Emotional dysregulation is common in those with ADHD, especially among women. It can lead to angry outbursts, intense changes in mood, and chronic irritability and anxiety. Even minor events can become intensely heightened when your emotional regulation is off kilter. Strengthening your emotional regulation skills can help you manage your emotions in a healthy way, leading to better relationships, a more balanced work life, and more ease in daily activities. Here’s what you need to know about emotional dysregulation and ADHD in women, including the connection between them, and how to manage your symptoms.
What Is Emotional Dysregulation?
Emotional dysregulation is when an individual has difficulty controlling and expressing their emotions, including sadness, anxiety, and anger. This can lead to mood swings, outbursts, and becoming overly excited. It involves having emotions that are overly intense in comparison to the situation that triggered them. Emotional dysregulation is commonly associated with ADHD and can lead to struggles in all aspects of life from relationships to work to social life. While it’s typically thought of as a childhood problem, emotional dysregulation may continue into adulthood, especially for those with ADHD.
What Is the Connection Between Emotional Dysregulation and ADHD in Women?
Having ADHD can make it harder to regulate your emotions. This is likely due to differences in the structure and function of certain areas of the brain, such as the amygdala and frontal cortex, in those with ADHD. When the amygdala is overactive it can trigger strong emotions like fear and anxiety in response to situations that may not warrant such a reaction. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for filtering and moderating emotions. When it’s under active, it can lead to difficulties regulating emotions.
Research suggests that emotional dysregulation is present in all three subtypes of ADHD (inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and combined), and women are at a greater risk since they’re more likely to try to internalize their symptoms. Emotional dysregulation and ADHD are separate but co-occurring conditions, and can have a significant effect on various aspects of daily life, creating difficulty in the workplace, relationships, and daily activities.
11 Signs of Emotional Dysregulation in Women with ADHD
- Feeling overwhelmed by emotions
- Experiencing intense emotions like angry outbursts or high anxiety
- Quick, intense changes in mood
- Crying in response to a variety of feelings, even happiness
- Feelings that seem blown out of proportion
- Mood swings and unpredictable emotions
- Having trouble soothing and calming yourself
- Chronic irritability and anxiety
- Holding grudges and struggling to let experiences go
- Becoming overly excited
- Low tolerance for frustrating situations
How to Manage Emotional Dysregulation & ADHD in Women (6 Tips)
1. Practice Mindfulness Techniques
Mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing can be extremely beneficial for emotional dysregulation. Regularly practicing mindfulness meditation can increase awareness of emotions and thoughts and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Use an app like Calm or Activations if you prefer guided meditations. Deep breathing consists of taking slow, deep breaths to calm down when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Making this a regular practice can help when you’re experiencing intense emotions.
2. Identify Your Triggers
Listen to your mind and body, and pay attention when situations produce a strong, emotional response. On top of emotions, you may experience physical symptoms of anxiety such as a pounding heart or an upset stomach. Common situations that trigger intense emotions include rejection, betrayal, unjust treatment, being excluded or ignored, feeling unwanted or unneeded, or feeling smothered. When you identify your triggers, you can start working toward managing your emotions around them as well as develop preventative measures to avoid them when necessary.
3. Start Therapy
Therapy can be life-changing for those with emotional dysregulation and ADHD. A therapist can help you with coping strategies to manage intense emotions, identify triggers and come up with preventative measures, and challenge thought patterns that contribute to emotional dysregulation. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is one of the most effective therapies for emotional dysregulation as it can teach you skills that will help identify, understand, and regulate your mood and emotions.
4. Prioritize a Healthy Lifestyle
When you’re dealing with emotional dysregulation, it’s super important to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep. Prioritize a consistent sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine. Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole greens, healthy fats, and lean proteins. This will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and mood. Engage in physical activity at least 4 to 5 times a week, whether it’s jogging, cycling, Pilates, or weight training. Exercise boosts your feel good hormones, reduces stress, and enhances mood.
5. Start a Journal
Journaling can be a powerful tool for managing ADHD symptoms, including emotional dysregulation. It allows you to gain clarity, process emotions, track patterns, and identify triggers. This can help you develop effective strategies to navigate your day to day challenges. A life with ADHD can come with big feelings, and you can use writing to stop your spiralling thoughts, examine them and get to the root of how you’re feeling. Journaling is also a great way to reduce your anxiety and increase your self-compassion. Adding journaling to your daily routine can make a huge difference to how you feel each day.
6. Consider Medication
Many people with ADHD feel a significant shift after going on the right medication, and meds can be super helpful in managing emotional dysregulation. If you’re having trouble managing your emotions on your own, talk to your healthcare provider, who will be able to offer advice for your specific needs. Antidepressants can be used to stabilize mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and mood stabilizers can be used to manage mood swings. Psychostimulants are also sometimes prescribed for severe mood disturbances and emotional instability.
These tips and tools can be extremely helpful for women with emotional dysregulation and ADHD. We hope they help!
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