u/CrushedCroissant

I've been with my gf for 5 years, and I recently got diagnosed with ADHD, which was eye opening as I had my suspicions. I realised how much my life has been staggered by my brain just not cooperating. Unfortunately, I'm not on meducation now as my psychiatrist basically put me on observation because he believes I have a mild case. However he did up my dose of zoloft to 75mg, saying it will help manage some of my symptoms, but honestly I don't think it makes that much of a difference.

I moved with my gf and friends to study abroad, and I finally felt the full force of ADHD. I have never been such a mess. All my carefully crafted routines are gone and I find it very gard to get a move on and do things. I'm very forgetful and will not remember to do inportant tasks. I'm doing a master's degree and it feels impossible, like my brain is being tortured while I'm trying to do complex tasks and assignments that don't interest me. I cry while doing things often.

Now onto the main point. My gf has expressed to me that she feels like she can't rely on me or that I'll be responsible. She feels like she has to keep track of tasks around the house to remind me to do them. What happens really often is that she reminds me to do something right as I was going to (genuinely, I swear) and then she gets frustrated as she feels like I wouldn't do it if she didn't tell me to. I get frustrated as I finally got motivation to move and do it, and immediately I get frustration and criticism. I really do have good intentions but it can be so hard to start, especially when I need to get out of bed (though that one is probably my depression too).

I do understand where she's coming from and I'm sure I would be just as frustrated in her place. She has understanding for my ADHD, but I think everyone has their limits. I want to be better and I want to improve, I just genuinely don't know how. I tried alarms (which I turn off), reminders (which I forget to check after a while), to-do lists (which only works while a strict routine is in place), cod liver oil (helps but doesn't make a meaningful impact), etc.

Does anyone with ADHD have some advice on how to start and complete tasks? For those with partners, how do you avoid ADHD creating conflict in your relationships?

There's a huge age gap between us (18 years) , and he's techically my half brother (but really, he's my brother) on my moms side. We live together and share lots of interests (pokemon, minecraft, animated shows) but I now study abroad so it's a bit harder to engage actively.

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I try to find him a lot of gifts and trinkets to bring to him when I come back, but since I mostly live far away now we mostly hear from each other during calls. I don't want to be the absent sister, nor do I want to supplement my absence with gifts. I want to keep and maintain a healthy and active relationship with him as he grows up.

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So for the men in this sub, what did your sisters do to make you feel loved and cared for? What activities did you like to do with older siblings? How do I help a young boy grow up into a good man? Did your sisters become less cool when you got older? (Not that it matters but I'm still curious!) And for sisters, how did you bond with your brothers?

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And for anyone who has siblings or any experience with an older sibling leaving the home, please share your stories. All advice/suggestions are welcome.

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TL;DR - I (23F) want advice to help maintain my relationship to my younger brothet (6M) after moving from home.

He's 14 years old, and was always very sweet and great with boundaries during play. I trained him to stop playing if I lift my finger and start gently petting his forehead. He is well trained, listens to most commands (come, stay, give paw).

The past two nights, he started attacking me right before bed. It's much more aggressive than usual, he doesn't let go when he bites and draws blood. I try to ignore it but it's hard when he's hurting me, and he doesn't stop at the usual signal.

For extra info, he has pain in his joints, and is currently off the pain medication due to it triggering his gastritis. He's being treated for vomiting so we are careful with his intake of everything. We play with him every day, at least twice a day, including simulating hunting and also chasing when he feels like it. We have lots of toys and places for him to play, high places so he can watch, and we have a cage on the balcony so he can watch the birds outside.

I'm not sure if this is agitation due to a health issue or a mental stimulation problem. I thought it would stop at the first night but it happened again, so I will try playing with him right before bed. Does anyone have any experience with seniors suddently pushing boundaries during play? How did you manage to stop it and what was the cause?