> The coping mechanisms that had served me reasonably well during my young adulthood suddenly stopped working during the pandemic. So, I became unable to motivate myself to a deadline, which had generally been a powerful force to motivate my attention and efforts.
I have experienced the exact same situation (but with work)... always been motivated by well-planned deadlines, but it just... doesn't work anymore?
I'm trying to figure out why. Suspect a combination of WfH, unrelated family issues, dealing with diagnosis and past trauma, a general surge in anxiety across the board resulting in a total burnout of any motivation... just ceasing to care about anything much at all.
High five back to you. No shame in that game. I’m mostly just glad to have learned that my issues weren’t just because I was “lazy” but because my brain just doesn’t work that way. I learned something about myself, even if it cost me a few years to learn it!
And I wish you all the best. When those coping mechanisms run out, they run out hard. My wife is an attorney, and one of her best friends at work clearly has undiagnosed ADHD. We both keep pushing her to talk to someone about it because I know the day is coming when she’s going to hit that wall, and I seriously don’t wish it on anyone. It’s bad. When it happened to me, I had no idea what was going on. I’d always been able to just get things done (albeit in absolute panic mode), and then suddenly I just wasn’t able to. Keep fighting, my friend.
> When those coping mechanisms run out, they run out hard
Oh, don't I know it.
Have switched career paths a few times because of it. About 4-5 years to ride the wave up before the crash.
Thankful for MY partner... because she's an absolute harbour in the storm. All the executive function I lack, and then more to spare. Otherwise I'd probably be homeless, imprisoned or dead.
I wish you all the best on the journey. It’s a hard-as-hell place to be in, but I’m glad you have someone who can balance things out. (I’m fortunate to have the same!) But it’s still a path you have to figure out on your own, and I’m glad you’re in a good place with it now.
> The coping mechanisms that had served me reasonably well during my young adulthood suddenly stopped working during the pandemic. So, I became unable to motivate myself to a deadline, which had generally been a powerful force to motivate my attention and efforts.
I have experienced the exact same situation (but with work)... always been motivated by well-planned deadlines, but it just... doesn't work anymore?
I'm trying to figure out why. Suspect a combination of WfH, unrelated family issues, dealing with diagnosis and past trauma, a general surge in anxiety across the board resulting in a total burnout of any motivation... just ceasing to care about anything much at all.