19 min listen
ADHD Never Used to Be This Hard
ratings:
Length:
38 minutes
Released:
Feb 22, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Do you remember when you were young and carefree, coasting through school assignments at the last minute? Or social engagements flowing effortlessly from one to the next? As an adult with ADHD, those days may feel like a distant memory. Suddenly, responsibilities pile up, work seems endless, and relationships require much more attention. What changed?In this episode, we explore why ADHD symptoms often worsen from childhood to adulthood. Turns out, the structured school environment and malleable young brain provided a protective cocoon. Youthful resilience and novelty-seeking behaviors also naturally complemented ADHD traits.But adult life removes those scaffolds. We're faced with open-ended choices, little external accountability, and increasingly rigid thinking patterns. Stress compounds the challenges. Without school forcing new learning, our minds stagnate. Mental elasticity gives way to knee-jerk reactions. Dopamine-seeking behaviors like substance abuse or gambling frequently emerge. It's no wonder ADHD feels debilitating.The good news? We can recreate youthful advantages through scheduling routines, mindfulness practices, brain training, and lifestyle changes. Structure liberates the ADHD mind from decision fatigue. Meditation and new hobbies boost dopamine. And cognitive exercises build mental agility. By bringing back elements of childhood, we can recapture some of its ease. The path requires diligence and self-compassion. But reclaiming our younger resilience is within reach.Links & NotesDig into the podcast Shownotes Database
(00:00) - Welcome to Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast
(02:00) - Support the show: Become a patron!
(05:18) - Were things better back in the day?
(09:06) - Performative Busyness
(15:14) - The ADHD Twist
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
(00:00) - Welcome to Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast
(02:00) - Support the show: Become a patron!
(05:18) - Were things better back in the day?
(09:06) - Performative Busyness
(15:14) - The ADHD Twist
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Released:
Feb 22, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
We're going through some changes: Sometimes, the slow march of evolution leads to a pivot in the timeline. Such is the case this week with Taking Control, as we look at who we've become over the last four years, and think more clearly about the years to come. by Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast