Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder
(ADHD)
comes
with
many
challenges,
which
commonly
include
“getting
distracted,
staying
motivated
and
following
through,”
according
to

Brighid
Gannon,
a
psychiatric
nurse
practitioner
and
co-founder
of
Lavender,
an
online
psychiatry
practice.
These
issues
make
completing
tasks
extremely
difficult
for
many
people
with
ADHD
―
so
much
so
that
there’s
a
name
for
it:

task
paralysis.

“The
idea
of
task
paralysis
is
you

want
to
start
a
task
―
your
brain
could
be
screaming
at
you,
‘get
up
and
do
the
task,’
but
some
invisible,
unseen
barrier
is
preventing
it,”
said

Andrew
Robinson,
a
licensed
clinical
social
worker
and
ADHD-certified
clinical
services
provider.
Task
paralysis
is
an
example
of
executive
dysfunction,
a
common
symptom
of
ADHD
that
makes
it
really
tough
to
get
up
and
do
(and
complete)
a
task,
Robinson
said.

On

social
media,
there
is
no
shortage
of
hacks
to
tackle
executive
dysfunction
and
task
paralysis,
specifically.
One
that
went
viral
recently
claims
that
“house
shoes”

are
a
way
to
combat
task
paralysis
and
get
necessary
chores
done.

Basically,
people
say
wearing
specific
shoes
in
the
house
(anything
from
sneakers
to
comfy
sandals)
helps
provide
motivation
to
get
tasks
done.

Mental
health
providers
told
HuffPost
the
idea
of
“house
shoes”
to
defeat
task
paralysis
makes
complete
sense.
Your
body
goes
into
“rest
mode”
when
you
get
home
and
take
off
your
shoes,
which
would
feasibly
then
lead
to
struggle
doing
a
task,
Gannon
said.

“Our
body
is
connected
to
our
mind
…
there’s
certain
physical
cues
that
change
the
state
that
we’re
in,
and
I
could
absolutely
see
when
you
take
your
shoes
off,
you
go
into
rest
mode,”
Gannon
said.
“There
are
neurons
on
the
bottom
of
your
feet
that
talk
to
your
brain,
so
I
could
absolutely
see
if
you
get
to
your
house
and
you
simply
switch
into
your
house
shoes,
your
brain
is
staying
in
active
mode
and
it’s
signaling
to
keep
your
motivation
up
so
that
you
can
finish
your
tasks.”

Robinson
added
that
starting
a
task
isn’t
easy,
but
house
shoes
can
be
the
trigger
that
gets
your
head
into
task
mode.

“People
are
very
creative
with
how
we
work
around
our
task
initiation
barriers,
and
I
think
when
we’re
able
to
have
something
that
puts
our
brain
into
the
concept
of
‘OK,
I
associate
this
with
work,’
that
association
takes
some
of
the
hurdle
out
of
starting
the
task,”
Robinson
said.

Picking
a
simple
chore
to
do
in
your
home
shoes
is
a
great
way
to
start
your
house
shoe
habit.

“I
think
the
problem
for
a
lot
of
us
with
ADHD,
we
get
really
big,
lofty
ideas,”
Robinson
said.
Because
of
this,
it’s
best
to
pick
a
small
to-do
item
as
your
foray
into
completing
tasks
while
wearing
house
shoes.
This
way,
you
won’t
set
yourself
up
for
failure.

“Maybe
start
with
doing
the
dishes.
Maybe
start
with
wiping
off
the
windows
or
the
counters,”
Robinson
suggested.

Allow
yourself
to
get
into
the
habit
of
doing
a
specific
chore
while
wearing
your
house
shoes.
Then,
make
sure
you’re
only
wearing
the
shoes
while
doing
the
task,
Robinson
said.
“Don’t
intermingle.
It
wont
work,”
Robinson
stressed.
“As
soon
as
you’re
done
with
that
task,
take
off
those
shoes.”

Don’t
get
discouraged
if
this
hack
doesn’t
work
for
your
task
paralysis,
Robinson
said.
“Not
only
is
it
not
going
to
work
for
everyone,
but
there’s
different
ways
that
you
can
try
it
if
it
doesn’t
work
right
away,”
he
said.

You
could
put
on
your
house
shoes
with
a
different
outfit
and
see
if
that
helps.
Or
you
could
put
on
some
motivational
music
as
you
try
to
complete
the
must-do
task.

“Try
this,
but
also
give
it
some
time
to
see
if
it
will
work,”
Robinson
added.
If
it
doesn’t,
there
are
other
strategies
out
there.

Gannon
said
if
you
feel
like
you’re
struggling
with
task
paralysis
or
any
other
symptoms
of
ADHD,
it’s
a
good
idea
to
see
a
psychiatrist
or
psychiatric
nurse
practitioner
for
an
assessment
to
determine
whether
or
not
you
have
ADHD.

“That’s
the
first
step,
and
it
can
be
really
empowering,”
Gannon
said.
“Then
they
can
talk
to
their
provider
about
what
treatment
modalities
are
available
to
them,”
she
noted.

Completing
tasks
is
a
way
to
build
up
self-worth
in
people
with
ADHD
—
and
in
those
without
the
diagnosis,
too.

“What
I’ve
read
from
people
on
social
media
that
are
using
this
life
hack
that
have
ADHD,
they’re
able
to
stay
motivated
longer
and
accomplish
more
in
their
day,
which
not
only
allows
you
to
have
better
functioning
in
your
life,
but
also
it
has
a
positive
effect
on
your
self-esteem
as
well,”
Gannon
said.

People
who
have
ADHD
face
a
lot
of
self-criticism
over
not
being
able
to
complete
certain
things,
she
added.
“I
would
imagine
when
you’re
able
to
complete
the
tasks
of
the
day
that
you
want
to
complete,
it
really
does
help
with
your
self-esteem
and
your
self-worth,”
she
said.
“As
a
human
being,
we
all
need
that.”

Kate
Hanselman,
the
vice
president
of
clinical
psychiatry
at

Thriveworks,
added
that
for
people
with
ADHD,
there
can
be
shame
and
embarrassment
around
the
inability
to
do
certain
things.
“And
there
also
can
be
some
grief
around
that.
Like,
why
do
I
have
to
figure
out
house
shoes
when
everybody
else
just
seems
to
be
able
to
do
their
chores?”
Hanselman
said.

Hanselman
described
behaviors
like
completing
tasks
as
“human
skills”
that
some
people
implicitly
can
do
and
others
have
to
learn
explicitly.

“That’s
the
difference,”
she
said.
Thinking
of
it
this
way
can
“reduce
…
some
of
the
shame
and
stigma
around
wanting,
needing,
leveraging
extra
tools
when
we
describe
them
not
only
as
tools
to
support
people
who
are
neurodivergent,
but
tools
to
support
humans
to
do
stuff,”
Hanselman
added.

Anyone,
neurodivergent
or
not,
can
benefit
from
having
house
shoes
to
help
them
complete
boring
chores.

“Everybody
has
a
hard
time
with
motivation,
transition,
etc.
I’ll
teach
everybody
these
tools,
and
they
can
be
particularly
helpful
for
people
with
ADHD,”
said
Hanselman.