65: Why ADHD Overwhelm Happens and How to Regulate It

Too much to do, can't pick anything, can't move. The list is right there, the day is slipping, and somehow you end up frozen on the couch, wondering what is wrong with you. This episode is for the adult with ADHD who keeps hitting that wall and wants to understand what's actually happening in the brain when overwhelm takes over.

I break down why ADHD overwhelm is a nervous system event, what the brain is doing in fight or flight that makes executive functioning disappear, and why your perception of how much you have to do is almost never accurate. Plus two visualizations you can use right away to retrain how your brain is processing time and tasks.

00:00 – ADHD Overwhelm and What the Brain Is Doing

01:28 – ADHD Fight or Flight and the Prefrontal Cortex

05:37 – How ADHD Cognitive Distortions Warp Your Perception of Time

08:30 – Naming the Feeling as an ADHD Regulation Tool

10:16 – The Dotted Line Visualization for ADHD Overwhelm

13:16 – The Brick Path Visualization for ADHD Paralysis

Check out the show notes and other resources at https://jennafree.com/blog/adhd-overwhelm-how-to-regulate

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