What helps reduce overthinking, overwhelm, and procrastination?
This is one of my favorite things to help people with.
Let’s face it, you often think of more reasons NOT to do something than to do it, right? That’s one of the reasons you experience overwhelm.
Reasons include:
1) Procrastination which causes unfinished tasks to increase in number
2) Difficulty saying, “No” results in added responsibility you have neither the time or energy for
3) Refusing to ask for help leaves you two-handed when you need at least four
As much as your executive functioning challenges (e.g. getting started, maintaining focus, doing things in order, and so on) make getting things done difficult. There’s the emotional resistance, strengthened by years of criticism, and correction. With few experiencing of useful guidance on what to do instead.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing mistakes is all you’re good for.
You’ll do anything to avoid making mistakes at this point, and the subsequent barrage of brutal,
shame frosted self-talk that follows.
This pattern is a self-fulfilling prophecy, practically guaranteeing a negative experience every time you take the slightest risk.
I suspect you’d like to explore an alternative to this, yes?
Back to the original question, “What helps reduce overthinking, overwhelm, and procrastination?”
In my experience, it’s accountability. Especially For us ADHD, Neurodivergent types.
If left to their own devices, little if anything is likely to happen in between conversations with them.
The accountability changes that.
Poor executive functions make it difficult to create, and follow a plan.
Life can feel like driving your car through yards, and over mailboxes every time you leave the house.
No plan or sense of direction.
Having an accountability partner isn’t about assigning the role of “designated nag” to someone.
It’s having someone agree to support you in creating results important to YOU. It helps to have someone there to hold your hand during the more difficult parts. Am I right?
With an accountability partner, you aren’t alone at any point in your journey.
Your partner can be a sounding board, a brainstorming partner, a voice of reason, a coach, a teacher, and sometimes a friend.
Knowing I’m there for you, and have your back. This alone reduces anxiety.
So many things happening inside you,
many working against taking risk,
experiencing growth, to remain safe from criticism.
Yet action is where the rubber meets the road. It’s a universal law – nothing happens until something moves. That includes you.
It’s the daily nudging, and guidance from me that helps make sure my clients follow through.
I have several accountability partners that help keep me from chasing every shiny object, so I concentrate on the goals, and objectives we agreed I’d focus on. They also help me get things done in a timely manner.
It isn’t a failure or weakness to need this support, it’s a reality. I can adjust to reality or resist it.
I message with my clients between sessions to help them take what’s in their minds, and turn it into action until they get the result they want. This is their opportunity to apply what they learn during our live conversations. Its also the time during which they’ll bump against a lot of self-sabotage.
There are a lot of old beliefs, and habits that showed up to protect the kid who felt they couldn’t do anything right.
Beliefs, and habits that grab onto the ankles of the adult that knows better, making it difficult to take the next step forward.
Time to step out of the past.
Let’s explore working together, because you have a life to live, a difference to make, and a legacy to leave. Sound like a plan?
