Executive Functioning Skills for ADHD and Anxiety
Executive functioning is a skill that can be strengthened through daily practice and exercises. But can these executive functioning exercises also help with ADHD and anxiety? Yes!
What is executive functioning?
Executive functioning is how your brain makes decisions, self-regulates, and focuses on tasks. The stronger your executive functioning skills, the easier it is to harness and direct your focus.
Executive Functioning and Anxiety
Is you experience anxiety, you know how hard making a decision can be. Our anxious brains give us all kinds of possible outcomes. Many of these are worst case scenarios. And we don’t want those to happen! So we avoid or delay making decisions, because we fear the outcome and the pain that may come with it.
Executive functioning skills help with decision-making. Decision-making is key to decreasing anxiety. Making a decision shows the fear-based thoughts that they do not control you. That even the worst-case scenario is something you can get through. That you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. Making decisions is a process of gaining self-trust.
When you make more conscious decisions, your anxiety decreases. Making and experiencing a choice, no matter the outcome, builds confidence. You have shown yourself that you are able to deal with whatever comes. You are training yourself out of your anxiety. And increasing executive functioning skills increases decision-making capabilities.
Executive Functioning and ADHD
Strong executive functioning skills help with ADHD. Executive functioning skills include impulse control, organization & planning, and task initiation. With ADHD you might have to turn off the impulse to go into that amazing flight of fancy while at a boring office meeting. But increasing your executive functioning skills will allow you to focus on that creative process or dive deep into your tasks at the times you want.
Executive functioning also helps organize the mind. Those 500 tasks on your to-do list won’t feel as overwhelming when your executive functioning skills are sharp, even if your ADHD makes you feel like you can handle it without a plan. You can start to plan and organize the day before it begins — not when the stress is getting to you.
Simple daily exercises to increase your executive functioning skills:
A Daily Dose of Wordle
The regular use of word, logic or brain-engaging activities is great medicine for your brain. It could be Wordle. Maybe you like Sudoku. Maybe you do your New York Times crossword (or mini, if you want a quick crossword). Or the NYT spelling bee. Maybe it’s a puzzle app on your phone. Maybe you have logic puzzle book or a book of riddles sitting on your shelf.
As long as it tickles your brain in some way and makes you think, you are increasing executive functioning skills. You are training your brain to be flexible — which is exactly what exercising executive functioning is all about. For those with ADHD, it can be the difference between feeling unfocused and focused at work. For those with anxiety, it can be the difference between avoiding that opportunity or deciding to go for it.
Learn (or keep learning) a new skill
Interested in learning Mandarin? Or have you been wanting to try that new cooking class? Perhaps you’re looking to keep up with your resolution of eating healthier in the new year (for tips on building habits click here.) Whatever it is, take time to engage your brain with new skills and information. Make a habit of craft-making every weekend. Carve in some creative self-care.
Learning a new skill involves learning to use the mind in different ways. It teaches flexible thinking and exercises the malleable part of your brain to accommodate new possibilities and new ways of thinking. Increasing this skill increases the ways that you can be intentional about your life and your choices. For those with anxiety, it can mean going to that party that makes you really nervous. For those with ADHD, it can mean starting on (and sticking with) that dream project.
Read, Listen
Pick up a good book. Read an article or a newsletter (like this one.) Find an interesting podcast. Focusing on one thing — and taking care to focus on that thing free of distractions — helps to train your executive functioning skills. Even 5-10 minutes can increase your focused attention and help your executive functioning.
Strong executive functioning skills can make daily life easier. For those with Anxiety or ADHD, they can make a world of difference. Take the time to build and exercise these skills, and see for yourself!
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