MelissADD avatar
MelissADD
4
10 months ago

Being overwhelmed into paralysis

Looking at ALLLL the things and projects and I SHOULDs… it gets me every time. Unless I’m on meds, even with meds, the starting is the hardest part. I’ve found that if I force myself to just say ok, we can’t do all of it but we can do this one thing? And just doing that, gets me into a rhythm. So right now I need to put away laundry and I know it’s like 10-15 minutes in reality but it seems like a 4 hour endeavor. It’s been sitting ON my dresser for two weeks 🙄 so I decided today is the day, I’m going to sort it into piles according to which drawer it lives in and then go from there. I found that putting on a comfort show like one you’ve seen 1,000 times or don’t need to fully pay attention to is the best way. I usually put Friends, Seinfeld, The Office or some terrible reality show on Netflix and before I know it I’m organizing shelves, hanging clothes, cleaning the bathroom. It’s so, SO hard to get started but once you do.. the perfectionism kicks in and you keep going. Usually. Unless it’s paperwork/documentation for work, that needs a whole other set of rules which I’ve yet to discover 😭 I did download this app that I used when I was in school, for studying. It’s called Focus Keeper, and it times you to work 25 min then gives you a 5 min break, then 25 min on again, then 5 min break, and after several of those rounds you get a long break. You can adjust the time to what you want and what works for you. Seems to help with mundane computer work. Hope this helps someone! 🫶🏼

PixelzSwede avatar
PixelzSwede
10mo

I feel the same! I use Focus Tomato. It’s free and cute. I love it.

MAjORETTEMARY  avatar
MAjORETTEMARY
10mo

Seriously like fml 🤦🏼‍♀️🫥🫣😢😪

lalalalizzie avatar
lalalalizzie
10mo

I so relate to this. I wait around and wait around and stare tasks down and then when I finally get going, I’m rearranging the whole thing and then I have no energy for job-work 😩

jellyburn avatar
jellyburn
10mo

This makes me want to nap lol

buzzbrain18 avatar
buzzbrain18
10mo

Story of my life! I’m in between my master’s & med school, & not having school to be my structure for me I truly have no idea what to do or how to be a person anymore. So glad the pomodoro method works for you!!

Jennipurr avatar
Jennipurr
10mo

This is super helpful advice thanks 🙂

 avatar
10mo

One time the store didn’t carry my EXACT toothbrush. Took me over half an hour to choose a new one I was so overwhelmed. I never realized this also carried over into school and work projects. I just get stuck and literally cannot do the thing, so I have to set it down and do something else instead. Luckily, I know this about myself now, so I can just move on before staring at my desk or computer for 30 minutes internally freaking out lol. I wish I had all these apps when I was a student, cause that Focus Keeper sounds perfect for me. Thanks for sharing this!

BipolorUnicorn♡ avatar
BipolorUnicorn♡
10mo

I legit can't shop in store because of the indecisiveness which leads me to shop online which leads to impulsive spending which leads to me feeling overwhelmed and guilty🤣🤣 circle of my life I suppose 🙃

adhdhope avatar
adhdhope
10mo

Love that idea!

dizzychisy avatar
dizzychisy
10mo

Thx for sharing 😀

ViciousMilk avatar
ViciousMilk
10mo

That’s me rn. I have 4 freelance jobs I need to do but I also haven’t done my chores for the week so my brain is on fire rn. I think the 10-15 minutes thing would work!

MelissADD avatar
MelissADD
10mo

It’s really hard to figure out where to start. I sometimes do the easiest one to get it out of the way so I feel somewhat accomplished. It will be faster too because you aren’t putting it off all day as you would with the more tedious or difficult ones. It’s just so hard to start when it doesn’t give the reward feeling, ya know? If it’s not satisfying? Sometimes the meds help and sometimes they are powerless. It’s all a learning curve.. gotta see what works for you.

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