Only Mostly Functional

For too many of us, it can feel like we're doing life on hard mode. We aren't just juggling work and home life and relationships—some of us also battle our own brain chemistry or our brain's wiring, or feel like all our nerve endings are turned up to 11. Some of us grew up in dysfunctional households and never learned certain vital skills like emotional regulation or even practical things, like how to keep a house clean.I've been there. Some days, I'm still there. I was nearly 40 before I started to feel like a somewhat functional adult, like my life was finally beginning to come under my control. So how did I get here? Trying a lot of different things, and failing at most of them, until I found something that made my life better. Getting diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and ADHD as an adult gave me some concrete answers—and new avenues of treatment—but diagnosis isn't a magic pill, or a solution for everyone.Drawing from twenty years of adulthood, this book compiles many of the strategies and tips I tried, learned, or invented to help get me through life—or sometimes, just the day. Whether you struggle with self-doubt, productivity challenges, or societal expectations, I hope this book will be a source of both empathy and practical advice.In this book, I suggest tips for finding and maintaining focus, managing your emotions, building resilience, and cultivating a mindset of self-compassion, as well as dead practical things like how to structure your day, achieve and maintain a more ordered home, and meal plan without analysis paralysis.I can't promise you'll break the cycle of self-criticism, but I hope to help you embrace your imperfections and celebrate your strengths, help you tackle your struggles and know when you can relax and let it go—and most of all, to remember that you're wonderful and lovable just the way you are.