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Studies show that about 60-70% of individuals with ADHD struggle with emotional dysregulation, whether it’s feeling overwhelmed by small setbacks or experiencing strong moods.
Dysregulation leads someone to feel disconnected to themselves, their current situation, and any people nearby. Many report that it's easy to feel annoyed with everyone and everything around you. For many folks, the outburst happens so quickly they aren’t fully aware it’s occurring until afterward.
This is frightening for you and the people around you. It can negatively impact your relationships, work or school performance, and general life satisfaction. To begin the process of responding instead of reacting, you’ll need to identify what triggers you, how something bothers you, and what you can do to avoid intense outbursts.
- 5-4-3-2-1 Exercise - This one is perfect when anxiety or frustration feels like it’s taking over. Pause for a moment to notice and name the following:
- 5 things you can see (look around the room)
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
- Go shoeless: Take off your shoes and your socks. Feel your feet on the ground. Balance on one foot and then the other. Do this five times.
- Swing your torso: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Swing your arms in unison from one side to the other, twisting your body as you do this. Do this five times.
- Practice breathing exercises to slow you down
- Emotional pause buttons - Impulsive emotional reactions can often be the result of not pausing before responding. But taking that pause is oh-so-hard when emotions run hot. Use S.T.A.R., which means Stop, Think, Act, Recover,
- Call a lifeline and use your support network - Having a reliable support system makes all the difference. You don’t have to handle everything by yourself and, sometimes, we all need a lifeline to call.