Living with ADHD means navigating unpredictable emotional shifts, like driving without a warning yellow light. One minute you’re calm and happy, but suddenly a small trigger can flip your emotions from calm to intense. This can be stressful, but it doesn’t define your worth. By understanding this, you can be kinder to yourself and take responsibility for your actions. To achieve better mental health and relationships, identify your triggers and use the strategies below to regain control over your emotions.”
What is Emotional Dysregulation?
“Emotional dysregulation is the ability to manage and control one’s emotions. For women with ADHD, this can be a challenge, as they may struggle to process and respond to their feelings in a healthy way. This can lead to intense or disproportionate emotional reactions to triggers, which can be internal or external. Research shows that people with ADHD are more likely to experience emotional dysregulation than those without the disorder, making it an important aspect of ADHD management.”
Examples of Emotional dysregulation
“If you have ADHD, your emotions can feel extremely intense and all-consuming, with little room for moderation. You may try to hide your feelings to fit in and avoid conflict, but when you do let your emotions show, even small triggers can spark overwhelming reactions. Common signs of emotional dysregulation in ADHD include intense mood swings, disproportionate emotional responses, difficulty shifting focus from emotions, and a tendency to dwell on the negative. .
How Can Emotional Dysregulation Impact Your Life?
“Emotional dyregulation can have far-reaching consequences in various aspects of life. At work, it may lead to difficulties meeting deadlines, anxiety, and strained relationships with colleagues. In academics, it can hinder focus, learning, and productivity, causing isolation and difficulty forming friendships. In personal relationships, emotional dysregulation can lead to frequent conflicts, rumination, and a tendency to magnify minor issues into major problems. It can also exacerbate mental health struggles like depression and anxiety. Furthermore, women with emotional dysregulation may engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse and reckless driving. Recognizing the areas where emotional dysregulation is impacting your life is crucial to addressing these challenges. By identifying specific issues, such as conflict resolution difficulties or stress-induced outbursts, you can develop strategies to better manage your emotions and improve overall well-being.
How To Strategies To Help With Emotional Dysregulation
Instead of trying to change your brain’s natural functioning, focus on working with it. Here are four steps to help you manage your emotions and thoughts:
Pause and breathe: When you feel overwhelmed, take a few seconds to pause and breathe deeply. Use techniques like “7-11 breathing” to calm down and clear your mind.
Acknowledge your feelings: Recognize that your emotions are real and valid, even if they seem intense or irrational. Accept them as part of being human, but don’t let them control you.
Reframe your self-talk: When you’re calm, reframe any negative or catastrophic thoughts into more balanced and realistic ones. This can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Reflect and learn from your triggers: Identify what triggers your intense emotions and work on avoiding or managing them in the future. This can involve preparing yourself emotionally or finding healthy ways to express your feelings.