Prioritizing Self-Care as an Artist: Understanding Autism and Executive Functions

As an artist and a neurodivergent individual, self-care has always been a struggle for me. It’s not that I don’t care about my physical and mental health, it’s just that my brain seems wired lately to prioritize my art and business over everything else. In the past and related to other matters, it has led to a lot of guilt, shame, and frustration over the years, as I’ve struggled to maintain basic self-care routines like brushing my hair, eating well, and normal sleep schedule, just to name a few.

One of the biggest challenges for me has been recognizing the impact of executive functions on my ability to take care of myself. Executive functions are the mental processes that help us plan, prioritize, and initiate actions. For neurodivergent individuals like myself, these functions can be impaired or disrupted, making it harder for me to do the things needed for myself.

In truth between ideas and concepts and the tasks needed to be done, my brain NEVER shuts off it seems. I also drink too much coffee and my sleep schedule is often rugged. For me, this means that my executive functions often prioritize my art over self-care. It also happens to be a coping mechanism to not focus on my real problems.

Hours spent lost in my creative process, forgoing eating, drinking water, or take a break helps me forget about some things I cannot control which make me sad. I will hyper focus till the job is done.  It is how I have always been and going to bed when I am almost done with something I am working on is my number one struggle.

I love going for a walks and feel really accomplished getting up with the sun, getting mani pedis, wearing make-up etc. These are things that make me feel good. However my brain will divert my attention towards other things and will prioritize those as need to be done first. Such as creating art, business, laundry, and cleaning house, when I was a parent everyone's needs came before my own. Oh I am up with the sun but probably because I have not been to bed yet...eek.

But understanding the impact of executive functions on my self-care has also given me some insight into how I can work with my brain to develop strategies that support my well-being. Breaking down my activities into smaller, more manageable steps, for example, can make them feel less overwhelming and more achievable. Mondays are laundry day & house chores, Thursday is bills etc.

Creating a mental schedule provides a structure that my brain can follow. I also randomly congratulate myself out loud, as silly as that seems. Once I get on a day schedule I am really feeling accomplished. However, I tend to hyper focus on creating art and content, my business. It tends to be all encompassing, spread out, like a web with many sections that all are connected.

Another strategy I have been working on is setting goals and rewards for completing self-care activities. By linking self-care to a positive outcome, even a small one, I’m more motivated to prioritize these activities and follow through on them. I actually have something in the think tank to facilitate this reward system not just for myself but for others too. It's important to celebrate the small daily wins.

Struggling with self-care as an artist and a neurodivergent individual is a common challenge, but it’s not insurmountable. By recognizing the impact of executive functions on our ability to take care of ourselves and developing strategies that work with our unique brains, we can prioritize our health and well-being and lead happier, healthier lives.

Now that things are up and running next week my focus will be on sleep schedule, walking at least five times a week, and turning off the devices at a decent hour.

I am still a work in progress.