I think I started being very mean to myself at age 12. It's weird to find someone else who ended up in this situation. I hope I can go back like you did, one day :-)
> I'm unable to hold a job. I'm "the best programmer they've ever seen" but only for the first month - then they start to hate me because I'm not working.
I feel this lol
I've seen medication that can help with ADHD without necessarily having strain on the heart such as Semax - the problem being that it costs tons of money.
There are also basic factors that can help you such as exercice and sleep. You can find them on PubMed and Reddit.
I've also found Beeminder+Toggl Track to help me get the initial boost to work even when unmedicated.
It's a software combination that will make you pay e.g. 5€ if you don't work at least X hours today.
At small doses it's exciting, but depressing at high ones ;)
(I've spent +100€ on Beeminder but the ROI is wildly positive)
There sure are talks about recovering from COVID brain fog[0] since it appears to be a common condition.
What you should do about it: fix it, obviously!
I'll tell you my personal story to inspire you.
I've had brain fog for the longest time. I'm 19, and my whole life is a huge weird fog. I don't think that I will ever find out why I am like this. Allergy, psychological trauma, complicated birth, lost electron causing a short-circuit... I don't know, and doctors don't seem to either.
However, over the course of the last year, I have found simple interventions that made my mind way clearer.
Those are the following:
- Modafinil (stimulant)
- Semax (promotes neuron growth at the expense of loosing your hair)
- occasional DMT (there might be no basis for this, but I've found that it's making me more mature)
- good sleep (Zinc, Magnesium, Melatonin, basic good habits)
- Beeminder for accountability and Complice for goal-setting - this made me way faster about gaining ground against my brain fog and other areas in my life.
My point is that while you may not be able to truly fix your condition yet, you can improve it by consistently trying out interventions.
Of course, don't blindly copy mines; do your own research.
Researching interventions with brain fog is hard; I suggest that you make a list and pick something that fits your benefit-risk balance.
Getting a good sleep schedule is a no-brainer. Meds are more complicated. Personally, I've just copied them from other people and stuck with what worked. You can get a good idea of risks involved by taking notes on studies from PubMed and anecdotes from Reddit.
> Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.