ADHD & Emotional Regulation
ADHD and Emotional Regulation: You’re Not “Too Much”
If you are living with ADHD, you’ve probably been told you’re too sensitive, overreacting, or dramatic. Maybe you’ve wondered why small things can suddenly feel so big, like a wave of emotion crashing out of nowhere. You’re not imagining it. Emotional regulation is one of the most misunderstood parts of ADHD, especially in women.
This isn’t about being weak or lacking willpower. It’s about how your brain processes emotions. ADHD can make it hard to pause, process and respond with intention. Instead, it might feel like you go from zero to one hundred in seconds with frustration, sadness, or even joy hitting with full force, without warning. And the aftermath? That’s often the hardest part. The shame, the spiral, the self blame. The internal voice asking “Why can’t I just handle this?”
But here’s the thing: emotional dysregulation is a real and often overlooked part of ADHD. It shows up in how we handle rejection, criticism, overwhelm, and even excitement. It can affect our relationships, our work, and our sense of self. And when you’ve spent years masking or pushing your feelings down, it can take time to even name what’s going on, let alone learn how to manage it.
The good news? You’re not broken. You’re a human with a beautifully sensitive nervous system that’s been trying to cope in a world that often asks you to be smaller, quieter, and more “together” than feels possible. Learning to regulate emotions with ADHD isn’t about suppressing your feelings, instead it’s about creating space to understand them, ride them, and respond in ways that feel supportive, not self-punishing.
If this resonates, know that you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Getting support can change everything. I’m working on a free training that dives deeper into ADHD and emotional regulation, something designed to help you feel more seen, understood, and equipped with tools that actually work for your brain. Stay tuned, because support is coming. You deserve it.
