Overcoming inertia/mental blocks (is it possible?)

ok so I'm putting this here bc I know executive dysfunction is a Thing across multiple brain things and also I'm not sure what's causing mine but:

Does anyone have any tips for building up momentum to get going on things they need to do?

There are a number of things that I need+want to do today and right now a lot of it feels too hard even though logically I *know* it isn't, so I'm curled up under a blanket on my phone.

I'm kind of annoyed bc I want to be doing something else but I also have no idea how to make my brain do something else when I feel tired from work and a messed up sleeping schedule.

 

For me it's like, instead of thinking "I have to do FIVE things today" I think go "OK so I need to make a phone call today let's do that." And once I finish one task I think about the next task and so on. It's easier for me to break my day down into small tasks and tackle them one at a time. And I remind myself that if I can't do everything today it's not the end of the world.

 

I think my problem was feeling like I couldn't even get the ball rolling on getting out of bed, which will be a problem if/when I get a job that requires me to work 40 hours a week (which I'm not looking forward to bc I'm p sure it's gonna be Exhausting). I ended up taking a nap and then my bladder led me to get up, so I was able to feed myself, but not much else. I might be able to do some homework tonight, but I'm not sure, and that I know I need to do bc I have a paper that's late.

 

Oh, okay. I totally understand not being about to even start. That can be tricky sometimes. Maybe try setting alarms with non-startling ringers? Like if you're sitting there not feeling like you can do anything be like "I'll rest for 10 minutes and then get started." Or if you live with anyone maybe have them gently coax you out of bed?

 

hmmmm. non-intrusive alarms might work. problem is i usually fall asleep if i try to rest, so i'd have to make sure i stayed alert while not doing anything.

i unfortunately don't have anyone who lives with me and won't for the foreseeable future. i both love and hate this. love because i hate bothering other people and don't have a very good track record involving being someone else's roommate, and hate because it means i have to do absolutely everything myself, which has made things a lot harder.

 

Maybe try reading? Or playing a phone game. I like puzzle games when I have a small amounts time to kill.

 

i do like phone games! my tappy game, my sailor moon candy crush(?) copycat, and my color games (blendoku and this new one that's from the same people) are all fun and great to do when i'm trying to kill time.

 

Good! That could be a good way to stay alert while resting! Maybe try that next time you feel the executive dysfunction hit you. Feel bad -> rest and set alarm -> try doing a task. If it doesn't work you can always post again and we can try another approach!

 

i will! :> thanks for the suggestions--i really appreciate it.

currently i'm actively doing a task that i enjoy (watching netflix), and i think that i should be able to switch to another task when i'm done with my current one if i start with baby steps, since i feel like i have a little more energy now. maybe i needed to just. not worry about stuff for a little bit?

 

I've occasionally had luck with making rules or turning things into a game, especially for modular tasks like "clean room" or "put away laundry." In terms of getting up I find it sometimes helps to set an alarm for a few minutes and throw it across the room, so once it starts I have to drag my ass out of bed to turn it off again.

 

how do you turn things into a game? :o i'm curious as to how that might work, especially since i actually have those particular things to do tomorrow (tonight is for getting this darn paper done+a shower after i'm done w the show i'm watching).

idk if my phone is durable enough for me to throw, but i might be able to toss a pillow on the ground and then toss it on there.

 

One time I took a list of drinking game rules for a video game I was playing and every time I racked up five hits I had to pick up an object around my bedroom and put it away. Ended up making a pretty significant dent in the clutter that way.

 

oooh! i like that idea! i don't have a ton of video games i'm playing right now but i might be able to use it with some of my phone games, especially my tappy game(s). :>

 

Could probably do something similar for Netflix or something too. I happened to use Final Fantasy X because I had a perverse urge to replay it and a ready-made rule list ("uncomfortable close-up on Lulu's cleavage" alone got most of my laundry put away), but if you came up with a list you could do something similar for just about anything. "Anytime Spock raises one eyebrow" or "anytime someone says the phrase 'form Voltron'" or "anytime you hit one of the lines from 'They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard'" or whatever rules happen to be appropriate.

 

i'm only about 2 eps into this show so far so i'm not sure what all of the patterns will be yet, but i think for the next eps i watch i'll keep that in mind. thanks for the suggestion! :>

 

If it's really bad to the point where I feel like I almost physically can't get out of bed, sometimes I can manage to just wiggle sideways off the mattress. I'm not sure why that helps. I think it gives me the feeling that I'm leaving all my problems there and sneaking out the side rather than trying to fight them. I don't know if this would be at all helpful to anyone else, but just in case.

 

I tried the "ignore your problems and rest for a minute and try again after time was up" method this morning, but anxiety brain would not stop thinking about how I really needed to do things. I managed to get up, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, get some of my Shit ready to go, and then promptly went right back to bed bc I felt like I couldn't take a shower, which I needed to do before going to work. I have no idea *why* I felt that way, but I did.

There is part of my brain that is like ???? Am I just being lazy???? Like I Care about the fact that I'm not doing these things, but I'm still not doing them. Even though I *know* that logically I am capable of doing them.

 

That doesn't sound at all like laziness to me. That sounds like you effectively are doing all the things, over and over again in your head, during every supposedly free moment.

 

Well. sometimes I do get distracted by stuff I like and have a hard time switching gears to something I need to do, even if I know I won't mind doing it. But this morning it was just "I need to do this thing why am I not doing this thing???" Which has happened a lot lately, and I'm not sure why--I'm wondering if it's spoon-related.

 

This is how I would describe my executive dysfunction like 80% of the time. Like I know I need to do a thing but getting up and doing it is unbelievably difficult. While I'don't say I know I can do a thing, but want to save energy for another thing so I choose not to do it when it's spoon related. That's just me though!

If you find yourself having trouble with bathing often, getting baby wipes and dry sampoo/conditioner are a good alternative. Or doing sponge baths.