why do stimulants have a calming effect for people with ADHD?
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I’m seeing alot of science and good explanations but let me give mine.
You’ve been really bored before right? Have you ever been in a theme park line? Or in traffic. A situation where what should have taken maybe 30mins took 3 hours?
You know that feeling you get? That knawing want for it to be over? That desire for something fun to happen? The want for you to be doing literally anything else but what you are doing now?
That is what low dopamine feels like. When your dopamine is low, times drags along like tree sap moving calmly down a tree. It’s near unbearable. As a child it IS unbearable.
That feeling you get when you are in traffic, or in a long line. That’s the ADHDers baseline. That’s how they feel all the time. That knawing feeling that you need to find something to do. That desire to be doing anything but what you are currently doing. That’s what makes adhd people appear hyper. We adhders are in a constant state of feeling like we are in traffic. So we are constantly fidgeting looking for distractions because we are desperate to find SOMETHING that helps us get rid of that knawing need to get rid of boredom.
When we take ADHD medication. Suddenly, everything is ever so slightly more enjoyable. That feeling like we are in a never ending line, or never ending traffic weakens. And when that knawing need for finding anything you can to stimulate yourself backs off. We are able to slow down and smell the flowers so to speak. We can appreciate the moment because our mind isn’t in a panicked animal state of need. Thusly we will appear less “hyper” because we aren’t desperately looking to satisfy a need for stimulation. It allows us to focus on the boring things that were previously unbearable.
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