You know, a few years ago, I first learned about "self-regulation" and "executive function."
At the time, I think I said to myself, you know, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of college if I had had some of this "executive function" and "self-regulation" stuff. It looks kind of helpful.
This was also when I discovered that corporate law firms prefer that their young attorneys have "executive function" and "self-regulation".
I really did have the most fascinating performance reviews over the years. I still think about them today. They are works of art.
I'm guessing you never went to preschool. That's where they teach that stuff. It's not your fault if you were deprived of that experience.
If you want to teach yourself self regulation, get a bag of m and ms, and every time you DON'T react to someone else's emotions with emotion, give your self an m and m.
Executive function, well, that's a middle school skill. Did you go to middle school? No excuses if you did, but you can still learn. No m and ms. Instead, you need to get a big zippered binder and carry it around with you, and practice drills: You have 10 seconds to get paper A out of the binder.
It's never too late to learn. Be gentle on yourself.
