Thread by @ABCsofADHD

One of the first steps in managing your mental health is to learning to recognize your automatic, irrational thought patterns and spirals.

Instead of being dragged along by the emotional wave, learning to keep your head above water, breathe and slowly swim towards the shore. /1

So for me, one of my common spirals was when I faced failure.

I would AUTOMATICALLY (stressed because they start off completely subconscious and automatic) start thinking:

'Of course I failed. I'm a failure after all. This is why I should never try.' /2

These automatic spirals would drag me along and make me feel worse.

At first, I had to sit down and consciously work on them. Learn to recognize and stop the thoughts.

After a few years, it became automatic. When I start feeling bad, I habitually stop the spiraling. /3

Yes, this is a learned skill and we get better with practice.

So for RSD:

I start feeling bad, and my coping method kicks in.

I remind myself that I have RSD so it probably wasn't as bad as I think and start looking at alternative angles. /4

butthethingis.com/how-i-beat-bac…

For negative emotions in general, I remind myself that it will pass.

The intensity and our focus issues can mean we start hyperfocusing on the negative emotions.

Time blindness can make it feel like it has and will last forever.

But everything is temporary and will pass. /5