The Lie of “Catching Up” (And Why You’re Not Behind)

If you feel behind, you’re not alone. ADHD and sensitive nervous systems need rest—not more pressure to catch up to a timeline that isn’t real.

You don’t have to abandon everything to reconnect with yourself.

Let’s talk about something that haunts so many of us—especially if you're highly sensitive, neurodivergent, or just plain exhausted from trying to keep up:

That feeling of being behind.

I’ve felt it deeply lately.
Not just in the “I haven’t written in a while” way—
but in the full-body, world-is-too-much, nervous system-is-overloaded kind of way.

When Life Rearranges You

The past few weeks have been heavy.
We’re still navigating some hard things around my husband’s health. Waiting. Tests. Uncertainty.
And we had to say goodbye to our kitty of 16 years.
He was more than a pet. He was family. Comfort. Constant.

Grief rearranges everything.
So does caregiving.
So does stress that won’t resolve itself.

You wake up and the day already feels like too much—
but the rest of the world keeps spinning like nothing happened.
And in comes that pressure to “catch up.”

But Catching Up to What?

“Catching up” is a lie.
It’s something we tell ourselves when we feel like we’re not enough.

But behind what?
Behind who?
What timeline are we chasing?
And who made the rules?

Most of the time, it’s not about the to-do list.
It’s about shame.
It’s about the fear that we’ve fallen out of step with what’s expected.

The Deeper Pattern for ADHDers

When you're ADHD you've likely spent much of your life masking, hustling, or explaining yourself—you know this shame well.

You feel it:

when you need more rest
when you don’t bounce back quickly
when grief takes longer than expected
when your energy doesn’t show up on demand

But here’s what I’m learning (over and over again):

You can’t catch up to yourself by abandoning yourself.

You don’t reconnect by running faster.
You reconnect by slowing down.
By softening.
By returning to yourself—not the expectations placed on you.

Reclaiming Your Own Rhythm

You’re allowed to say no.
To go quiet.
To go inward.
You don’t have to explain or justify the way your body asks for care.

There’s power in pause.
There’s wisdom in rest.
There’s clarity in stillness.

You don’t need permission. You already have it.

So Today I’m Not Catching Up

I’m not fixing it.
I’m just showing up.
From here. As I am.

And if you’re reading this from your own pile of “things I meant to do,”
please hear this:

You’re not behind.
You’re just a human with a full nervous system—finding your way again.

Let’s stop chasing a timeline that was never built for us.
Let’s meet ourselves where we actually are.

🎧 A gentle practice that might help:
[Seated Sway for Soothing →]
A small way to reconnect with your body—no pressure, no performance, just presence.

Categories: : RESTORE → Self-Worth & Identity