ADHD, motivation and emotion

"Just get on with it, stop being lazy, you mustn’t let people down, you always do this…."

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱. 

With ADHD, if we don’t understand why we can’t activate to complete a task, using 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 can be a short cut.

😫And often, the emotions used tend to be negative ones, such as shame. 

Self-talk can become critical and bullying in nature. It may emphasise perceived flaws and work to make you feel bad enough to get moving.

⏰This critical self-talk can also combine with using urgency to activate by leaving things until last minute e.g. “I’ve had months to do this, and I've still left it until the last minute!”

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Whilst relying on urgency and self-criticism might work in the short term, it’s a poor long-term strategy. Using pressure to force action can deplete your energy, eventually leading to exhaustion, even burnout.

𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-

Hello procrastination! 👋

👉Click for managing procrastination

🦷Think of it like going to the dentist. If your last visit was painful, you’ll be more likely to put it off next time, even though you know you need to go. The same happens with tasks. If we associate completing them with self-criticism and last-minute panic, it becomes harder each time.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 

⚠️Pay attention to your self-talk when you’re avoiding something. Notice where you’re using criticism to motivate yourself.

Even more neutral sounding thoughts such as “I just need to get on with it” can be problematic, as they suggest it is simply a lack of will. 

Which it is not.

Instead, take it as a sign that something’s missing in your approach. The something that will help you activate your motivation.

👉As an ADHD coach, I can help you identify what’s lacking in your plan and teach you better approaches for moving forward, without relying on pressure or criticism to motivate.

👉ADHD coaching also helps you become more aware of the strategies you're using—both the ineffective 𝗮𝗻𝗱 effective ones. By understanding how the ADHD brain works, you can learn to recognise what you truly need to move forward and develop healthier, more effective and more enjoyable approaches. 

🦄𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

☎️Interested in experiencing ADHD coaching and learning how it can help you tackle your to-do list and dream bigger in a sustainable way? Let’s talk by clicking 'book a discovery call' on the home page.