Ep. 03: "Facing Fears and Shifting Gears": Lazy? Stupid? No! You Just Need Help Developing Executive Functioning Skills
What are executive functioning skills? For years, I just thought I was a "messy person". And I hated it. I was ashamed of it, actually. I was jealous of people who seem to have it all together: Their bills are paid on time, they always have clean laundry, they show up on time for appointments, their meals are prepped so they never end up at a fast food drive through in a hurry, and their house and their entire lives are organized. I thought my inability to organize my life, and just plain be able to "adult" like an adult, was a character flaw. I thought maybe I was just lazy or just too stupid and immature to get my life in order. Well, after my informal autism diagnosis, I learned about something called "executive functioning skills". I also learned that those of us on the autism spectrum have a hard time developing executive functioning skills without help. Executive functioning skills (according to Harvard University) refers to "a set of skills that underlie the capacity to plan ahead and meet goals, display self-control, follow multiple-step directions even when interrupted, and stay focused despite distractions, among others. Much like an air traffic control system at an airport helps planes on different runways land and take off safely, executive function skills help our brains prioritize tasks, filter distractions, and control impulses. No one is born with Executive Function Skills, but nearly everyone can learn them. Our genes provide the blueprint for learning these skills, but they develop through experiences and practice." (Harvard.edu) So, I hired an executive functioning coach and, quite honestly, without my executive functioning skills therapy, I probably would have never organized myself well enough to get this podcast up!! *********************************** My name is Leslie Reyes, and I'm the author of the IndieBRAG award-winning Amazon best-seller, "The Zen of Learning to Ride a Motorcycle: How I Faced My Fears, Shifted Gears, and Found Healing from Anxiety, Codependency, and Depression." I have worked as a psychiatric and chemical dependency nurse, yoga teacher, and I'm also a motorcycle enthusiast. I have seen mental illness up close, first as the daughter of a schizophrenic mother and later through my own personal mental health struggles. I never expected a motorcycle would one day be the guru I needed to change my life habits and finally learn to trust myself. I live with my husband, our five motorcycles, and two dogs in Northern California. This is a podcast about mental health, neurodiversity, and changing our perspective when life brings us challenges, in order to heal and thrive! (This podcast is not a substitute for mental health care or autism treatment). Website: https://www.lesliereyesauthor.com Buy my audiobook here: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Learning-Ride-Motorcycle-Codependency/dp/B0BL2HBP56/ Thank you for joining me!
