Read on Twitter
Me: “I haven’t done anything today!”
Also me: “Didn’t you bake a batch of low carb crackers, complete with measuring and ruling? And didn’t you scrub the sink, and disassemble the sink caddy and the espresso machine, and scrub those too?”
Me: “...anything IMPORTANT.”
Also me: “Didn’t you bake a batch of low carb crackers, complete with measuring and ruling? And didn’t you scrub the sink, and disassemble the sink caddy and the espresso machine, and scrub those too?”
Me: “...anything IMPORTANT.”
The Other Me: “pretty sure you folded and put away a load of laundry, and washed two of the throw rugs.”
Me: “yeah but I was using that to procrastinate.”
Other Me: “okay but you definitely did your shoulder rehab and your living room gym circuit.”
Me: “BARE FKN MINIMUM.”
Me: “yeah but I was using that to procrastinate.”
Other Me: “okay but you definitely did your shoulder rehab and your living room gym circuit.”
Me: “BARE FKN MINIMUM.”
Other Me: “You read a research paper on ADHD. For fun.”
Me: “it was kinda fun...?”
Other Me: “and you emailed both your bosses.”
Me: “very short emails.”
Other Me: “okay you definitely did kitty treatments and clipped their front claws so they are less scythe-like.”
Me: “it was kinda fun...?”
Other Me: “and you emailed both your bosses.”
Me: “very short emails.”
Other Me: “okay you definitely did kitty treatments and clipped their front claws so they are less scythe-like.”
Other Me: “AND you spent some time trying to identify a marsupial your friend rescued!”
Me: “okay that was NOT useful, that was me being a taxonomic nerd. Plus pretty sure I was wrong.”
Other me: “made a vet appointment for dog to get his arthritis shot...?”
Me: “um.”
Me: “okay that was NOT useful, that was me being a taxonomic nerd. Plus pretty sure I was wrong.”
Other me: “made a vet appointment for dog to get his arthritis shot...?”
Me: “um.”
Other me: “look it SOUNDS like you did a shitload of housework and life admin and pet maintenance and exercise and are ragging on yourself for not writing a novel or blog post.”
Me: “YES that is what I am doing. Why? Does this not make sense?”
Other me: “it does not.”
Me: “YES that is what I am doing. Why? Does this not make sense?”
Other me: “it does not.”
Me: “but I just want to spend a whole day writing stories and it never happens!”
Other me: “today you had a lot of pain and your hip flexors were being arseholes and you still did world building and fleshed out ideas.”
Other me: “today you had a lot of pain and your hip flexors were being arseholes and you still did world building and fleshed out ideas.”
Me: “yeah but they don’t make sense yet.”
Other me: “so this isn’t enough?”
Me: “OBVIOUSLY.”
Other me: *takes off glasses, wearily pinches nose* “okay. come with me on this journey. Imagine someone ELSE said to you the things that you just said to me. What would you say?”
Other me: “so this isn’t enough?”
Me: “OBVIOUSLY.”
Other me: *takes off glasses, wearily pinches nose* “okay. come with me on this journey. Imagine someone ELSE said to you the things that you just said to me. What would you say?”
Me: “um. ‘For fuck’s sake, it’s a fucking pandemic, and that’s heaps of stuff, and maybe don’t do scrub-level cleaning with a busted shoulder, go easy on yourself. Also tell me about your story’?”
Other Me: “YES. THAT.”
Me: “...oh.”
Other Me: “YES. THAT.”
Me: “...oh.”
I would like to dedicate this thread to my fellow ADHDers, but also to all those with the maladaptive perfectionist schema, and those who are way too hard on themselves, and never know when it is enough - neurotypical or neurodivergent, it’s a rough mental place to exist.
You did enough. You are enough.
(and if you’re rehabbing your shoulders maybe don’t vigorously scrub the kitchen, just a thought)
Take it sleazy
(and if you’re rehabbing your shoulders maybe don’t vigorously scrub the kitchen, just a thought)
Take it sleazy
(I should point out that (1) I was trying to ID the aforementioned probable-possum-maybe-glider via photos on WhatsApp and (2) my taxonomic expertise is echinoderms, which are obligately marine and invertebrates, so this was “look at field guides and squint” level taxonomy)
(probably a ringtail, certainly larger than we get around here if so; but one image where it was hanging from a tree by tail, all stretched out, sort of looked like it was glideresque... short “ring” on the tail though... I dunno!)
(also also... the scrubbing of things in the kitchen was because I smelled that weird pukey biofilm smell, very faint, you know the one that means “there is slime and it is growing and soon it will consume you”? So I had to clean the sink and it kinda spiralled)
