Can someone with ADHD describe the feeling of paralysis and how it affects them?
Last Updated: 21.06.2025 03:41
I describe my paralysis as planning, or mapping. I can't initiate a task until I have found the best and most efficient way to complete it. I also can't start a task without knowing that I can complete it, or a least get to a natural stopping point. So while I'm sitting there, looking paralyzed, my brain is going a hundred miles a minute, mapping out each step down to the smallest detail. While getting out of bed seems easy to some, I know that it is just the first step in a large process. If I can stick to my usual routine, I'm fine:(get out of bed and make it, take meds, put on my robe, grab a towel, walk to the bathroom, pee, shower, wash my hair, wash my face, condition my hair, wash my body, rinse everything, dry off, wrap hair, brush teeth, deodorant, face cream, lotion, style hair, put robe on, back to bedroom, hang up robe and towel, get dressed, put on jewelry, make up, walk dog, feed dog, pack lunch, fill water bottle, leave for work). If something changes, say the dog needs to go out first, I have to rework everything. I promise, if I could just get out of bed, I would.