featherssmarts - Tumblr blog

[featherssmarts]

ADHD culture is sat in front of your classwork on the verge of tears because everything is difficult but it'd be stupidly easy if you could actually start but you can't because your brain won't let you so you feel like a fucking idiot for not being able to do something you know you're perfectly capable of doing

[featherssmarts]

i hope this will help some of you!!! i know online classes are awful, but we will get through this!!  

my masterposts

[featherssmarts]

ADHD tips from my school counselors:

“You need to create a study routine!”

“You need to stop fidgeting…you’re distracting yourself!”

“Get more exercise and take your meds!”

“Stop procrastinating!”

ADHD tips from my friends with ADHD:

“I eat one chocolate chip for every page I read.”

“I can only study by playing the gravity game on the Quizlet website. I need to beat my friend’s high score.”

“Every ten minutes I get up, put on one song by Taylor Swift, and wiggle around until I feel better.”

“Instead of checkboxes, I draw little flowers next to each task, and after I finished the task, I color in the flower in a fun color.”

[featherssmarts]

I didn’t want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that’s really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you’re so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.

Ned Vizzini, It’s Kind of a Funny Story (via quotespile)

[featherssmarts]

“Starting” is it’s own Skill

One thing I’ve come to understand while helping others with creative projects and working with my own executive dysfunction is that STARTING is it’s own skill.

Usually when someone expresses frustration at not being able to do something everyday anymore, or not being able to learn a new hobby it’s not actually the skill that they are having trouble with… It’s the “starting”.

Before you can ever focus on content or gains you need to build the habit of starting or “Showing Up”. 

Ingredients :

Physical Space. Clear desktop, empty notebook, cleared patch of floor in your room, open blank text document.

Temporal Space. 2-5 minute window where you tend to be very free.

Trigger. An “everyday” alarm on your phone.

3 weeks and a Calendar ( or 7 x 5 grid on scrap paper) to ‘X’ out days

Quality of content doesn’t matter. Bare Minimum is IDEAL. You could write “I don’t feel like writing.” for five minutes straight. You can draw squiggles and lines. You can workout by jumping up and down or running in place. You can spend that time threading a needle.

It’s about getting to the place where you don’t even have to think about starting. Trust me when I say you will get there, I can assure you your teachers have already used this technique on you.

Instructions:

Prep the space the day before (it can be as simple as an empty notebook in your bag, or clearing a spot on the floor.)

Set an alarm (trigger) for later. Use a pleasant sound.

When the alarm goes off spend anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes doing the thing. (You can set a “Stop” alarm as well.)

You measure success by X’s on your calendar not by content or gains.

If you miss a day (’break the chain’) you do not need to punish yourself. Seeing that blank space on your calendar is likely punishment enough. — I buy myself a sweet drink and promise to try again tomorrow. (positive reinforcement is just better)

For the first month your only job is learning the habit of starting. It’s learning to muscle past the impossible distance between 0 and 1. Off and On. “Will Do” and “Doing”.

Starting is the most difficult and important habit to establish. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. It is completely different from every other skill and most people don’t recognize when they have it.

[featherssmarts]

All of my templates are free to download following the links under images provided below. I hope they can help you as much as they have helped me. Originally designed by me for study with the Open University. 

Study Plan - Monday Start.

Download free here

Or Saturday start - Download here

Definitions list - Download here

Priority board - download here

Project/assignment plan - Download here

Assignment tracker - Download here

Essay plan - Download here

Key points and summary - Download here

Assignment tutor remarks - Download here

Weekly learning outcomes - Download here

[featherssmarts]

I'm thinking i mighhht be ADHD but also can't possibly get a professional diagnosis rn

sounds like you’re where I was about 2 years ago hhh

I have to make this disclaimer every time: I’m not a professional. I’m just a person who has been diagnosed with adhd & like to make silly posts about it. so the suggestions I’m making now? are just suggestions from a fellow layman.

problem 1: you think you might have adhd but you’re not sure

first, check this self-evaluation form out. it’s a DSRM-based 2-page self-evaluation for how much you struggle with some adhd-related issues. You can also give it to a close friend or family member and ask them to rate you, because it’s mostly about behavior.

second: check this self-evaluation form out, too. this is more about where your behavior is suffering than why it’s suffering. don’t read the first page until you’ve filled it out, though, or you’ll mess up your ability to self-rate.

third: America’s National Resource on ADD site is loaded with good information about what adhd looks like & how people with adhd tend to act. after rating yourself with those forms, do some reading & think about your own behavior over your whole life to see how or if it fits.

result 1: you’re certain/fairly certain/leaning towards thinking you have adhd

you say you can’t get a professional evaluation rn, which will bar you from medical help such as prescription drugs and adhd-specialized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). but you can still benefit from adhd resources out there! such as:

the CHADD site I linked above, for example, has a whole section dedicated to clearly-written guides for managing adhd-caused life struggles.

ADDitude mag has a lot of articles with suggestions for how to manage your life in ways that work with your adhd instead of against it.

books like ‘You Mean I’m not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?’ and ‘The Disorganized Mind’ are useful resources, too.

and there’s tons of organizational apps & focus programs & such to check out. it can be overwhelming, tbh, but it’s also fun to pick out your favorite options and give them a go.

on the other hand:

result 2: you’re not really feeling the adhd diagnosis/have serious doubts this fits you

if you’re not so sure (but you’re still struggling with adhd-like problems), that doesn’t mean you’re just a shitty person. it means that something else might be wrong. 

here’s some examples of stuff that can look like adhd - or that adhd can look like - but aren’t adhd:

auditory processing disorders

dyslexia

various learning disabilities

anxiety

depression

obsessive-compulsive disorder

bipolar disorder

under-educated in decision-making/critical thinking skills

adhd can also be comorbid (appearing at the same time as) these other issues. sometimes adhd is aggravated by them (dyslexia, for instance), or causes them to develop (anxiety, for instance). but they can also exist on their own and be the explanation for problems that aren’t adhd.

tl;dr: if you’re struggling with attention/memory/completion issues & ‘stop being lazy and try harder’ isn’t a working strategy: imho, something is wrong & it’s worth figuring out what it is - adhd or not.

good luck hhhh

[featherssmarts]

Hello everyone! I’ve had some questions about the assignment schedule I posted here.

The idea was born out of my desire to eliminate the “Oh shit is that due tomorrow?!?!” late night moments of panic. I knew I wanted to have one master list of all of the things I needed to get done. Something about having absolutely everything I need to do written down and in front of me makes a challenging semester seem less daunting and more doable.

The best part about this schedule is that you can tweak it until it works for you! I chose to use Excel because it was more flexible than writing it in my planner, and I could add/delete tasks as the semester went on (and as professors changed the due dates a million times). 

During syllabus week, I go through each syllabus and list every task, reading, assignment or exam from the beginning of the semester all the way through finals week. By the end of the week, I have a comprehensive list of what I need to do for every single class, all in one place. I’m getting ready for the new semester and thought I’d walk everybody through how I organize mine:

Completed: mostly because I like to mark tasks off as I complete them, but also because it made it easier to quickly scan and find where I’m at in the list.

Type: I used this to discern between assignments and tests or quizzes, which I put in bold. I also put in the readings I assigned myself, and projects assigned by teachers.

Due Date: Alternating colors to block tasks by due date, so you can see at a glance how many things you need to do for that day.

Assignment: Quick description of the task or assignment. I put in any information given by the syllabus about the material the test covers. 

Class: Color coded! Amazing!

You can add or delete the categories to fit your needs! I’m adding a “Grade” category this semester. Let me know if anyone tries it for the new school year, and as always, send me an ask if you have any questions!

[featherssmarts]

If you’re not outraged, then you’re not paying attention.

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The video of George Floyd’s murder was haphazardly retweeted into the feeds of black people everywhere to say “look at this horrible thing a police officer did to a black person.” But the voyeuristic nature of sharing black human beings murdered like it’s just a normal thing on a Tuesday didn’t bring that guy back. It didn’t stop racism. In fact racism didn’t end when we all saw Mike Brown laying in the street. Or when the Ahmaud Arbery video went viral. Or when Eric Garner was choked to death over a few cigarettes. Or Walter Scott getting shot to death. Did racism end when Danny Ray Thomas was shot on video by police? Did Stephon Clark’s viral murder change the way white people react to black people just living their lives? When Keith Scott was shot to death did white people even have a conversation about a culture that produces this kind of incessant bias and violence? Did Philando Castile’s murder video end racism? Did the photo of Emmett Till in a casket stop racism? Stop murder? How bout Alton Sterling? Did it force all police departments to rebuild from scratch, weeding out the “bad apples” that have spoiled the whole goddamn bunch?

Did it make white people evaluate themselves for even half a second? Are there people on earth who are unaware that black people fear the police because the police disproportionately kill black people? Do we need videos to prove it? And do the videos ever result in justice? I mean, we’ve had smart phones that shoot video since what, 2005? We know this happens. Awareness isn’t the point. We don’t share white death like this. When Steve Irwin died we didn’t share the video of the stingray millions of times online to ~raise awareness~. They took down the ISIS beheading of a white man on YouTube. How many white men have you watched died in HD video? Can you name five? I bet you can’t name ten.

The video footage is shorthand for desensitization. Ask yourself why you’re even comfortable looking at a video of someone being murdered. Then ask why you’d share it with everyone you know? If it was a dog you wouldn’t. So what is the reasoning? For what reason should we share footage of a person being murdered?

I’m traumatized. Black people are traumatized. Four police officers got fired. They didn’t get murdered. They will hopefully be charged with murder, but they probably won’t. But that isn’t justice and it doesn’t address a system that puts a gun and a badge in the hands of a person who could hear someone pleading for their life and not move. When I say “don’t look away” I don’t mean consume black death like it’s a meme on TikTok. I mean look in the mirror. Look at your family. Look at the community you live in. Look at your friend group. Look at the wealthy white woman with the rescue dog in the goddamn park. And don’t look away. Because we know what the problem is. No one is unclear on what the problem is. Where is the justice?

- Akilah Hughes, May 27, 2020

[featherssmarts]

ive been reading and learning things about whats going on in minneapolis for a good 4 hours and heres all the cold hard facts ive collected so far in case yall dont have the time or the energy to double check everything youve been seeing

George Floyd was executed on camera after being arrested for suspected forgery (a suspicious $20 bill); he was compliant and told the 4 officers he couldn't breathe under the weight of officer Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck, which could be heard and understood by the bystanders filming the incident but did not move any of the 4 officers to stop/intervene.

The paramedics, after arriving on the scene, had to reach under Derek Chauvin's knee to check Floyd's pulse. By the time he had removed his knee, it had been a full 8 minutes, the final 3 of which he had already gone still.

The initial police reports of the incident were at best inaccurate and at worst outright lies. Floyd was described as "suffering medical distress" as they put him in handcuffs and that he "resisted arrest."

After the video surfaced highlighting how disgustingly false this was, they changed the narrative to "man dies after medical incident during police interaction."

All 4 officers were quickly fired, but not charged (however Chauvin just recently was taken into custody for 3rd degree murder)

Protests calling for justice were met with rubber bullets and tear gas fired into crowds (police were the first to turn the protests violent) beginning tuesday

An undercover protester, potentially identified as a St. Paul police officer, attempted to ignite riots by smashing the windows of an autozone as actual protesters told him to stop. He was dressed in all black with an umbrella (it wasn't raining) and tactical boots. People noted that broken glass provoking more vandalism is a known and understood phenomenon in the field of criminal justice.

Rioting, vandalism, and looting began as buildings were set on fire, including the precinct the 4 officers operated from. A local Target refused to sell milk to tear gas victims, and has now been all but destroyed.

A CNN reporter, Omar Jimenez, a poc, was arrested on live television, in an area secured by police and devoid of protesters, after identifying himself and voluntarily complying with their wishes. The reason given was that they were told to move and did not comply (a lie, as noted by the reporters commentating the live broadcast). A white CNN reporter nearby, however, was left alone.

A border protection predator drone circled the city today with no official explanation.

Trump tweeted that "looting leads to shooting," a quote from a 60s miami police chief notorious for civil rights abuses and even welcoming claims of police brutality. Twitter flagged it with a warning that it glorified violence.

Protests have spread to other cities throught the U.S. including Louisville, Memphis, L.A., and more, in response to similar and/or identical systemic issues of racial discrimination and brutality.

Police responses have varied in violence and intensity in each location; one police cruiser drove into the crowd in L.A., and seven people were shot in Louisville.

Minneapolis introduced a curfew to bring an end to the riots, calling in the national guard.

I hope I didn't miss any crucial details. If you are protesting today, make sure to leave anything capable of tracking you at home and that you are wearing a mask (for the virus, tear gas, and anonymity). Please be safe.

[featherssmarts]

ive gotten so so much better about self care while trying to complete schoolwork. if i’m trying to work but can’t seem to do it for no apparent reason, i ask myself:

- is there anything i can do to support my body? (ex. have a snack, drink water, get up and stretch, take a break and exercise or rest)

- is there anything i can do to help out my brain? (ex. take meds, take a break, go for a quick walk, write a spill page in my journal)

- what can i do to make completing this task easier? (ex. remove surrounding distractions, change location i’m working in, break the task into smaller steps, make a list of what i need to do)

i used to instantly get frustrated when i hit a mental block while working, and it made doing all my school assignments miserable because the only way to get them done was to force myself to do it under extreme mental strain. but now every time i feel myself getting frustrated, i run through a mental checklist of things i can do to improve my situation. it is a habit that takes getting used to, i had to train myself to direct my thoughts towards action and positivity instead of getting down on myself as soon as i started to struggle.

[featherssmarts]

There is something inside me that craves stormy weather. Sitting by a window and watching rain spatter the glass somehow awakens a long lost and deep feeling rarely felt today. Having no excuse to go out except to collect rain water for my house plants. Gloomy skies and rolling thunder give way to a new world full of inspiration. I am in love with Nature’s grayest days.

[featherssmarts]

looking for new accounts to follow!!!

Hi, I’m new to the studyblr community and I was hoping to make a few friends here :) Please reblog if you are:

-a studyblr blog

-a dark/light academia blog

I’ll check your blog out, and I’ll give you a follow too! If you’re comfortable, you can also reblog/reply with a brief introduction of yourself! As I said, I’d love to make some new friends here and I’d like to get to know everyone better. Here’s my intro:

My name is Ciara, I’m 16 and I’m from Ireland. My favourite drink is milk tea and my hobbies include reading and drawing. I especially love dark academia, and my favourite book from gothic literature would probably be The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, or Dracula by Bram Stoker. I can speak two languages, Irish and English and I’m currently learning German in school.

[featherssmarts]

Do you ever just have a breakdown over the fact that there are too many books to read, too many movies to see, too many poems to memorize, too many plays to watch, too many artworks to stare at and that you will never be able to consume all of it or is that just me

[featherssmarts]

I gotta ask, how do people, like, do stuff???

[featherssmarts]

the overwhelming urge to know latin, french, italian, greek, and russian is consuming me