Get stuck
Hello! I thought my note posted but I guess I had to join the community in order to actually have it post. I got diagnosed with adhd a year ago and currently on medication. When I take it, it gets me up and moving so that’s good, especially when I want to clean the house. However, there’s time where I step inside and there’s just a big mess! Sometimes I just stand there and stare at everything and think where do I start? Then, I will just go on my phone and stay on my phone. How do I get myself to start on even deciding what to do an not just looking at it and getting stuck? I just think to myself, how can I get stuck while on my medication?
@mgp929 - I think we all have that problem... a mess so big it's hard to know where to begin. Try to start very small... put something in a box and move it to the side even if the box is labelled Donate/Trash. Momentum (getting started) can then build and you can gradually work through the rest of it.
@endorphin18 - I have tried making a list of things to do so that way I focus on completing task by task. Then I start looking somewhere and then I’m like oh I could do this really fast and boom I’m doing this this and that. I know it’s something I clearly have to work on.
@mgbggbmgp
Oh my how I relate to this post! I'm also medicated and some days are better than others. I've found that my ADHD brain will always need extra support even with the meds. I'll share a few things that I've tried to help with task paralysis below but the main thing that has helped me on my ADHD journey is being gentler with myself - easier said than done I know! Knowing that I'm always going to struggle with task initiation and completion on some level helps me stay compassionate to myself.
- put a timer on for 5 minutes and pick up the nearest thing to you, it helps me to move past the thinking part of my brain and just go go go
- select a small area to tidy e.g. a single shelf or corner
- use body doubling, if there isn't anyone else in the house to double with you could try hopping on a call with a friend as you both get jobs done or even hang out in the chat rooms on here
- choose one type of item to tidy/clean e.g. go on a sock hunt or find all the cutlery/crockery
- put some motivating music on (for me it's either drum and bass or a movie soundtrack!)
- I read a few books like How To Keep House While Drowning or Dirty Laundry to help me understand how my ADHD works in relation to cleaning
Take care of yourself, you're not alone in this struggle!
🌟 Joy 🌟