Some neurodivergent folks get stuck in their heads because of cognitive distortions common brain processes.

An important first step is to become aware of these distortions and processes.

Awareness can be promoted through practicing effective metacognition in the way that works for you.

Many of us get stuck in our heads, ruminating. Developing our metacognition skills (a key executive function skill) can help us work on getting less stuck in our heads over time. Metacognition is the ability to reflect accurately on our experiences so we can learn lessons and carry those lessons forward. It's actually a very complex executive function skill with many steps, so if this is hard for you, you are not alone.

Rate Your Metacognition Skills

To determine if metacognition skills are a strength or a challenge, assess how much you agree with the following statements or not (Dawson & Guare, 2016).

Statement 1: You routinely evaluate your performance and develop methods for personal improvement.

Statement 2: You can step back from a situation and make objective decisions.

Statement 3: You are a big-picture thinker and enjoy problem-solving.

The more you agree with any of these statements, the more metacognition is likely a strength for you. The more you disagree with these statements, the more challenging it is.

Two Ways We Get "Stuck"

There are two primary ways we get stuck and struggle to access our metacognition skills.

1. Cognitive Distortions

The first way we get stuck in our heads is........

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