Emotional Regulation and ADHD

Turbo Thinkers can produce millions of ideas in rapid succession. It’s amazing how the thoughts develop, leading down the yellow brick road to comedy or tragedy or anything in between, just as long as it has enough drama to avoid boredom. The inability to control your thoughts is just one aspect of ADHD. Other symptoms include the inability to control actions and emotions too. We are more familiar with runaway ideas and impulsive actions, but isn’t emotional dysregulation just a fancy term for “temper tantrum”? Yes, anger management can be a challenge for the ADHD brain, but so can boundless joy. Is that really a problem?

One of the superpowers of Turbo Thinkers is a heightened sense of empathy. You can feel another person’s sadness or fear, but also their joy and happiness. Or you can discover and enthusiastically begin a new project with unbridled passion, wanting to share and shout it from the mountaintop. How can you keep your emotions in check so that they don’t rule your life and dictate your ability to succeed? If your child is a Turbo Thinker, how do you model the mature behavior you expect to see? Have you ever thought about it? As an adult, how do prevent from having a temper tantrum yourself? From screaming and crying? From jumping up and down for joy? From running around in circles waving your hands in the air?

This ability to keep your emotions in check does not come naturally to many Turbo Thinkers, even the adult ones! How do you pause, name your feelings, then decide how to react to a situation in a calm manner? Do you take deep breaths? Do you talk it out with a trusted friend or professional? Do you take some time alone or maybe walk outside for a bit? Do you stand on your head? What is your healthy response? There is no specific technique for emotional regulation, but there is one that will work best for you. Fortunately, Turbo Thinkers are the most creative innovators I have ever met. You will surely find the right solution for your incredible brain.