IF YOU HAVE EMOTIONAL DYSREGULATION 😖😵‍💫

October is ADHD Awareness Month. A big challenge with ADHD is emotional dysregulation, where emotional responses manifest as mood swings, sudden angry outbursts, heightened anxiety, and depression because we feel at total loss of control about our feelings. Just like we can have very strong passions about anything, our feelings can also be extreme and intense in a negative way. If this is you daily or weekly, here are 7 aspects within your control as a reminder to help manage and improve emotional responses.

1. BREATHWORK

🍋 Deep, mindful breathing helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and promoting calmness. This is an immediate, accessible tool to regain composure during intense emotions.

🍋 Breathing exercises are so powerful yet underrated, it directly influences your heart rate and from there it changes your brain chemistry. Coherent breathing, box breathing (4-4-4-4), and 4-7-8 breathing are some of the best for ADHD.

🍋 Amygdala hijack is an immediate, overwhelming emotional response, usually triggered by stress or fear, where the brain’s amygdala overrides the rational thinking part (prefrontal cortex). This leads to impulsive actions driven by emotions rather than logic.

🍋 The 6-second rule hack suggests pausing for 6 seconds for deep breathing. This allows for the amygdala’s intense emotional surge to pass, giving the brain time to regain control helping you to avoid impulsive reactions.

2. EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)

🍋 This relatively new mental health treatment technique is commonly used to treat PTSD but can also help with panic attacks, eating disorders, addictions, and anxiety.

🍋 In the EMDR therapy you simultaneously move your eyes back and forth, following the therapist’s finger as you recall a traumatic event. But you can also use your own finger! This exercise allows for the memory to lose its emotional charge, making it easier for you think more positively about the experience.

3. DAILY ROUTINE(S)

🍋 Establishing a consistent routine, including regular sleep, exercise, and meals, can stabilize moods and make emotions more predictable. It’s particularly effective for those with ADHD who experience emotional dysregulation often.

🍋 What are the habits that make up your daily routine(s)? Be intentional about what you want to develop. Did you know it takes 66 days for a habit to become instinctual? Track your healthy habits and your habits will become routine.

🍋 It takes practice realizing when you’ve spent too much time with one negative thought, but by implementing a habit or two to get out of the funk can really help.

4. INTERNAL DIALOGUE

🍋 You can control what you believe by how you talk to yourself. Positive self-talk or reframing negative thoughts can help shift perspectives and reduce emotional intensity. The messages you allow yourself to listen to also has a powerful influence on your internal dialogue.

🍋 If talking to yourself weirds you out, talk to yourself in your journal! Positive affirmations is key, repeating them to yourself is even better.

5. BOUNDARIES

🍋 You can set and enforce boundaries to protect your emotional well-being. This means saying "no" when needed and avoiding situations or people that trigger emotional stress.

🍋 You have the power when to say “yes” and when to say “no” because you are entitled to time as much as anyone else. Know your worth in God’s eyes.

6. EXPECTATIONS

🍋 You can’t control what people will do and say but you can control what you expect from others and what you're willing to give. Adjusting your expectations by being more realistic about them helps prevent emotional flare-ups.

🍋 Clearly communicating your needs and desires reduces misunderstandings, disappointments, and resentments.

7. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

🍋 Regular exercise helps release endorphins and other neurotransmitters that improve mood and emotional resilience. You can control when and how often you engage in physical activity, which plays a key role in regulating emotions.

🍋 Aerobic exercises especially running is one of the best for mental health. At least 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Sometimes going for a short run or walk as a habit when overwhelm strikes is all you need.

What is control? It means owning the power to direct yourself because you can’t do that with everything outside of yourself. So if you believe that you are the influence behind your thoughts, words, and actions, then anything is possible! With practice, you can actually influence your circumstances greatly. There’s so much more you can control.

💁🏻‍♀️ I’m Sheela and I make lists about what I’m enthusiastic at the moment because it makes my brain feel good.

#adhdmanagement #emotionalhealing #emotionalhealth #adhdawareness #adhdhacks #adhdtips #mentalhealthawareness #mentalwellness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthtips