finding a name for seemingly complex struggles

Post Reply New Topic

when i found out a large portion of the problems i have with studying is called executive functioning issues it was such a relief bc it no longer felt like it's something from outer space
actually it is something common for people on the spectrum and those with ADHD and it has a name
i wanted to ask do you feel the same? or this is bc English is not my first language
and do you have any coping strategies you'd like to mention?

Reduce the things that are causing the stress so you can function better.

You should know that executive functioning stress will cause a person to perform about 8 points lower than normal. So if you are getting a B or C for something that is usually easy for you, that's why. You need to be in a less stressful environment. If it's not something important, I say let it go and spend your energy and time on what is more important. You may not need people to know that you're not really bad at something that, say, you aren't interested in and isn't needed for your major.

It depends on the “things” I have to manage.

For appointments: this is related to Executive Function Prospective Memory. I specifically need to externalize and set more frequent alarms as the deadline or appointment approaches. For example: a few days ago I had two unusual appointments. One was at 1:30 pm, the other was at 4:00 pm. Before each I set several alarms: 1 minute before, 2 minutes before, 4 minutes before, 8 minutes before, 16 minutes before, 32 minutes before, 64 minutes before. I externalized my attention by carefully setting these alarms in my cell phone. I made both appointments on time. It is kind of like those speed bumps that get louder as you approach the toll booth. It works for me. I call it “alarms by halves”. The idea is to set an alarm for half way between now and the appointment. Then do that again when the first alarm goes off. (Or you can set them all up ahead of time). You could also use an egg timer or a regular alarm clock.

For me this is better than “I just won’t forget” or setting just one alarm.

If I have a dentist appointment next month I will externalize by creating calendar reminders in my phone. If it is an appointment at 10 am on Thursday the 27th I set up extra reminders at 3pm sat, sun, mon, tues, wed saying “remember dentist on Thursday”
On Thursday I can use “Alarms by halves”. I can start setting alarms by halves first thing Thursday or set them all up on my phone to only go off on Thurs, but do the setting up on Sat. It depends.

My wife also reminds me if I put things on the paper calendar in the kitchen. But paper doesn’t have alarms.

For physical stuff I like to keep things visible. My wife likes things “put away”. I tell her she “hides things”. If she hides it she is responsible for helping me find it later. It is something we used to fight about but kind of laugh about most of the time now.

Take away: Another way to externalize is “put it on paper, paper remembers”. But hanging the paper on the wall helps to keep it from getting lost. Telling someone who is good at EF (Executive Functioning) is another way to externalize. My wife and daughter are both good at EF. Putting physical things in plain sight is also externalizing. But depending … paper or cellphone might be needed depending on the thing (and other people). “epaper” is allowed to count as paper in this case.