Overcoming the Wall of Awful: Why It's Hard to Get Things Done with ADHD, Autism, and Anxiety (and How to Do Them Anyway)

"Overcoming the Wall of Awful is not only endlessly validating, but epically empowering. This book needs to be in the hands of everyone who has ever failed at anything." -Jessica McCabe, New York Times bestselling author of How to ADHD

We've all had that feeling when we need to do something as simple as cleaning the kitchen or sending an email and we just...can't. Over time, past failures and negative emotions-shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, anger, and disappointment-can build up, isolating us and keeping us from achieving our goals. It's not that we don't want to accomplish our goals. We just feel paralyzed. We're not aimless. We're not lazy. Our brains are working against us! We have purpose; we just need guidance.

This is that guide. Just like bricks, negative emotions and experiences can build up, creating what feels like an impenetrable wall between us and our goals. Educator and ADHD expert Brendan Mahan calls this the Wall of Awful-and he's lived it. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Mahan has made it his life's work to help people overcome their own Walls of Awful and accomplish their biggest, boldest ambitions. Now, in Overcoming the Wall of Awful, Brendan shares his comprehensive model and practical strategies to help anyone with executive function issues do just that.

The book explores:

• how anxiety shuts down the executive function of the brain, making everything harder
• why smashing through the Wall can hurt more than it helps
• ways to manage your emotions so you can put a door in your Wall
• how to climb your Wall of Awful and take back control!

You'll learn how to identify the bricks in your Wall (aka key emotions). Then you'll learn the tricks, systems, and habits you'll need not to climb just one Wall, but to overcome the blocks throughout your life, one step at a time. The Wall is real, but you are stronger than you know.