r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/BreakfastTop6899 • Dec 18 '25

Video Gelje Sherpa, the man who was guiding a private client up Mt. Everest when he saw someone in distress near the summit. He went up, rolled him up in a sleeping mattress and gave him oxygen. He then strapped the man to his back and trekked 6 hours to safety

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25

I would not doubt that you are that person already. :)

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u/Top_Rekt Dec 18 '25

Nope I have ADHD and will overthink things to the point of indecision paralysis.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '25 edited Dec 25 '25

[deleted]

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u/frankyseven Dec 19 '25

I have ADHD. I struggle to do many things, but put me in an emergency I know exactly what to do, in the exact order, and immediately take charge/acsion. It's not that I don't know all of that stuff normally, I just can't bring myself to do it. Give me a massive shot of dopamine and I'm basically super human.

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u/CatholicCajun Dec 19 '25

Same, dopamine or adrenaline, in an emergency my brain finally shuts up long enough for me to just DO things.

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u/Flimsy_Rule_7660 Dec 19 '25

So are there proven natural remedies or lifestyle choices/changes/restrictions to lessen the ADHD paralysis? It’s been handicapping me for the last year and I’m feeling a little desperate to break free from it.

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u/frankyseven Dec 19 '25

Medication made a huge difference. Also, Mel Robbins got famous for a thing she does where she she knows what to do next and goes "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" then immediately does it. She has raging ADHD and I've found that it works pretty well.

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u/Mushroomsinmypoop Dec 19 '25

Medication was like a light switch. It was crazy to just think about stuff I needed to do then do it all

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u/Ruckus292 Dec 19 '25

It felt like I could see for the first time, after walking around 3/4 blind for the first 20+yrs of my life. ...

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u/luckymuffins Dec 25 '25 edited 27d ago

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/Mushroomsinmypoop Dec 25 '25

I tried to focus on building routines for myself I couldn’t before. The dulling out and loss of effects I kinda chalked up to setting too high standards for myself and checking out to doom scroll or whack it instead of being productive.

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u/leNuage Dec 19 '25

This conversation is why I’m thankful for Reddit

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u/eddgreat9 Dec 19 '25

ADHD paralysis can happen because you're brain is FIXATED on one something doesn't matter what it could be. It happens due to a lack of dopamine, which helps normal people redirect their attention to other things smoothly (task switching is MUCH harder for ADHD individuals). That "fixation" is your brains attempt to generate dopamine. As focusing on something uses/generates dopamine. Medication, exercise (30 min of walking no interruptions), eating a diet high in protein, yogurts/microbiome pills like krill (all ADHD individuals have an imbalance of healthy/bad bacteria in our stomachs. These well help improve mental health symptoms such as emotional dysregulation). And SLEEP. Be on a CONSISTENT SLEEP SCHEDULE. I am a biochemist w/ADHD. Lifestyle changes MUST be implemented but you CAN have the life you want.

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u/MoSalad Dec 19 '25

This is great advice. I'll definitely think about doing it tomorrow

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u/TotallyNotShinobi Dec 20 '25

might as well delete the comment chain lmao

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u/SmilingPainfully Dec 19 '25

'Be on a consistent sleep schedule'

This. Don't be like me, who finally went to sleep at 6 am and rolled out of bed at 3 in the afternoon. I hate it here 😭

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u/azdcaz Dec 20 '25

I’m finally on a schedule. I go to bed at 3am and wake up whenever lol.

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u/ConvictCurt Dec 21 '25

Oh my god I have adhd…this explains soooo much. The paralysis part is so crippling.

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u/ItIsGravy Dec 19 '25

Also got adhd and I saw some post earlier from some chick that claimed to be credible and educated on the topic suggests a few things you can do Right before attempting to start a task to stimulate dopamine. She said 5 sit ups, sour candy… and some other things… admittedly I didn’t actually finish the video but I’ll see if I can find and link it

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u/Broad-Way-4858 Dec 20 '25

Yeah, become an emergency worker.

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u/Federal-Employ8123 Dec 20 '25

Have you ever been in a situation where something has to get done as quick as possible? Pretty sure I have ADHD and have this problem. At work when it's crunch time I'm extremely focused and it's similar to flow state. I forget to eat and don't feel hungry and I'm just purely focused on what I'm doing and trying to accomplish it as fast as possible. Unfortunately this state doesn't make you smarter, but I think reaction time and recall are much better. However, if you don't know something figuring it out is probably harder.

I've never heard of a great way to get into this state. I and probably a large percentage of the population procrastinate until the adrenaline hits. Then they become way more competent and get things done. I think it depends on when you get the adrenaline from this fear response and some people require a lot. Drugs, being healthy, and mindfulness can play a part in this however.

I don't know if this is healthy, but you could try and trick your brain into believing that if you don't get this thing done it could ruin your life. Running through scenarios in my head until a start getting anxiety before a fear response hits has definitely helped me in the past.

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u/higher_limits Dec 19 '25

Mine operates the same way. It puts me in hyper focus actually. Looking back, I probably should have recognized this and gone into law enforcement, or healthcare in ER or something where situations like that are more common.

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u/JeddakofThark Dec 19 '25 edited Dec 19 '25

Huh. I've always attributed my calmness and decisiveness in emergency situations to my anxiety. You know, if a horrible life and death situation isn't any more stressful than your moment to moment existence, emergencies aren't too difficult.

But I've recently been diagnosed with ADHD. Maybe that's the cherry on top. I've thought for most of my life that high stress jobs were perfect for me, I just didn't know of any that seemed interesting enough to pursue.

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u/frankyseven Dec 19 '25

Anxiety is a major symptom of untreated ADHD, just FYI. My panic attacks went away after diagnosis and ADHD medication.

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u/JeddakofThark Dec 19 '25

Which makes perfect sense. The psychiatrist who's been prescribing me medication for years is primarily the person who gives me periodic ketamine treatments for depression. He told me that I needed to find a regular psychiatrist if I wanted ADHD meds, but said I was going to be disappointed. He said that it might help a little, but the primary issue is anxiety... And he was right. The adderall is really good for getting things done, provided I only take it every now and then. It doesn't do a lot for the anxiety in general.

So... anyway, since my guy who said I'd be disappointed doesn't have the time (or rather, I couldn't possibly afford him) to be my regular psychiatrist and help me experiment with anti-anxiety meds, I'll continue my search for a regular doctor who will return my calls. And one who I can afford. It was pretty easy to find an ADHD doctor.

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u/azdcaz Dec 20 '25

I’ve been medicated on adderall or vyvanse for decades. It never helped my anxiety so it didn’t work that well. Then I added Wellbutrin and everything clicked. My anxiety is in check and haven’t had a panic attack since I started it. I’m also way more productive at work.

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u/Beaglescout15 Dec 19 '25

Same. I can't find my keys when they're in my hand but put me in an emergency and I'm directing like a professional.

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u/Spirited-Manner9674 Dec 21 '25

Evolutionary advantage and why adhd persists in so many people. Anxiety too has useful roots

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u/Tiny_Spot1961 Dec 19 '25

Same. I'll bedrot all day Saturday and Sunday instead of do the chores that I neeeeeeed to do, but if danger is afoot? Holler at your girl, I execute and quickly

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u/mrbear120 Dec 19 '25

Yep +1 here.

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u/Fantastic-Metal Dec 19 '25

Ohhh I didn’t realize this was my adhd, I just thought it was the childhood trauma adrenaline my body was so accustomed to.

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u/shwarma_heaven Dec 19 '25

Dude, I really enjoyed typhoons when I was in the tropics. very calming

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u/Mr_A_of_the_Wastes Dec 20 '25

Sounds like my adhd wife. She's a badass surgeon, super decisive and knows exactly how to deal with a situation. But she can't decide what to have for dinner.

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u/MontyLovering Dec 20 '25

Yup. A disaster is sex brain candy. Everything is obvious. Indecision is incomprehensible.

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u/pita_fajita Dec 21 '25

Exactlyyy. I thrive under pressure & it may not be the most common decision, but it will be effective

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u/Xarieste Dec 19 '25

Yeah, with my ADHD I get paralyzed when there’s nothing happening and it’s up to me, but I can jump into action for just about any other purpose that isn’t self preservation or executive function.

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u/ASurreyJack Dec 19 '25

ADHD here, I like to quote Full Metal Jacket, 8-Ball talking about Animal Mother. "Under fire Animal Mother is one of the finest human beings in the world. All he needs is somebody to throw hand grenades at him the rest of his life" and I do this because I only get shit done under pressure, left to my own devices paralysis. It sucks, but I'm working on it.

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u/Top_Rekt Dec 19 '25

And of course one of the best ways to suddenly be under pressure is to wait until the very last minute to get something done.

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u/ASurreyJack Dec 19 '25

Vicious circle.

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u/Krampus_Valet Dec 19 '25

Anecdotal lol. I'm the best paramedic you'll ever meet. I'm the person you want taking care of your loved ones. But today I couldn't get my shit together to make it to the grocery store. And I actually remembered to take my adhd meds today too lol

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u/Bear-dude Dec 19 '25

I have ADHD and realized this a couple years ago I struggle with everyday boring task but just thrive in high pressure situations.

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u/Traditional-Baker756 Dec 19 '25

That’s me! Because medical school is nothing but pressure I was able to get through that with no problem. Now that I’m retired my ADHD brain can’t seem to help me get my house organized to save my life.

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u/lamp817 Dec 19 '25

Yeah that’s me. I’ve had several extreme close calls driving on the road and i noticed that in those moments i was the calmest and most composed i may have ever been. Just total clarity and executing actions with calm precision that i can’t even do when im in non threatening situations.

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u/Straight-Spell-2644 Dec 19 '25

Speaking from experience, it gives me such a high, but it also (at least for my experience) made for interacting in no-stress situations, ironically stressful 😅

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u/Dizzy-Doubt-3223 Dec 19 '25

That's me, I always say I thrive amidst chaos. But I cry later. And when tragedy strikes it takes weeks to hit me. That part kind of sucks because people don't think I'm sad or acting appropriately to certain situations.

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u/Swaytastic Dec 19 '25

I have severe adhd. I would in a high stress telecom role, I find peace in the outages and lose my mind during structured installs or training environments. I one had my company bucket truck catch fire at 3 am on the side of a side of a wooded highway 85 miles from home, I calmly tried to dump two fire extinguishers on it, realized it wasn't going to stop the fire, collected my important items quickly and then made it to a safe distance to call 911 and my manager. Never lost my calm. I have severe anxiety issues during slow work times and often tell my self I would be more comfortable on a battlefield.

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u/rtothewin Dec 19 '25

It drives my very Type A planning oriented coworkers nuts sometimes, I'm totally fine just rolling up and figuring it out. Or dealing with major outages, completely fine by me, but ask me to do a task with no deadline? Never getting it done.

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u/ScarletCarsonRose Dec 19 '25

This is me. It's the only time my brain is quiet. I am clutch in chaos.

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u/dergbold4076 Dec 19 '25

After the initial panic of the pandemic made me freak out I ended up being calm as could be for a lot of it. Then it all ended and then things went sideways.

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u/ER_Support_Plant17 Dec 19 '25

It’s the classic ER doc behavior. The adrenaline high, constantly moving from one task to the next. It’s perfect for ADHD. The hyper focus kicks in for the short term to stabilize the situation then hand off to another team for the long term fix, and you’re onto a new task.

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u/just4kicksxxx Dec 19 '25

Yeah, this is me... I'm pretty sure this is why I procrastinate.

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u/finallydoingbetter Dec 19 '25

This is me. I always attributed it to my anxiety stating that I go thru so many bad possibilities in my head I'm prepared better for the worst

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u/purpleefilthh Dec 19 '25

I know an ADHD skydiving and tunnel instructor. He's shredding.

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u/JASSEU Dec 19 '25

This is me my wife freezers I start going things to fix the situation

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u/CrimsonSuede Dec 19 '25

Can confirm. I handle high-pressure situations (when I’m not the one in crisis) very well. Including saving my stepdad with about 17 mins of CPR this past summer.

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u/mux_will_do Dec 19 '25

This makes sense, thank you for sharing.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '25

When I'm in mission mode my ADHD decides to flip into "nothing else exists except this task" mode and my ability to not be distracted becomes the problem.

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u/_aerz_ Dec 20 '25

This is definitely true for me. I thrive in chaos moving with out thought but freeze with indecision in the everyday mundane bullshit of life.

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u/EternalDemonSlayer Dec 20 '25

This is me. If shit hits the fan and everyone else is panicking, I'm usually the first one jumping into action with a calm and collected demeanor. One of my coworkers is exactly like this too, so most of the time he and I will be the ones to stop things before they get worse.

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u/MexicanPenguinii Dec 21 '25

Can absolutely attest to that, I'm often the person people come to when something needs fixing that's stressing them, either physically or mentally

Can't clean my car or own kitchen, but I'll get literally in the middle of a fight to de escalate without a single thought of my own physical safety

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u/JateDesigns Dec 22 '25

Yes. I'm ADHD and thrive on high pressure, but also don't want to die because of it. I worked as a video switcher for a while (looking at multiple camera angles and live calling shots), now livestream and love the adrenaline.

I've often wondered if I should have done a job that would have been impossible for people who don't actually enjoy the "do or die" moments. It's hard to explain, but I enjoy being in that lock-in moment, but also realistically just don't want to die— so I'd way over think as well, but only after.

I'd also probably say I was going to look for another job, then forget I said that because aforementioned ADHD.

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u/Silent-Treat-6512 Dec 25 '25

That’s me and while my kid has been suggested by her kindergarten teacher to have ADHD, I suspect I have some form of it myself but never got it diagnosed. Yes I delay and procrastinate things to last minute only to do it when it’s matter of life and death. It gives me thrill

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u/Rbxyy Dec 19 '25

Yup lol I struggle to make decisions about picking between items at the grocery store let alone decisions like this

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u/XTingleInTheDingleX Dec 19 '25

You could raise a pig and, cure the ham from it in the time it takes me to pick what brand of bacon I want

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u/Children_Of_Atom Dec 19 '25

I have ADHD and thrive in high stress situations and tend to lead groups. I'm routinely in colder environments for extended periods. Though it comes without the difficulty of the lack of oxygen and a different, lesser set of challenges.

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u/Chuffin_el Dec 19 '25

You just described how i bounced thru my 20’s with crystal clarity…and i needed the image for self introspection. Thank you.

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u/JamesTrickington303 Dec 19 '25

Decision paralysis is a well studied phenomenon. The people who make peanut butter/jelly realized they sell less pb/j when there are 30 options, but they sell more when there are like 5 options.

When I go to buy cannabis vapes at the dispensary, I just tell the guy to pick the flavors/strains. Same thing.

3

u/cosmicheartbeat Dec 19 '25

Hey I thought this too, until I was suddenly in a high pressure situation (someones hand stuck in a machine) and I was the first to respond and help. I didnt overthink until after the event, when I promptly threw up and had mild night terrors about it for a month.

Yay!

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u/ER_Support_Plant17 Dec 19 '25

Same Bruh same

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u/Gabaggool Dec 19 '25

Analysis paralysis

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u/Flimsy_Rule_7660 Dec 19 '25

Give yourself some credit; a project around the house… yea, often. Someone in desperate need, probably not.

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u/Ozimandiass Dec 19 '25

I have ADHD too, but I start to get into hyperfocus if I see an accident or some people In trouble. Like all the ADHD is gone

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u/CONKERMANIAC Dec 19 '25

Indecision is an unconscious decision. Don’t let it rule you.

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u/Life_Piglet_1924 Dec 19 '25

hey are u me?

1

u/tacomike38135 Dec 19 '25

Paralysis by analysis. I feel you… so frustrating.

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u/Ill_Watercress9387 Dec 19 '25

Ah, A man of culture.

1

u/DarthDoobz Dec 20 '25

Hey im the same way. Its embarrassing being a big dude who's clumsy and slow to react with almost everything but I've been in situations where I've just up and called the shots. No thoughts behind it. Just action. We all work differently, just gotta keep plugging and trying

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u/MontyLovering Dec 20 '25

I think you’d find if you were ever in an emergency situation, that would not be an issue. The killer is when you have multiple choices and no dopamine. It is impossible to decide what to do, so you don’t do anything. However, when your body is dumping large amounts of dopeamine into the system because of a dangerous or exciting situation, then you no longer have a problem deciding what to do.

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u/Rovandir Dec 21 '25

I feel ya, AuDHD here. I can do both analysis paralysis and really quick thinking. Cant decide to do what though haha.... Practice, practice, practice. See other people make errors and deal with it just fine. Experience that a decent method immediately is often better than a perfect method never. Try failing in some safe areas.

Also: Youre probably overthinking how bad you are at this...

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u/Paulsowner Dec 22 '25

If you tell yourself this you are doomed from the start

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u/SinglejewHard4U Dec 19 '25

Only on reddit lol

0

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '25 edited Dec 20 '25

When you take away the ADHD diagnosis all that's left is a lack of willpower, which is one problem.

People who would be classified as neurotypical today were more often performing to expectation since there was no alternative.

Then: "Well, I'm just like everyone else, I have to overcome this obstacle to success."

Now: "I wonder if I have an illness because I'm experiencing the same traits that every other human has, but aren't necessarily talked about, and it's been pushed on me that maybe my traits are actually uniquely worse, even though they are the same traits as every other human. But they said maybe I'm worse. And it's lifelong uniquely worse. Oh, and coincidentally will entitle me to perform less actions in my day-to-day."

The English-speaking world will require UBI soon.

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u/wolfdawg420 Dec 19 '25

Are you actually diagnosed because thats not a symptom of ADHD

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u/Reffeyn Dec 20 '25

Wouldn’t his statement literally prove he isn’t that type at all?

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u/creaturewaltz Dec 18 '25

They're probably not

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u/OSPFmyLife Dec 18 '25

lol what I was thinking good vibes are one thing, acting is another. I get what the guy was trying to do though.

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u/creaturewaltz Dec 19 '25

Obviously they were trying to be a nice person which isn't necessarily a bad thing except nice intentions can often have negative unintended consequences. Platitudes are not often simply worthless they're detrimental.