ADHD affecting creativity/interests negatively

[lemming]

I think I've asked this before, but does anyone find that their ADHD is affecting their creativity and their interests/ability to carry out or complete personal hobbies? This is one of the things that has been bugging me most- it's understandable to have problems starting on stuff that you don't like, but stuff you like? That sucks. It's like my ability to plan and execute has become increasingly over the years so impaired that any personal project or hobby, has over the years become a huge chore and source of stress rather than enjoyment.
This is not an anxiety or depression issue (in fact I think I've had to maintain a very positive outlook to keep going), but it feels like my brain is increasingly misfiring and initiating most tasks, figuring out how to plan or execute anything, or being able to hold on to or make use of ideas, has become all but impossible. Has anyone out there really struggled with this and managed to get through this eventually?

[Ipsofacto]

I had been in the same situation with my sports for about five years. I think one of the issues was not having the gear ready to go. Too much gear all mixed up, and not having equipment set up as you like it, makes just getting out of the door a challenge. After major de-cluttering and reorganization since my diagnosis it's getting easier to motivate myself. Now I'm just dealing with performance anxiety being so badly out of practice.

[murlin99]

I have pretty much the same problem with hobbies/work/everything else that takes any kind of planning. Since my diagnosis and have been on the meds it seems somewhat easier to get things moving, but currently only about a 20% improvement or so. My first appt. with a CBT is in about 6 days. We will see if they have any guidance that can help.

Being this way is very frustrating and one of the reasons my wife almost forced me to finally go to find a pdoc.

[fracturedstory]

My management has been with medication and just feeling like a failure and the anxiety of not wanting to be a failure that makes me at least start on one of my interests, and once I start on meds I can be going for a long time. I do try and practice this without medication but nothing that is too mentally taxing, but I find I become distracted and totally into 5 different things all on the internet and I completely forget about what I intended to do.

But with practice and constant reminders you do get better. I usually break the tasks into smaller portion and yes it does get even longer, but some of it gets done. Teaching myself to be patient is also difficult. But I'm getting through my writing finally after days of anxiety of not ever getting back to it. I've decided when I can't work on it I'll go and do something else and come back to it. Although I hope tomorrow I'll be able to get back to it, I've been going pretty good this week. Despite al my freakouts.

[JamalJ]

I feel that taking medication for my ADHD is what caps my creativity and imagination. Like, I feel robotic when on Adderall.

[Plognark]

In regards to the OP, yes, absolutely. In fact, that's a big part of what finally got me to go and see a shrink and figure out why the heck I couldn't get myself motivated to work on things I love.

The medication lets me stay focused during the boring, tedious parts of any project, rather than just the new-shiny-exciting start phase.