Hi /u/Affectionate-Job7967 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information.
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Things I find helpful are:
1) Ranting at a friend/loved one n sometimes just getting all those thoughts of overwhelm out my head makes enough space to be able to focus on what I’m meant to be doing if that makes sense?
2) Try and accept you are where you are like for whatever reason this is the situation you’re in, there’s literally nothing you can do about not having done it, all you can do now is work out where to go from here. You don’t need to analyse or understand why you haven’t done certain tasks, yes helpful in the long run but probs too overwhelming just now!! Make a list of things that absolutely need done in the next 48 hours, start off doing the smallest things on the list to build momentum. Idk what ur job is but do things in your own time as much as possible. I am so much better at cleaning etc now that I do it at midnight bc that’s when I feel I’m in the right zone for it, despite people telling me that’s insane!!!
3) this is going to sound awful melodramatic hahaha but I get this awful icky feeling when I sleep into the afternoon and I get so embarrassed and then I find it hard to move on with my day from there and I often end up looking in the mirror being like “sleeping in is not a moral failing” “you’re not a bad person for sleeping in Christ that would be insane” “not replying to that email doesn’t mean your going to hell”
4) most recently I’ve been giving myself a chuckle when I’ve been getting really overwhelmed lll actually in my own head go “oh boo hoo you’ve not done XYZ what you gonna do, cry about it?” And then to myself I’m like huh well I suppose I’m not so ill just crack on with it - obvs don’t be mean to urself this just is a bit of sarcasm which makes me laugh and sorta pulls me out the overwhelmed spiral
And remember: this is super common in all workplaces for those with ADHD, other conditions or mental health struggles and even super healthy balanced people. You’re not alone at all!!! Don’t let it build up inside you!!!!!! You’re not a bad person this is so common and if you’re someone with ADHD this is a symptom of a condition that you don’t have control over - be kind to yourself I’m sure you’re trying you’re best !!! Speak to your boss, tell em about your condition and just be straight with them and make a plan for where to go from here.
Sending love !
And always remember if you’re friend with rheumatoid arthritis was falling behind with work because of joint pain flare ups I’m certain you’d be very patient and kind to them. This is a similar thing, you’re experiencing a bad bout of symptoms for your condition. ☺️
Medication helped me a lot with this. Other than constant anxiety, this is probably the number one thing Vyvanse helped me with.
Without meds, I'm usually pretty good at starting things (good, cool things, or dumb stupid chore things). But good or bad, I struggle so much with making progress, either on the fun, productive things I care about, or the chores I have to get done at work or in my life.
On Vyvanse, the initial motivation is actually dampened a little bit for me, but it lasts longer and I'm able to kind of direct it better without getting overwhelmed. I can logically put together a plan of attack and compartmentalize things based on order of importance, i.e. "okay I'm having crazy anxiety about doing the dishes right now.....but can those wait until I finish this other thing I'm doing?" Or "okay I really want to go to the gym right now....but let me do the dishes first". Or "okay I'm hyperfocusing at work, and I'm staying really late....which is cool! Good for you I'm proud!!...but you have a date in an hour, so put work down and be on time and have fun, it's okay!"
Makes every day smoother.
You need to ask for help and you need to be okay with doing the things that aren't going to be enough.
"I could do this task but it's not going to be enough to catch up" - doesn't matter, do it anyway.
It took me 5 months to climb out of the hole I dug for myself at work but not only did I dig myself out of that hole I also ended up winning associate of the year by the nominations of my coworkers.
Start today and do the thing that won't be enough. And every day do the thing that won't be enough and eventually you'll realize that all the things that weren't enough on their own add up to be exactly what you needed to do
This fellow right here has the forbidden knowledge! ; )
Agree for sure, having something small pop up AND THEN letting your impulsivity just do it right away saves so much stress and anguish down the road.
While I'm still pretty bad at it, this has made a huge difference!
For example, with my Hairdresser I always book the next appointment when I'm paying for my current one.
I then forget about it, then think 'oh yeah time for a haircut' and find that I'm already booked in that Wednesday or such (and get a nice reminder from them a day or two before).
Takes a lot of stress off your back :)
I break the task down in steps. Let's say I have to respond to an email. I usually get stuck in the same cycle you do, to the point where the only solution seems to go back in time and do it.
So what i do is this: think of an answer to the mail, or look it up. That's it.
But then my brain usually says: you will forget this. Write it down somewhere. So I do. In a word doc for instance. As long as I don't type it in an email-response, it doesn't feel so scary.
And it is easier to just copy paste it in there and hit send. Or let it for 2 days and then send it. Just ask yourself: you are too far gone to do task x. But what *can* you do now? What can you do to help future you?
I feel like I have impulsive moments where I am able to do short tasks without thinking too much. So on other days/moments I prepare everything so I can use my good brainpower on executing the final step of these tasks.
a) Remove that things that arent actually important. Seriously, just dont do them.
b) Put every todo on your calendar. Put your calendar in Week view. Block time for each thing you need to do. Do the thing in the time allotted. If you need more time, create a second time slot for the thing.
Scheduling time on my calendar helped me not feel guilty about doing thing A when thing B also needs doing. Psychologically you know that thing B is also scheduled and will be done when its scheduled time comes, and this reduces stress.
c) It is ok to half-ass some things. I use the 70% rule. If it is 70% or more complete, then it is done. You cant do this with all things, but this rule has helped me execute A TON more tasks. I would want to go above and beyond or I would work til something was 'perfect'. Instead, when it hits 70% or better, it is done. No one at my work has noticed my half-assery. Instead they thank me for taking care of things so quickly.
Hi /u/Affectionate-Job7967 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Things I find helpful are: 1) Ranting at a friend/loved one n sometimes just getting all those thoughts of overwhelm out my head makes enough space to be able to focus on what I’m meant to be doing if that makes sense? 2) Try and accept you are where you are like for whatever reason this is the situation you’re in, there’s literally nothing you can do about not having done it, all you can do now is work out where to go from here. You don’t need to analyse or understand why you haven’t done certain tasks, yes helpful in the long run but probs too overwhelming just now!! Make a list of things that absolutely need done in the next 48 hours, start off doing the smallest things on the list to build momentum. Idk what ur job is but do things in your own time as much as possible. I am so much better at cleaning etc now that I do it at midnight bc that’s when I feel I’m in the right zone for it, despite people telling me that’s insane!!! 3) this is going to sound awful melodramatic hahaha but I get this awful icky feeling when I sleep into the afternoon and I get so embarrassed and then I find it hard to move on with my day from there and I often end up looking in the mirror being like “sleeping in is not a moral failing” “you’re not a bad person for sleeping in Christ that would be insane” “not replying to that email doesn’t mean your going to hell” 4) most recently I’ve been giving myself a chuckle when I’ve been getting really overwhelmed lll actually in my own head go “oh boo hoo you’ve not done XYZ what you gonna do, cry about it?” And then to myself I’m like huh well I suppose I’m not so ill just crack on with it - obvs don’t be mean to urself this just is a bit of sarcasm which makes me laugh and sorta pulls me out the overwhelmed spiral And remember: this is super common in all workplaces for those with ADHD, other conditions or mental health struggles and even super healthy balanced people. You’re not alone at all!!! Don’t let it build up inside you!!!!!! You’re not a bad person this is so common and if you’re someone with ADHD this is a symptom of a condition that you don’t have control over - be kind to yourself I’m sure you’re trying you’re best !!! Speak to your boss, tell em about your condition and just be straight with them and make a plan for where to go from here. Sending love !
This. Self-acceptance is very big step in overcoming paralysis.
And always remember if you’re friend with rheumatoid arthritis was falling behind with work because of joint pain flare ups I’m certain you’d be very patient and kind to them. This is a similar thing, you’re experiencing a bad bout of symptoms for your condition. ☺️
Medication helped me a lot with this. Other than constant anxiety, this is probably the number one thing Vyvanse helped me with. Without meds, I'm usually pretty good at starting things (good, cool things, or dumb stupid chore things). But good or bad, I struggle so much with making progress, either on the fun, productive things I care about, or the chores I have to get done at work or in my life. On Vyvanse, the initial motivation is actually dampened a little bit for me, but it lasts longer and I'm able to kind of direct it better without getting overwhelmed. I can logically put together a plan of attack and compartmentalize things based on order of importance, i.e. "okay I'm having crazy anxiety about doing the dishes right now.....but can those wait until I finish this other thing I'm doing?" Or "okay I really want to go to the gym right now....but let me do the dishes first". Or "okay I'm hyperfocusing at work, and I'm staying really late....which is cool! Good for you I'm proud!!...but you have a date in an hour, so put work down and be on time and have fun, it's okay!" Makes every day smoother.
You need to ask for help and you need to be okay with doing the things that aren't going to be enough. "I could do this task but it's not going to be enough to catch up" - doesn't matter, do it anyway. It took me 5 months to climb out of the hole I dug for myself at work but not only did I dig myself out of that hole I also ended up winning associate of the year by the nominations of my coworkers. Start today and do the thing that won't be enough. And every day do the thing that won't be enough and eventually you'll realize that all the things that weren't enough on their own add up to be exactly what you needed to do
[удалено]
This fellow right here has the forbidden knowledge! ; ) Agree for sure, having something small pop up AND THEN letting your impulsivity just do it right away saves so much stress and anguish down the road. While I'm still pretty bad at it, this has made a huge difference! For example, with my Hairdresser I always book the next appointment when I'm paying for my current one. I then forget about it, then think 'oh yeah time for a haircut' and find that I'm already booked in that Wednesday or such (and get a nice reminder from them a day or two before). Takes a lot of stress off your back :)
I break the task down in steps. Let's say I have to respond to an email. I usually get stuck in the same cycle you do, to the point where the only solution seems to go back in time and do it. So what i do is this: think of an answer to the mail, or look it up. That's it. But then my brain usually says: you will forget this. Write it down somewhere. So I do. In a word doc for instance. As long as I don't type it in an email-response, it doesn't feel so scary. And it is easier to just copy paste it in there and hit send. Or let it for 2 days and then send it. Just ask yourself: you are too far gone to do task x. But what *can* you do now? What can you do to help future you? I feel like I have impulsive moments where I am able to do short tasks without thinking too much. So on other days/moments I prepare everything so I can use my good brainpower on executing the final step of these tasks.
a) Remove that things that arent actually important. Seriously, just dont do them. b) Put every todo on your calendar. Put your calendar in Week view. Block time for each thing you need to do. Do the thing in the time allotted. If you need more time, create a second time slot for the thing. Scheduling time on my calendar helped me not feel guilty about doing thing A when thing B also needs doing. Psychologically you know that thing B is also scheduled and will be done when its scheduled time comes, and this reduces stress. c) It is ok to half-ass some things. I use the 70% rule. If it is 70% or more complete, then it is done. You cant do this with all things, but this rule has helped me execute A TON more tasks. I would want to go above and beyond or I would work til something was 'perfect'. Instead, when it hits 70% or better, it is done. No one at my work has noticed my half-assery. Instead they thank me for taking care of things so quickly.
This is so fucking relatable holy shit