I usually feel anger at myself that it took that long/wasn't better/something else my brain had decided to keep me from getting any good brain chemicals

I don't even get the sense of relief. I could stop 1 second short of finishing and feel no difference.

Im quite sure I dont have ADHD, and I can absolutely relate. When I finally wrote my last exam of my highschool everyone was kinda hyped afterwards and I was like "and now? That's it?"

Dopamine after an accomplishment? Nah.

No finished project without some force that provided the focus to get it done.

How can any feeling of accomplishment fill the mind when there is the bad feeling of being forced?

Yeah. I struggled to finish my graduation thesis, for many reasons, but chief among them was that I took on a project I didn't know I wasn't prepared for (it went way, waaay beyond what my education gave me, including economic and social issues I definitely was not prepared to explore, nevermind explain) and my supervisor was as inexperienced in it as I was. Me being the perfectionist that I am, being unable to produce what I imagined meant I'd rather do nothing.

Took me about 2y to get a decent research paper together (it really didn't need to take that long, it was a qualitative study on gentrification in my city), and by the time I was able to guilt myself into actually finishing it, I got a decent looking project in about 2 weeks, hyperfocusing through the absolute rage the entire thing was giving me. The terna (experts assigned to judge) loved it, from the research to the execution. I asked for the degree to be handed to me on site instead of through a ceremony. I was just absolutely done with it, lol.

I don't really feel proud about it even though I should be, I'm just glad I got through it at all.

Or the feeling of , that should gave taken way less time, man I suck. Did I do it right? Better redo it (6 hours later...)

Well maybe if someone paid those MTX's you would get that sense of PRIDE and ACCOMPLISHMENT 😤😤

No ADHD, just autism here. When finishing I get a small relief and no accomplishment, just emptiness if anything. I have to revisit a job well done 6mo later to get the feeling of accomplishment for a job well done.

That is actually one of the major things that medication changes for me - things other than my current hyperfocus can be rewarding. Mind you I still suck at choosing the right activity, but at least I stick with whatever I'm doing.

My mom after I finished some inane chores she'd force me to do when I was a kid:

"There that wasn't so bad was it? Don't you feel accomplished now, after a job well done?"

Me:

"1. Yes, it was. All of that sucked. 2. No. I feel like I want to be left alone. We will definitely struggle again next time you tell me to stop what I'm doing on a Saturday to mow your lawn for free, or whatever. "

I've since grown up and have my own lawn I neglect. But, I do understand the value of chores now. I just don't force them on others, and if I ask for help, it isn't a veiled threat that says "You say yes and help, or else..."

Isn’t that one of the major symptoms of OCD?

I don’t feel anything positive when I complete stuff. It makes daily chores exceptionally difficult. The only coping mechanism I’ve found that kind of works is a stupid little game I made on my home assistant dashboard. I get a point every time I complete a task and every six hours it deducts a point. I have it track current and high score. I have a high score of 24 because one weekend I got fed up at myself for spending weeks never getting more than 3 points. I’m sitting down around 10 points now as I try to slowly prevent the score from trickling all the way to zero. I don’t even require it to be a big task either. Take out trash, cook a meal, do dishes, clean out fridge, clean counters, burn boxes. Everything I do feels like an internal battle for me to do and once I’m done I know I’m just going to have to do it again. Oh yay, did the laundry, good thing that’s just going to need done again in a week. I don’t even enjoy eating, everything is a constant stream of chores and bs that doesn’t accomplish anything.

its called anhedonia and its a symptom of many psychiatric issues. i had it for like 40 years and it got worse as my cptsd bloomed and i acquired depression that was treatment-resistant. it was severe. i had many meds and ect and ketamine. ketamine fuckin works but it takes a toll on my dissociative disorder and tbh my sense of what is real and it likely triggered the clinical paranoia. however, i now take atomoxetine and it fixes the anhedonia really well in comparison to before. now i get up and simple shit makes me feel good. not great, not ecstatic, just good. it turns out i can like everyday stuff. also, being trans with the wrong endogenous hormones also made it worse. so, to sum up, estradiol, lamictal, and atomoxetine are a magic combo for me. now its just life stress that makes me want to turn myself off. at least every single thing in my life is no longer a sisyphean grind like a real life mmo that never gives you coin or an epic.

Wait I thought that’s what accomplishment was?

The last time I felt anything for achieving something was back in 2017 when I won my first solos match of PUBG at 3 in the morning and ended up waking everyone in the house up with my triumphant shouting.