ADHD and Mornings: Why They Can Feel So Hard

Many people with ADHD have a very slow start in the morning. They may find it harder to get moving, make decisions, prioritize, or start tasks. Mornings can also be a time of greater emotional vulnerability. While ADHD is associated with differences in dopamine regulation throughout the day, many people experience particularly low arousal in the morning and more difficulty with executive functioning first thing after waking.

Executive functioning is the brain's "manager." It helps us plan, organize, shift attention, regulate emotions, and keep perspective. When executive functioning is running at a lower level, thoughts and feelings can become much harder to organize. Instead of feeling like you can think through a problem, emotions can start to take over.

This is one reason many people with ADHD describe becoming emotionally flooded. Their nervous system can respond more intensely to stress, making it harder to regain perspective once they're overwhelmed. While a neurotypical person may feel like an emotional wave knocked them down, someone with ADHD may feel like they've been caught in a riptide.

And you don't swim against a riptide—you swim sideways.

When you're emotionally flooded, trying to think your way out of it or repeatedly analyzing your feelings often isn't the most effective strategy. Instead, engage your brain in a different direction. This is "swimming sideways."

That might mean:

• Going for a quick walk or run.

• Doing jumping jacks or push-ups.

• Putting on upbeat music.

• Listening to an engaging podcast.

• Cooking breakfast.

• Taking a shower.

• Starting a simple household task.

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The goal is to give your brain another job to do. As your attention becomes occupied by a physical or engaging activity, the emotional intensity often begins to decrease. This is one reason movement is so helpful for people with ADHD—it increases arousal, boosts dopamine, and gives the brain something concrete to focus on.

This is also why having a consistent morning routine can make such a difference. Rather than deciding what to do each morning, create a routine you can simply fall into. The fewer decisions your brain has to make while it's still "warming up," the easier it is to get moving.

It can also be helpful to protect your mornings from unnecessary emotional stimulation. Reading upsetting news, checking stressful emails, or getting pulled into conflict first thing in the morning can flood an already vulnerable nervous system. If you notice yourself becoming overwhelmed, don't force yourself to process the feeling right then.

Swim sideways first. Regulate your nervous system through movement, music, or another engaging activity. Once you're calmer and your executive functioning has come back online, you'll often have much more perspective and be better able to think through what you're feeling.

Sometimes the goal isn't to process your emotions immediately. Sometimes the goal is simply to get out of the riptide first.

Abby Neuberg LMFT, LPCC