Category: Identity and Self Concept
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When Identity Feels Like a Battleground: A Gentle Guide for Navigating Self-Criticism and Overwhelm
The SOS page of the ThriveMind Planner is something I’d been envisioning for a long time. It’s designed for those horrific internal moments — the moments when everything feels like it’s crumbling, and despite your best efforts, you just can’t seem to escape as it all comes crashing down. In those moments, I tend to…
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What is “Executive Functioning Access”?
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in Accountability, Blog, Cognitive Flexibility, Emotional Regulation, Environment and Sensory, Executive Function Coaching, Identity and Self Concept, Motivation & Reward, Strategies and Supports, Student Resources, Task Management, Teacher Resources, Teen Resources, Time Management, Transition, Working MemoryExecutive function refers to a core set of cognitive skills that help us manage everyday tasks—skills like working memory, organization, planning and prioritization, time management, cognitive flexibility, task initiation, emotional regulation, perseverance, and more. For neurodivergent individuals, especially those with ADHD or autism, these skills can be more difficult to access or rely on consistently.…
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![[Course Video] Tailoring the Wheel of Life for Neurodivergent Minds: A Life Coaching Tool That Actually Fits](https://executivefunctiontoolkit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/thumbnail.png)
[Course Video] Tailoring the Wheel of Life for Neurodivergent Minds: A Life Coaching Tool That Actually Fits
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in Accountability, Blog, Cognitive Flexibility, Emotional Regulation, Environment and Sensory, Executive Function Coaching, Identity and Self Concept, Motivation & Reward, PDF, Printable & Downloads, Strategies and Supports, Student Resources, Task Management, Teacher Resources, Teen Resources, Time Management, Transition, Working MemoryIf you’ve accepted the role of executive function challenges in ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, then you’ve come a long way from seeing missed deadlines and lost car keys as direct personal failures. Today, we know that these “careless” tendencies often stem from real, neurological differences—and are commonly tied to executive functioning. And yet, many…
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7 Subtle Signs of Emotional Dysregulation (and the EF Skills Behind Them)
In the previous blog post, we examined what emotional dysregulation is and isn’t, exposing how misunderstood and mischaracterized the related concepts are. The science also leaves something to be desired, considering the wide range of prevalence estimates for emotional dysregulation and adult ADHD (estimates suggest emotional dysregulation affects between 30% and 70% of ADHD adults).…
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Emotional Dysregulation in ADHD Adults: Executive Function, Neurobiology, and the Neurodivergent Experience
If you’re a psychology buff, it might interest you to know that chronic emotional dysregulation is said to “lie at the heart” of borderline personality disorder—which is widely recognized as one of the most difficult personality disorders to treat. It can be easy to assume emotional dysregulation only refers to so-called “negative” emotions, like anger…
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Hoarding Isn’t Just About Clutter: Executive Dysfunction and Hoarding Disorder
Discover how executive dysfunction and hoarding disorder interact—and find compassionate, brain-based strategies to declutter for good.
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Part I: The Invisible Struggle with Planners — “I was unsupported, not undisciplined.”
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in Accountability, Blog, Burnout & Overwhelm, Cognitive Flexibility, Emotional Regulation, Environment and Sensory, Identity and Self Concept, Motivation & Reward, Neurodivergent-Friendly Planners, PDF, Printable & Downloads, Strategies and Supports, Student Resources, Task Management, Teacher Resources, Teen Resources, Time Management, Transition, Working MemoryWhen I got to the 6th grade back in the early 2000s, the school began providing planners at the very beginning of each academic year. I remember flipping through my new planner for the first time—I was so excited to hold it, flip through it, and think about all the things I’d write in it.…
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THE TINY VOICE AND THE BIG, BAD KINGDOM
I have to admit, I think over the past month I’ve lost touch with something in me that I valued. I’m not exactly sure what it is, and for reasons I’ll share further in, I won’t put any more energy into pinpointing precisely what I mean. This is my attempt at a Hemingway-style account of…
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The Scaffold: Exploring Burnout Through Reflective Journaling
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Have you ever felt like you’re climbing a never-ending ladder, striving to meet expectations that don’t quite align with the core of who you are? If so, then perhaps you’ve also experienced the emotional toll of trying to fit into societal molds, often referred to as burnout. We hear the word “burnout” often enough, but…
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Executive Function Basics: Core Skills, Contributing Factors, and Practical Tips
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in Accountability, Blog, Burnout & Overwhelm, Cognitive Flexibility, Emotional Regulation, Environment and Sensory, Executive Function Coaching, Identity and Self Concept, Motivation & Reward, Strategies and Supports, Student Resources, Task Management, Teacher Resources, Teen Resources, Time Management, Transition, Working MemoryIn a recent essay in the Wall Street Journal, author Jenny Anderson highlights the growing demand for executive functioning support, particularly executive function coaches, amongst school age children. It’s one of the rare times we’ve seen the topic pop-up in the mainstream media. This is a welcome step towards exploring, as a society, the fundamental…