I feel down today, but I have shit to do; I am going to do it anyway. Sure, it’s frustrating, but I’m not going to try to change how I feel, but rather work with those feelings as they arise.
I don’t know what is going to happen.
I’m not sure if I can get it all done, but I am going to try my hardest to do what it is I need to do.
Some people make lists, other people internally know what they need to do and just do it.
One of the benefits of living with ADHD is hyperfocus. What this means is that I can zero in on a task that I need to do and tune out my surroundings. This can be a positive attribute and it allows me to get a piece of work done. Once I know what I need to do, I go into it full force. I feel like a spaceship having its engines activated. I am a human machine flying through the air completing things at the speed of light.
Back to doing it anyway. I don’t want to do the things that I need to do, but that hasn’t stopped me before. I am going to push through and do them anyway. I have no proof of what is going to happen, no guarantees, no predicted results, but nevertheless, I am going to focus on the items I need to do. These things need to get done anyway, I have two choices: I can either avoid doing these tasks or continue to do them while my brain tells me that I cannot. These negative thoughts are going to float around regardless of my intentions, and the best way to work around them is actually to work WITH them. I’ve tried avoiding them and when I do, they come back full force. And let me tell you, they have engines that are just as powerful as mine. In fact, we can go to war if I’m not careful. I made a decision a while back to “do it anyway.” My negative thoughts and I will coast through the space of my brain side by side. They are doing their thing and I’m gonna do mine.
You’ve heard the expression “choose your battles,” and this is an excellent example of that. There are certain battles worth fighting and this isn’t one of them. Thoughts are persistent little fuckers and according to CBT we have the power to question and reframe them. When I think that I can’t do it, I question the validity of that statement. Why can’t I? Just because I haven’t done something before doesn’t mean I can’t do it now. There isn’t a “reason” for these thoughts; they just are.
I’m aware of their existence and I choose to coast along doing my thing, which is to do the thing anyway.
What about you? Do you have trouble completing tasks when you’re feeling down? What helps you when you feel this way?