20: ADHD Regulation: How Nervous System, Thoughts & Behavior Work Together

If your days swing between overwhelm and total shutdown, or you crash the moment you finally get moving, this episode names what's really happening underneath it. I'm breaking down ADHD regulation: what it actually is, why it's different from garden-variety emotional regulation, and why doing a little nervous system work never seems to stick. This is for anyone who's tried the breathing exercises, downloaded the apps, and still ends up back in the same burnout cycle.

I trace ADHD fight-or-flight back to years of small pokes, not one big traumatic event, and explain why executive functioning tanks the moment your nervous system registers danger. I walk through the three types of ADHD regulation I teach (nervous system, thinking, behavior), why procrastination in ADHD so often traces back to overwhelm and crash instead of poor time management, and what it takes to break that go-go-go, then crash cycle.

00:00 – Understanding ADHD Regulation and Lasting Impact

04:36 – Emotional Dysregulation vs. Nervous System Regulation

12:56 – Impact of Dysregulation on Executive Function

18:24 – Escaping the ADHD Dysregulation Cycle

22:52 – Three Types of Regulation: Nervous System, Thoughts, Behavior

Check out the show notes and other resources at https://jennafree.com/blog/adhd-regulation-nervous-system-thoughts-behavior

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