Over the recent years, especially since the pandemic started, I took an interest in starting new habits! If you’re like me, someone with severe ADHD, it can be impossible to start new habits and then I get very discouraged once I don’t make a 180 overnight. After repeating that same cycle multiple times, I knew I had to take a different approach….
Recognizing that you need to make some personal accommodations is just one part of the process, it’s realizing how to implement them into your daily life but also at your comfort level. As someone with social anxiety, I must factor in the boundaries that I’m comfortable with. For example, fidgeting with an item helps release some physical anxiety in any situation. Is it realistic to carry around a bright, silly, shape in front of your boss? Maybe not. To accommodate myself, I wear a ring on a necklace, and use that as my go-to fidget because it is easily concealed as jewelry.
To help give me some insight on this, I talked to my sister, Maddie Heine, who is a freshman (Psych Major) here at Maryville! Pictured above is her blanket she has treasured since she was a kid, and she goes more into depth about how she helps herself on a daily basis. “When I start to get stressed out, I create a safe mental environment for me with my headphones listening to things that calm my nervous system down. I also use my blanket as a tactile distraction to help regulate my body when I become a little worked up.” I have always admired her ability to accommodate herself and use her blanket regardless of what anyone thinks.
Keeping up with the pace of college can be tough, and finding what works best for you can be even harder. “Creating a fair amount of time for both relaxing and doing work is one of the tactics I use to get my work done. I do my work for about 15 or 20 minutes and then take a 5 or 10 minute break in little increments. That helps me create a balance of giving myself a mental break and also getting things done at the same time. There are six other days that you can be working, so trying to take one mental health day or break a week is beneficial to reset.”
I used to feel bad about myself when I couldn’t do work longer than 10 minutes at a time depending on the day, because some of my friends can do work for hours easily. When I let that go, and focused on what control I have and what I can do, my work balance improved. If you’re getting down on yourself about something, I recommend taking a step back and assessing if you can adjust it to fit your needs better, you never know what could happen!
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