u/Embarrassed_Spell402

Hey everyone,

I’m a developer from Tunisia, and I recently launched a mobile game/app called SnakeStreak. I’m trying to use TikTok to drive organic traffic, but I’ve hit a massive roadblock: 100% of my video views are coming from Tunisia/North Africa.

Since my main target market is the US and Europe, these local views aren't moving the needle for me.

I've tried using a standard VPN and writing my captions entirely in English, but the algorithm still locks me into local distribution.

For creators or devs outside the US/EU who have successfully broken into western FYPs (For You Pages), what actually works? Do I need a physical US SIM card, a dedicated device, or should I look into TikTok Ads Manager?

Appreciate any advice or technical workarounds you can share!

before my adhd diagnosis, i was already doin all these "coping strategies" but had zero clue that’s what they were. just thought i was weird lol.

i was constantly gamifying my entire life bc it was literally the only way to get my brain to do stuff. back in uni, i had these different "characters" in my head. there was the Math Twin for, well, math. the Programmer for coding/it stuff. and the Worker—basically the toxic boss forcing everyone else to actually do their jobs.

i remember imagining the Programmer refusing to work so the Worker would "put a gun to his head" to force him to start. (ik that sounds dramatic but my brain needed that level of fake urgency to function.)

i’d spend forever sitting in the bathroom thinking up these hyper-engineered systems to "optimize" my day, and if someone bullied me? i’d just mentally transform into "Jacked Jack"—someone stronger and more confident who could actually handle it.

everything i did was just to keep from falling apart. taping reminders to the door, putting all my stuff on a chair the night before a trip so i didn't leave my entire life behind... i thought it was just me being "extra" or whatever.

post-diagnosis, it’s wild realizing i wasn't just being weird, i was just building my own scaffolding. kinda funny how many "adhd tips" i’d already accidentally figured out on my own.

anyone else doin this? like creating weird little systems for yourself way before u even knew u had adhd?

Ever since I started deep-diving into ADHD, it’s like a veil has been lifted and I can’t unsee it.I see it in my mom, the intense panic over a misplaced dish, or her habit of storing things in random places and entirely forgetting they exist for years. I see it in my niece, who is a perpetual motion machine for 14 hours a day until she finally crashes to sleep. I even notice total strangers out at restaurants doing those specific, restless stims that make me think, “Yep, definitely a club member.”

​It makes me realize just how many of us there are out there. A huge portion of the population is probably flying completely under the radar, totally undiagnosed (and honestly, sometimes I wonder if they're happier not knowing).

​Do you guys have this? What’s the specific habit or trait that instantly triggers your "ADHD radar" when you see someone else doing it?

Background: 35m, spent my whole life being called "smart but inconsistent."

A month ago I was doing market research for a gamified habit tracker I'm building. Asked internet about my target audience. One of the answers was: people with ADHD.

googled the symptoms as a developer thing, and my entire life suddenly had a caption, The chronic lateness that I'd been apologizing for since I was 8. The so many unfinished projects. The way I can hyperfocus on something for 14 hours and then forget it exists. The relationships I damaged because I'd "zone out." The jobs I lost. The version of me that always knew he was trying andd could never understand why trying wasn't enough.

Now : am after the chock phase! I've started making survival changes :

1-a box for everything(keys, charger.. )

2-my notebook is my brain now

3- listen to my body for task timing(no more of starting at 9am...)

What was your" thing" that actually helped?

I'm collecting everything I can right now.

I only knew about my ADHD recently and in the weirdest way possible (that would be another story for another time).

before that used to think am special. Now that I know what I know I feel the exact opposite BUT

since my brain is throwing random thoughts at me all day, that one catches my attention :"what about people who had ADHD before science even knew what it was?" I bet they just lived their lives as me before the test, maybe they were leading , maybe some were seen as brilliant...

what really scares me is thinking of ADHD as an illness maybe we should look at it differently!

Has anyone dealt with this before? My pre-registration changes have been stuck in review since June 13, and I'm starting to wonder if that's normal.

How long does this process usually take? I'm honestly considering canceling the whole pre-registration at this point.

From hunting(2006), to strength training(2008) then the love of computers(2010) , web dev (2018), graphic design(2020), logo design(2020) which let me to lettering(2021), somewhere in between I became obsessed with chess(2019), was vegan for 8 months(2017) ,boxing took over from (2022-2024), bodybuilding was a big part of my life in 2016, and now i'm building a project(2026)... I just falls in love with something (sometime cuz I watched a documentary about it) then I go all in, I learn it day and night ,get pretty good at it, and then one day ... the interest just gone almost overnight. I just figure it out lately (less than a month) and it explain everything now, I feel anxious I wish I still not knowing about it, anxious to the point I do not want to make adjustments ... am just tired ..

Saw that video on yt, got that cell to jack and make it to revive our family old rotary phone! Then asked my wife to lock my mobile with a pattern and never give to me for 3 days , today is day 2 and here is my conclusion: if u went into a coma for 10 years would u count those years as part of ur life! I dn't think i would! Mindless scrolling feels a bit like that .

My father used to say, "Time passes so fast these days." I never really understood what he meant until now.

Mybe time isn't moving faster.

Maybe we're just spending more of it unconscious.

For years, I totally wrote off the "small stuff."

Making your bed, writing one paragraph, a 5-minute walk, reading ten pages... I always thought, "How is this going to help? None of this is curing a disease or solving my actual life problems." I figured people only called them "life-changing" because it made them feel productive for a second, and that was it.

recently, I started a tiny habit " just grabbing a glass of water, stepping outside, and watching the sunrise for about 10 minutes.

I’ve been at it for a little over 3 weeks now. I’m not going to tell you my entire life is 100% different, but honestly! I’ve started doing things I was too lazy or scared to touch for months. For the first time, it feels like I actually have plenty of time in my day which drives me to do things! lots of things...

I finally get it now. Those "atomic" habits actually work because they change your momentum. so **my advice**: just find the smallest, "positive" thing you think it is good for you, and start there.

Honestly, my morning routine used to be a total disaster. My alarm would go off and I’d immediately spend 20-30 minutes just scrolling in bed—emails, Reddit, news, whatever. By the time I actually got up, I already felt anxious and kind of mentally fried before the day even started.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try something different. Strict rule: no phone, no screens, and no breakfast for the first 15 minutes after waking up.

Instead, I just grab some water, step outside (or sit by the window if it's cold), and just watch the sunrise for like 10 minutes.

The first couple of days were genuinely awful. I didn't realize how badly my brain was constantly begging for that instant hit of dopamine from my screen. But I stuck with it, and now it’s honestly the best part of my day. It's the only 10 minutes where nobody is demanding anything from me and I'm not consuming information.

It sounds stupidly simple, but protecting those first 10 minutes completely changes how the rest of my day goes. If I start the day reacting to notifications, I spend the rest of the day feeling distracted.

Has anyone else tried delaying screen time in the morning? What’s a tiny habit that actually made a noticeable difference for you guys?

For years, I totally wrote off the "small stuff."

Making your bed, writing one paragraph, a 5-minute walk, reading ten pages... I always thought, "How is this going to help? None of this is curing a disease or solving my actual life problems." I figured people only called them "life-changing" because it made them feel productive for a second, and that was it.

recently, I started a tiny habit " just grabbing a glass of water, stepping outside, and watching the sunrise for about 10 minutes.

I’ve been at it for a little over 3 weeks now. I’m not going to tell you my entire life is 100% different, but honestly! I’ve started doing things I was too lazy or scared to touch for months. For the first time, it feels like I actually have plenty of time in my day which drives me to do things! lots of things...

I finally get it now. Those "atomic" habits actually work because they change your momentum. so my advice: just find the smallest, "positive" thing you think it is good for you, and start there.

Honestly, my morning routine used to be a total disaster. My alarm would go off and I’d immediately spend 20-30 minutes just scrolling in bed—emails, Reddit, news, whatever. By the time I actually got up, I already felt anxious and kind of mentally fried before the day even started.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try something different. Strict rule: no phone, no screens, and no breakfast for the first 15 minutes after waking up.

Instead, I just grab some water, step outside (or sit by the window if it's cold), and just watch the sunrise for like 10 minutes.

The first couple of days were genuinely awful. I didn't realize how badly my brain was constantly begging for that instant hit of dopamine from my screen. But I stuck with it, and now it’s honestly the best part of my day. It's the only 10 minutes where nobody is demanding anything from me and I'm not consuming information.

It sounds stupidly simple, but protecting those first 10 minutes completely changes how the rest of my day goes. If I start the day reacting to notifications, I spend the rest of the day feeling distracted.

Has anyone else tried delaying screen time in the morning? What’s a tiny habit that actually made a noticeable difference for you guys?

I used to have a terrible morning routine. My alarm would go off, and before I even rolled out of bed, I was already scrolling. Emails, social media, the news—just instantly flooding my brain with cheap dopamine and stress before my feet even hit the floor. I’d finally drag myself up, rush breakfast, and feel mentally exhausted by 9 AM.

A few weeks ago, I decided to try a completely disconnected morning experiment. I implemented a strict rule: No phone, no screens, and no breakfast for the first 15 minutes of being awake.

Instead, I grab a glass of water, step outside (or just sit by an open window), and watch the sunrise for 10 minutes.

The first two days were actually kind of agonizing. I didn't realize how addicted I was to the instant stimulation of my phone. But I stick to the plan , until now I start to feel that those 10 minutes are the only time in my entire day where I am not processing input from someone else. It gives me a chance to just exist before the world starts demanding things from me.

it sounds almost too simple, but taking control of those first 10 minutes sets the tone for the next 16 hours. If you start the day by giving in to a distraction, you spend the rest of the day fighting distractions.

Has anyone else tried delaying their screen time in the morning? What is your smallest morning habit that makes the biggest difference?