ADHD Adultish

The holiday season is supposed to feel joyful … but for ADHD adults, it often feels like someone cranked the overwhelm dial to expert mode. In this episode, we’re breaking down why December hits ADHD brains so hard, the hidden traps that make everything feel more stressful, and the simple shifts that help you protect your time, energy, and sanity.

We’ll cover:

1. Why holiday overload hits faster and stronger when you have ADHD
2. The sneaky ADHD “overwhelm triggers” to look out for
3. Why saying yes feels easier in the moment but harder in the long run
4. How people-pleasing, time blindness, perfectionism, and emotional load collide this month
5. A few simple, ADHD-friendly ways to reduce stress (without needing to become a new person)

You know the drill: you plan the family vacation like a spreadsheet-wielding wizard, but you still haven’t scheduled that doctor’s appointment. You can hyperfocus on a creative project for hours, but your laundry is now a sentient being. You never miss game night—but you forgot your kid’s permission slip again.

Cue the judgment:

• “If you really wanted to do it, you would.”
• “If it really mattered to you, you’d remember.”

And yeah… that sounds reasonable. But it’s also not the whole story.

In this episode, we’re digging into one of the most damaging struggles with ADHD — the idea that your inconsistent follow-through means you don’t care enough, or you’re not trying hard enough.

Here’s what we’re unpacking:

• What situational variability really means (and why your brain can’t “just do it” on command)
• The deeper story behind the interest-based nervous system—and why interest alone isn’t enough
• How dopamine, emotion, and working memory mess with motivation
• The shame spiral this myth creates, and why it’s so hard to escape it
• How to reframe the problem, repair relationships, and start building consistency with ADHD-friendly tools and support

✨ Whether you're the ADHDer struggling to show up consistently — or the person on the other side of the hurt — this episode will help you understand what’s actually going on, and what you can do about it.

💬 Listener Reflection Prompt:

Where have you confused inconsistency with not caring? What kind of support — or conversation — could help bridge that gap?

🎧 If this hit home for you, share it with someone who needs to hear it: a partner, a parent, a friend, a coworker. Understanding is the first step to healing the disconnect.

Resources

• https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-motivation-problems-getting-started-on-tough-projects/?srsltid=AfmBOorYiX5S2OCrzCVSMd986hO5cLep0S6bJeQ9uu2cVlvfeLT5bJ0c
• https://chadd.org/adhd-news/adhd-news-adults/how-to-deal-with-situational-variability/

Ever grab your phone “just for a second” in the morning … and suddenly it’s 45 minutes later, your coffee’s cold, and you feel like the day already slipped away? ADHD brains are especially vulnerable to doomscrolling, and it often sucks the life out of our day when we start doing it before we even get out of bed.

In this episode of ADHD Adult(ish), I break down:

• Why mornings make us extra prone to scrolling spirals.
• Why doomscrolling is basically the junk food of dopamine.
• Simple swaps to break the morning doomscroll cycle.
• Quick tricks to break free in the moment if you realize you’ve already been sucked in.

Whether you want to cut the scroll entirely or just stop it from hijacking your whole morning, this episode has you covered.

• Come say hi on Instagram → @adhdadultish
• Want help making life less chaotic? → levelupadhd.com

Do you ever find yourself avoiding things you enjoy because you didn’t “earn” it by getting enough done?

Welcome to the ADHD shame/productivity cycle.

It sounds like: “No fun until the work is done.”

But here’s the problem: for ADHD brains, the work often never feels done — so joy just keeps getting postponed.

In this episode, we’re unpacking the emotional trap of withholding joy as punishment for not being “productive enough,” why that strategy completely backfires, and how to replace it with something that actually supports momentum and mental health.

• Why ADHD brains link joy to productivity — and how that turns into self-punishment.
• The difference between real joy and numbing distractions.
• What to do when you give yourself joy but still don’t do the thing.
• The real reasons ADHD brains resist tasks.
• ADHD-friendly strategies that work with your brain, not against it.
• Why celebrating small wins helps rewire your motivation.
• A big, fat permission slip to stop waiting for permission.

• Grab your free Quick Wins Playbook: Small wins, big momentum. ADHD-friendly strategies to get unstuck and feel capable again.
• Join the waitlist for the Level Up Lab: My membership for ADHD adults who want structure, support, and a judgment-free space to figure things out.

If you’ve ever been so tired you could fall asleep standing up — only to hit the pillow and suddenly your brain won't shut the f*ck up — this one’s for you. ADHD and sleep don’t exactly get along, and in this episode, we unpack why falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up on time can feel like Olympic-level challenges when you have ADHD.

We'll talk about:

✅ Why sleep deprivation hits ADHD brains extra hard.

✅ The most common sleep struggles ADHDers face.

✅ How poor sleep affects your brain and body.

✅ ADHD-friendly tips to get better rest — without turning bedtime into another overwhelming chore.

Because good sleep won’t make your ADHD disappear — but it will make everything else suck a whole lot less.

Let's Connect:

• Instagram: @adhdadultish
• Free resources + coaching: levelupadhd.com

Been a while? Me too. In this short and honest episode, I talk about why I disappeared for a few weeks, why this kind of thing happens a lot with ADHD brains, and how we can come back without guilt or perfectionism. If you've ever felt like you dropped the ball on something you care about, this one's for you.

👉 Grab the Quick Wins Playbook for ADHD-friendly momentum-boosting tips that don’t require a six-week plan or a full executive function recharge.

🧡 Let's Connect

💬 Been there too? Send me a DM or tag me @adhdadultish or email me at [email protected] and tell me what you’re restarting right now — big or small.

If you’ve ever ended the day totally exhausted but have no idea what you actually did — this one’s for you.

In this episode of ADHD Adult(ish), we’re talking about the invisible workload that ADHD brains carry 24/7. From the endless mental tabs and open loops to the emotional clutter and random thoughts that won’t leave you alone, it’s no wonder you’re tired — even when nothing “looks” hard from the outside.

We’ll break down:

• Why ADHD brains struggle to filter distractions
• What makes “easy” tasks not easy for us
• How all that internal noise adds up to serious mental fatigue
• And a few ADHD-friendly strategies to clear the clutter without burning out

Because sometimes the most important thing you can do ... is just get it out of your head.

Join the waitlist for The ADHD Level Up Lab, my upcoming ADHD-friendly support community with weekly body doubling, accountability check-ins, zero-pressure productivity tools, and a whole lot of judgment-free commiseration.

🔗 Click here to join the waitlist

This week’s episode is a little different — because my eyes and brain have been running on low power mode, and it turns out, there’s a reason for that.

After weeks of headaches, eye strain, dizziness, motion sickness, and some very questionable mood swings, I finally got evaluated and was diagnosed with vertical heterophoria — a type of binocular vision dysfunction (BVD) where your eyes are slightly misaligned vertically.

In this episode, I share:

• What led me to finally get help (and why I ignored the signs for too long)
• How BVD symptoms overlap with or worsen ADHD challenges
• Why we need to stop ignoring ourselves when something feels off
• How support systems can make all the difference
• Why being seen, heard, and believed matters for more than just your mental health

This is a vulnerable one — but it’s also a love letter to self-awareness, support, and saying “hey, maybe I don’t just need to try harder.”

If you’ve ever questioned whether your struggles are “real enough,” this one’s for you.

👉 Mentioned in this episode:

• The ADHD community I'm building (get on the waitlist here)

You’ve heard that exercise helps with ADHD. Maybe you’ve even felt the difference — when you do manage to move.

But what about when you can’t make yourself start … or you start and just can’t stick with it?

In Part 2 of this series on ADHD and movement, we’re going beyond spontaneous dance breaks and talking about how to create an actual routine — one that works with your real life, your ADHD brain, and your inconsistent energy.

We’ll cover:

• How to choose movement that you’ll actually do
• When and where to fit it into your day without overwhelming yourself
• ADHD-friendly ways to track your progress (without a spreadsheet)
• Why you still avoid movement — even when you know it helps — and how to reset with compassion

🎯 Want more support with creating ADHD-friendly habits that last?

Check out my course, Build Habits That Stick, for real-life tools to create sustainable change.

Sign up for The Weekly Level Up newsletter and get the latest ADHD Adult(ish) tips, tricks, stories and news straight to your inbox.

🎧 Missed Part 1? Go back to Episode 21 for the science, the mindset shift, and why weird, tiny bursts of movement actually matter.

ADHD Pep Talk:

"I don’t have to do everything. I just have to do something. My worth isn’t measured by how consistent I am. Every small step I take is still a step forward. I’m allowed to show up imperfectly. That still counts."

Stick that on your mirror. Or your phone lock screen. Or wherever your inner critic likes to hang out.

If you’ve ever been told that exercise will help your ADHD — but you still can’t seem to start, or stick with it, or even remember where your sneakers are ... this episode is for you.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we’re diving into:

• Why movement is important for ADHD brains
• Why “just make a plan and stick to it” doesn’t work
• How small, spontaneous movement can still make a big difference
• And how to reframe how we think about movement movement

🔁 Don’t forget to catch Part 2 next week, where we’ll dig into how to choose intentional movement, build consistency without perfection, and navigate the emotional roadblocks that can make self-care feel impossible.

🎯 Want more support with habit-building that actually works for your ADHD brain?

Check out my course, Build Habits That Stick — an ADHD-friendly system for creating sustainable change without burnout or shame.

Mentioned in this episode:

Level Up Lab Waitlist

The Level Up Lab is my online community for adults with ADHD — offering tools, support, guidance, and accountability, all in a judgment-free zone with people who are in the same boat.

Level Up Lab