Why can a small stressor like a confusing email or a last-minute change suddenly feel like the floor just dropped out from under you? One minute you’re fine. The next, you’re overwhelmed, avoiding, and stuck in a loop of guilt and overthinking.

Dr. J walks through what’s actually happening in your brain and nervous system during an ADHD mood spiral and how avoidance becomes “relief with hidden fees.”

You’ll leave with simple, science-backed ways to regulate, start small, and recover faster when your brain gets loud.

For more on this topic

Try: ADHD Unstuck (a free self-guided activity)
Listen: ADHD and emotional dysregulation
Read: ADHD and mood swings

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org

Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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