My younger sister once got me a card that said the in order to build a mountain, you must only start with one stone. I think that part of the stress that comes with changing your habits is that most of us were diagnosed pretty late in life, our ‘bad’ habits seem to be so deeply ingrained, that when we see how ADD/ADHD affects it all, it’s a little overwhelming because we’re looking at our ENTIRE LIVES and it’s like “Yikes, where do I start?!” At work, I have intentionally decided to do my least favorite ‘jobs’ first in the morning, that way, the rest of my day being stress free is a ‘treat’ for me. When I get home, I kind of do the same thing because I know that once I sit down and get wrapped up in something, the dishes won’t get done, the litterbox won’t get cleaned up, etc. There are still days when I slack and my prioritizing still leaves a lot to be desired, but I have to agree with Nellie about the concept of “harmony”. I try to really be concious of how I feel when I’ve done the things that I’m supposed to do and how horrible I feel when I slack. I am currently in the midst of a crisis because I didn’t get my plates renewed and got pulled over, so I tell myself “Aren’t you TIRED of feeling this way?”
There are things that I’ve accepted won’t change. I will NEVER feel comfortable in crowds so I arrange my life around that. Not only is the anxiety debilitating to me, it’s a struggle for anyone who is around me who has to deal with my lashing out and complete and utter neurosis. Most of the people who are closest to me are aware of my fear of large crowds and are very understanding if I beg off of an event. If a crowd can’t be avoided, I just prepare myself for it before hand. Sometimes it works, other times, I look for a beer stand or a place to take a deep breath!
I’ve also learned that tearing yourself down does NO GOOD. When you have a negative thought about why you didn’t get something done (I’m lazy, I’m a slacker, that’s so dumb), really think about why you feel that way. Don’t try to erase the thought, just sit down and understand why you INSTANTLY went ‘there’ with your thought process. For most of us it’s because of what you’ve been told, the box you’ve been put in because of your ADD. Yes, I read self help books! Honestly, I read anything and everything that helps my brain keep spinning into the negative. We can spend so much time beating ourselves up that even THAT will get in the way of us doing the things that we need to do. And remember, you’re doing something right because I’m sure that you get dressed more times than you don’t 