What Is ADHD Paralysis?

It’s 11pm, and you have a history paper due in the morning. When it was assigned a few weeks ago you were excited to choose “one person, topic, or event” from the Progressive Era and really dig into it. You opened several tabs and created a special document just for research because you have ADHD and love a Google rabbit hole. But you haven’t looked at that document until now — and it’s blank.

Your heart is in your throat. Your mind is a void. You pull out your phone to escape the familiar feeling of shame. How could you let this happen — again?

If, like me, you have ADHD, you’ve probably experienced a deeply frustrating phenomenon called ADHD paralysis. It is not an actual form of paralysis — just a powerful feeling of being frozen or stuck. It doesn’t always, or only, apply to writing a paper or meeting a deadline, though those are common things that can trigger it. ADHD paralysis is when you’re faced with completing a task or making a decision, and no matter how badly you want to do it, you simply… can’t.

ADHD paralysis isn’t an official symptom of ADHD, though most people with ADHD have experienced it. Larisa Litvinov, PhD, a senior psychologist in the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, describes it as a phenomenon that happens when multiple challenges related to ADHD collide. For example, many people with ADHD tend to struggle with procrastination, executive function, starting tasks (called task initiation), time management, and planning ahead.

“If you have trouble managing your time, things pile up. So then getting started is hard. And as the deadline approaches, you can get very overwhelmed,” Dr. Litvinov explains. “So that’s where the anxiety and ADHD come together — you just shut down and can’t do anything.”

It’s common to have both anxiety and ADHD, Dr. Litvinov says. But even people who aren’t officially diagnosed with an anxiety disorder can experience acute stress when faced with too many tasks or tasks that feel difficult to begin.

This is what makes ADHD paralysis distinct from executive dysfunction, though the two are related. When you have problems with executive functioning, you struggle with skills that include planning, prioritizing, and managing time. In ADHD paralysis mode, you freeze in the face of a task because you’re overwhelmed, not because you don’t know how to do it.

Zack, who is in his 20s and was diagnosed with ADHD in high school, says he often gets stuck when faced with small tasks he has to do for himself — making an appointment, for example. And as a result, he frequently avoids these tasks for so long that he forgets about them.

“It’s not like I consciously make the decision to not do it,” he says. “I just kind of default and blank out.”

Like a lot of people with ADHD, Zack says he beats himself up about this. I get it — I do, too. Especially as you get older, it can feel profoundly embarrassing to admit that you overwhelmed by basic tasks, much less larger ones.

But I am here to tell you that the first and most important step to taming ADHD paralysis is to acknowledge that it happens and to let go of the shame — which can only compound the anxiety and the paralysis, Dr. Litvinov says. “Like, ‘Oh my God, I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe I put this off.’ Compassion for yourself is so important.”

When you stop thinking of ADHD paralysis a personal failing, you will be able see it as a series of tangible problems you can actually solve.

ADHD paralysis is divided into three categories. This is important because knowing your particular flavor of stuck can help you figure out what to do about it.

Mental paralysis is when you shut down because you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you’re bombarded by too many thoughts, too many emotions, or too many stimuli — whatever the case, you just can’t organize your thoughts.

Also known as “analysis paralysis,” choice paralysis is when you get stuck overthinking a decision. It can be a big decision, like choosing a college or a major, or it can be a ridiculously small one. You might get stuck just deciding if you want to eat breakfast or take a shower first.

Task paralysis can make an appearance when you’re faced with a long-term project. You might get stuck prioritizing the steps involved or freeze up just thinking about how long it will take to do. But it can also refer to short, simple tasks — calling the doctor, filling out an application — that feel boring, so you avoid them.

“Prevention is the best solution,” says Dr. Litvinov, who also has ADHD. “By the time you get to paralysis, that’s when it becomes much more challenging.”

This might be frustrating to hear — like being told the best way to treat the flu is to not get sick. But putting specific, targeted efforts into preventing ADHD paralysis will help you when you do get stuck.

Think of a task or set of tasks that are historically difficult for you and ask yourself why. Is the task boring? Is it difficult? Are you afraid the end result won’t be very good? Or does it seem so complicated that you just don’t know where to start?

For tasks that aren’t very interesting — cleaning your room, completing assignments for classes you’re not that into — consider body doubling.

The term body doubling sounds more intriguing than it actually is — it simply refers to another person being in the same room with you while you do something. They don’t even have to be doing the same thing. Studying at the kitchen table while your mom pays the bills? Body doubling. Cleaning your room while your friend reads a book on the floor? Body doubling.

Dr. Litvinov acknowledges that people gravitate toward certain strategies, and the same things won’t necessarily work for everyone. Still, she says, “Body doubling is one that works for almost everybody.”

You might think it would be distracting to work with another person around, but it’s been shown to improve focus and motivation for people with ADHD. (Researchers theorize that reduced motivation is a key factor in the disorder.) I often feel a sense of relief with a body double, like I can shut off the part of my brain that worries I won’t stay on task.

But body doubling should be intentional. Choose someone you trust, let them know what your task is, and set a specific amount of time — for your body double’s sake, if not your own.

For tasks that are complicated or daunting — starting a long-term project, studying for a test in a challenging subject — consider the Pomodoro technique. (So named because the guy who came up with it had a kitchen timer that looked like a tomato — pomodoro in Italian.) The Pomodoro method involves working on a task for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break.

Sometimes, getting started on a task, especially when you expect it to be hard or to take a long time, can feel impossible. The Pomodoro technique offers you a way to dip your toe in the proverbial water. You don’t have to sit down and complete the whole task — that could take hours! You only have to work on it for 25 minutes. And then you can stop.

Often, people with ADHD just need a nudge to begin and can keep going on their own. If you’re really under the wire, that can be great, but Emilie, a Pomodoro evangelist who was diagnosed with ADHD in college, says this tendency can present its own challenges in everyday life. “I’m prone to hyperfocus,” she says. “My biggest problem after getting started is stopping.”

Hyperfocus can be very effective, but it can also make you lose track of time — you might realize that you’ve been rewriting the same sentence for an hour or that you haven’t had a drink of water since 8am. So, the Pomodoro technique can also help you manage your time in a way that’s both healthier and more productive.

Think about times when it seemed like every task put you in paralysis mode. Was it at the end of the semester, when you had a bunch of assignments due at the same time? Was it after you pulled an all-nighter (or several) and just couldn’t catch up on sleep? Or was it during a particularly tough time in your life — like after a breakup or a death in the family? Sometimes, ADHD paralysis can happen when you’re physically depleted or emotionally dysregulated (meaning you’re having trouble managing your emotions), especially if you have anxiety or depression.

“For teens with anxiety or depression, they kind of go into a spiral,” says Dr. Litvinov. “Maybe they don’t get enough sleep and then they can’t get started and then they put it off, saying they’ll do it tomorrow.”

Despite your best efforts at prevention, you’re in paralysis mode again. Remember, anxiety is a big part of it — you’re zoning out or looking at your phone to escape the feeling, not just the task. So, ask yourself what you actually need in order to reboot your brain.

We’re talking baby steps, so let’s break it down. Do you need…

Stimulation: Think about your sensory needs. Do you need to take a walk around the room or do some jumping jacks? Do you need to change your environment — go to a different room, or even just sit on the floor instead of a chair? Do you need to be listening to music? (Dr. Litvinov swears by ADHD Focus Music on Spotify.) Do you need water? Do you need to eat?

A break: The break has to be intentional to make sure you don’t lost in it, Dr. Litvinov warns. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes — but don’t use your break to look at a screen. This is about shifting your focus to something specific. Do some yoga or a breathing exercise. Take a shower. Clean your workspace — “but not in a hyperfocus way,” says Dr. Litvinov. “Cleaning can feel like planning and prioritizing, but that’s really wishful thinking. Spending three hours organizing your desk does not move you any closer to the end goal of finishing the paper.”

A reality check: When it comes to actually completing the task at hand, break it down into chunks. The Pomodoro method can be effective here. Yes, you have to write this whole paper tonight, but thinking about it that way is too daunting. Less daunting: writing the intro in 25 minutes. Or some other chunk of time that feels doable. And for my fellow overthinkers and perfectionists out there, Dr. Litvinov offers some important advice.

“I know for myself, I often will go down a rabbit hole of, what’s the most important part? And do all this research. No. Let’s just start. That’s the big thing,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be done.”