ADHD Paralysis Explained

It’s totally a thing, but not really a thing…

After seeing my son off to school each morning, I go back to my kitchen for another cup of coffee and consider my to-do list.

Except, not exactly.

I have a physical to-do list written down but I usually forget it exists, so I stand there in the kitchen, coffee in hand, mentally going over an overwhelming list of things I should be doing.

Okay, I tell my brain — just focus. (Yeah, like that ever works).

I remember this one thing, but I seem to remember that there is an Important Thing needing my attention, except I can’t remember what it was…

I can’t start on the thing I do remember, because then I won’t do the Important Thing, except I have no idea what the Important Thing is right now.

Okay, so then I sit. I take a sip, breathe, and have get organized. (Yeah. Right).

Then I remember that I have a list! Oh, thank you, yesterday me for remembering to write this stuff down!

I get to my list. I read the list.

As I sit there, I realize that I don’t want to do any of these things. They’re not Interesting Things. I only want to do Interesting Things.

I set the list aside and start writing.

What Just Happened?

What I had just described is what some refer to as “ADHD paralysis”. This means I get overwhelmed by the number of things I need to do and by my own inability to effectively prioritize them.

Instead of doing any of the things that I need to do, I do none of the things.

ADHD paralysis is a cool term, but it’s pretty non-specific. I’ll break it down in relation to problems with executive functioning, as you can see from my graphic and explanation below.

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1. Inhibition

Inhibition is the ability to resist, or delay, doing something you feel pulled to do for the sake of working toward a future goal.

People with executive dysfunction struggle to prioritize and put off doing what they most want to do in order to first do what they most need to do.

Neurotypicals call this “being responsible”, but having executive functioning challenges isn’t something any of us chooses, and our neurology isn’t something we have much control over.

The other thing we often have difficulty with is inhibiting our thoughts. Yes, impulse control isn’t only about overt behaviour, it’s also about controlling our thoughts, attention, and emotions.

Think of a buzzing in your head when you have ten thousand thoughts flooding your mind all at once. That is due to the difficulty of regulating what thoughts we should pay attention to, mentally filtering through the clutter to get to the ones we want or need.

2. Working Memory

Working memory is a type of short-term memory that involves holding information in mind while mentally working with it. It is the retention of small amounts of information in a readily accessible form.

This facilitates planning, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Working memory is a major factor for me when I get stuck. Let’s say the thing I most want to get done right now is vacuuming the carpet in my living room. Well, in order to do that, I must pick up any clutter on the floor. As I begin putting things away, I notice that the shelves are dusty.

I begin dusting the shelves, but notice that random items have been placed there to be kept out of reach of our dogs, so I start putting those away where they belong. I then find some books that belong in my office, so I bring them in there.

I get to my office and notice that my desktop is cluttered, so I begin tidying that up while I’m there. In doing so, I find papers that need filling, so I begin putting those where they belong but come across an important bill I need to pay.

I definitely don’t want to forget that, so I immediately sit down to pay the bill. I now have the vacuum cleaner sitting unplugged in my living room. Shelves remain dusty. Books are stacked beside papers I still haven’t filed, but at least my bill got paid on time.

I’m exhausted just typing all of that, let alone actually doing it.

Anyhow, when I know I really should vacuum the living room, I become stuck. It’s not because I’m lazy or even unmotivated, it’s quite the opposite.

If I’m doing one chore and notice something else needing to be done, I have to do it right then and there because if I don’t, I will most certainly forget about it altogether.

It also doesn’t help that I am a perfectionist and can’t do the one task. I must either do none of the things or all of them.

I get overwhelmed thinking of all the steps that I will need to complete, but there’s an ongoing internal battle because I have difficulty organizing all of those steps in my mind. Yet, I can’t just leave all of those chores incomplete either.

Hence the constant feeling of paralysis.

3. Cognitive Flexibility

All-or-nothing thinking (or black-and-white thinking) is a key feature of cognitive rigidity. It’s the opposite of executive functioning that facilitates one’s cognitive flexibility, including problem-solving.

For example, my brain tells me that there’s no point in just doing some of the dishes, but if I don’t have time to do all of them, then I can’t do any of them.

4. Prioritization

Personally, I don’t feel as though prioritization is the core problem. If you gave me a list of five tasks and asked me to order them from most to least important, I don’t think I would have trouble with that.

Acting upon that list, however, would be a different story. Intellectually, I know that A is more important than B, but if I really want to do B, it’s not just a battle of wills to get myself to do A first.

Even the textbooks suggest that it’s a battle of neurochemistry and neurobiology. I’ve also written a great deal about this aspect of ADHD, as some of you may know.

What To Do With ADHD Paralysis

For me, the most helpful strategy for combating ADHD paralysis is annoyingly simple — it’s to write stuff down.

If I’m feeling stuck because I’m scared I’m going to forget to do this thing, but I know I don’t have time, or I have something else more important to attend to, then I must write it down.

Yet, just writing it down is not always good enough. I will forget to check the list, forget where I put said list, or forget that it exists altogether.

I must write it down in a place that will get my attention, where it is easily visible and eye-catching, and I won’t just walk right by it. For me, that usually means putting it right in front of my coffee maker.

I usually make it fun and vibrant with graphics and do whatever I need to do to grab my attention. This also goes for my daily schedule, appointments, and our family calendar.

For me, it is much more effective to use analog planners — i.e. the good old-fashioned pen and paper kind (sorry, mother nature). In fact, it’s been shown that doodling or drawing pictures of the things you need to remember improves recall better than writing down words.

Go With What Works or You

I used to think that I was supposed to complete tasks in a certain way, like the way neurotypicals do, I guess.

When cleaning the house, I would try to work on one room until it’s done, and then move on to another one. When working on the computer, I would try to focus on one window at a time, or one project at a time, and progress in a linear fashion.

That doesn’t work for me, and that’s okay. I get stuff done (eventually), it just looks like complete chaos in the process.

Don’t try to force yourself to be neurotypical if you’re not. Find adaptations for the differences that cause you grief — while embracing the fact that your brain works in a unique way.

This can be a good thing sometimes, as it can spark creativity, outside-the-box thinking, and innovation. Many famous inventors and celebrities are neurodivergent or are believed to have been neurodivergent.

If it’s working for you — then go for it.

References

Cowan N. (2014). Working memory underpins cognitive development, learning, and education. Educational Psychology Review, 26(2), 197–223. doi:10.1007/s10648–013–9246-y

Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 135–168. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-113011–143750

Fernandes, M. A., Wammes, J. D., & Meade, M. E. (2018). The surprisingly powerful influence of drawing on memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(5), 302–308. doi:10.1177/0963721418755385

Nigg, J. (2017). Getting ahead of ADHD: What next-generation science says about treatments that work — and how you can make them work for your child. The Guilford Press.

Rebetez, M. M. L., Rochat, L., Barsics, C., & Van der Linden, M. (2018). procrastination as a self-regulation failure: The role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts. Psychological Reports, 121(1), 26–41. doi:10.1177/0033294117720695

Saline, S. (2018). What your ADHD child wishes you knew: Working together to empower kids for success in school and life. TarcherPerigee.

Sluiter, M. (2021). Wild and willful: Shifting perspective and approach towards ADHD. University of Groningen. doi:10.33612/diss.156482785

ADHD Paralysis Explained