The Tiny Goblin in My ADHD Brain (And How I Learned to Stop Believing Everything It Says)
There is a tiny goblin that lives in my ADHD brain.
It appears whenever I forget an appointment, leave laundry in the washer for the second time, start three projects before finishing one, or spend twenty minutes looking for the phone that’s somehow in my hand.
The goblin has a favorite phrase:
“See? You’re failing again.”
If you have ADHD, you probably know this creature.
Maybe yours sounds different. Maybe it whispers:
- You’re lazy.
- You’re irresponsible.
- Everyone else has it figured out.
- Why can’t you just do simple things?
For years, I believed every word.
The problem wasn’t that I made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. The problem was that I turned every mistake into evidence against myself.
One forgotten email became proof that I was unreliable.
One unfinished project became proof that I lacked discipline.
One difficult day became proof that I wasn’t trying hard enough.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
The ADHD brain is often an unreliable narrator.
It loves collecting evidence of what went wrong while conveniently misplacing evidence of what went right.
It forgets the dozens of tasks you completed and fixates on the one you missed.
It overlooks your creativity, resilience, adaptability, and ability to solve problems in unique ways.
In other words, the goblin is terrible at keeping records.
The Garden Rule
Imagine your mind as a garden.
Every thought is a seed.
When negative self-talk shows up every day, it’s like watering weeds while ignoring the wildflowers.
The weeds grow quickly.
“I’m behind.”
“I’m a mess.”
“I’ll never get it together.”
The more attention we give those thoughts, the more room they take up.
But what if we planted something different?
Not toxic positivity.
Not pretending everything is perfect.
Just something kinder and more truthful.
Five Thought Swaps for ADHD Minds
🌿 Instead of: “I’m lazy.”
Try: “My brain needs a different strategy.”
Most people with ADHD are not struggling because they don’t care.
They’re struggling because their brains process motivation, attention, and executive function differently.
There’s a huge difference.
🌿 Instead of: “I never finish anything.”
Try: “I finish more than I give myself credit for.”
Your brain remembers unfinished tasks because they’re loud.
Finished tasks often disappear quietly into the background.
Start keeping evidence of your wins.
Even the small ones count.
Especially the small ones.
🌿 Instead of: “Everyone else has it together.”
Try: “Everyone is carrying something.”
The people who seem effortlessly organized are often struggling with things you cannot see.
Comparison is a thief that steals joy while offering absolutely nothing in return.
🌿 Instead of: “I’m behind.”
Try: “My timeline belongs to me.”
Wildflowers and oak trees do not bloom on the same schedule.
Neither do humans.
🌿 Instead of: “What’s wrong with me?”
Try: “What do I need right now?”
This question changes everything.
One comes from judgment.
The other comes from care.
One closes doors.
The other opens them.
The Truth Nobody Told Me
The goal isn’t to eliminate negative thoughts.
The goal is to stop treating them like facts.
A thought can exist without being true.
A thought can be loud without being wise.
A thought can visit without being invited to stay.
That realization changed my life.
Because once I stopped arguing with every negative thought and started questioning it instead, the goblin lost some of its power.
Not all of it.
Just enough.
And sometimes, enough is all we need.
A Gentle Reminder for Today
If you’re reading this while feeling overwhelmed, behind, scattered, exhausted, or frustrated with yourself, I want you to know something:
You are not the sum of your forgotten tasks.
You are not your unfinished to-do list.
You are not your worst day.
You are a human being navigating life with a brain that works differently.
And different is not broken.
The next time that little goblin starts rattling pots and pans in the attic of your mind, thank it for its opinion, then continue tending your garden.
The flowers deserve your attention more than the weeds.
✨ Before you go: What is one negative thought you struggle with most? Share it in the comments, and let’s practice rewriting it together.