How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It)

by Jessica McCabe

all our working memory “slots” may be taken up by trying to figure out (or remember) what we need to do and how we feel about it right now. As a result, all we see is that Wall of Awful. We can’t peer over it. We don’t get any windows to show us what might be on the other side. According to Brendan, there are different ways we deal with this wall. We might get angry enough that we can Hulk-smash through it to get a task done. Unfortunately, that often hurts our relationships, because we’re not always nice about what we say to ourselves (or to others) when we bust through the wall. Sometimes, we can put a door in the wall. We might change our mood with music, turn on a favorite TV show in the background, or work somewhere new to distract ourselves long enough to get the task done. But often, we need to climb the wall. Before we can face the task and effectively engage with it, both now and in the future, we need to do the emotional work of gearing up for it, facing our anxiety, and preparing ourselves to do The Thing.