“adderall: the drug of our time”
Today I wanted to watch a documentary on Netflix, but I can’t watch anything that has more than 1:30 hour or, if it is interesting, I can go up to 2 hours. That’s when I found Take your Pills a Netflix original documentary of performance stimulants.
I started watching and started relating to a lot of things the adults and young adults were saying. Imagine how great it is to be extremely focused and able to complete more tasks in a faster way.
Adderall it’s medically prescripted medication for those who have ADHD, but at the same time, it’s used by a lot of college students that aren’t diagnosed with the disorder. Why? Because they feel like they have to get the best grades and performance, in order “to be someone” for their future.
Don’t get me wrong, I did relate to all of that. I even thought to myself, “would it be so bad to take Adderall for better performance at work?” and then, as I continued watching it, I realized that I have a dangerous mindset regarding my health.
All of that got me thinking about the society we live in today, and how stimulated we are to competition that most times isn’t healthy. And at that same time, I was trying to understand how could we know the line between the ones that need medication to focus and the ones that don’t.
If you want the answer to those thoughts, I’m sorry to disappoint you because I don’t have them. I simply enjoy reflecting on things and yes, I love having concrete answers, but I recently came to an understanding that not everything will have a clear answer — and guess what? It’s okay.
As the documentary went on, a shocking moment came up, which also made me think and re-think multiple times. One guy who was working on a financial report had an exhaustion breakdown and ended up at the hospital. His parents wanted him to quit his current job because enough is enough and the line of what is acceptable for work pressure had surpassed.
I believe we all have a moment in life that is relatable to that. Not necessarily we ended up at the hospital, but we all already reached the “enough is enough” and just kept going, either because we needed the money or the social status. No one wants to quit or give up nowadays, that’s a sign of weakness and we feel like we can’t show weakness or we’re damned.
But what is it all for? Your goals in life are worth risking your health? Do you need to be top of your class to “be someone”? Are you willing to reach exhaustion so you can realize that you need a break or a healthier routine? Don’t put in your mind that you need to work 24/7 to be extraordinary or recognized. If your leader doesn’t recognize you and you’re doing a great job, try recognizing yourself because that’s the most incredible thing you could do.
