Diet.

I know. Youve heard it before im sure, but im serious. Don't eat processed foods. Eat fruits, vegetables, whole meats, whole grains(rice, oats, wheat.) It's doable for cheap, and it makes such a huge difference in how you feel.

I'll give you an example.

Breakfast: 1 Banana+ a glass of milk + a teaspoon of coacoa powder. Blend it into a smoothie. Tastes amazing. Creamy, and chocolately, and its good for you too. Some combo of whole breakfast foods. Scrambled eggs, Fruit, toast, oatmeal, etc.

Lunch: pre-make pico de gello and have it in the fridge (Cut up cilantro, tomato, onion, mix it, and add lime juice.) Add a bit of that to a pan with a small amount of canola oil. Let it sizzle for a second or 2 then dump in a can of pinto beans. Give them maybe a minute to cook then smash them up with a fork. Mix in a spoon of peanut butter. Use that as dip for some tortilla chips. You can add shredded cheese if you want too.

Quesadilla, Sandwich, or wrap. Avoid deli meats. I like to cook chicken breast in a crock pot, and keep it in the fridge to use in stuff like this.

Dinner: Cook some rice about 25 mins before your meat is gonna be done. To the rice add the drippings from the chicken. Then add peanut butter. Black pepper, chili powder, etc to taste.

Chicken breast, or thigh or whatever baked+seasoned how you like to go with it.

This is just an example. You'll adjust it to your own tastes, and caloric needs, but the point is to avoid pre-packaged, and processed foods as much as you can. Also not mentioned was drinks. Drink water. 95% of what you drink should be water. A smoothie, or fresh fruit drink is fine too, but think of those as meals not drinks.

You'll notice i mix in things like peanut butter a lot. Not only does it taste good but its a cheap, healthy way to get calories. Milled flax seed is another one you can add to stuff easily. If your not used to cooking for yourself get some Salt, Black pepper, italian seasonings, basil, chili powder, and dried minced onion. Get your seasonings at ALDI if theres one near you. Theyre cheaper there (1$ a bottle). Just experiment with those ones a bit, and see what you like. Then introduce others and experiment more as time goes on. Thai Red Curry powder is amazing if you can find it but expensive.

If you eat whole foods for a week straight and don't start to feel better I'd be shocked. Other tips would be go outside, and let the sun hit you, breath in fresh air, etc for a few minutes a day. A morning walk can help a lot. Smells matter too. Get some like citrus skins, and simmer them in a pot to make your house smell good. Or cinnamon, nutmeg, etc works too. Just put things that smell nice in water, and let it simmer. Music too. Your mood reflects your atmosphere. If your in a place that smells nice, looks nice, and sounds nice you'll feel better.

I mean, going to work and getting high is a full day's worth of activity right there

i think speculation is a loser's game these days so i get the dogshit uranium none of the big companies want at a surplus and throw it in the breeder reactor i have in the basement.

i don't know about your energy requirements but this is adequate for my low yield warheads and dumptruck

I generally force myself to. Not like psychologically, I mean physically out myself in a situation that makes it the best option.
I cycle about 8 miles a day. On the way to work I ride half a mile to the train station, take the train into town, then ride another mile to work. Really easy, only takes a few minutes and I'd have to walk that anyway so it ends up being less of a chore than walking.
Once I finish work though, the train sucks. I finish just in time to get back to the station right after the train has left, so there's a 30ish minute wait for the next one, but if I cycle the direct 6 and half miles home it only takes 30-40 minutes, so I'll get home before the train does. I get exercise and more time to smoke weed and play videogames.

Can't help with the friends though. I just tightly cling on to a few of the ones I made as a child.

Fix your sleep habits, and start exercising regularly is the short story. That helps immensely.

The big issue is that it's more of a mental game at first, before you develop the habits otherwise. Try to be self compassionate and face your frustrations instead of ignoring them. Focus on saving your mental energy for productive things and not unhealthy mental behaviors like ruminating and self criticism. Compartmentalize and have some goals. This all requires time and mental energy though, so I guess that's the true step zero - find some time when you have the energy and make a plan.

You might be autistic besides having ADHD (these conditions are highly comorbid). In that case you might be experiencing burnout from masking and neglecting your special interests (autistic people need to have fun with our interests more than neurotypicals do from my experience, they get the same satisfaction from socializing instead).

Or maybe you have an anxiety disorder and you are pretty much anxious all day which also consumes a ton of energy.

You might have a lifestyle problem but tbh I am suspecting neurodivergence or a mental illness here due to having the same fatigue after work and also knowing ND people who experience this as well.

I push myself to do things I don't feel like doing for the sake of the task and alternate plenty of self care. For example, I just finished my particular part of a community project yesterday. It required getting up before daylight in order to care for fur babies, eat something and groom before hitting the door. It was physically and mentally taxing, but I still had to eat, bathe, care for pets after, unwind, sleep. Unwinding and sleep took a bit longer some evenings than others. Today I didn't do jack but sleep, eat, care for pets. I'm about to bathe and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be imposing some sort of order on the chaos of neglect at home. It won't be everything that needs be done or even what I think is acceptable. If one room is done well, that's just fine. Another room another day.

I work evenings and do shit before work, after work is vibe time

adderall

50% healthy-ish living, 50% spite. Formula/balance varies.

I have MS, so I am tired CONSTANTLY! Here my way of doing things: start really small. Whatever You're expecting to be able to do, cut that expectation in half. A pull up? Nonsense. I get them 25lb weights and do what I can. Cooking? You mean making the whitest tacos possible with whatever's in the fridge. The trick is that when you start small and easy, the next step is just as easy as the first when you started. I worked myself up to 25lb weights, and I'll work myself up to 30. I know how make the tastiest, whitest tacos you will ever eat.

The second trick is to get excited. You're not able to do anything you don't want to do. Some people, especially those with ADHD, struggle with delayed gratification of course. If you have that problem I suggest just constantly keeping track of what you're doing so you can look back at your progress to get that gratification. I track lifts with hevy, I track weight with withings, hell I'll take a picture of a room before I clean it. I don't know if it works with everybody but it works for me.

One pull up is tough. That's your entire bodyweight in one pull exercise. Are you in a place where you would bench your entire bodyweight? I know it's apples and oranges, but im trying to say lead up to it with some lighter pull-downs that you can do more of. It will at least be more productive, leading to some positive mental gains to boot.

Lately my energy levels have been so low that I struggle to do anything else but microwave some shit eat it and fall asleep.

I oscillate between high and low energy, but habit-building as a planned thing helps keep me accountable. Works more than it fails, though I do stumble all the time.

You might want to go see a doctor, something could be out of whack with your hormones or vitamins or brain chemistry.

Did this change recently? Did you have energy before?

I do things I want to do, say no to things I don't want to do.

caffeine and spite mostly

Most people can't even do a pull up!

If you want to sign up for a sports league (soccer, kickball, anything, really) it'll give you incentive to show up to games because you'll have people relying on you.

Caffeine. (Energy drinks or strong coffee) It does help me in short bursts. Obviously different people will react differently so it might do very little for you or have negative effects.

First, this sounds like serious depression. Second, you just kind of force it until you meet people and make friends. Once you know some people you can start making plans and that'll get the ball rolling. Maybe start by going to hobby groups for things you're into, also check if there's a local events calendar. If you're in a big city, get in with the queer community.

Perseverance. I don’t have the energy to do anything, but I know if I don’t I’ll feel even worse. So I try to fill my schedule with things as much as possible. Kung fu at least once a week, no matter how much I dread it and feel too tired to go, or how much my joints ache, I just go anyway, and I always feel better after. Full workouts are tough though, I too feel tired after barely any.

Good, healthy living habits (as others have mentioned) and committing to an org so that even if I don't feel like doing something I can act on obligation so as not to be a bad example for my comrades. Also if you get good comrades they can be energizing.

Been working on cooking decent meals which has stopped me from eating out and when I do it's not fast food but something actually decent which has left me with a lot of energy. I've also started up my hobbies again besides just doomscrolling. Little tech and art projects to give my brain some time to focus down on something that calms me and doesn't raise my stress which leaves me feeling centered so I can do chores or go do my workouts.

You might have sleep apnea

I was in the same boat

Thought it was just because I was getting old

Turns out I was slowly choking my brain of oxygen instead of sleeping

Honestly having something to look forward to helps me push through times like that. A concert, a planned day of going out even by yourself... Something.

I feel you on the lack of energy thing. My job kicks my ass and leaves me little motivation to do anything after work or on my days off. One concept I have heard that helps me is "don't have a zero day". It's ok to take a rest or a day off, but if you accomplish one thing, you will feel better about taking time for yourself. I guess that's only if you're the kind of person that feels guilty about it.

If you spend a lot of time indoors, maybe you're vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is good for overall well being and energy.

Sometimes I just have to push through. My wife has a desk job and when the weekend comes, she wants to be active. I just want to chill. We meet in the middle and I end up having a good day with her.

Idk. I’ve been fucked the last 7 months - which is ridiculous in comparison to people with actual problems- but 3 hours of commuting daily is getting to me, even if half is in the bus. Sometimes it’s asking myself if I’m actually “putting in the work” to feel better; which is a cheap shot, but works as far as getting me to go do stuff. Idk self-discipline is good, but I rode that for too long, and now it’s all just pointless.

Walking helps I suppose? And volunteering in the community, but that energy is hard to find

Methylphenidate and unholy quantities of caffeine