Executive Dysfunction - Tumblr Posts
executive dysfunction be like *wants to do something* *doesnt do it* *feels bad* *wants to do something* *doesnt do it* *feels bad* *wants to do something* *doesnt do it* *feels ba
Anyone else ever have the serious problem of not knowing which fandom you want to read fan fiction for and you just sit there staring at all your Wattpad stories contemplating life? No? Just me?
i seem to find you within all that I read and you bleed into all that I write.
Yes! Listening to music to track time is a GREAT way to combat both executive dysfunction, AND just my general terrible sense of time. TIME DOESN’T EXIST so I fill it with music to make the fake measurements easier to bear or understand.
I’ll often try to decide between two things, and get stuck. And it’s never a serious choice! The most serious question I asked was which prom dress I wanted for senior year. So! I ask a friend or group of people “hey, should I do X or Y?”
‘You should do X’
And I’ll do the opposite. “Got it! Thanks! I’ll do Y!”
It may seem a little confusing, but it’s honestly helped me deal with both making decisions, and feeding the little spite gremlin living in my brain.
executive dysfunction is telling yourself for two and a half hours that you need to shower bc you smell like your workplace and you absolutely Cannot do Anything Else until you shower, doing Any Other Thing before showering is illegal!!! but you still haven’t for some reason??? you’ve just been sitting on your bed in a towel scrolling tumblr for 2+ hours thinking “I need to shower right now immediately” and growing increasingly frustrated that you are still not clean and you haven’t eaten or done your laundry either
SKIDADDLE SKIDON WHEN WILL MY EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION BE GONE
LIKE
STOP
PLEASE
- someone with 12 important high school assignments missing due to "Brain Nope"
From brainstorms of a history project
(Tw: Caps, negative self talk, executive dysfunction)
Basically a vent that dissolved into me writing down anything that I thought of while in history class :b
(bolded for convenience sorry not sorry)
Why? Why can’t I bring myself to do anything? Why am I like this? Quail just do the thing? The research??? You need to do that??? Why am I not doing that?????? Why am I just scrolling pinterest and writing whatever this is? I’m just writing nonsense instead of using the full period my teacher’s giving me to work on my homework? Why can’t I just do that?!
Bree boop boop bree boop boop bree boop boop bre bop bop bre bop boop brebebooooooooop
-_-
sigh
I’m just writing whatever comes to mind I guess.
Shouldn’t I get to work on my project?
Why aren’t I doing this… Why can’t I just get to doing it……..All I can think of is eating lunch later but I know that means I’m gonna waste an entire period until then and then I’m gonna procrastinate about it and not tell my parents about it and sit there at home wondering why I didn’t just tell them in the first place.
I could just talk to the teacher and tell them I’m thinking of changing my person.
There’s hardly any information on him.
Henry VIII, I mean.
At least, nothing relative to the renaissance. The only thing he did basically was have six wives and gain control over the church in order to marry one of them.
That’s it.
How the frick am I supposed to stretch that into 8 slides without bluffing and padding the heck out of it? There’s no way not to do that. I’m doomed. I’m gonna fail history. All because I didn’t do this one assignment I was supposed to do.
Good job, me. GOOD FREAKING JOB. JUST DO THE EFFING RESEARCH. IT’S NOT THAT COMPLICATED. CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT PERSON.
But what if that window’s already closed and asking them is just gonna be unhelpful and he has to explain that I should have had it all figured out way before now. ,:< only need to write a few bullet points on him anyway.
I can switch to talking about other figures while pretending to be him I guess? SIDE EFFECTS OF CORN ARE… CHOKING. I GUESS. Lol that meme was so funi Slimesicle is a cool guy
but I wish he didn’t swear so I could watch his channel more :(
Lol this is just a dialogue of all my inner thoughts now isn’t it XD
Wait am I gonna post this somewhere? Probably not. But if I did I’d probably have to edit out the big vent spiral I just went through.
Ooh this song is rly good! what’s the name of it again? Catch by Jaron? It’s really good. I’m totally gonna listen to this later.
Very calming :D
Sigh and now how much time have I wasted? Why can’t I just get to researching? GET TO RESEARCHING QUAIL OR YOU’RE DEFINITELY GONNA REGRET IT.
I’m wondering if I really am quoigender? But I don’t think so… I mean I know I’m a girl obvi but I sometimes feel really boyish or kind of nonbi? But not completely. Like not Imma-turn-into-a-boy-now intensity. But like I don’t really like skirts or pink or those 100% feminine things but I’m also kind of-
How cool would it be if I got the right side of my hair cornrowed? Like just that side? It would be so cool :0 I could wear it in a ponytail off to one side or I could have the rest of my hair off one shoulder and it would look really really cool :3
🎶On the freezing sun, warmth, take each others hands and we would run, cold ran the autumn sky🎶
Man I love Jack Stauber he’s such a cool song artist.
I love fall too :0 The beautiful oranges and light sweaters were really nice
Do I really want my hair braided? I’ll lose the puffiness of my hair Noooooooo
🎶I wanna get lighter🎶
🎶I gotta get lighter🎶
🎶We’re bout to go up baby, up we go🎶
🎶Up baby, up we go🎶
🎶Blowin up speakers🎶
Gratatatattaatatatatattataattatatatatattatatatata
What on earth is that fluttery thing people keep talking about? When you just look at them and suddenly it’s like you turned from black and white to colors and they’re all swirling around that person and you feel like if you left them then everything would fade back to grey-
OMG I LOVE THIS SONG G A S P
🎶WE USED TO HAVE IT ALL🎶
🎶BUT NOW’S OUR CURTAIN CALL🎶
🎶SO HOLD FOR THE APPLAUSE🎶
🎶WHOAAH🎶
🎶WAVE OUT TO THE CROWD🎶
🎶TAKE OUR FINAL BOWS🎶
🎶OH IT’S OUR TIME TO GO🎶
🎶BUT AT LEAST WE STOLE THE SHOW-WW🎶
🎶BUT AT LEAST WE STOLE THE SHOW-WW🎶
🎶AT LEAST WE STOLE THE SHOW🎶
Oh gawd the teacher just walked past I need to start working but I’m doing something else why aren’t I doing that everyone else is working on it I’m gonna fall behind he’s changing my grade right now isn’t he I’m gonna fail I’m gonna fail I’m so gonna fail -
Ok Quail, it’s gonna be ok just calm yourself. Calm. Calm. You’ll figure it out.
WHAT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGURE IT OUT I CAN’T DO THIS IM GONNA FAIL AND EVERYONE IS GOING TO HATE ME OH GOD
No they will not, we'll be fine. And how does taking a mental break even begin to affect your relationships?
…
If you’re someone who struggles with executive dysfunction I cannot emphasize how important it is to set reasonable, attainable goals for yourself. If your goal is “I need to clean my entire room today” but you’re not used to doing so often enough for it to be habitual, chances are pretty good that that isn’t a reasonable, attainable goal for you. Start small. Start with something you think you could do even when you’re struggling. Pick something that makes you feel good about yourself afterward. And don’t put pressure on yourself to do more than that if you’re not able to, because that pressure will make it harder to do the small thing.
For me, it’s making my bed. It’s simple, it takes me about three minutes to do, it makes my room look 300% better even if everything else looks like a lost game of jumanji so I feel proud of myself for doing it, and I don’t expect myself to do any more than that. Interestingly, once I’ve done the small thing it often gives me a burst of motivation to do more, but even on days when I can’t do more I still feel good about making my bed.
It can be anything. Make your bed, brush your teeth, pick up the clothes off your floor and throw them in a pile, remove the mugs from your room (no pressure to wash them), make one phone call, do five minutes of something creative, anything that feels small and simple to you. And don’t beat yourself up on days when you can’t do the small thing. Executive dysfunction is a bitch, but starting small is much easier than giving yourself big goals that feel completely overwhelming.
when i say my executives are not functioning i like to imagine a bunch of businessmen that run my brain off for a three hour lunch that turns into a a round of 18 holes
like the adventured time episode u know tha one
By the way, you can improve your executive function. You can literally build it like a muscle.
Yes, even if you're neurodivergent. I don't have ADHD, but it is allegedly a thing with ADHD as well. And I am autistic, and after a bunch of nerve damage (severe enough that I was basically housebound for 6 months), I had to completely rebuild my ability to get my brain to Do Things from what felt like nearly scratch.
This is specifically from ADDitude magazine, so written specifically for ADHD (and while focused in large part on kids, also definitely includes adults and adult activities):
Here's a link on this for autism (though as an editor wow did that title need an editor lol):
Resources on this aren't great because they're mainly aimed at neurotypical therapists or parents of neurdivergent children. There's worksheets you can do that help a lot too or thought work you can do to sort of build the neuro-infrastructure for tasks.
But a lot of the stuff is just like. fun. Pulling from both the first article and my own experience:
Play games or video games where you have to make a lot of decisions. Literally go make a ton of picrews or do online dress-up dolls if you like. It helped me.
Art, especially forms of art that require patience, planning ahead, or in contrast improvisation
Listening to longform storytelling without visuals, e.g. just listening regularly to audiobooks or narrative podcasts, etc.
Meditation
Martial arts
Sports in general
Board games like chess or Catan (I actually found a big list of what board games are good for building what executive functioning skills here)
Woodworking
Cooking
If you're bad at time management play games or video games with a bunch of timers
Things can be easier. You do not have to be stuck forever.
god I would be UNSTOPPABLE if I was capable of consistently initiating tasks. just you wait. you'll be waiting a while but just you wait
for the love of god, do not use chores to punish your kids!!!! it's just going to make them struggle deeply to keep their houses tidy as adults since you made them associate necessary chores with punishment and suffering, and it's going to take years of therapy to undo. don't use chores as punishments!!!
Dealing With Executive Dysfunction - A Masterpost
The “getting it done in an unconventional way” method.
The “it’s not cheating to do it the easy way” method.
The “fuck what you’re supposed to do” method.
The “get stuff done while you wait” method.
The “you don’t have to do everything at once” method.
The “it doesn’t have to be permanent to be helpful” method.
The “break the task into smaller steps” method.
The “treat yourself like a pet” method.
The “it doesn’t have to be all or nothing” method.
The “put on a persona” method.
The “act like you’re filming a tutorial” method.
The “you don’t have to do it perfectly” method.
The “wait for a trigger” method.
The “do it for your future self” method.
The “might as well” method.
The “when self discipline doesn’t cut it” method.
The “taking care of yourself to take care of your pet” method.
The “make it easy” method.
The “junebugging” method.
The “just show up” method.
The “accept when you need help” method.
The “make it into a game” method.
The “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method.
The “trick yourself” method.
The “break it into even smaller steps” method.
The “let go of should” method.
The “your body is an animal you have to take care of” method.
The “fork theory” method.
The “effectivity over aesthetics” method.
Give a person with ADHD some free time, an internet connection, and something they should probably be doing instead and Rome could ABSOLUTELY be built in a day.
ADHD at night: I could write a book. I could get my Master’s Degree. I could go to the club and come home with 12 new friends. I could get a job at that club and meet the mother of my children. I could cure every disease and use my wealth to bring world peace.
ADHD during the day: Fold laundry too hard :( Come back next week
“I’m not going to do the thing because I don’t view it as important.” ← Conscious decision made of your own free will.
“I want to do the thing because I view it as important, but trying to get myself to do the thing creates the same reaction as trying to put my hand on a hot stove would.” ← Executive dysfunction, a physical health problem that doesn’t answer to your own free will.
“Trying to get myself to do the thing creates the same reaction as trying to put my hand on a hot stove would. This must mean I don’t actually want to do the thing and I’m just tricking myself into thinking I do.” ← No, that’s still executive dysfunction, but you’re having brainworms about it.
Friendly reminder executive dysfunction is a dysfunction of ALL your executive functions. Task initiation is ONE of said functions. Working memory? An executive function. Emotional control? An executive function. Focus, planning, self regulation, mental flexibility, ect. All listed as executive functions. When it’s said that “adhd (or something else) causes executive dysfunction” it doesn’t just refer to problems with task initiation or planning/executing plans.
I’ve recently seen a lot of people who genuinely thought it was just task initiation. Which makes sense, that’s what’s talked about using the label, however it is wayyyy more than just inability to perform a task.
wish my drawing skills would match the ideas in my head :(
god I would be UNSTOPPABLE if I was capable of consistently initiating tasks. just you wait. you'll be waiting a while but just you wait
I feel like people don't understand there's a difference between procrastinating and executive dysfunction. today my mom sent me an article about procrastination from a cult website and honestly as "well meaning" as she may be, I struggle not with postponing things because I'm "lazy" but because I deal with executive dysfunction that's so bad to the point where I can't remember basic health things. I'm disabled.