387 BITESIZE | 2 Types of ADHD Boredom (And Why One Feels Like Panic)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: I Have ADHD Podcast

Host: Kristen Carder

Episode 387 BITESIZE | 2 Types of ADHD Boredom (And Why One Feels Like Panic)
Date: March 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this bite-sized episode, Kristen Carder explores the nuanced experience of boredom for adults with ADHD. With an expert guest, the discussion breaks down the two primary types of ADHD boredom—apathetic and agitated—explaining why one form can feel downright panicky and how these experiences differ across ADHD subtypes. The conversation delves into the science behind boredom, shares authentic personal stories, and highlights the crucial concept of the "optimal stimulation zone," offering insights into why certain jobs and environments feel more engaging for ADHDers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Two Types of Boredom in ADHD (03:03)

• Apathetic Boredom:

  • Description: Low energy, disengaged, typified by lying on the couch, scrolling aimlessly, and feeling “blah.”
  • More common in: Inattentive ADHD types.
  • Quote [03:06]:

    “Apathetic boredom is kind of the like lying on the couch scrolling blah kind of boredom…nothing's appealing, nothing's interesting. I can't get engaged in anything.” – Guest

• Agitated Boredom:

  • Description: High-energy, restless, “trapped” sensation, often experienced in unstimulating but inescapable situations (e.g., boring meetings, waiting in line).
  • More common in: Hyperactive/impulsive ADHD types.
  • Quote [03:32]:

    “It's this like keyed up, ‘Oh my God, when is this going to end? I have to get out of here.’ There's often like a trapped feeling.” – Guest

  • Both types can be experienced by anyone, but ADHDers are more prone to specific kinds depending on their subtype.

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2. Personal Experiences with Agitated Boredom (05:05)

• Parenthood Example: Kristen shares feeling agitated as a stay-at-home mom:

  • Quote [05:13]:

    “I loved my kids, I was choosing to stay home…yet I felt completely trapped by it and was on that agitation constantly.” – Kristen Carder

  • Guest affirms the reality for many parents and adds that societal judgment only adds more pain.

• Professional Example:

  • Kristen discusses working unengaging jobs pre-coaching, leading to restlessness and poor job performance.
  • Specific story: Teaching piano lessons became intolerable due to repetitive boredom.
  • Quote [06:45]:

    “That agitation of just like thirty minutes of a 7-year-old playing the same piano piece they have for the last three weeks…thirty minutes feels like seven years.” – Kristen Carder

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3. The “Optimal Stimulation Zone” (09:28)

• The Science Behind Engagement:

  • Both neurotypical and ADHD brains need a “just right” level of stimulation to be engaged—a bell curve illustrates this relationship.
  • Neurotypical Brains: Enjoy a wide “sweet spot” for stimulation.
  • ADHD Brains: The optimal zone is much narrower and shifted higher—requires more stimulation to reach engagement but can quickly tip into overstimulation.
  • Quote [10:30]:

    “For an ADHD brain...it’s still a bell curve, but it’s like it’s been squished and also moved up a little bit…so [they’re] bored, bored, bored...Oop, now we got some engagement. Oh, now we went over and now we're too stimulated.” – Guest

• Consequences:

  • Understimulation is “the bad place” for ADHD brains (11:52).
  • Overstimulation is also a problem—a narrow “tightrope” to walk for feeling good and productive.

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4. Why ADHDers Thrive in High-Stimulus Environments (12:11)

• Career Implications:

  • ADHDers often excel in roles with inherent urgency, novelty, or adrenaline (e.g., ER doctors, EMTs, chefs).
  • These environments help stay within the optimal stimulation zone.
  • Quote [13:03]:

    “The careers that ADHD thrive in often involve this element...this heightened stimulation on a regular basis.” – Guest

• Deadlines & Pressure:

  • High-pressure situations with deadlines keep the ADHD brain engaged and feeling good. This is why some thrive under pressure, but can falter with repetitive, low-stimulation tasks.

• Personal Anecdote: Kristen loves high-engagement activities like live interviews or group coaching but dreads low-stimulation tasks (e.g., writing emails).

  • Quote [14:47]:

    “Ask me to write an email...I don't want to. I can't. Please don't make me.” – Kristen Carder

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5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self-Judgment in Boredom:

  • Quote [05:55]:

    “The judgment, right? Here we are again with that extra layer of suffering…before we can even begin to think about how we can solve this.” – Guest

• On Hyperfocus and Motivation:

  • Quote [13:25]:

    “It’s where hyperfocus can turn on. But even if hyperfocus hasn’t turned on, it still feels good because the brain's engaged…and we have lots of dopamine going on.” – Guest

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:03] – Explanation of the two types of ADHD boredom
• [05:05] – Real-life examples of agitated boredom (parenthood, jobs, piano teaching)
• [09:28] – Introduction and explanation of the “optimal stimulation zone”
• [12:11] – Why certain high-stimulus careers suit ADHDers
• [13:45] – How engagement and hyperfocus feel for ADHDers

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Episode Tone & Language

• Friendly, relatable, and encouraging: Kristen’s conversational, honest style includes humor and personal vulnerability.
• Both host and guest validate common struggles, acknowledging the pain caused by boredom and societal judgment while offering compassionate understanding.

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Bottom Line

This episode offers a short but powerful look at why adults with ADHD experience boredom differently, emphasizing both the science and the lived reality. It normalizes impatience with “boring” activities, highlights why certain careers and environments are a better natural fit for ADHDers, and encourages self-compassion over self-judgment. Perfect for anyone seeking practical insight into their unique brain or looking to support a loved one with ADHD.

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Transcript

[A]

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[A]

Hey what's up? This is Kristen Carter and you are listening to a bite sized episode of the I have ADHD podcast. I am medicated, caffeinated, regulated and ready to roll. This little episode is one of my favorite clips from the podcast.

[C]

It's perfect.

[A]

If you're not in the mood for a full hour long listen because let's be real, some of us ADHDers just don't have the patience for all of that. But if you are a die hard listener, think of this as your mid week pick me up.

[C]

It's Thursday y'.

[D]

All.

[A]

Friday is right around the corner. If you love this clip, check out the show Notes for a link to the full episode. And remember my friend, drink your water, take your meds, grab a snack. Now let's get rolling.

[C]

I didn't realize that there are different types of boredom. Can you walk us through that?

[D]

Yeah, yeah. So research has shown kind of two main categories of boredom. So one is apathetic and the other one is agitated. And so apathetic boredom is kind of the like laying on the couch, scrolling blah kind of boredom, right? Just kind of like, ugh, nothing's appealing, nothing's interesting, I can't get engaged in anything. And so it's a very kind of low energy kind of boredom. And apathetic boredom is more common for folks with inattentive adhd. The other one, agitated boredom is in some ways is opposite. Right. Triggered by the exact same thing but felt very differently. And it tends to be as its name is, agitated. Right. It's this like keyed up like oh my God, when is this going to end? I have to get out of here. There's often like a trapped feeling to often occurs when you are kind of trapped, right. Like when you're in a conversation that's not capturing your interest or you're in a meeting or you're in line or something like that. And so there's a lot of physical energy in it and it tends to kind of, you know, you tend to feel kind of snappy. Right. And like can get snippy with people in that agitated boredom. And, and it is more common for folks with hyperactive, impulsive type. If you're combined type, you get both lucky. Lucky you can feel either, you know, everybody feels both of them. Right. Neurotypical adhd, you know, these are true for all people. They're just more common and more prone with the different subtypes.

[C]

When you talk about agitated boredom, what I think about is me being mostly a stay at home mom, like working very part time with three little kids and feeling completely trapped and just like constantly agitated because nothing was really stimulating in a way that engaged my brain. I loved my kids, I was choosing to stay home with them. That was a values based choice for me and yet I felt completely trapped by it and was on that agitation constantly.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. And that's such a, such a hard one for moms because you know, we do, we choose it, we want to do this thing and it just isn't engaging and there's really nothing you can do to make it engaging. Because what's engaging for a two or three or four year old just as an engaging for an adult brain and the judgment, right? Like, here we are again with that extra layer of suffering. That judgment piece kind of interferes and, and creates so much pain before we can even, like, begin to think about how, how can we solve this.

[C]

I also remember, like, prior to coaching, working in jobs that were not as meaningful to me, were not as engaging, and just watching the clock and feeling that buzz of like, get me out of here. Didn't make me good at my job.

[D]

Nope. No.

[C]

This is why I had to stop teaching piano lessons. This is what. So I have a music degree, which is, of course I do, because I have adhd, right? So I have a music degree. And I was like, I'm gonna teach voice and piano lessons and like, I'm gonna have this music studio. And I did that and I had all of these students and then I would sit through those lessons and be like, omg, if I hear this song one more time, I'm gonna hurt someone. And I was like, maybe this is not the career choice for me. But that agitation of just like 30 minutes of a 7 year old playing the same piano piece that they have for the last three weeks. Cause they haven't practiced that 30 minutes. Feels like seven years.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

That's so funny.

[A]

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[C]

Okay, so what is the optimal stimulation zone?

[D]

Okay, so if we think about if, if you're, if you can imagine kind of a graph, right, and we have stimulation on one side and engagement mapped against it, right? There's an optimal amount of stimulation that engages any brain, right? And when we look at that, if we were to really graph it, it actually looks like what's called a bell curve, right? Which is basically just the top part of a bell. And so for neurotypical brains, they're bored if there's not enough stimulation. And then it starts to increase and increase, increase. It gets to like a peak level of engagement. They're super happy, their brains are happy, and then it starts to get too much and then they get overwhelmed. Right?

[A]

Okay.

[D]

So that normal curve, you know, is kind of nice and broad and they have like this lovely large window of optimal engagement that's so happy for them. For an ADHD brain also, that we can map it the exact same way. It's still a bell curve, but it's like it's been squished and it's also been like moved up a little bit, right? So it goes board, board, board, board, board, board, board, board, board. Oop, now we got some engagement. Oh, now we went over and now we're too stimulated. So it very quickly hits it like crosses that threshold, right? And there's a. We need a whole to get an ADHD brain engaged. And so, you know, what can be somewhat engaging for neurotypical brain, and they can, you know, get some nice little dopamine flying around because they're somewhat engaged. It's going to do nothing for an ADHD brain and they're going to feel understimulated. And understimulated as we're going to get into is a bad place for an 80s shoe brain to be.

[C]

It's the bad place.

[D]

It's the bad place. Overstimulated is also a bad place. And so it's this very narrow band. And so I think of it as almost like a little, like, tightrope walker on top of this little bell curve. Just kind of like, are we gonna stay here?

[C]

Is this why ADHDers often make great entrepreneurs and great like, ER doctors or nurses? In I. One of my neurodivergent kids is talking about not as a career, but as an interim being an emt, I'm like, that's actually a great idea for him because having that burst of adrenaline, having that like, you know he's gonna be. I know in shocking situations, I think he's gonna thrive. Yeah, I really do.

[D]

Yeah. The careers that ADHD thrive in often involve this kind of element, right? This like, heightened simulation on a regular basis. So, yeah, ER docs, paramedics, chefs,

[C]

you

[D]

know, anything with this kind of high intensity. The other place that you'll find it is with deadlines, right? Anything that has lots of deadlines or lots of lots of intensity is going to be a place that it's going to get that ADHD brain into that optimal zone of engagement, which is where it feels really good.

[C]

Yes, it feels good.

[D]

It's where hyperfocus can turn on. But even if hyperfocus hasn't turned on, it still feels good because the brain's engaged and it's moving and we have lots of dopamine going on because there's lots of motivation happening and it's. It just the sensation of it is good.

[C]

So for me, like, being here with you, Cameras rolling. Dan, the producer behind the scenes there, like, this is a production and I love it. Like, I could sit here all day and interview. Like, I wish this was a bigger part of my job because it does feel so good when I get to coach and I have a group coaching program, so I'm coaching one on one. It's just me and the other person. However, there's 50 to 100 people on the call, chatting in the chat. And I know that, like, this isn't just one on one. This is like, we're helping so many more people. Those types of things just like, light me. I could do that all day, every day. Ask me to write an email or respond to. To an email. Like that for me is like, I would rather I would. I don't want to. I can't. I don't. Please don't make me.

[D]

Yeah, well, there's no production crew, right?

[C]

Like, yes. And nobody cares other than the one person. Yes.

[D]

It's the pressure.

[E]

So good.

[D]

And that's why those careers are big too. It's the pressure right there. There's a need for this right now. To be your best.

[C]

I have to be on yeah. Yes.

[D]

Yeah. It's so true.

[A]

Thanks for listening to this bite sized episode of the I have ADHD Podcast. If you enjoyed this clip, you'll find a link to the full episode in the show notes. And don't Forget to visit ihaveadhd.com for tons of of adult ADHD support. All right, my friends, I had a great time with you today and I cannot wait to talk to you again next week. Bye Bye.

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