Research shows we have greater challenges with frustration, impatience, anger & excitability than others. That’s because ADHD impairs our ability to regulate our emotions, to experience them in a controlled way, so that they don’t gush out into the world.
author Susan David, Ph.D., says, “[When] experiencing a strong emotion…take a moment to consider what to call it, but don’t stop there. Come up with twoImagine a late afternoon at work. You got little sleep the night before, had to skip lunch, and haven’t been able to get to the gym or take a walk outdoors for a couple of weeks. You have just spent the last 10 minutes staring at the tasks you must do to keep what feels like a dead-end job. I would call this feeling an “unhealthy emotional home.
Let’s rebuild that emotional home: You’re getting seven to eight hours of sleep most nights; you’re feeding your ADHD brain with protein and complex carbs, and, even when the day is so crazy that you have to skip lunch, you have some raw nuts and protein bars handy.
There are many things you can be doing every day to reduce your emotional vulnerability. Here are four simple additions:The act of writing down three things every day for which you are grateful has been shown in the research of Harvard’s Shawn Achor to reduce reactivity and boost positive outlook in the face of challenges.You’ve likely heard of vision boards or dream boards. Research shows that positive imagery reduces stress and improves mental clarity.
My client, Erin, who is a life coach, has learned to listen to her body to detect an emotional storm on the horizon. “When I grab a strand of my hair and start twirling it, I know it’s time for me to stop, listen to my breath, and reclaim my brain from my amygdala,” She solidifies control by defaulting to gratitude and asks, “What is good about right now?” There’s always something to be grateful for.
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