In episode 159 of the ADHD Big Brother podcast, I discuss my own interpretation of consistency. I find this to work better for me than the normie advice of waking up and pushing yourself every day, rain or shine, do or die, blahbitty blah, you know the deal.
In the land of ADHD land, it is expected that we will forget things, we will be unmotivated and unable to get started on things, we will struggle with how to get started on things…lots of struggles in this effort toward consistency.
What I have found to be helpful is the acronym. CACACCCC, which I invented because I’m too silly for my own good, and I currently can’t stop laughing because the transcript of how to say that is on the right while I type this and it’s so funny to me. I’m toggling to show transcript just so you can enjoy it, or roll your eyes at it with me!
What it stands for:
CA = Consistent Awareness
CA = Consistent Attempts
CC = Consistent Curiosity
CC= Consistently Cool with yourself
Put them together and you get CACACCCC.
Rather than the black and white of consistently showing up every day to do a thing, of succeeding or failing, try adopting CACACCCC.
Try being consistently aware of your efforts toward this goal. How are you feeling in the moments leading up to it? How are you feeling about getting started? What is getting in the way? The more knowledge you grab (in a nonjudgmental way) the better setup you’ll be to make:
consistent attempts at this goal. You make do it, you may not do it, but continue to make those attempts and be consistently curious about those attempts. What conditions were present that made it possible? What obstacles got in the way? What could you do next time to make the next attempt successful? The more nonjudgmentally curious you are, the more likely you will be to make it happen.
And finally, consistently be cool with yourself. This hopefully goes without saying, but I’ve adopted this as my mantra (as an adult with ADHD and Depression who struggles with “love yourself”.) When the love yourself expression doesn’t seem to penetrate the bullshit meter of your brain, try being cool with yourself. We can at the very least treat ourselves with the grace that we’d give a good friend.
Managing a life with ADHD can be struggletastic. Rather than adopting the “suck it up and do it” mentality, try some good ol fashioned CACACCCC.
Hope that helps!
Your ADHD Big Bo,
Russ
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