“In a culture that equates worth with output, stillness becomes rebellion.”
Sobia Mansoor
Introduction
What if executive dysfunction wasn’t a flaw in your brain—but a survival strategy?
In today’s world of relentless productivity, many people—especially those with ADHD, depression, or trauma histories—find themselves stuck, unable to “just do the thing.” But what if that stuckness is not laziness or lack of willpower, but a neurobiological protest?
This article reframes executive dysfunction as a wise, embodied response to unsustainable demands. Drawing from neuroscience, somatic psychology, and neurodivergent lived experience, we introduce The Stillness Protocol: a new therapeutic lens that invites reverence instead of urgency.
Executive Dysfunction is Not a Personal Failure
Executive dysfunction refers to difficulties in planning, initiating, sustaining, or completing tasks. Commonly associated with ADHD, depression, trauma, and burnout, it's often misunderstood as a character flaw (Rabinovici et al., 2015).
Key Factors Influencing Executive Dysfunction
| Factor | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Neurodivergence | Differences in brain wiring (e.g., ADHD, Autism) | Inconsistent ability to follow routines |
| Chronic Stress | Overactivation of the HPA axis impairs frontal lobe functioning | Feeling frozen in high-pressure situations |
| Trauma Response | Nervous system dysregulation (e.g., freeze/fawn) | Avoiding important tasks that trigger overwhelm |
| Capitalist Culture | Internalized worth tied to productivity | Guilt when resting or being “unproductive” |
Above is a Venn Diagram showing overlap between ADHD, burnout, trauma, and systemic oppression → with "executive dysfunction" at the center.
Why This Conversation Is Urgent
Burnout Is an Epidemic
- WHO now recognizes occupational burnout as a syndrome (Edú-Valsania et al., 2022).
- Rates of depression and ADHD diagnoses have surged post-pandemic (Santomauro et al., 2021).
- Rest deprivation disproportionately affects marginalized and neurodivergent communities (Blackwelder et al., 2021).
Based on available research, here is a comparative overview of burnout rates across different occupations, genders, and neurotypes:
Burnout Rates by Occupation
| Occupation | Burnout Rate (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians | >50% | Burnout is prevalent among physicians, with rates exceeding 50% in the USA. |
| K-12 Teachers | 55% | A 2022 National Education Association survey revealed that 55% of educators were thinking about leaving the profession earlier than planned. |
| Higher Ed Faculty | 41% | A 2020 study found that 41% of surveyed faculty members met the criteria for moderate to severe burnout. |
| Geoscientists | 29% | Geoscientists have one of the lowest reported burnout rates. |
Burnout by Gender (Healthcare Focus)
| Group | Burnout Rate (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Female Surgical Residents | 42% | Higher burnout rates compared to male counterparts, largely attributed to mistreatment such as gender discrimination and harassment. |
| Male Surgical Residents | 36% | Lower burnout rates compared to female counterparts. |
| Female Neurologists | 64.6% | Reported higher burnout rates than male neurologists, with increased emotional exhaustion and lower personal accomplishment. |
| Male Neurologists | 57.8% | Reported lower burnout rates than female neurologists. |
Burnout Among Neurodivergent Individuals
| Group | Burnout Indicators | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Neurodivergent Workers | High | 51% have considered quitting due to lack of support; 91% engage in masking behaviors, leading to increased burnout. |
| Autistic Individuals | High | Experience "autistic burnout" due to masking and lack of accommodations, distinct from occupational burnout. |
Here is a grouped bar chart showing burnout rates across different occupations, broken down by gender and neurotype (neurotypical vs. neurodivergent).
The Neuroscience of Inertia
Neuroscience shows that executive function relies heavily on the prefrontal cortex, which becomes compromised under:
- Chronic cortisol exposure (from stress)
- Low dopamine (common in ADHD)
- Unresolved trauma (limbic system hijack)
When our systems feel unsafe or depleted, our capacity to act shuts down—not out of weakness, but protection (Salehinejad et al., 2021).
“Stillness is not always a lack of motivation. Sometimes it’s the nervous system saying: ‘I can’t keep doing this."
Introducing: The Stillness Protocol
What It Is:
The Stillness Protocol is not a to-do list—it’s a therapeutic framework that legitimizes rest as resistance. It invites therapists and clients to:
- Slow Down without shame.
- Somatically attune to what the body is saying.
- Redefine productivity beyond capitalist metrics.
- Normalize rest cycles in mental health support.
- Validate executive dysfunction as embodied communication.
Clinical Applications
| Strategy | Clinical Tool | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Somatic Tracking | Body scans, pendulation, vagal toning | Builds awareness of nervous system states |
| Rhythmic Rest Planning | Energy accounting, non-linear pacing | Honors the natural ebb and flow of capacity |
| Reframing Language | “Your body is protecting you,” not “you’re being lazy” | Reduces shame and internalized ableism |
| Low-Demand Days | Client-designed rest protocols | Builds trust and avoids boom-bust cycles |
Cultural Alignment
The Stillness Protocol echoes the ethos of movements like:
- The Nap Ministry (rest as resistance) (Monier, 2023)
- Neurodivergent Liberation (challenging pathologization) (McLennan et al., 2025)
- Disability Justice (honoring interdependence and body wisdom) (Saia et al., 2023)
These frameworks reject grind culture and center slowness, softness, and sustainability.
Conclusion
We don’t need more hustle hacks. We need healing frameworks that understand why so many of us are frozen.
The Stillness Protocol is an invitation to depathologize executive dysfunction, not as something broken, but as a signal:
“This isn’t working. Let’s try something kinder.”
“When you listen to your body whisper, you don’t have to hear it scream.”
The Stillness Protocol Journal Prompts
These journal prompts are designed to support self-inquiry around executive dysfunction, rest, and embodied resistance to hustle culture. They invite you to listen to your body with compassion, soften internalized narratives about productivity, and explore what stillness means to you.
Awareness & Reflection
- What does 'stillness' feel like in my body? Is it safety, boredom, guilt, peace—or something else?
- What messages did I grow up with about productivity and rest? How do they show up in my thoughts today?
- When I feel stuck or frozen, what do I assume is wrong with me? What if nothing is?
Reframing & Resistance
- If I believed that my value wasn’t tied to output, how would I treat myself today?
- What might my executive dysfunction be trying to protect me from? What wisdom is it offering?
- What would it look like to move through today at the pace of trust and consent with my body?
Somatic & Sensory Inquiry
- Where in my body do I feel urgency or pressure right now? What happens if I pause and breathe into that space?
- Can I recall a moment when stillness felt nourishing instead of shameful? What made that possible?
- If my nervous system had a voice, what would it say it needs today? How might I respond?
Gentle Planning
- What might a ‘low-demand day’ look like for me? What boundaries or supports would help it feel safe?
- What is one act of softness or refusal I can give myself today—even for five minutes?
- Instead of asking, “How do I get motivated?” Can I ask, “What is making it hard to begin?”
References
- Blackwelder, A., Hoskins, M., & Huber, L. (2021). Effect of Inadequate Sleep on Frequent Mental Distress. Preventing Chronic Disease, 18(18). https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.200573
- Edú-Valsania, S., Laguía, A., & Moriano, J. A. (2022). Burnout: A review of theory and measurement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3). NCBI. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031780
- McLennan, H., Aberdein, R., Saggers, B., & Gillett-Swan, J. (2025). Neurodiversity: A scoping review of empirical research. Neurodiversity, 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330251337874
- Monier, M. (2023). “Rest as resistance:” Black cyberfeminism, collective healing and liberation on @TheNapMinistry. Communication, Culture & Critique, 16(3), 119–125. https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcad022
- Rabinovici, G. D., Stephens, M. L., & Possin, K. L. (2015). Executive dysfunction. Continuum : Lifelong Learning in Neurology, 21(3), 646–659. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.CON.0000466658.05156.54
- Salehinejad, M. A., Ghanavati, E., Rashid, M. H. A., & Nitsche, M. A. (2021). Hot and cold executive functions in the brain: A prefrontal-cingular network. Brain and Neuroscience Advances, 5, 239821282110077. https://doi.org/10.1177/23982128211007769
- Saia, T., Yaghmaian, R., Rebeca Martínez Cuesta, Mueller, C., & Pebdani, R. N. (2023). A call to action for disability and rehabilitation research using a DisCrit and Disability Justice framework. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2023.2242780
- Santomauro, D. F., Herrera, A. M. M., Shadid, J., Zheng, P., Ashbaugh, C., Pigott, D. M., Abbafati, C., Adolph, C., Amlag, J. O., Aravkin, A. Y., Bang-Jensen, B. L., Bertolacci, G. J., Bloom, S. S., Castellano, R., Castro, E., Chakrabarti, S., Chattopadhyay, J., Cogen, R. M., Collins, J. K., & Dai, X. (2021). Global Prevalence and Burden of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in 204 Countries and Territories in 2020 Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Lancet, 398(10312), 1700–1712. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02143-7