Inspirational Quote to Start the Day

Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins.

Edith Wharton

When I’m planning my day, I enjoy finding a good inspirational quote to start the day. This morning, I came across Edith’s quote from her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Age of Innocence. After a high-level read of her life, I checked out the audiobook from my library. I’m excited to explore how a book written by a woman (from a very wealthy family) over 100 years ago might be relevant today. Edith Wharton sounds like she was a badass for her time.

Reflecting on the inspirational quote to start the day: Monotony in my ADHD Mom Life

In addition to enjoying favorite quotes from content creators in the 2020s, it’s fascinating to read the work of women from a century ago. When I read Edith’s quote about monotony, it immediately resonated with my ADHD Mom Life*. The days I hate the most are the days that feel like they are the same as every other day (hello pandemic 2019-2022!).

Reflecting back, many of the times when I’ve experienced my low points have followed stretches of monotony. When I start getting the sense that I’m “in a rut,” I start to deeply question the purpose of my life. I cope with the anxiety and despair by impulsively binge-eating and binge-watching. The binge-coping eventually leads to immense feelings of guilt and shame. I’m starting to add awareness to my guilt, giving myself permission to rest and recover without guilt for not being “productive enough.” There are times when I use binge-coping because I’m nearing or reaching burnout. There are other times when I use binge-coping to disassociate from the monotonous rut I sense. Before considering this quote, I have never made the connection between monotony to this cycle of coping and shame.

Iffirmation: What if…

New Iffirmation to try: What if avoiding monotony could prevent some of my binge-coping cycles?

Monotony truly is one of the major triggers of my negative binge-coping cycles. On the converse, when the days are full of surprises (good or bad), new experiences, exploration (my favorite style of playing), and variety, I may feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Still, I don’t usually spin into a dark self-loathing place. Super interesting.

I’m adding awareness to my day on what tasks or routines are increasing the monotony. It’s definitely a balance of predictable comfortable versus unpredictable stress.

*ADHD Mom Life Resource

One resource I recommend to any fellow ADHD Moms out there is ADDA, Attention Deficit Disorder Association. ADDA is a worldwide inclusive community of supportive ADHD adults, created by adults with ADHD for adults with ADHD. I have gotten a lot out of their support groups, and you can join as many groups as you want. I personally have benefited greatly from the Parenting Support Group and Accountability Support Group. Check out ADDA if you are living the overwhelmed ADHD Mom Life! (this is not a sponsored post – they’re just a great resource!)

Do you use ever use an inspirational quote to start the day? If so, I’d love to learn how you search for, select, and use them!