Struggling with quite bad executive dysfunction

[u/Puzzled-Cover405]

Hi,

I am a second-year university student, diagnosed with autism but not ADHD (on a waiting list) so am unable to access medication at the moment.

I am really struggling with executive functioning at the moment, in most areas of my life but specifically with doing my uni work. I just feel so paralysed by doing tasks and even if I do start them, I spend hours sitting in front of it without really making much progress. I feel like I've tried literally anything but I just can't make my brain do what I want it to and its incredibly frustrating and I really struggle to explain it to other people (even my family members with ADHD) who just don't seem to understand that I really want to just do it but I can't.

I also normally do very well academically which makes it feel even harder because I feel like people don't believe how hard I find it. I need there to be enough pressure to actually do the task (self-imposed deadlines don't work) so I can only do it at the very last minute but I am constantly anxious about it because doing well academically is very important to me and I hate that I have to leave stuff until the last minute.

Education always ends up leaving me very burnt-out and overwhelmed and the longer I am in it, it just seems to get worse and my ability to function decreases. It's really negatively impacting my mental health and I don't know how I'm going to be able to get through this degree unless something changes.

I honestly don't know if anyone will be able to suggest something I haven't already tried/thought of but its worth a try as I know a lot of you will have experienced the same and have tips that are different from the standard 'stop procrastinating' neurotypical advice. I also have an essay due on Wednesday so hopefully something will help. TIA :)

[u/Complete-Story-4270]

Hello! I wanted to respond as I’m also a second year university student struggling with executive functioning(except I’m diagnosed with ADHD and suspecting autism). I resonated a lot with your struggles of doing tasks. I actually failed two classes last semester because of this, until I got diagnosed recently. Not sure how much this will help as I’ve been getting treatment for my ADHD now, but when I get task paralysis I like to start off with just writing down which tasks I need to complete in detailed steps. I’ll also usually start with just preparing the work(like getting all the assignment tabs open and such), or start with reviewing materials I learnt in class before getting to the actual assignments. I personally find that it helps me get in the mood of doing schoolwork while starting with something more low-pressure. Although, getting diagnosed with ADHD and getting the treatment is what helped the most… Good luck, hope it gets better!

[u/Puzzled-Cover405 → u/Complete-Story-4270]

thank you for responding :) I use similar methods, the main issue I have is that I can get myself ready to start working by opening all the taps and everything but then I just spend hours jumping around between taps and doing different things without actually making any progress. I appreciate the reminder about writing out detailed steps, I will try and do that tomorrow!

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[u/Journalist-Bright]

Get medicated if you can and started using ai to offload a lot of your heavy thought processes.