0:00 What if your symptoms of anxiety are better explained as ADHD?
0:04 But first, check out this tree, guys.
0:06 It's a nice tree.
0:08 It's got nice leaves.
0:09 But this tree represents anxiety.
0:12 Let's call it the anxiety tree.
0:14 Okay, that's such a bad joke.
0:15 This tree is actually two different trees with two different roots.
0:20 One of those trees is a lemon tree, and for today's video,
0:23 that's going to be our tree that's rooted in anxiety.
0:26 And the other tree is a lime tree.
0:28 The leaves look the same.
0:30 It still has anxiety leaves, but it's actually got different roots.
0:34 This tree is better explained as ADHD.
0:37 Okay.
0:38 Up to 50% of people with ADHD have an anxiety disorder.
0:42 The symptoms can look super similar and they have a ton of overlap.
0:45 From racing thoughts to difficulty sleeping to memory problems.
0:49 Today, we're going to be talking about the overlap between anxiety and ADHD,
0:53 the two separate root causes,
0:55 and how brain differences might explain why this is happening.
0:58 And of course, the whole point of this is
1:00 if we look at some forms of anxiety
1:03 as being fueled by ADHD,
1:05 that gives us some great options for treating it.
1:08 When I learned the crucial role that executive function plays in processing emotions,
1:12 it completely changed how I manage my own anxiety and how I help clients.
1:20 Okay, do you know
1:20 that feeling where your thoughts bombard you
1:23 and everything feels awful
1:24 and frightening and overwhelming?
1:25 We can describe this as anxiety, but it also sounds like ADHD sometimes.
1:30 Now, here's how ADHD looks like anxiety for me sometimes.
1:33 The best way I can describe it is
1:35 when your thoughts are flying by
1:37 so fast and there's usually three of them at once.
1:40 I'll look at my messy kitchen and I'll think, I need to cook dinner,
1:42 but I can't cook dinner until I do the dishes.
1:44 Then I'll think, oh my gosh,
1:45 I'm such a bad mom and the house is so messy.
1:47 And then I can't even think with this music on.
1:50 Like maybe if we were....
1:52 And then I'll think, oh gosh,
1:53 like if I if only maybe if I was just more chill,
1:56 that would solve everything.
1:57 And then I'll be like, where was I?
1:59 Oh yeah, the dishes.
2:00 Oh, what is that fan noise?
2:02 Also, I need to order groceries.
2:04 Alexa, add almond milk to the shopping list.
2:06 Why is this music so loud?
2:08 What should I make for dinner?
2:09 I hate cooking.
2:10 And I can't even start cooking because the kitchen's so messy.
2:14 I hate everything.
2:16 Almond milk is already on your shopping list.
2:19 Your music seems loud.
2:20 That's how it feels.
2:20 Okay, it could be very loud in here.
2:23 It seems like there's always something important I'm forgetting
2:26 and it feels like something bad is just around the corner.
2:29 So, ADHD and anxiety have a ton of symptom overlap like the leaves of
2:33 a tree.
2:34 Oh, yeah.
2:34 My team would not let me say ADHD
2:38 and anxiety are like pants with one waist.
2:40 Anxiety and two different legs, right?
2:42 Executive function, worry, and avoidance.
2:44 All right.
2:45 So, we're going with the lemon tree analogy,
2:47 but we're going to be talking about symptom overlap.
2:49 And there are just so many symptoms that overlap,
2:53 from worry to hyperactivity to getting stuck in overwhelm to overthinking, difficulty focusing,
3:01 trouble sleeping.
3:02 And if you know me,
3:03 you know that I like charts to explain this stuff,
3:06 but I also don't want to bore you with all the details.
3:09 So, I'm going to include a link in the video description where you can
3:11 download a free PDF of this whole chart.
3:14 But for now, let's just look at a few of these symptoms
3:17 and how they overlap.
3:18 So, let's talk about worrying.
3:20 Worrying is actually a maladaptive habit of trying to prevent bad things from happening.
3:26 And it's actually very reinforcing to the brain.
3:27 The brain likes it.
3:28 So, it thinks, oh, as long as I worry about something,
3:31 I can prevent it.
3:32 And this leads to a cycle of like,
3:34 anxiety leads to worry to prevent that bad thing from happening.
3:38 And then the bad thing doesn't happen.
3:39 So, your brain's like, "Cool, that worked.
3:41 I'm going to increase my anxiety and I'm going to worry more."
3:43 Right?
3:44 That's the anxiety cycle in a very small nutshell.
3:47 With ADHD, when you aren't thinking about anything,
3:51 your brain runs your default mode network.
3:54 This is like the background noise of your brain,
3:56 and it often just turns to worrying without you noticing it.
4:00 And with ADHD, hyperfocus can make it difficult to switch thoughts away from something
4:05 worrisome.
4:06 So, the symptom is worrying, but with anxiety,
4:08 it's more of a maladaptive habit around avoidance.
4:11 And with ADHD, as we're going to discover, it's about executive function.
4:15 With hyperactivity, right?
4:17 You've got fidgeting, you've got jiggly legs, you have this need to constantly move.
4:22 With ADHD, this is often called driven by a motor.
4:25 Like, you have the gift of lots of physical energy and poor inhibition.
4:30 Now, this is great if you've got physical problems to solve,
4:33 but it can still be pretty problematic
4:35 if you have to sit still
4:37 or try to relax.
4:38 From an anxiety perspective,
4:41 you're stuck in the fight/flight/freeze response to perceived danger.
4:44 So your body's pumping out stress hormones.
4:47 So you've got the energy to run away from a tiger,
4:49 which is great if you're actually running away from a tiger,
4:52 but it's not great if it's actually your emails that are frightening.
4:55 So, both ADHD and anxiety, you might see hyperactivity,
4:58 but they've got two different fuels.
5:00 All right, let's talk about focus.
5:02 With ADHD, there seems to be an inherent difficulty maintaining attention for tasks
5:07 that aren't the right level of stimulation.
5:09 With anxiety, your brain is constantly scanning for danger.
5:13 It's like, why would I pay attention to homework
5:15 when I'm being chased by a tiger,
5:17 right?
5:18 With sleep, with ADHD, your brain has difficulty with impulse control and behavioral regulation.
5:25 This leads to difficulty calming your mind and body.
5:28 Your brain hates being bored.
5:30 So, while you're lying there,
5:31 it's going to pull up all sorts of random ideas
5:33 and think about everything
5:35 when you're trying to sleep.
5:36 With anxiety, worries keep the body's sympathetic state active, that fight/flight/freeze response,
5:42 and those racing thoughts, that preventative worrying keeps you on high alert.
5:48 Now, there are tons more overlapping behaviors, but you get the idea, right?
5:54 ADHD and anxiety can look very similar on the surface,
5:59 but the symptoms are rooted in two very different functions in the brain.
6:04 So, what's the fundamental root difference between ADHD and anxiety?
6:09 It's executive function.
6:10 So, executive function is the brain's ability to manage thoughts
6:14 and emotions and actions to reach a goal.
6:17 It includes skills like planning, focusing attention, remembering instructions, and regulating impulses.
6:23 With ADHD, there seems to be a predisposed deficit in executive function.
6:29 And this makes it hard to process emotions like anxiety.
6:32 When you feel anxious about all the homework you need to do,
6:35 poor executive function makes it hard to choose which task is most important,
6:40 and that makes it hard to remember why school is important,
6:43 which drains your motivation.
6:45 You might have a hard time getting started
6:47 because you have less dopamine than the average person.
6:50 And then you might look at your clock and realize it's 1:00 am.
6:53 And then you pull an all-nighter.
6:54 And then you have much worse executive function in the morning
6:57 because executive function is worse
6:59 when you don't sleep well.
7:00 Now you're late to school.
7:01 You can't find your keys because you're slightly more disorganized than the average person.
7:06 And when you finally get to school
7:08 because of all this stress
7:10 and lack of sleep,
7:11 you actually have a harder time paying attention in class than usual.
7:15 Okay.
7:16 Now it feels like school's impossible and you're worried about your grades, right?
7:21 Here comes the anxiety.
7:22 Now, this all stems from difficulty organizing and initiating tasks the day before.
7:28 It starts with poor executive function.
7:31 And executive function is generally in this part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex.
7:36 Now, with anxiety, there is perhaps or usually an overactive amygdala or HPA axis.
7:44 This leads to a heightened fear response.
7:47 So when you perceive that you're in danger,
7:49 like a tiger is chasing you or your friend is going to reject you,
7:54 your brain doesn't care about making a budget or planning out tomorrow's task list.
8:00 The brain channels that energy away from the thinking part of the brain into
8:06 reactive responses like running away.
8:08 It decreases big picture thinking or value-based decision-making.
8:11 So then you're going to make choices that avoid problems or situations.
8:15 So, you might avoid doing your homework
8:18 because you're afraid you won't do it perfectly.
8:21 Or there's another form of avoidance, which is avoiding failure,
8:24 a big threat by trying to do your homework perfectly.
8:27 And all of that avoidance fuels the anxiety cycle, where your anxiety increases,
8:33 which increases avoidance, which increases worry, which is another type of avoidance,
8:37 which impacts your ability to function.
8:39 It makes it harder to choose to do things, harder to think more clearly,
8:43 and harder to relax.
8:45 So that's the anxiety cycle.
8:47 And with an anxiety disorder, we'll often see heightened responses in the amydala.
8:52 Okay.
8:52 So executive dysfunction often shows up
8:54 as trouble regulating emotions. 30 to 70% of people with ADHD struggle to regulate
9:01 their emotions.
9:02 And here's where it gets messy.
9:05 When we have poor executive function, it fuels emotional dysregulation.
9:12 And when you're highly emotional, it's hard to slow down and think clearly.
9:16 That's because the fight/flight/freeze response is channeling resources like blood
9:19 and oxygen away from the prefrontal cortex into the more primitive survival parts of
9:23 your brain.
9:24 So, poor executive function can fuel anxiety and anxiety can fuel poor executive function.
9:31 This is why ADHD and anxiety are often connected,
9:34 but they stem from differences in how the brain processes information
9:38 and responds to stimuli.
9:41 So, ADHD stems from poor executive function.
9:45 Anxiety stems from a habitual avoidance response, but anxiety can also decrease executive function.
9:51 So, it's hard to think clearly when you're scared.
9:56 We can often treat the symptoms of anxiety
9:59 when you have ADHD by improving executive function
10:03 and we're going to get into
10:04 that.
10:04 But let's first take a deep dive into what might be causing this poor
10:08 executive function in the ADHD brain type.
10:10 Okay.
10:11 So, one of the things that we see with ADHD,
10:15 I just really wanted to show you that page.
10:17 Clearly, I did not read that page.
10:19 Okay.
10:20 So, one of the things we see with ADHD is something called cognitive profile
10:23 scatter.
10:24 And I hope you're ready for a deep dive.
10:26 I promise we're going to talk about some helpful practical strategies soon,
10:29 but I love talking about the brain science here.
10:31 So, you've probably heard of IQ scores.
10:34 It's one measure of intelligence.
10:36 Most people think they're just one number, like 140 is genius,
10:40 100 is pegged as average.
10:42 Below 70 is considered an intellectual disability.
10:45 And most people score between 85 and 115.
10:48 But most people don't know
10:50 that your IQ score is actually an average of subtests measuring four different skills.
10:56 Verbal reasoning, working memory, problem solving, and processing speed.
11:01 Okay?
11:02 And here's the thing with averages.
11:03 A smart average person without ADHD might score like 110, 111, 107,
11:11 and 112 in those four subcategories.
11:15 And their overall score would be 110.
11:18 Did I do that math right?
11:19 I think so.
11:19 Okay.
11:20 But then one of the things.... so,
11:22 you see they're slightly above average and they're doing fine.
11:25 Even one of those scores could be slightly below average
11:27 and one slightly higher does not matter
11:29 because they're tightly grouped here.
11:32 One of the things
11:33 that we often see with ADHD is someone might have the exact same IQ
11:37 score,
11:37 110, but their processing speed is like 130.
11:41 It's super fast.
11:43 And their working memory is like 90, just under average.
11:47 So, it's not a problem.
11:48 It's not like their processing speed is that bad.
11:51 The problem is they have a much bigger gap,
11:54 like 40 points between their processing speed and their working memory.
11:58 As Russell Barkley says, that's like a race car engine with bicycle brakes.
12:03 And these gaps in mental skills are pretty typical with ADHD.
12:08 So, a common pattern of cognitive profile scatter with ADHD is high processing speed
12:14 and low working memory.
12:16 Working memory is how many things you can hold in your attention at once.
12:21 It helps you hold and sort through thoughts like,
12:25 "I'm feeling anxious because I have a deadline, but I've done this before."
12:30 That's two thoughts in your head at once.
12:32 Hold those in your head while trying to remember your system.
12:36 Pull out your calendar and pretty soon the ADHD brain will give up.
12:39 It's like it has less capacity to hold multiple ideas in its head at
12:43 once.
12:44 Working memory is also really essential for holding emotional information.
12:47 It's like you could compare this to past experiences
12:50 that requires you to hold your your memory in one hand
12:53 and your current experience in the other be like,
12:55 "Oh, I've done this before.
12:56 It's okay."
12:57 Right?
12:57 In ADHD, working memory is often impaired,
13:00 which makes it harder to pause and think before reacting emotionally.
13:05 And so does executive dysfunction, right?
13:06 Impulse control.
13:07 This can lead to impulsive emotional outbursts or difficulty calming down.
13:11 A slower working memory also inhibits your overall executive function.
13:16 So imagine your brain's like racing ahead.
13:19 Your fast processing is cranking out a flood of ideas and emotions like,
13:22 "Oh my gosh!
13:23 What if I fail my test?
13:24 What if my teacher gets mad at me?
13:25 What if I never get a job?"
13:27 What if I?
13:27 What if I?
13:27 Right?
13:28 Catastrophizing that verbal processing is just flying down the road.
13:32 But your ability to like slow down and organize and self soothe lags behind.
13:39 It's like that lower dot on the IQ score, right?
13:43 So, these are things like adding in here, like you're going to be okay.
13:47 Remember to breathe.
13:49 This is just your brain making words.
13:51 There's no evidence that you're going to fail your test.
13:54 Right?
13:55 That's what many people with ADHD experience.
13:57 Their thoughts and feelings move fast, but the tools to regulate those feelings,
14:01 the metaphorical breaks, cannot keep up.
14:05 So, anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional outbursts take over.
14:09 These aren't just behavioral issues.
14:10 They're not a lack of willpower.
14:12 They're regulation issues.
14:15 You might desperately want to stay calm or focused,
14:18 but your cognitive systems aren't working in sync.
14:21 And over time, this can lead to chronic anxiety, low self-esteem,
14:24 fear of failure, especially
14:26 when you're misunderstood or punished for something you can't yet control.
14:31 And like this reminds me, like I've been having this dream lately.
14:33 I wake up in the middle of the night,
14:34 I'm like sleepwalking and I have this idea
14:36 or this thought like I forgot to take care of one of the animals
14:39 and now they're starving,
14:40 right?
14:42 So like that anxiety around like, what have I forgotten?
14:45 What have I missed?
14:46 Right?
14:46 Not only that, but you just have a harder time regulating your emotions
14:50 and it's not just
14:52 that either.
14:53 Like, parents or teachers will incorrectly think
14:57 that this kid or this adult right here is super smart
15:01 but unmotivated,
15:03 right?
15:03 They have so much potential.
15:05 So, for example, a child with ADHD might think quickly and talk fluently.
15:09 They might seem so smart.
15:10 They have high verbal processing speed,
15:13 but then they struggle to hold thoughts in their mind
15:16 or they struggle to stay grounded in the present moment
15:20 or they struggle to initiate tasks.
15:23 This is low working memory or poor executive function.
15:27 So these kids are more likely to be punished
15:30 or corrected because they seem
15:31 so smart.
15:32 They should know better.
15:33 But the smart part of their brain is actually making it harder for them
15:36 to process their emotions.
15:38 That race car engine making it hard for the brakes to keep up.
15:42 And this is not because the person is too sensitive or dramatic,
15:46 but it's because of how their brain works.
15:48 Okay, so let's give an example.
15:49 Let's say your friend criticizes you.
15:52 Okay, this example is about me.
15:54 You keep interrupting me, Emma.
15:55 In response, I might feel a flood of emotions like defensiveness.
16:00 I do not.
16:01 Indignation.
16:01 Oh, you're not so good yourself.
16:03 You're always talking about yourself.
16:05 Or immense shame like, I'm such a bad friend.
16:09 I suck at relationships.
16:11 With a delayed prefrontal cortex, emotions hit fast and hard.
16:16 It's hard to slow yourself down,
16:17 hard to soothe yourself or think clearly in the moment.
16:20 So then I might react
16:22 or storm off or get overwhelmed
16:24 or shut down without knowing what to do with those emotions.
16:28 I might feel anxious
16:29 that I'll lose her
16:30 as a friend or depressed
16:31 that I can never maintain relationships.
16:34 I might shut down
16:35 or withdraw or blow things up
16:37 and that might make me more anxious
16:39 or depressed in the future.
16:41 Now, if my prefrontal cortex were activated, instead of replying right away,
16:47 executive function would help me.
16:50 I would pause.
16:51 I would take a breath.
16:53 I would use my working memory to remind myself
16:56 that my friend cares about me.
16:58 I would acknowledge that it hurts that she said that while also asking,
17:03 "Is it true?"
17:04 I would calm myself down enough to ask her what that looks like.
17:07 And then I would check in with my values.
17:09 I would say something like, "Oh,
17:10 I do value being a better listener and I do value my friendships."
17:14 And then I'd create a plan to become a better listener,
17:18 which might look like watching some videos on how to be a better listener
17:22 or practicing or asking for some feedback.
17:26 And what I'm describing here is emotion processing.
17:29 It's a multi-step process that requires you to slow down, soothe yourself,
17:32 make some space, and
17:33 then clarify and organize your thoughts
17:35 and feelings into choosing valued action.
17:38 The skills of emotion processing are really essential.
17:41 And with ADHD, poor executive functioning is basically tripping you up at each step
17:46 if you don't give it support
17:48 and scaffolds to work through this.
17:50 And that's the whole point.
17:51 If you identify with ADHD or if you've been diagnosed with it,
17:54 it's not just some new excuse for why you can't be happy
17:57 and get stuff done.
17:59 Knowing that ADHD limits your executive function gives you the road map to build
18:04 up the scaffolds and tools
18:06 that are going to help you solve problems
18:09 and be super awesome.
18:10 You don't need more pressure or discipline.
18:13 You need tools for co-regulation, memory supports, and emotion processing.
18:19 Okay.
18:20 So, how do we do that?
18:22 How do we help anxiety from an ADHD approach?
18:25 Let's talk about three practical strategies
18:28 that can help anxiety
18:29 if we take an executive function approach.
18:33 Do you guys like my posters?
18:34 I worked hard on them.
18:35 Okay, so let's see how supporting executive function will slow down the race car,
18:40 build up the brakes, and get you a good pit crew.
18:44 Okay, so how do we slow down the race car?
18:46 Exercise is shown to directly support executive function and inhibition.
18:51 It's also great for anxiety.
18:53 Meditation.
18:54 Okay, meditation feels terrible for many people with ADHD.
18:57 It's not a coping skill.
18:58 It's a training skill.
19:00 You're training your brain to slow down and improve attention.
19:04 Medication.
19:05 ADHD meds are stimulants.
19:06 They stimulate the executive function parts of the brain to help you slow down
19:12 and like,
19:12 talk with your doctor, right?
19:14 How else can we slow down this race car?
19:16 Writing.
19:17 Writing about your feelings can be one of the most effective ways to process
19:20 through them.
19:20 This is my number one favorite way to sort through the clutter in my
19:24 head.
19:25 You do not have to journal every night, but when you're feeling super emotional,
19:29 sit down and write about it.
19:29 It'll help you slow down and clarify what's going on.
19:32 Let me give you an example.
19:33 I had a friend who I worked with
19:34 and he and his wife were going through marriage therapy
19:36 and they would get
19:37 so heated when they argued
19:39 that the therapist said,
19:40 "Okay, hang on there.
19:41 We're not going to argue verbally anymore.
19:43 You're welcome to keep arguing, but you have to write it down."
19:45 So, they had a notepad
19:47 and he would write down what he was thinking
19:49 or feeling and then he would pass it to his wife.
19:52 She would read it
19:53 and then she would write it down
19:55 and then she would pass it to him.
19:56 And all this is doing is an example of a structure,
19:59 a scaffold that helps support executive function.
20:03 Inhibition is an aspect of executive function.
20:06 Slowing yourself down.
20:07 So, let me give you another example.
20:08 You're freaking out about whether your friend hates you because of something you said.
20:12 Write it down.
20:13 What are your thoughts?
20:14 What are your fears?
20:15 Like, oh, she'll never talk to me again.
20:17 Or, I just suck at this.
20:18 Why even try?
20:19 Or, no one would ever want to be my friend.
20:21 Now, you can add some helpful thoughts.
20:24 What would you say to someone else who was thinking that?
20:26 Write those down.
20:27 Might be something like, "Oh, it's probably not as bad as I think."
20:30 Or, "Real friendships work through stuff like this all the time."
20:33 Or, "What steps could I take to check in with her
20:35 and make it right?"
20:36 Or, "Hm, there have been rough times like this in the past
20:40 and I've always gotten through them.
20:41 Okay, I can do this."
20:43 Right?
20:43 So, we're just slowing our brain down so we can turn on the thinking,
20:47 planning, organizing part of our brain.
20:49 When we slow down the race car and look around,
20:51 we can often manage the anxiety better.
20:53 Okay, here's another example from my friend Sean who has ADHD and anxiety.
20:57 He's also an executive function coach.
20:58 One thing that I do,
20:59 like I think my anxiety starts to spike
21:02 when I feel like there's too many things
21:04 and I can't do them all
21:05 or I can't face them.
21:08 What I do is I have this little book.
21:10 It sits on my kind of like power station there, you know, my like,
21:14 little center of gravity.
21:16 And what I do is I'll write down like,
21:19 if I only did one thing today, what would it be?
21:22 And like, and then I just lay that out there and I'm like,
21:25 look I'm a success
21:26 if I do that one thing today
21:27 and like every day I'll write something whatever it feels like,
21:30 hey, if I walk away from this day and I did that, I'm good.
21:33 So, like you know yesterday was like
21:35 or last week was deliver a great executive function coaching academy class.
21:40 I did that I'm like, all right my day is accomplished, like,
21:43 I can enjoy it.
21:44 So I think really always trying to minimize like,
21:49 what I need to accomplish rather than expand it
21:52 and be like I got to do this this
21:53 and this.
21:53 That's just like, oh my god!
21:54 I'm a failure and you know it's like the shame cycle kind of just
21:57 that's probably like if I rely on one thing more than anything it's it's
22:02 minimizing the amount of things I feel like I need to do on any
22:05 given day.
22:06 I love how he manages task overwhelm by writing one phrase at the beginning
22:09 of each day.
22:10 Okay, the last one is pause.
22:14 Impulsivity can fuel ADHD and anxiety.
22:16 So, you get upset at work, then you impulsively quit your job,
22:19 and now you're super anxious about paying rent, right?
22:21 To support impulsivity, we need to train ourselves to pause, take a breath,
22:27 or take a walk instead of reacting right away.
22:30 Bite your tongue, put your hands behind your back.
22:33 Sometimes it's good to sleep on a problem
22:36 or set up a new rule
22:37 that you have to take 48 hours before making a decision.
22:41 So, want to break up with your girlfriend
22:43 or buy something that costs more than $100?
22:46 Set a timer for 48 hours.
22:48 These are behavioral strategies
22:50 that you can practice until you make a habit of them.
22:52 Another thing you can do is like, just do less stuff.
22:56 This is one of the best ways to make yourself disorganized
22:59 and anxious is to overbook yourself
23:01 and run around like a chicken with its head cut off.
23:03 Scheduling time every day to slow down
23:06 and work through feelings
23:08 and to plan and to look at your calendar
23:10 and to rest and do self-care.
23:11 The second way we improve our ability to work through anxiety from an ADHD
23:15 lens is we strengthen the weak parts of our car,
23:18 the bicycle brakes need extra support or in the case of ADHD,
23:23 it's usually working memory and impulse control that need extra support.
23:27 Now, this video cannot begin to touch on all of the different skills to
23:31 support executive functioning,
23:33 but let me just list a few.
23:34 You'll have to do your own research to figure out how to build systems
23:37 that work for you,
23:38 but here's some of the things we do.
23:40 You keep visual reminders around you.
23:42 For people with ADHD, out of sight is literally out of mind.
23:47 Like if I feel panicky,
23:48 then it seems impossible to remember
23:50 that I've gotten through this before
23:51 and I'll feel better after going for a walk.
23:53 So, put up reminders on your walls.
23:57 Put up routines on your walls.
24:00 Put your coping skills in an obvious place.
24:03 Put your red flags
24:04 or warning signs that you need support in an obvious place.
24:07 With ADHD, planning and organizational skills might be more helpful than mindfulness or CBT.
24:13 That's like an anxiety approach, right?
24:15 You could work with an executive function coach to create a calendar system
24:18 that works for you.
24:19 You can make your calendars more visual, like whenever possible,
24:22 use routines and systems with checklist.
24:24 And the channel, How to ADHD, has some great examples for this.
24:28 Another way to support executive function is to set reminders on your phone for
24:32 important things.
24:34 This could be like scheduled worry
24:35 or journaling or breathing slowly
24:37 or even to just hug your spouse.
24:39 And then process emotions physically, not just mentally.
24:43 So, because our brains kind of jump around a lot,
24:46 it might be easier to just like diagram your feelings on a piece of
24:49 paper or do a brain dump
24:51 or make a mind map,
24:52 right?
24:53 Or you work through the steps of the Emotion Processing Course.
24:57 And like this is basically how I created the Emotion Processing Course.
25:01 Not because I'm the best at processing emotions,
25:03 but because I needed like a 30-step system to work through my own huge
25:08 and overwhelming feelings with my mediocre working memory.
25:13 Okay, we're almost done.
25:14 The third way to decrease your anxiety by addressing ADHD deficits is to get
25:19 support.
25:20 So, in other words,
25:21 we're going to help your race car out with a good pit crew.
25:23 A therapist or executive function coach can help you slow down, be less impulsive,
25:28 and reinforce good strategies.
25:29 They can help you process your emotions, and build healthier habits.
25:33 Body doubling is one way to do this.
25:34 So, it's like getting someone to do the hard things with you.
25:38 So, for example, you help your friend clean out their garage
25:41 and they help you clean out your garage,
25:44 right?
25:44 It might sound scary to impose on someone like this,
25:47 but a friend will actually enjoy spending time with you
25:49 and help you be a better version of yourself.
25:52 Say it out loud.
25:53 Racing thoughts can go in circles in your head,
25:55 but when you say them out loud, it's easier to make sense of them.
25:58 So, you can talk to a friend
25:59 or you can just talk into your voice memos
26:01 or even to your favorite AI,
26:03 right?
26:04 In the end, the goal is to support your executive function
26:07 so that you can make choices
26:08 that line up with the life
26:10 that you want to be living.
26:11 With ADHD, usually, that's about supporting executive function first,
26:16 and that's going to help you solve problems and soothe your emotions.
26:19 Now, I'll just give you a quick preview.
26:23 With anxiety disorders, when anxiety is the root,
26:28 it's often about reversing behaviors and thought patterns that keep fueling avoidance and fear.
26:33 And then that's going to help your executive function kick into gear.
26:37 So either way, when you support your executive function,
26:39 you'll be better at thinking clearly and solving problems,
26:42 and anxiety and ADHD will be easier to live with.
26:46 Okay, thanks for sticking all the way to the end of this very long
26:49 and nerdy video.
26:50 I really appreciate it.
26:51 I hope this video is helpful.
26:53 Thank you for watching.
26:54 And if you'd like to see more videos like this or videos about ADHD,
26:58 please comment below so I can know what you're interested in.
27:01 Thank you for watching and take care.
27:03 Hi there.
27:03 If you found anything in this video helpful,
27:05 I would really appreciate it
27:07 if you could give it a thumbs up
27:08 or share it with someone who could benefit from it today.
