Silent rage at Christmas isn’t a personality flaw — it’s a nervous system collapse.

In this episode, we unpack why ADHD mums hit overwhelm earlier and harder during December, why the “tiny straw” moments feel massive, and how the invisible mental load of Christmas pushes your brain into shutdown mode long before anyone notices.

This is a compassionate, nervous-system-first explanation of why you’re so tired, so overstimulated, and so close to snapping… and why none of this is your fault.

Key Takeaways

• Silent rage = a responsibility overload response, not “being grumpy.”
• ADHD brains spend more effort on planning, remembering, switching tasks and emotional labour — Christmas multiplies all of these.
• The “tiny” trigger never is tiny — it’s the final task hitting a system already at capacity.
• Your body reads “too much responsibility” as danger, shifting into tension, heat, and shutdown.
• Sensory load + task load + emotional load = the perfect storm that makes Christmas feel impossible.
• You’re not the problem — the load is.
• Micro-shifts can interrupt the bracing response before it becomes collapse.

Listen & Links

Listen: www.adhdmuns.com.au/magic-of-christmas-but-im-grumpy

Free resource: 

👉 Download the Energy Accounting Guide

🔗 Related Episodes

‘The Red Pen Christmas: How to Stop Editing Yourself for Everyone Else’

👉 Listen here

‘The Year I’ve Decided Good Enough Is Enough’

👉 Listen here

‘Christmas Is the Finish Line — And ADHD Mums Are Crawling There’

👉 Listen here

💬 Share / Vent / Ask

ADHD Mums Facebook Community

Post a #vent, get solidarity, and be witnessed by other mums who get it.

👉 Join the Facebook group

Listener Question Box

Send in your own ‘washing machine’ or ‘silent rage’ moment for future episodes.

👉 Submit a listener question