Screaming into the Void

Me: Either fucking cries because of RSD or feels the raging fury of hell, wanting to do the task even better now to exceed all expectations and prove them wrong

Me:

I know you don’t need to be productive all the time, blah blah, but these are things that are good for you, more engaging than most stim toys, and more rewarding. I do them when i’m watching something and i don’t feel up to handsewing or anything complicated but still need something to do with my hands. Some of these are things you’d have to do anyway and if you keep whatever you need for them on your desk/by your bed they don’t require any planning or getting up. Also, if you think of them as stims and not chores they get easier and more fun

flossing

I keep dental floss near my bed so when i’m kinda spacing out i sometimes see it and use it so now i floss every couple of days which is much better than never

sharpening pencils/crayons

Obviously you can’t do this one very often but when i’m watching something i’ll just sharpen everything on my desk that needs it, requires no concentration whatsoever, also bonus you’ll probably have a cleaner desk after just cause you put them back where they belong

crochet flowers

Super easy to make once you figure them out, don’t require planning and awareness like larger projects, also it’s much easier to have a bit of yarn and a crochet needle in your bag or even pocket than a half finished sweater, so they’re great for public transport and talking to people, and since they’re so fast to make i usually just give them to whomever i’m talking to

brushing your hair/braiding it/putting oil in it

The last one is great when your trying to force yourself to take a shower since you buy yourself some time but then you really have to go wash it, plus it’s really good for your hair. I keep a jar of castor oil mixed with any carrier oil (usually olive, hemp or avocado) on my desk near my hairbrush

filing your nails

Pretty self explanatory, i keep my file on my desk so it’s at hand

put lotion on your hands and arms or feet

If you’re an artist, or have painful wrists for whatever reason you can also massage your hands a little, feels great

untangle your earbuds/jewellery

I might be the only person on earth who loves doing this but it’s still better to do it when you’re trying to find something to do with your hands than when you go to plug them in and they’re a mess

brush your pet

For context: I have ADHD (only diagnosed about two years ago because most of my family believes mental illnesses are a big pharma conspiracy), and today, after a long, quiet war against my brain, I finally achieved something I haven’t been able to do since I was in elementary school: I read every day for a year.

Here’s a few things I learned along the way that might help someone else:

- If you haven’t already, step one is dealing with your internalized ableism. Take it from someone who used to think e-readers were a crime against literature and audiobooks weren’t the same as reading “because reasons.”

- Yes, fanfiction counts as “real reading.” No, it’s not less valid than classic lit.

- Oh, you love classic lit? Yeah, me too. I also love fanfiction. We can have both!

- It’s totally fine to read several books at once. Bookmarks are your best friend.

- Audiobooks are the secret to reading on your busiest days. Multitask, fam. If you’re stuck in traffic after work, going to the gym, or even just washing the dishes, that’s reading time! Get some headphones and listen to an audiobook.

- Need to engage with something to stay attentive? Fanfiction! You can split your screen so that you’re reading on the left and jotting down comments on the right. Dump your lovely comments in the author’s inbox and make their day.

- Too tired to read with your eyes? Audiobooks. You can put one on between two alarms in the morning. Same kinda deal if you’re physically tired at night, but your mind is racing. Turn the lights off and try listening to an audiobook.

- Too energized to read? Audiobooks. Go for a walk or a run, get out your yoga mat, hop on a treadmill, bounce your leggie, whatever you do to burn energy.

- You don’t have to finish something just because you started reading it. Read things that actually make you happy. Read things that make you want to read.

- Skimming is actually a really important skill and if that’s all you can manage, that’s okay! While my goal has been to deep read every day this past year, I can tell you right now that what got me through school was skimming and speed-reading. That’s low-key the secret to having a life in university, just saying.

- Novels aren’t the only damn thing that count as reading! Short stories count. Newspaper articles count. Encyclopedias count. Does it have words? It counts. Graphic novel or comic book? It counts! Children’s book? Yup, that counts, too.

- Nothing wrong with setting small reading goals. You can go by page or word count, time spent reading, number of chapters, etc. Whatever the case may be, I’d recommend keeping the bar low just because it’ll be easier to keep up your habit on the days when time is short or something unexpected came up.

- You can read your favourite books over and over and over and over again.