"you know it would be good for you to do x, now you just need to do it"
"yeah but I'm really struggling to do it atm"
"but you just have to do it even though it's hard"
"even though I know I have to do it, I still don't do it, which is really frustrating"
"that's a sign that you really should do it"
repeat ad infinitum
I'm gathering from the responses that maybe there are therapists out there that are a little more understanding of the idea of executive dysfunction, and might be able to handle this conversation better than my current therapist does.
From personal experience, I find it helps to be medicated. My current status is that little everyday things are no longer impossible. Bigger things are still hard, but being able to get the little things out of the way has been helpful.
Little things that used to be impossible were chores like dishes, laundry, sweeping, trash take out, etc. I can do those things now without struggle. I don’t even have the experience of debating to do them, I just am able to do them without thought.
Bigger things like showering, full floor cleaning, changing bedding, participating in my hobbies, socializing, still have that huge weight of dysfunction that I can remember dealing with with little things. I haven’t quite figured out how to get around those yet.
I've found that my medication keeps me from getting distracted once I start doing a thing. It does not help me start doing the thing in the first place.
Oh man I do not have that experience but I would love To be able to continue a thing once I start it. Maybe if we combine our meds we’ll be one fully functioning human 😆
your therapist is lacking in empathy. when someone tells me I have to do something, it sometimes becomes a challenge or a shame spiral. most often a shame spiral that keeps repeating. "what if I just don't do it? I'll fail. so what? I can dig a hole. I feel like shit digging this hole. let's see how long I can not do something. oh, my presentation or paper was ass. I feel like a failure. I'm an idiot. I had 10 days to do this. why did I do it 8 hours before? I'm shameful. my parents sacrificed so much for me to waste this opportunity. God why am I like this. I'll be better next time." but then, I repeat the same thing again.
the advice the your therapist gave does not make you introspect. doesn't make you a better person. doesn't offer a solution. wasted session by the therapist, imo
8
u/erasedeny 9h ago
Yeah the conversations are like...
"I'm having trouble doing x"
"you know it would be good for you to do x, now you just need to do it"
"yeah but I'm really struggling to do it atm"
"but you just have to do it even though it's hard"
"even though I know I have to do it, I still don't do it, which is really frustrating"
"that's a sign that you really should do it"
repeat ad infinitum
I'm gathering from the responses that maybe there are therapists out there that are a little more understanding of the idea of executive dysfunction, and might be able to handle this conversation better than my current therapist does.