Pulling Forward: The ADHD Art of Momentum

Oct 10, 2025

Most folks talk about moving forward. Grinding through, pushing against the next obstacle, charging headfirst into the horizon.

But for many of us with ADHD, it's not the push that is hard — it's the pull.

Because each time we step, we're carrying with us a trailer of emotional baggage. The half-done concepts, the product features we've not implemented, the missed deadlines, the guilt, the overthinking and rethinking — the burden of everything we've been carrying for so many years.

The Weight We Carry

It’s like running a marathon wearing ankle weights and a weighted vest. Or one of those monster truck pulls where the goal isn’t speed — it’s endurance. You’re not racing anyone. You’re just trying to keep that chain taut, moving inch by inch, hauling the full load of your own history behind you.

Every self-critical thought adds a few more pounds. Every “I should have…” becomes another plate on the trailer.

So when neurotypical advice says “just push through it” — it doesn’t land. Because they’re sprinting. We’re pulling.

The Physics of Pulling

The thing about pulling is — it’s slow at first. It feels impossible. The friction is brutal.

But as soon as you start moving, momentum is on your side. One inch turns into two. Two turns into five feet. The load is then rolling behind you, not on you.

So the hardest step is not discipline — it's getting started. It's getting in motion. It's deciding to lean forward, grab hold of the chain, and get back to pulling again.

Lightening the Load

There will be days when you can't start because the weight's too heavy. That's okay.

You don't need to push harder — you might just need to unload first.

Clear your head.

Forgive yesterday's chaos.

Let go of the self-blame you've been carrying for miles.

Momentum isn't created out of guilt. It's created out of movement.

Pull, Don't Push

The next time you find yourself feeling behind — then stop attempting to bull forward.

Plant your feet. Take hold of the chain. Breathe.

And start pulling.

Because as soon as you're moving, you'll remember something beautiful:

You never were behind.

You were simply carrying more than everyone else.

More From This ADHD Circus Tent

If this story made you nod, laugh, or aggressively point at your screen like “yes, that’s me”—you might like a few of these other brain-scrambled adventures from the creative trenches. Same flavor, same chaos, maybe even a duck metaphor or two.

Temporal Black Hole
The Broken Clock of Friendship
The Multitasking Myth