Tips for overcoming ADHD paralysis and improving school performance

I sometimes write a SUPER to do list aka write down everything I can think of, then ask someone to help me organize it in an order that makes sense. At the top I try to add something small and enjoyable (like organizing my stickers then adding them to my calendar, before I check my emails). That sometimes helps me get started! Good luck though, and try to be gentle with yourself. The "stuck spot" is a really hard place to be, so don't be afraid to reach out to loved / trusted ones for some help

I try to use grounding techniques to regain consciousness of my surroundings. So try to listen to something in your surroundings, feel the texture of something and pay attention to your breathing :)

Here's my advice: if you do have professors you can ask for something like this, tell them you're overwhelmed and ask for the order they'd recommend doing stuff in if you have like notes and different types of hw in each class. Or if you feel super comfortable or have a disability accommodation, you can ask for a notes outline for while you're reading or studying (if you have reading homework). So maybe if you have a little more direction on what to do, it won't feel so overwhelming. I've had some of my professors make checklists of the order to do things on online class and it's been really helpful. Or if they have a study guide, maybe ask them to give it to you ahead of time so you know what your goals are going in. If you use a short-release pill, my advice is to at least try to sit down with your work (if you can do that at all, I understand paralysis might stop you from doing that as well) before you take it. Sometimes taking my meds before I've chosen what to do and started locks me in paralysis. Deep breaths help more than I used to give them credit for so maybe that'll help too if you're having anxiety before starting. Some colleges also have disability specialists who can plan with you what to do first each week. Maybe your high school guidance counselor would be willing to help? Or you could copy the order a friend who has your same classes does their work in. Overall, find an outside source to tell you what to do first, try some self soothing to get some of that physical anxiety out (fidgets, breathing, exercise, whatever helps. Stuff that you don't have to move around to do works best for me because it doesn't require me to take much action while I'm feeling frozen, so maybe make a list of your stims or place some fidgets around the most common physical locations where you get frozen), and don't take a short release pill before you know what you're going to do are what I do for myself. I hope this helps and also hope this isn't like obvious advice that already doesn't help you or that you can't put in place due to paralysis. If you have accomodations, you can also ask your teacher to give you graded deadlines (or meetings, checks to see if you've worked) throughout the unit for specific tasks so you know what your biggest immediate priority is and have that fire under your butt. I'd also look into stuff to help anxiety if you have an anxiety disorder. Once I got treated for mine, I haven't had as much ADHD paralysis since I can take care of the overwhelmed feeling with anxiety tools rather than with prioritization, which I'm not great at. All of this is more prevention than anything else. Snapping out is hard once it's already set in, but I focus on grounding exercises, fidgeting, and other stuff to get me taking some kind of action to reduce my anxiety that isn't total avoidance. If this is high school, and you don't have problems with paralysis in class, I liked to keep myself on the wave of working. Don't put away your hw and writing utensil from the last class, keep it in your hand as you walk out of school, and if you're on the bus riding home, start it right there while you're on the tail end of the momentum from class. Keep going when you get home for a bit, then take a break for snack and everything else after you've already established what you're doing and have one thing started. When I drove home, I'd find a video related to my last class (maybe one you already watched in class, or if you have an audio player that reads documents, you could have it read some notes to you) and listen to it on your way home (not too carefully or anything, just to keep the subject in there) still keeping your hw and pencil out of your bookbag so when you walk inside you have to hold it. Same thing with walking back to your dorm from a college class. Maybe don't even walk back, I liked to find a place nearby so I don't even have to close your computer.

MKe a to do list and add thr make a to list and check it off. It gulps sonetimes