Self-Affirming Acknowledgements

Neurodivergent (ND) folks have their own ways of functioning. We do things when we are motivated, and to-do lists don’t typically motivate us. Use self-affirming acknowledgements instead, and celebrate what you are doing well.

To-Do lists can set us ND’s up for feeling like we are falling short… again. They can feel like a looming, glaring guilt trip of a reminder that we don’t tend to function in rigid ways. Here are a couple different takes on tracking and celebrating what we’ve accomplished instead of letting the shadow of ‘should-do’ bring us down.

You don’t have to fill in every section. No one’s judging.

You can use spaces to write whatever you want rather than answering the questions.

Dopamine helps energize us. When we celebrate the wins, or even what might seem like the smallest of accomplishments, we get a dose of dopamine which helps fuel us for the next thing we want to do. Plus, with every win, we are self-affirming that our ways work for us on our own timelines.

Treat these pages as a record of your wins on any given day. You can set yourself up for a reward (eg., I cleaned the kitchen counter at least once three days this week).

Trying to meet the expectations of others might be making you think you are not enough or aren’t doing things ‘right’. Over time you’ll see you are achieving more than you think. And you’re doing it your way!