ADHD Overwhelm
It’s hard to believe October 2019 is past the halfway point. The yellow, gold, red, and brown leaves have fallen from most of the trees, allergies have slowed some of us down, and the days of leaving for work in the dark and returning home in the dark has begun.
I haven’t posted in a while because I had become overwhelmed with a variety of responsibilities that lead to a significant increase in my anxiety and ADHD. Thankfully I was able to slow down, refocus, and get my anxiety under control which meant I was then able to better manage my ADHD.
When I was able to slow down, I realized that my increased anxiety was fuelled by taking on more than I could handle. So many ideas, interests, and goals; so little time.
This paragraph from Very Well Mind describes what happens
when anxiety has a hold over you,
“ Sometimes anxiety develops as a result of the ADHD symptoms. …If you
have difficulty managing the everyday demands of life, are chronically late,
forgetful, have trouble meeting deadlines and obligations, become overwhelmed
with finances, tune out in conversations, speak or act impulsively, lack tact
in social situations—then certainly this can bring about feelings of chronic
anxiety.
You may worry about keeping track of it all. You may worry about what will go wrong next. When will the next “let down” occur? What will I say next to embarrass myself or someone else? You may dread that next time when you are rushing to an important appointment that you will surely be late to again.”
I was reminded that having too many things on the go leads to increased anxiety as a result of ADHD symptoms. We are not able to successful juggle as many things on our daily to-do list as others. This isn’t something bad, it’s simply a reality. Over time we learn which activities and responsibilities we can say “yes” to and which one’s require a “no”. This isn’t always based on choosing what is most important, but what is best for us.
Your overwhelm isn’t going to look like mine did, but it’s important to learn and remember what you can and can’t handle very well in your own life. Decrease the things that cause your anxiety to increase.
Be honest with yourself and find out what activities, people, habits, etc. might be causing a sudden increase in anxiety or a worsening of ADHD symptoms. Then find a way to do something about either eliminating or decreasing the problem.
Below I’ve posted two links with short, easy to read information on managing anxiety with ADHD and also how to deal with ADHD overwhelm.
Adults and ADHD Reminders for When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28
Faithfully ADHD 