Hey Team,
My ADHD has been especially tricky about time lately.
I mean, I always have trouble judging how much time I have, how much time I need, how long things will take, and how my tasks will best fit into the time available, but all of these challenges have been amplified lately.
And, as a result, my time feels tight and compressed and so does my brain.
And, as a result of that, I don’t feel like I have the time to do the kind of planning and thinking I like to do before getting started on anything.
And, as a result of that, I feel like I need to set aside hours and hours to get things in order before I actually do anything and my brain compiles a long list of ‘work before I can work’ that it insists must be done before anything else.
And, as a result of THAT, when I do clear a couple of hours to get things in order, I end up sitting there with a ton of ideas and must-do items in my head.
And, as a result of THAT, I end up in a situation where my brain decides that because I can’t do EVERYTHING then it will do nothing.*
Yes, this process is just as much fun as it sounds.
At this point, you may be thinking, “Well, that sucks, Christine, but what does it have to do with encouraging me to keep up my practices?”
Good news! I am indeed heading towards some advice and encouragement for you, I am just taking the long way.
You see, as much as my current process loop sucks, I also know that there is a way out of it.
I have to move my attention from all of the things that feel overwhelming and impossible and direct it towards the things that I CAN do right now.
I CAN make a list of the stuff that is bouncing around in my head.
I CAN put stuff on my calendar.
I CAN choose to work on one thing for a short period of time.** Some people might like to choose one task to do but I frame this way because it lets my brain know that the task can only go on for so long right now. That makes it easier to start.
And moving through those things I CAN do helps me start moving out of the loop and back towards my normal level of time-weirdness.
Of course, this all hinges on me becoming conscious of the fact that I am in the loop in the first place.
And HERE’S where my time issues can dovetail with your practices.
If you are finding it hard to get started on your practice (today or in general), to keep your actions going, to keep working towards the life you want, your attention may accidentally be focused on all of the things you can’t do.
You know the kind of thing I mean…
You don’t have time for a workout.
You don’t have time for a shower after your workout.
You can’t think of anything to journal about.
You are in the middle of decluttering and you don’t have room to roll out your yoga mat.
It’s loud at your house and you can’t focus on your meditation.
All of those things are totally valid and they may be a good reason to give yourself a break today.
BUT, if you don’t really want or need a break, you brain might be so focused on what you CAN’T do that it won’t let you see what you CAN do.
Perhaps you can do a shorter version of your workout or you can add in a walk or dance a little.
Perhaps you can do a workout that is less sweaty or do a bit of a sponge bath instead of taking a shower.
Perhaps you can write about not having anything to write about – this almost always leads me to finding something interesting to put on paper.
Perhaps you can do a standing yoga session or a yoga practice that can be done in bed.
Perhaps you can wear headphones or do something mindful or do a walking meditation.
By switching your focus to what you CAN do at the moment you can help yourself feel a lot better and you can do at least a placeholder version of your practice.
And that’s got to be good for you, right?
So, Team, today I invite you to consider where you are focusing your attention and how you can shift your thoughts towards what version of your practice is available to you today.
And, of course, here’s your gold star for your efforts.
Whether you are working hard, resting, figuring things out, or trying to figure out how to figure things out, I hope you will take a few minutes to celebrate what you CAN do, what you ARE doing, and, even what you are choosing NOT to do (a valuable practice in itself).
And make sure to give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back (or a literal one if you have the flexibility to do so) for everything you manage to fit into your days.
Go Team Us!
Please be kind to yourself out there.
*For the record, this is NOT a time to come at me with advice that starts with, “If you just…” because it will not be well-received. If ADHD could be solved by will power, I would have left it behind years ago. Also, I’m not exactly doing ‘nothing’ – that might actually be kind of restful – I am doing nothing that is actually helpful to me. I am experiencing an avalanche of thoughts while doing some tangential task that is not particularly relevant to the overall project and generally building up unpleasant feelings about the whole thing.
**I usually pick 13 minutes because my brain likes that amount of time.
