You’ve got nothing to lose by trying. Keep in mind with Ritalin it’ll take a week or so till you get the right rhythm for when to take the pill during the day.

ADHD/ADD is a neurochemical issue not behavioural. If you do have either, willpower won’t allow your brain to keep more dopamine available, or increase the amount in circulation.

You can't talk therapy or journal your way out of a neurochemical deficiency. Believe me, I've tried.

Medication can be scary, I know. But you may find that some of the behaviours you’re unhappy with may have a chemical reason.

For most of my adult life I thought that I was just inferior, stupid and lazy compared to other people because I couldn't focus long enough to do the things that seemed to come normally to other people.

But that wasn't the case. My brain worked differently and thankfully there was a way to equalise the playing field.

Couldn't focus long enough to read a book after age 16. I used to inhale books before then. Let alone fill out forms or understand taxes or superannuation.

Just something to keep in mind.

Good luck!

You’re also surrounded by highly critical people and I would think the things said to you would affect your confidence.

Different things work for different people. If you try and it doesn’t work out, you can stop or ask doctor for alternatives. If you feel you don’t have enough information about the medication, possible side effects etc, call the doctor and see if they can answer your questions. If you want to try a bit longer with therapy before starting medication, theres nothing wrong with that choice. Healthcare should occur in the context of informed consent, but some doctors are not great at the ‘informed’ part!

years ago when I was seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist for severe ptsd the doc wanted to put me on meds that could help my memory and also anti anxiety meds. I said no. They said I better have a good reason, I wrote them an essay. But more than that I assured my docs I would under go all the cbt , do everything I could to heal without meds. And I did.

Changing your thinking is hard, behaviourial change is hard, but you must give it some effort if you want results.

I suppose my point is change can happen many ways, it's often uncomfortable, scary, and it takes effort

I used to keep my eye on the long term goals, my life would be better if I had better mental health and better habits, i still do

good luck and so many hugs 😽