Brain Stuck

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Sometimes I have little to dos that I want to get done, ideas for projects I want to start, I need to get dressed, I need to eat lunch annnnnd I get brain stuck (most people would call it overwhelmed). I start to play a loop in my head of what I would like to get done right in that second, my anxiety sky rockets, I am overwhelmed and I almost become paralyzed or "brain stuck". I used to turn on Netflix and go into a mini coma to try and get out of that little funk. It didn't work. My anxiety would plateau, if not become worse and the thoughts of tasks that I would like to accomplish are still there but they are looping behind whatever Netflix show I decided to binge. I become increasingly more disappointed in myself. Why can't I just get things done like a "normal person"?!

This is a bad, bad situation for me and one that I know way too well. How to get out of it?!

1. I like to identify that I am in this loop and I am starting to become brain stuck.

2. Ignore the blurry vision (anxiety) and take some deep breaths.

3. Get up. Get up. Get up. Do not turn on Netflix, and do not recoil, going into an anxiety coma and become even more brain stuck.

4. Do ONE THING. Yes, that loop in my head is starting to spin faster and everything is seeming more and more important but lets face it, they aren't. So I do one thing.

5. By doing one thing, I am showing myself that I am able to do it. This makes doing the next thing that much easier.

The dreaded task loop is why my morning routine is SO IMPORTANT. I accomplish all the little things like getting dressed or making my hair look presentable (nobody would guess that i have a lions mane!). If I do not get these little things done when I first wake up then they get mixed in with the bigger, more important things later on. All the little and big things jumbled together is way too overwhelming for me and most times I end up in a Netflix coma. This does not work for me and the life that I want for myself so starting with ONE THING is my solution and it has been working for me so far.

I felt myself falling into the high anxiety, brain stuck loop, Netflix coma situation right before writing this blog post. This post helped me to:

a) Write about the obstacle I was facing in that moment
b) Identify the obstacle
c) Find a solution so that I can confront the obstacle and get on with my life!

If you don't have a blog it might be helpful to start a journal so that you can identify your obstacles and find solutions! If you are not good at identifying your obstacles and finding solutions it is still worth writing it down. A support group, ADHD coach, partner or a friend can help you to see a pattern, identify your obstacles and help to find solutions!

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