Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
If you're looking to break out of a shutdown state, consider activities that help you feel more energetic and excited about the task at hand. That can include gamifying tasks (like a “beat the clock” challenge with a timer) or an accountability buddy that keeps you engaged.
Some people might suddenly feel blank and numb, unable to process information or even move. Others might experience sobbing or angry outbursts. All sorts of life events can contribute to a breakdown, from mental illness to losing one's job.
For many adults living with ADHD, overwhelm can shut them down and keep them from moving forward. If you live with adult ADHD, as I do, feelings of overwhelm can engulf you and make you feel stuck. For adults with ADHD, it's challenging to get things accomplished when these feelings occur.
You're overwhelmed, frozen in place, and can't even think about what to do first. That's exactly what ADHD paralysis feels like. ADHD paralysis happens when a person with ADHD is overwhelmed by their environment or the amount of information given.
Find What Energizes You
If you're feeling burnt out from your routine, a new hobby or activity can help revitalize your motivation. This may seem difficult when you're stuck in a period of paralysis. However, ADHD paralysis often occurs because your brain is sending you a signal that it needs change or stimulation.
The most impairing symptoms in one person might be that they blurt things out in anger or take too many risks while driving, while another person may daydream too much. Many might identify from time to time with such symptoms.
When people with ADHD are activated, they are often plagued by self-sabotaging, negative internal talk that prevents them from believing they can do things. It can be conscious or unconscious and can keep folks from setting, working towards, and reaching goals. It holds them back from doing what they want to do.
ADHD burnout is often something a little deeper. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we're unable to fulfill all of our obligations.
Inability to focus on a conversation. Time management issues include procrastination in starting a task, difficulty staying with a large task to completion, and meeting deadlines. Boredom “blackouts” or loss of time during conversations or tasks. Overlooking or missing details in paperwork or task.
Many people with ADHD experience a physical hypersensitivity to a variety of things, including touch. Being hypersensitive may mean that stimulation of their genitals might be uncomfortable or even painful in someone with ADHD. This sensitivity may also extend to other senses as well.
As we've discussed, unfortunately, many people with ADHD tend to have a lack of empathy. This can be addressed, though, through identifying and communicating about each other's feelings. If you see a disconnect between ADHD and empathy in your child or in your spouse, don't give up hope.
An ADHD “Brain dump” is a phrase used to describe the process of transferring information from your brain to another medium. You could write the contents down on paper, type them into your computer or speak them into an audio recording… whatever works for you.
A very common (also annoying and distressing) element of ADHD is 'time blindness'. Adults with ADHD often have a weaker perception of time and it has been proposed that this symptom is a possible diagnostic characteristic. 'Time blindness' can mean you are always late, or always way too early to avoid being late.
The terms shutdown and meltdown are often used interchangeably. While both are reactions caused by sensory, information, or emotional overload, a meltdown consists of more outward behavior, and a shutdown is an internalized mode that is much less noticeable.
What Is ADHD Paralysis? ADHD paralysis is seen when someone with ADHD has a very difficult time focusing, thinking properly, or executing tasks. It usually occurs when the subject is under stress or feeling overwhelmed, making their brain “freeze” in a certain sense and limiting their executive functioning.
But for some adults with ADHD, it can be difficult for the mind to shut down and relax even after a busy day. This means that it can be hard to fall asleep or wake up naturally in the morning, resulting in sleep deprivation. This can make us feel exhausted and lacking in energy.
The symptoms of ADHD and burnout can be very similar. People with ADHD may experience fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and feeling overwhelmed. People experiencing burnout may also feel fatigued, stressed, and overwhelmed. There may also be physical symptoms such as headaches, chest pain, or feeling tense.
Additionally, the stress that ADHD may cause can feel exhausting, especially if a person's symptoms are not well controlled. Missing deadlines, forgetting school work, and not meeting household demands may feel overwhelming or exhausting.
Because of this internal restlessness, many adults with ADHD have a hard time maintaining relationships. As relationships become more comfortable and predictable, you may feel like you are becoming more and more restless or distracted from things outside of the relationship.
Self-centered behavior is common with ADHD.
Because of this, they are not able to access other people's needs or desires, making interaction difficult. One sign of this is interrupting during a conversation or butting in on conversations they were not a part of.
Intense emotions and hyperfocus
Kids with ADHD often feel emotions more deeply than other kids do, and love is no exception. When teens with ADHD fall in love, the good — and bad — feelings that come with it can be even more intense and more disruptive.
Lack of consistency. Toxic communication — such as contempt, criticism, and sarcasm. Controlling behavior and distrust. Abusive — this is also inclusive of emotionally abusive behaviors, such as gaslighting, love bombing, breadcrumbing etc.