Trying to get back into praying - need advice
Assalamu alaikum, Hi! I really want to start praying again but I just can’t seem to do it. I was born Muslim and Arab, and I know I should pray, yet I keep forgetting, or I remember but can’t bring myself to get up, or I pray without wudu so it feels incomplete. I’m autistic and have ADHD, so I struggle a lot with time blindness, transitions, and PDA (pathological demand avoidance). Even though the masjid is right in front of our apartment so I hear the athan, and I have an app on my phone plus my parents reminding me, I still can’t manage to get up and pray. I fast and read Qur’an, but I don’t pray - I believe in Allah wholeheartedly, but this is a big struggle. The last time I prayed consistently was about a year ago for maybe two and a half weeks, then I lost track and stopped. I make dua to start praying again but I know dua without action isn’t enough. I know how to pray and how to do wudu; it’s the actually doing it that’s the hard part. Does anyone have gentle, practical tips that work for people who have ADHD or autism? Strategies that fit with our routines, small steps to rebuild the habit, or ways to make wudu and prayer feel less overwhelming? JazakAllahu khair.