Sunday, November 16, 2014

Executive Functioning Failures

Executive functioning (EF) difficulties are a trademark characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. Over the past couple of weeks, my energy has been spent on taking care of me and not trying to get my EF skills in order. It's been a struggle for me because I get so overwhelmed with what needs to be done I can't even get started! Yup, it's a vicious cycle.

One of the greatest things about this little trip I'm on is that I get to hit a "reset" button in a way. A change of space is exactly what I need in order to get me back on track. For me, removing myself from my comfort zone briefly shocks my system into working again. It works to place myself in a new situation and to reconnect with important people in my life.

I actually work very well under pressure. I have set aside all tomorrow to catch up on things I need to get done before OCALI this week. These things vary from school work to freelance work to personal work. It's been very devastating for me to have fallen behind in things that mean so much to me. I absolutely love the work I do; it makes my day when I get positive feedback from my peers or students. As I've mentioned things related to trauma and energy levels recently, I've had to learn to be kind to myself.

I have always been my own worst enemy. I've held myself to unrealistic expectations because I don't always accept my own limitations. One of my classmates actually wrote to me expressing her concern because we've been in every class together so far and she has never seen me fall behind. Her, and others close to me, know I do my best to act professionally. I may be young, but I am working on my career right now.

Tomorrow is set aside to get so much done. Yes, there is a phrase about procrastinators. No, I don't need to be reminded of it.

1 comment:

  1. I hope that your day is going well. Try not to be too hard on yourself :)

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