NeuroPunkNonsense

Thank you. Just part of getting older I suppose 😕

January 25th assessment: 6/14 walks 5h47m average sleep 57bpm average RHR 9/21 (moderate) anxiety 18/27 (moderately severe) depression Additionally, I brushed my teeth 17/28 times and flossed 14/14 times. So. Habit stacking seems to be working. I've gone from almost not flossing entirely to doing it every night. Still need to find something to incentivize morning brushing though. Walking/exercise also needs improvement. I did double it from my last check in but it still accounts for less than half the days. (And apparently my area is getting a polar vortex this weekend? I mean I do prefer cold weather to hot weather but I don't particularly enjoy going out in it regardless.) Mental health is fluctuating like usual. More info in the spoiler; cw: death (a lot of it). Next assessment set for February 8th (which is after this challenge is over oops).

So far habit stacking a brush and floss with taking my night meds seems to be doing the trick.

I'll keep it in mind if habit stacking doesn't work. I'm hesitant to try one though because I'm also autistic and typically sensory avoidant. The thought of something vibrating in my mouth is unpleasant - but perhaps the sensation wouldn't be as bad as I imagine it. I'd just hate to waste the money if it turns out to be something I can't tolerate. 😕

Thank you for the suggestion but I don't think that would work for me. It's not the effort that's the issue - it's the executive function required to start a task. And that's true for most things in my life; whether it's something I dislike such as washing dishes or something I enjoy like driving or something tedious like when I've had homework in the past. Once I start I can follow through with whatever but starting is the issue. So an electric toothbrush would probably get ignored as much as my manual one does lol (I'm definitely going to remember this to suggest to other people though; just because it won't work for me doesn't mean it's not great advice!)

January 11th assessment: 3/14 walks 6h5m average sleep 59bpm average RHR 12/21 (moderately severe) anxiety 13/27 (moderate) depression Additionally, I brushed my teeth 12/28 times and flossed 2/14 times. Still room for improvement. I might have to look into habit stacking which I know some adhd folks swear by. Or come up with an incentive to do the things I want to. Maybe stickers for my journal? Not sure yet. Next assessment set for January 25th.

A humble start; yet a start nonetheless.

Your logic is sound. Please let us know how it goes! (Even though I assume it will take a while).

Your phrasing is beautiful and evocative even as the emotions they describe are difficult and painful. It's a stunning dichotomy. Cheers to being here, it's at least half the battle.

Yeah, they suck. It's really common in late diagnosed autism/ADHD though. Decades of masking take a toll. Thank you for the support.

So I'm not a resolution person (semantically speaking) but I spent a little time this morning putting together a short list of goals for the year. I've separated them into three categories: onetime, sometimes, and daily goals. For example, I want to move my entertainment unit and bookshelf (onetime); I also want to have a volunteer job and join a VtM chronicle (sometimes). More to the point of this challenge though are my two daily goals - moving more and brushing/flossing regularly. Goal 1 - Move More This is any type of physical activity lasting 30 minutes or more in duration. Typically it'll be walks just because I find them enjoyable and once I form the habit it's reasonably simple to stick to. (The downside of my ADHD means that habits are tricky to start and maintain. If I skip a single day often the habit is broken instantly and no amount of "discipline" can override my executive function issues. I'll just try to do my best and hope it works out. [An unofficial goal is to stop bullying myself for perceived shortcomings so an attempt at unconditional positive self-regard will also be made].) Goal 2 - Dental Hygiene For some reason this is an aspect of life I really struggle with. I'm lucky that I have decent teeth but I've been experiencing some pain/sensitivity recently so I'm going to attempt to take better, dentist recommended, care of my teeth. Goal is to brush twice daily and floss everyday. I'll be tracking these goals in my bullet journal (which isn't fancy or pretty but is functional). Additionally, to encourage myself to move more I've decided to track the potential benefits of exercise bimonthly. A bunch of the suggested benefits are difficult to track (looking at you "success" and quality of life) but I've picked four measures that I can test and retest. Regular exercise is supposed to help sleep, cardiovascular health, and mental health. I will be using my fitbit to monitor my average hours of sleep and my resting heart rate to cover the first two points. I will also take anxiety and depression screening tests to monitor my mental health. *Note on my mental health: I'm working closely with a psychiatrist so please don't be alarmed if I score high on these measures; it's not new and I am taking steps to resolve the issue* I did my first assessment on December 28th: 2/28 walks 5h35m average sleep 61bpm average RHR 13/21 (moderately severe) anxiety 18/27 (moderately severe) depression Next assessment set for January 11th.

I did, it went over well. Also managed to do my friend's cake later in the month. My sanity apparently required me to take a massive amount of down time and basically disappear for the month. Finally went for another walk again today now that the rain has washed away most of our ice and snow.

I had no energy today. Another poor sleep. Didn't walk or do yoga. Just finished baking my dad's cake for his birthday tomorrow. the batter came together well and looked and smelled good but it took longer to bake than the recipe suggested it would. I'm too tired to finish it tonight so I'll glaze it in the morning. It'll be properly cooled by then anyway so it's all good.

Tried modifying my walk today to account for the snow, it still ended up being 40 minutes. Additionally, I'm experiencing some joint and muscle pain that is atypical for me. Might have to substitute out a walk tomorrow with a 30 minute yoga session. Had a couple slips and near falls today that weren't optimal. (Hazard of walking on snow along the side of the road to avoid cars/icy pavement - sometimes you step unknowingly into a pothole).

Went for my walk yesterday. Between poor sleep (less than 2 hours) and the snow (only a couple inches maybe?) my usually 30 minute walk became a 45 minute walk and I felt very sick when I finished. It was a pretty day though.

I'm with you on the solitary goal followed up by a to do list. Best of luck!

Do you have directions to choose from already, or is discovering them part of gaining clarity?

Main goal is maintaining daily walks of 30+ minutes. (This will be less than fun given that we've finally gotten snow). I also have a bunch of stuff to do for upcoming holidays: my best friend and my dad both have birthdays this week - need to bake a cake for my dad this week and one for my friend next week getting my most recent tattoo touched up on the 4th have to buy a gift for my cousin's baby daddy as per the family gift draw (I have never met him or their kids lol) need to coordinate with my brother to put together stockings for our parents need to buy gifts for my parents, brother, and cat I want to make a Yule wreath this year Other things I would like to do (but may or may not): read for an hour everyday work on improving my posture (maybe it'll help my chronic neck/shoulder pain and constant low-grade headaches?) figure out how to stream (complicated by having a single monitor) finish rearranging my furniture (need help - bookcase and entertainment stand too heavy/awkward to move easily on my own) find a way to reduce my current feelings of loneliness

Week 5 Summary Goal 1 - Eat Well: Had two plant based dinners this week. One was just roasted veg and the other was this chickpea burrito thing. Pretty tasty. Didn't focus on fiber again. Goal 2 - Walk Tall: Went on 5 walks this week. I've been feeling overstimulated and overwhelmed lately. It makes it difficult to do anything involving executive function. Struggling a little with loneliness/depression as well but that's not new. 😕

Week 4 Summary Goal 1 - Eat Well: Had two plant based dinners this week. Fell down on the job a little with making sure I'm eating enough fiber. I probably have been but I wasn't really paying attention this week so I don't know for certain. Goal 2 - Walk Tall: Went on 6 walks this week - didn't go yesterday because I spent the day with family and didn't prioritize exercise.

Walks going strong and I had another plant based meal the day before yesterday - a rice bowl with black beans and roasted potato, carrot, and broccoli.

Oh interesting. Nope, I'm not really into electronica as a whole. The name is pulled from my love of punk rock and the fact that I'm neurodivergent (or 'neurospicy' lol). Also I feel that a lot of what I do can be, lovingly, referred to as nonsense.

What's DnB?

Gone on walks everyday so far this week. This morning it was foggy which was fun. Dinner was plant based and small - just whole grain toast with peanut butter and a pear on the side. I had a large lunch so I ended up not feeling hungry enough to actually make a proper dinner.

Week 3 Summary Goal 1 - Eat Well: Had three plant based dinners this week. Potato leek soup and two falafel dinners. Maintaining decent fiber intake with food like rice, rye crackers, fresh fruit, and whole grain breads. Goal 2 - Walk Tall: Went on all 7 walks this week. Struggling with posting a little but I swear I'm doing the work!