Work issues and 'executive functions'

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.... This rings true. But I wonder what it means to be a burnout?

...

My mantra prior to that was, "the only limit is being involuntarily unconscious. Anything short of that, you will keep going/pushing. There is no other limit." -- so I found out the hard way there are other limits. And then all the stuff about living a balanced life and questioning the surface value of things and such started to make sense.

I guess I'd say a burnout is someone who pushed until something broke, before they got to where they were trying to go. And saw things differently afterwards.
(There was thread here not too long ago about people burning-out or having 'breakdowns' which included weird cognitive losses and worsened ED.)

I think in the USA it's especially hard to avoid the pervasive myth that success is guaranteed if you just try hard enough, and conversly that the only reason anyone fails is because they didn't try hard enough. I basically sacrificed my health to that myth and it wouldn't been worth that even if I had 'made it.'

I can very much identify with that.

Frankly, I find this notion frightening, and demoralizing. But, like so many other things, I'm sure it can be adjusted for, with forethought, diligence, and good habits, and can effectively combated.

I wonder if anyone has suggestions for reading on this topic more in-depth?

For example, here's one awesome suggestion they give in one chapter on time.

http://www.timetimer.com/

The time timer is a visual timer and helps for when you need to set a time limit so you don't lose track of time or when you need to break down tasks into increments due to overwhelm. The problem with normal timers is the noise, but most of all, what we need is a visual stimulus to realize the passage of time because our sense of time is not innate. We can jump from one thought or task to the next without realizing the passing of time or get lost in hyperfocus. Digital time is useless for us. We need to see it visually passing.

I'm gonna look into getting this book....

Thank you very much, Crocus.

Interesting -- I've always preferred analog clocks & watches for exactly that reason. I also never found ADHD advice too helpful, and books about mild TBI's only covered basic things I'd already figured out. Looks like I'll have to check that book out as well.

Take Green Breaks to Increase Task Completion

Good time management involves not only focusing on tasks, but also scheduling breaks. Lack of task completion is a chronic problem for many adults with ADD. Typically, they work full steam ahead until they can work no longer. If the task is not yet completeed, they may become dristracted and have difficulty coming back to the task. Taking breaks to refresh your energy and concentration is an effective way to increase your chances of completing your task.

However, your "fifteen minute break" may stretch foar beyond its allotted time, and you many become distracted by another activity, never returning to your original task. "I'll sit down to balance my checkbook, need a break, stand up, walk ainside, and next thing I know, I'm doing the laundry!" says Phyllis.

Try taking green breaks instead. A green break is a way of refreshing the brain that is brief but effective. It can be done as often as needed but won't take you far from your task. To take a green break:

1. Stand up facing something green. (A tree, a lawn, a leafy plant on a deck, or even a poster of a green pasture will do.)

2. Focus on the greenery.

3. Breathe in slowly. Feel your chest rise.

4. Exhale slowly. Let the air escape fully.

5. Breathe in again, this time bringing your arms up over your head, then lower them as you breathe out.

6. Now, drink a glass of water.

7. Finally, rock slowly from side to side.

8. Begin working again.

The color green, especially in nature, is calming. Rocking and raising your arms is relaxing, the water replenishes you and the increased oxygen and deep breathing will make you more alert. A green break is ADD-friendly because it refreshes you. allowing you to benenefit froma break without allowing you to become dristracted by other things.

quoted from source: "ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life" by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. (Routledge; 2002)