ADHD · fitness · self care

Pause or Push On? Christine and the annoying week.

Christine Hennebury

I’ve had a bizarre and frustrating week.

(I mean, I usually post on Tuesdays and this is Friday so that should give you some idea!)

Nothing has gone terrible wrong but I slept kind of poorly and I just couldn’t seem to get a grip on several of the days this week.

a scene from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy movie in which Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are sitting at a bar while a woman looks on from the background. Arthur is saying 'It must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.'
I feel like I have used this image before but, hey, if it works, it works. Image description: a scene from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy movie in which Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are sitting at a bar while a woman looks on from the background. Arthur is saying ‘It must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.’

For various reasons, I had to do my routine tasks in a different order so my days didn’t get started quite ‘right.’

I got interrupted at unfortunate times and got thrown off as a result.

Ordinary, simple things took way longer than they usually do. (This is VERY hard on a brain that struggles to estimate time. I end up feeling cheated out of something I had already figured out.)

All of that was annoying in itself but what really got me was that I couldn’t figure out what would help.

Did I need to push myself a little bit so I could get my day moving in the right direction?

Or did I need to pause and rest a bit?

Now, to be clear, this wasn’t about trying to be productive or trying to work hard or trying to look busy, this was just about feeling a little less like I was at loose ends.

And I couldn’t figure out what to do.

In fact, this whole week was like running a really irksome science experiment with a single test subject who was trying her best to be cooperative but with limited success.

Here are some of the things I tried over the course of the week:

  • bringing my planned to-do list down to the bare minimum
  • taking a bath and reading
  • reading while lying on my yoga mat
  • taking a nap
  • yoga
  • taking a walk
  • calling a friend
  • drawing
  • tidying up
  • meditating
  • doing a few easy tasks
  • tackling a challenging task
  • strength training
  • using my rowing machine
  • running errands
  • helping someone else with a few tasks
  • having tea with a friend
A drawing of shapes created by thick, black, curved lines that takes up the whole piece of paper. Each shape is coloured with a different bright coloured marker. The shapes are somewhat similar to how beach rocks end up when they wash ashore.
This didn’t help me get a grip on my day but it was a lot of fun to draw and colour so that’s totally worth spending time on. Image description: A drawing of shapes created by thick, black, curved lines that takes up the whole piece of paper. Each shape is coloured with a different bright coloured marker. The shapes are somewhat similar to how beach rocks end up when they wash ashore.

These things were all enjoyable or useful and they kept me from getting *more* annoyed but they didn’t help me get a grip on my days. Some days were better than others but I have spent a frustrating amount of time feeling at loose ends.

So, since there was no definitive answer as to what would make me feel better overall, then all I could do was practice self-compassion, try to get more sleep, and keep reminding myself that this feeling will pass.*

Maybe next week, the days will have handles.

In the meantime, how do you deal with days like the ones I have been dealing with this week? (again, I’m not asking about “productivity”, I’m asking about finding some ease)

Do you push yourself a bit to see if you just need to find some momentum?

Or do you try to find more rest?

Or do you try some combination of the two?

*I know that some of you will be reading this and wondering if this is grief-related. Grief is no-doubt a contributing factor – it’s not as all-pervasive as it was at first but it is present and it affects me in different ways at different times. However, I have had this feeling before (it used to happen way more often before I was medicated for ADHD) so it’s not solely grief-related.


Published by Christine Hennebury

I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm a former president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.

Let us know what you think....