Avoiding Your Taxes (Again)? How Anxiety and ADHD Make Daunting Tasks Feel Impossible – and What to Do About It
/Keep Avoiding Your Taxes? Here’s How Anxiety and ADHD Might Be Getting in the Way
The deadline to file taxes is fast approaching, and you’ve been putting it off. The pressure is building, yet you haven’t started. If you’re feeling the dread and shame that come with procrastinating on taxes, you’re not alone.
Many people with anxiety, ADHD, or both struggle with big, boring, or stressful tasks like this. You might think:
> “I know I need to do it… so why can’t I just get it done?”
As a therapist in Cincinnati who works with people dealing with anxiety and ADHD, I hear this all the time. I even experience this myself. This experience isn’t merely putting off a task you don’t like. The stress can be all-consuming. It’s a mix of dreading the task, shame from putting it off, and anxiety about how it’s going to go. If you do 1099 work and haven’t kept up on bookkeeping all year, the task of organizing your expenses can feel like a huge task.
Why Is This So Hard?
Here’s the truth: It’s not because you’re lazy.
Anxiety can make your brain go into “what if” mode:
What if I do it wrong?
What if I owe too much?
What if I mess this up?
ADHD makes it harder to start tasks, especially ones that feel boring or overwhelming. It’s hard to estimate how long it will actually take, and that ambiguity is hard to plan for. You might run into a question you aren’t sure about, or have to find something you weren’t expecting. The ambiguity coupled with the tedious nature of the task are like torture to an ADHD brain.
When anxiety and ADHD team up, it can feel almost impossible to get started. It can also start the shame spiral about money struggles and other tasks you have a hard time with.
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What’s Happening in Your Brain?
When your brain thinks a task is too big or too stressful, it goes into “protect mode.”
That might look like:
Procrastinating
Getting distracted
Feeling frozen
Feeling guilty
This is your brain trying to keep you safe—but it ends up causing more stress.
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5 Simple Tricks to Help You Get Started
If you start now, you don’t have to finish it all today. Just take one small step. These tips can help:
1. The 15-Minute Rule
Tell yourself: “I only have to do this for 15 minutes.”
Starting is often the hardest part. Once you begin, it might feel easier to keep going. Or you can stop and take a break. Getting started will give you more information about what to expect.
2. Work with Support
Try body doubling—doing the task while someone else is nearby, even virtually. Even telling someone that you’re doing your taxes at a specific time can provide some social pressure to get started.
3. Break It Down
Instead of “do taxes,” write out tiny steps like:
Find my W-2 or 1099
Log into my tax software
Enter my demographics
Gather all documents
Write out the list of all the tasks you’ll need to do so you can organize your brain and work on one thing at a time. When you cross it off, give yourself a treat or a quick break. Reward yourself like a dog.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
Realize that you are not alone. Many high achieving, smart, and competent people also procrastinate on their taxes. This is not a time for moral judgment. It’s a time for compassion and understanding - this is a royal pain and many people are also in the same boat. Decide on a reward for when you finish.
5. Set the mood to support productivity
If you’ve got ADHD, you need a boost of energy and dopamine to focus. If you’re on a task of gathering documents or entering information like copy/paste, play music that hypes you up and makes you feel good. For example, a Xennial might use a 90’s Alternative playlist to remind you of a time you wished to be an adult with all these freedoms. Once you’re on a task where you have to think, then you might need some instrumental music or white noise to concentrate.
Movement can also help. Move your body before starting and on breaks, or even while you’re working.
If you’re really struggling and it helps, caffeine and sugar can give you a boost of energy. No judgment. We’re going for whatever is going to get this big task done before the deadline. Know your body though and be mindful of a blood sugar crash that may be coming.
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Is It More Than Just Procrastination?
If this happens a lot—at work, with bills, or with simple tasks—it might be time to get support.
Therapy can help you:
Understand your brain
Feel less stuck
Build tools that work for you
Be gentler with yourself
You don’t have to keep pushing through alone.
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Looking for a therapist to help you manage ADHD and Anxiety?
You don’t need to wait until things get worse.
Let’s take that first step together.
If you’re in Ohio or Indiana, reach out today to schedule a free consultation or learn more about how therapy can help. Call/text me at 513-461-2045 or click here to schedule a call.
