Not Today

By Neurospicy Poems

My body said,

“Not today.”

So I listened.

And tomorrow,

it said the same.

Before I knew it,

comfort became habit,

and habit became a cage.

My world grew smaller

with every avoided thing.

Sometimes freedom

begins

with doing it anyway.

—

Author’s Note

This poem was inspired by real events, when I noticed that I was unconsciously avoiding things that felt slightly uncomfortable.

At first, each decision seemed small and reasonable. My body said, “Not today,” and I listened. However, the more often I avoided things, the harder they began to feel. The mental weight grew heavier, while my world gradually became smaller.

Writing this poem helped bring that pattern into my awareness.

Voices present:

• PDA – responding to discomfort with an instinctive “not today.”

• Executive Dysfunction – making it harder to get started once avoidance becomes a habit.

• Autism – recognising the pattern and putting it into words.

• True Self – understanding that short-term discomfort can create long-term freedom.

What I learned:

I learned that while avoidance can feel like relief in the moment, it often increases discomfort over time. Sometimes freedom begins when I choose to do the thing anyway.

© Neurospicy Poems 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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❁ Have you ever noticed how avoidance can quietly become a habit, until the things you keep putting off start to feel bigger and heavier than they were to begin with? #NeurospicyPoems #NotToday #ExperientialAvoidance #Procrastination #ExecutiveDysfunction #PDA #PathologicalDemandAvoidance #Autism #ADHD #AuDHD #Neurodivergent #Neurodiversity #MentalHealthAwareness #EmotionalProcessing #SelfAwareness