I enjoy job simulator type games and really like the aspect of decorating and taking something and improving it. I’m a sucker for visual progress and I’m comfortable with physical labor in real life, so why can I only do it in games and structured activities?
Welcome to Lemmy!
You might want to look into getting checked out for ADHD. Someone close to me was diagnosed as an adult a few years ago, and your behavior overlaps somewhat with their behavior. Many hours of making schedules and charting plans, but a strong mental block with putting plans into action to actually get things done. It’s more common than you’d think.
Welcome to welcoming me to Lemmy! Oh I don’t make schedules or chart plans, not because I don’t enjoy it but because I feel like I’ve failed if I don’t stick to the plans to the letter. Instead I decide what I’m going to do and only start the preplaning and planing when I’m at the activity. It works out great for simulators because I work on sections and with the way upgrade trees work better equipment gets unlocked and sometimes that equipment interferes with the already established plan and I have to redo work, so it saves me on work doing to only plan in small portions and is therefore more efficient. Still when it comes to doing a thing it’s largely unhelpful because I tend to spend too long not starting and then I get distracted and because I wasn’t writing things down I’m working on incomplete information once I refocus.
Getting distracted and being unable to force yourself to start sucky tasks is often seen in people with ADHD.
Doing the dishes doesn’t really require doing anything in sections, doesn’t require a plan, really, just the ability (via your brains executive function) to make yourself start.
I have ADHD and based on what some experts say, which lines up with my experience, executive function is poor, meaning the “just do it” part of the brain is weak as hell. No amount of knowing I have to or trying to make myself do the thing works. I just sit there not getting up or doing the thing.
That is, unless I have an emotional, external motivation like fear (oh crap! someone is coming over in 10 minutes) or guilt (wife is upset with me for dropping the ball).
I find, personally, that if I have taken my ****daily prescription and have been exercising regularly, I feel better and more energetic overall, and under those conditions, I don’t struggle as much to get started on a crappy task.
Depression can also affect motivation. If you’re feeling down you’re not feeling like doing a task. I also struggle with that (common in folks with ADHD). For me, personally, exercise helps. So does sun. And being around friends.
PS: I am not a doctor or mental health professional or related expert. Nobody can be diagnosed over the Internet. I’m just offering possible explanations that need to be checked out by a professional.
I will have to add exercising, sunlight receiving, and friendship on the list of things I need to do then. At least as long as I’m stuck at the beginning to do things part. Thank you very much for actionable advice! Even if actions are hard for me to do in the first place, a rough outline of what my goals should be to improve my life is a very desirable outcome.
OP: I don’t like doing physical labor instead of playing a game that is designed to be addictive.
Lemmy: It’s ADHD
Why the fuck is ADHD literally everywhere for the past 6 months? Is there some kind of massive advertising campaign from ADHD medication manufacturers on every social media platforms? Jfc. There’s a million possibilities here for OP’s lack of drive and yet I KNEW before clicking on the comments that ADHD would be right at the top. Because it always is whenever someone makes a post that could be even vaguely caused by mental health. And advertisements for ADHD medications and testing are all over the internet! t’s all I see anymore! Hell, my boyfriend told me last week that he wants to get tested for ADHD and when I asked him why he said it’s because all of the new ADHD memes are super relatable. Hey guess what, THEY’RE DESIGNED TO BE RELATABLE TO EVERYONE. It’s like the telephone psychic of mental illness symptoms. Here’s a fun fact: “From 2020 to 2021, the number of stimulant prescriptions filled rose by more than 10% among females ages 15 to 44 years and males ages 25 to 44 years. Among women ages 20 to 24, there was a nearly 20% increase.”
Unless you’re a qualified medical professional, how about just suggesting that OP sees a mental healthcare specialist and leave it at that? Surely if their ADHD is so perfectly obvious, a trained professional will spot it right away.
For fuck’s sake. Armchair psychiatrists out here.
OP: I have trouble with procrastination and executive functioning. Lemmy: Sounds familiar, maybe you should get checked out for this extremely common disorder where those are two major symptoms of it. You: Armchair psychiatrists! Big pharma shills!
I mean, yeah it feels like ADHD talk is everywhere here because there’s a lot of ADHD people on Lemmy. That’s just because of the nature of the platform and a big chunk of who it appeals to. You don’t think that we might be able to recognize thoughts, patterns, behaviors and emotions that we ourselves have gone through? Sure OP might not have it but it doesn’t do any harm for them to learn it’s a possibility and do more research into it.
Thanks for your feedback, Kit. You may be glad to realize that I had already done exactly what you suggest I should have done, which is recommend that OP get checked out. Have a great night!
Cuz adhd is way underdiagnosed
Also they literally said to get it checked out? As in, go to a specialist?