collectionofmyautithings:

things that can happen bc of executive function impairment:

• making decisions feel really hard. even very small, simple decisions
• it’s hard to switch between tasks so this could be stopping one thing to do something else, getting really upset if you’re interrupted while doing something and the interruption stays with you
• struggling to do things that have a lot of steps like driving, cooking / preparing a meal, shopping
• freezing up and feeling blank if something unexpected comes up in terms of problem solving and it looks like you’re not gonna do anything about it at all but you actually just have no idea what to do or how to begin so you’re just there
• following spoken instructions is hard
• you seem as if you’re absentminded cause it’s hard to remember things sometimes. little things
• paying attention / concentrating is super hard especially when you’re not really interested in something and u just cant make yourself do the thing cause you’re so uninterested
• not finishing things you start
• blurting stuff out suddenly or sharing too much and just regretting it after
• difficulty starting things like even though you want to do it, it’s hard to just start it so this could be lots of things like taking a shower, cleaning up your space, organizing, starting a project, applying for a job or program or anything. it might seem like you’re lazy or unmotivated
• sometimes even doing familiar tasks you have to be really focused or it’s hard to do things you’re used to doing if you’re under some type of stress (which could be lots of things cause we can get stressed out easily)
• sometimes it’s hard to shift your thinking if you get new rules or info
• lack of a sense of time
• it might take a long time like even hours of feeling uncomfortable before u realize oh i need to eat or oh i should put on a sweater
• looking at tiny problem that you can do something about and it will only take a couple seconds or minutes to get rid of but you just leave it and let it annoy you for days or weeks without realizing you could just do this very simple thing and it will be gone

you’re not lazy, unmotivated, a procrastinator, stupid, dirty, spacey, absentminded. you do not need to try harder.

use lists, reminders, routines, schedules, break stuff down into smaller tasks, allow yourself to stim more or just allow yourself to stim if u don’t cause sometimes we suppress it, rest when u need to, don’t force yourself to try harder, be your autistic self (bc not doing that actually draws on your EF too and will tire you out quickly) 💖