"I have time, I can do this later." "I don't feel like it, I'll do it tomorrow."
These are classic procrastination tactics - we negotiate and rationalize with our 'present selves' so we can justify putting off a dreaded task and leaving it for our 'future selves.' It's future self's problem now.
Breakfast: The most important meal of the day. We're constantly bombarded with this message, so why does it so often get skipped?
There could be any number of reasons for this, but often when ADHD is in the picture it's a matter of "There's no time!!". Individuals with an ADHD diagnosis often struggle with time management and organization, so when the time comes to have breakfast, they're either already late, have other things they would rather be doing, or don't even think of it. Hands up if you relate to this even slightly!
"Do your summer vacations cause more stress than a week at the office?" This is the tagline for an article posted on ADDitude magazine's online site called ADD-Friendly Vacation Planning, which gives great ADHD-friendly tips for planning the right trip, packing, and more. If you can relate to the stress of planning a vacation be sure to check it out!
Procrastination and having difficulty getting started on tasks is one of the more common challenges we see with ADHD. In an ADHD-style brain, there tends to be a dysregulation in our executive functions - our higher order thinking skills - which include task initiation among others. Task initiation = another way of describing procrastination, right?
One thing we’ve learned working with hundreds of clients with ADHD is that the way you start your day matters. Every day. A bad morning can quickly turn into missing work, pulling away from the habits that you know help, wishing ADHD away instead of facing it square on with your army/loved ones. Your forward momentum can turn quickly, and suddenly that old feeling of hopelessness can creep in.
Sometimes when we're living with something that feels heavy, like undiagnosed, un-managed ADHD, we feel like we're alone in the world. We feel like there's something wrong with us, and man, why can't we just get it together?
