Episode Overview

Podcast: Overcoming Distractions – Thriving with ADHD, ADD
Host: David A. Greenwood
Guest: Teresa Lear Levine, EFT Master Practitioner and Certified Hypnotherapist
Episode Title: Managing Your Nervous System and Energy for the ADHD Professional
Date: December 26, 2025

Main Theme:
This episode explores the vital role of nervous system regulation and energy management for ADHD professionals. David Greenwood invites Teresa Lear Levine to discuss practical modalities like EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and hypnotherapy to manage overwhelm, anxiety, and stress. The conversation is approachable, focusing on real-world strategies, shifting limiting beliefs, and leveraging the strengths of an ADHD brain for a more fulfilling work and personal life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Shifting the ADHD Narrative: From Liability to Strength

• Reframing ADHD:
  • Both host and guest emphasize that ADHD is not something to "fix" but to work with by leveraging its strengths.
  • ADHD professionals often have heightened creativity, problem-solving skills, big-picture thinking, and empathy.
• Mismatch Issue, Not a Deficit:
  • Struggles arise when tasks or environments mismatch the ADHD brain, leading to shame or avoidance. When work aligns—with novelty, meaning, or urgency—ADHDers can be "unstoppable."
• Quote:
  • "ADHD is often kind of like a mismatch issue. Not anything to fix or anything that's broken." — Teresa [07:20]

2. Energy Management Trumps Time Management

• The Power of Energy:
  • David underscores managing energy, not just time, is fundamental.
  • Teresa notes that anxiety often accompanies ADHD, making it hard for high achievers to slow down, yet "slowing down" unlocks planning and clarity.
• Practical Habit:
  • Weekly time blocks for planning reduce chaos and support sustained progress.
• Quote:
  • "The Busy Person with ADHD...are guilty of not hitting that pause button. It's one of the most simple things we can do to just get our shit together." — David [11:18]

3. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) as a Self-Regulation Tool

• What is EFT?:
  • EFT combines tapping on acupressure meridian points with verbal acknowledgment of emotions, based in both Chinese medicine and modern psychology.
  • Tapping helps reduce stress hormones (e.g., cortisol) almost immediately and allows rational thinking to return.
• Scientific Backing:
  • Studies show a 43% drop in stress hormones after just five minutes of tapping.
• Beyond the Mind:
  • Trauma and chronic stress are deeply stored in the body, and EFT helps release these blockages, leading to unexpected positive changes (weight loss, improved focus, etc.).
• Quote:
  • "We're not trying to jump to the end result or be toxically positive about it. We're really addressing how we actually feel." — Teresa [13:22]
  • "In just five minutes of EFT tapping, we can lower our stress hormones up to like, 43%, which is just insane." — Teresa [14:44]

4. Understanding Trauma, Stress, and the Mind-Body Connection

• Somatic Storage:
  • Referencing "The Body Keeps the Score," the episode highlights how trauma and stress manifest physically—leading to chronic issues.
  • Ignoring the body/mind connection limits healing.
• ADHD + Anxiety:
  • High-pressure careers and life transitions (e.g., parenthood) can tip ADHDers into overwhelm, making regulation tools even more essential.
• Quote:
  • "Chronic stress and trauma aren't just thoughts, they're repeated physiological states." — Teresa [16:13]

5. Changing Patterns and the Role of Subconscious Beliefs

• Narrative Shift & Lasting Change:
  • Modality like EFT and hypnotherapy target subconscious patterns—helping shift long-held limiting beliefs and shame around ADHD.
• Beyond Behavior:
  • Many focus strategies (to-do lists, new notebooks) don’t stick because hidden resistance—fear of failure, judgment, or uncertainty—sabotages action.
• Quote:
  • "Most of our day-to-day reactions are subconscious...The subconscious mind is the part that actually executes." — Teresa [30:13]

6. Practical Application: Grounding, Breath, and Real-Time Tools

• Immediate In-the-Moment Strategy:
  • The breath is the most accessible tool. Placing a hand on the chest, slow inhale, and slower exhale while acknowledging what is being felt can interrupt spirals.
• EFT Rounds:
  • Tapping routines can be done quickly at a desk to reduce overwhelm.
• Small Steps Over Big Changes:
  • Tiny, consistent shifts in behavior and mindset add up to lasting change.
• Quote:
  • "Breathing and acknowledging what you're feeling is super powerful, even though it sounds ridiculously simple." — Teresa [34:55]

7. Redefining Success and Giving Yourself Grace

• Letting Go of Perfectionism:
  • Regaining choice, not rigid consistency, is the true goal.
  • Self-forgiveness and accepting one's wiring are key to sustainable change.
• Quote:
  • "The goal isn't to become some consistent robot...it's about regaining choice. And when you're activated, you can come back to yourself later and faster." — Teresa [38:24]
  • "Let's not kick the crap out of ourselves...give ourselves some grace." — David [39:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [07:20] Teresa: "ADHD is often kind of like a mismatch issue. Not anything to fix or anything that's broken."
• [11:18] David: "The Busy Person with ADHD...are guilty of not hitting that pause button. It's one of the most simple things we can do to just get our shit together."
• [13:22] Teresa: "We're not trying to jump to the end result or be toxically positive about it. We're really addressing how we actually feel."
• [14:44] Teresa: "In just five minutes of EFT tapping, we can lower our stress hormones up to like, 43%, which is just insane."
• [16:13] Teresa: "Chronic stress and trauma aren't just thoughts, they're repeated physiological states."
• [34:55] Teresa: "Breathing and acknowledging what you're feeling is super powerful, even though it sounds ridiculously simple."
• [38:24] Teresa: "The goal isn't to become some consistent robot...it's about regaining choice. And when you're activated, you can come back to yourself later and faster."
• [39:12] David: "Let's not kick the crap out of ourselves...give ourselves some grace."

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• [05:14] — Reframing ADHD: Strengths vs. Fixing
• [09:43] — Energy, Anxiety, and the Importance of Slowing Down
• [12:41] — EFT: What It Is, How It Works for ADHD
• [16:08] — Trauma and the Body: Somatic Approaches
• [20:39] — Emotional Regulation, Patterns, and Subconscious Work
• [23:29] — Mechanisms vs. Deeper Work for ADHD
• [25:33] — Pleasure, Joy, and Overcoming Resistance to Slowing Down
• [27:41] — Real-Life Coupling of Good/Bad Events and Subconscious Patterns
• [32:00] — Subconscious Programming and Hypnotherapy
• [34:04] — In-the-Moment Tools: Breath, Awareness, EFT
• [38:00] — Redefining Success, Grace, and Sustainable Change
• [40:00] — How to Connect with Teresa and Closing Thoughts

Practical Takeaways

• Leverage Strengths: Regularly inventory your natural strengths instead of trying to “fix” perceived deficits.
• Pause Regularly: Even a few minutes to slow down—through breath, tapping, or simple planning—can reset your day.
• Use the Body: Use tools like EFT and somatic awareness to calm your nervous system, which supports better focus and reduces procrastination.
• Address the Roots: Sustainable change often means addressing underlying beliefs and emotional patterns, not just surface habits.
• Start Small: Lasting improvement for ADHD professionals comes from gentle, consistent self-regulation, not dramatic overhauls.
• Give Yourself Grace: Setbacks or struggles are not failures—they may mean the strategies need to better fit your brain and nervous system.

Connect with the Guest

Teresa Lear Levine
Website: teresalearlevine.com

• Features free community, classroom with EFT/hypnosis resources, and booking info
• Designed for ADHDers: straightforward and easy to navigate

For listeners feeling like they've "tried everything," this episode offers hope: new approaches—especially those that work with your nervous system—can create real and lasting change, and you’re not alone in the journey.