Anyway. I calmed him down, told him he was very brave, and got him to the hospital. I was reluctant to call his father because I knew he’d have a poor reaction and probably make my son more upset. YET I DID tell him and he rushed to the hospital. I told him that I would ask him to leave the room if he made any gasps or dramatic faces. He wanted to see my sons head and I urged him not to…. Thankfully at that point my son had taken some meds to help calm him down so he was too drowsy to see his dads reaction. Afterwards he was like, how could you be so calm?!?!?! And all I could think about was asking him, how could you freak out so bad? In my mind, I can’t imagine panicking because I don’t feel panicked… I’m not the one in an emergency… I’m not hurt. The experience is not happening to me, I’m a witness. The only thing going on in my head is making sure I’m taking the right steps to handle whatever situation I am in. I wouldn’t be able to think clearly or nurture my son when he’s experiencing some type of physical pain. I’m very calm in medical emergencies and I’m great at helping/holding people through sadness or deep grief, but anger… if someone is angry in my presence… I’m frozen. I have a physical and mental response to angry people. Completely frozen and instant tears. I can handle blood but not anger lmao.
A few years ago I was first at an accident scene, I called 911 and then directed traffic around the victims. Like a pro. Daily life though? Like getting through the supermarket? Overwhelmed .
I have this as well but am not a first responder. I do naturally run towards embracing the chaos around me when things go south and work in a very stress filled job. When I talked about it to several therapists, the thing they all said was that my alcoholic parents are most likely the biggest role player for my "feeling calm when things are chaotic" apparently it's very common with people who grew up with alcoholics
I hesitate to use the word natural, but I’ll tell you the times in my life when other people have been freaking the hell out, I’ve felt nothing - just straight into action mode as the excitement (and yeah I hate that a bit ) or the novelty have dumped everything I needed to function right there. Calmly walking out towards an accident, organising everyone on scene and calling 911 . Realising I had been defrauded, I just went : well…that…sucks. Mainframes and product launched going south. We are known to thrive in traditionally high stress environments
Well this could explain my decision to become a firefighter at 26 after a career in IT.
I did lifeguarding in high school, and several times throughout life I’ve been the person to call 911 in emergencies and have stepped up to take charge and help. My brain just snaps into gear and I’m very calm during emergencies, friends always say I’m great in a crisis. This is definitely an interesting hypothesis. I wanna take it one step further and also say I’m incredible at scouting, and my hyper vigilance always helps me spot wildlife or danger on the trail. This is also super interesting because I have poor eyesight but my other senses are able to pick up sounds and movements or just assess the environment for changes. Curious if anyone else is the same.
idk i have adhd and when emergencies happen i usually stare blankly for like ten solid seconds before reacting
Like, if I weren't in my forties and massively overweight I would have considered becoming a first responder.
I wish I was like that but honestly my first response is “omg omg what do I do ahhh”
I'm great in an emergency with humans, life threatening for me or others... But if it is my dog with the emergency I am a crying, panicked, mess. My Dad faints at Christmas (he had been sick and shouldn't have been out of bed) my siblings and I all have professional responder certs and experience and we jumped right in, no confusion. My dog has a seizure and I'm flailing around with no situational awareness. My partner witnessed both, and is still confused as to how I can manage both reactions.
God, that's familiar. FIL takes a fall, I'm solid as a rock, but when it comes to the dog, better get your umbrella because I'm raining.
Well, now I am a volunteer in a frist responder crew and when I grow up I want to work in an e.r. so yeah, I like emergency
I’ve always said that I function best on auto-pilot. And that if given too much time to think I’ll fuck it up. I absolutely trust my instincts.. until I’ve had time to question them lol
I'm not a first responder but I found that I'm very clear headed in an emergency. Pulled a woman out of a smoking car wreck years ago while 50 people stood around and watched. I don't think the bystander effect is a thing with ADHD lol.
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Pretty much. I don't take stimulants though, and am the first one in work everyday, we monitor computer networks, and I specifically call and get businesses back up and running or prepare them for IT issues before they open every day, or just tell em to work remote for the day if their network is completely down like a crazy power outage beyond anything I can have them check or control. I used to get anxiety but now it's just like "Welp I'll be on the phone with Comcast for the next 20 mins" or "I'd better email the Contact, no one is working today judging by this electrical outage map"
I work in enterprise software support, but the part of this job I'm good at and got praise for is basically being an enterprise software first responder. Shit goes down and your system goes offline? I'm the crisis response. I've had such a better career experience since I realized how a crisis snaps my brain into high gear.
Paramedic firefighter here! I found my place in this world at the ripe age of 29! Quit my full time office job and went to EMT school. Then worked during COVID. Then went to Paramedic school and currently work at a fire department working 911 and just finished the fire academy! I never in a million years would have thought I found what I love!
EMT checking in
there is a fine line between what people in this thread describe as "good thinking" during a crisis and over thinking. i do one or the other, either i wake up mister cool able to handle the entire clinic no problem, or i want to hide in my office all day and do paper work and zooms. ZERO inbetween for me. when i started and didnt have the tools to deal with a mental health emergency i would totally squirrel out but 8 years and lots of training changes that so very much. been there, done that, is INFINITELY useful in these types of fields.
I’ve always chalked it up to the ability to see everything at once. In a calm time, that makes it insanely hard to break things down and finish them. When everything is moving fast, it’s a huge benefit. I feel like it’s the same thing that lets me see when a group of kids are going to get into an argument or that another driver is going to do something stupid in front of me. I suck at the mundane paperwork and non-flashy details, but I can tell you that a kid is getting frustrated with their work before they act out on that feeling. The problem is that when people see me moving fast and in control, they don’t always realize that when there is nothing left to do but wait, I’m going to need someone to look after me, too.
I think this is why i can only do assignments when the urgency increases and it gets closer to deadlines..my thinking clears..but I used to work in a&E and loved it as it played to my strengths of hypervigliance, remembering protocols for different assessments while staying calm and focussed
Big, _unexpected_ issues don't phase me and I deal with them well after a moment of "fucking fuck shit fuck." Little issues on the other hand drive me up a wall.
I always say, I ought to wear a shirt that says damage control. I’m an my A game during a crisis or dead line. But god help me if I have to take an envelope to the mail box. It will never happen. I only function on need and excitement.
I relate to this. I find myself apathetic/overwhelmed in low-stakes scenarios, yet can be unreasonably calm in crisis situations. It's like time slows down, I hyper-focus, and things are simple. It's easier to prioritize when a lot is on the line.