How to Task Switch with Autistic Inertia, and Help Your Nervous System Make Transitions

Inertia makes task switching super difficult. You can see the thing you need to do, you actually want to do it, and your body responds like it's completely out of reach. In this episode I get into what's happening underneath autistic inertia, and what helps once you know which kind of stuck you're in making the transition (or task switching) difficult.

Plenty of us autistics named this thing in our own community years before researchers got around to it, despite a lot of people find it one of the most disabling parts of being autistic, mostly because of the shame that gets piled on top of this state. I walk through what autistic inertia is, the difference between not being able to start and not being able to stop, and why caring about the task on its own won't get you doing the thing. I get into the nervous system side of it, why some of the usual advice can make things worse for neurodivergent brains, and a set of options matched to the kind of stuck you're actually in.

If you're ADHD or AuDHD, a lot of this will probably resonate too.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why wanting to do the task doesn't get you into the transition or task switching, even when you value it
• What's going on in your nervous system when you can't start, and when you can't stop
• How to tell which kind of autistic inertia you're in without having to read your body on cue
• Why the standard advice (start small, make a list, push through) tends to not work for many of us

CHAPTERS:

0:00 What autistic inertia actually is

1:42 The two kinds of stuck, and the crash that follows

4:32 Why hyperfocus comes from the same place as not starting

8:07 The gap between wanting to and doing it, and the shame that gets added

11:10 What's happening in the nervous system underneath

18:51 How to tell which kind of stuck you're in

21:45 Why the usual advice backfires for some of us

24:41 What to try when you can't start

31:52 What to try when you can't stop

34:03 A move that's safe when you can't tell which one you're in

35:50 Building your own version, and the one thing I'd want you to take away

RESOURCES:

Interoception resources: https://youtu.be/VVzB0qQ9nmY and https://youtu.be/ZIVvkk6eMQI

Monotropism, the autistic-developed model of attention https://monotropism.org/

A 2024 study of autistic adults on the "living in extremes" experience https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11067417/

Look for [Regulation Practice] in this podcast feed!

Asynchronous body doubling YouTube examples: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=body+doubling+%22work+with+me%22

About Audio and Video

This show is available as a video on YouTube. Some audio you are hearing is taken from the video versions that are recorded outside, and why there are some changes in the microphone quality.

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About

This podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. Jen has certifications related to healthy communities (Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy), nervous system regulation, and she is a trauma-informed certified coach. She is working towards her board certified coach (BCC) credential, and has a BFA in teaching creative arts to adults. You can find her full bio here.

This podcast was made in British Columbia, Canada by Jen deHaan.

I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, and honour the homelands of the Qualicum First Nation and the Snaw-naw-as First Nation, as well as the ties of the Snuneymuxw and K'ómoks First Nations. I would like to express gratitude to these and all First Nations for their continued stewardship of these lands and waters where I create these episodes.

DISCLAIMER:

Wired Divergent is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. If you're in crisis or need clinical support, please reach out to a qualified professional.

Crisis & Support Resources: https://jendehaan.com/mental-health-resources

Full Disclaimer: https://jendehaan.com/disclaimer

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