My #1 Rule for ADHD and Guilt

Does “I should have done this sooner” ring a bell?

It should. Why?

Because many people with ADHD say this to themselves.

You know exactly what I’m talking about:

1. You've got a great idea.
2. You think about taking the first step.
3. You don't take it and return back to idea-making.
4. This process is now on repeat, with no actions taken.

The outcome:

Intense guilt-tripping.

I don't blame you for this process. This is the experience with ADHD.

You have a busy mind and it’s hard to get things done outside of that.

It's like having 100s of tabs open on your computer, and you don't know where to start.

Then, out of the blue you get something complete. Yay. (you're shocked)

But even when you get something important done all you do is self-blame:

"I should have done this sooner."

Whether you do something or not, you still lose.

Unfair, right?

The problem with all of this is that you end up not acknowledging you finally sacrificed your time and effort to get that one important thing done.

This undermines periods of victory.

Then you feel worse than before.

And then you quit...

But you deserve victory.

You deserve to say:

"Yes, I got it done!"

And this is when my #1 rule reminder helps:

Don’t forget to celebrate the steps that lead you to new places.

(Even if those places aren't convincing enough that it's worth it. It will be one day.)

Because without the first step, you never achieve what you really want.

And that's what life with ADHD is about:

One step at a time and noticing the small victories.

It's time to remind yourself that you're allowed to celebrate these moments.

Such as this article you just read was my small victory this week.

Because it's been months since I've released one.

Besides choosing to rain on my own parade, I choose to celebrate this moment.

My hope is for you to celebrate your moments too.

Take care.