You use AI to get your swirling thoughts out of your head, so why do you still feel rushed and behind? If you've been handed one more tool for your ADHD and the overwhelm and rushing haven't eased, this episode on AI and ADHD is for you.

Vacuums and computers were supposed to give us time back, and we ended up doing more. I think AI is headed the same way, which is a big part of why ADHD dysregulation grows when speed is the goal. What helps my nervous system regulate is slowing down on purpose, like using a paper calendar and a record player. I also share the questions I ask myself to tell whether AI supports me or fuels the rush.

00:00 – Is AI Helping or Hurting ADHD Brains?

01:19 – Using AI to Organize ADHD Thoughts

12:17 – Process vs. Outcome: Fulfillment for ADHD

16:14 – ADHD Coping Strategies: Paper, Records, and Routines

21:54 – Rethinking ADHD Coping: Speed vs. Regulation

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You keep wondering why ADHD is so hard when everyone around you makes it look like a simple brain difference, and you're tired of wondering if you're just bad at life. If you've spent years blaming your executive functioning for the overwhelm, the procrastination, and the freeze, this episode is for you.

I'm an ADHD therapist who has ADHD, and after working with well over 1,200 people, I've seen that much of what gets called ADHD is a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight. I walk through how hypervigilance, defensiveness, people-pleasing, and ADHD paralysis all come from the same place, and what changes when your body finally feels safe enough to let your brain do its job.

Join my free workshop, Why Is My ADHD So Hard?, on October 20th. Grab your spot here. https://jennafree.com/free-workshop

01:05 – Why ADHD Feels Overwhelming and Challenging

11:01 – ADHD Paralysis Explained as Fight, Flight, or Freeze

12:06 – Avoidance, Procrastination, and Stress in ADHD

08:27 – People Pleasing, Boundaries, and the Fawn Response

20:02 – The Benefits of Regulation for Executive Functioning

You keep saying yes when you mean no, then spend the rest of the day resentful about something you agreed to in the first place. If you've been told your ADHD people-pleasing is a boundaries problem, and that explanation hasn't actually changed anything, this episode is for you.

I break down the four explanations coaches and therapists usually give for people-pleasing and ADHD: rejection sensitive dysphoria, the automatic yes, penance for old mistakes, and chasing a quick dopamine hit. None are wrong, and none go deep enough on their own. I walk through why the fawn response takes over before you're even aware you've said yes, and what nervous system regulation for ADHD actually has to do with finally being able to say no and mean it.

If you're caught in that yes-then-resent cycle and want to work through it directly, I'm hosting a Healing People Pleasing workshop on October 9th.

00:00 – Understanding People Pleasing and ADHD

03:07 – People Pleasing as a Protective Shield Against Rejection

04:56 – The Fawn Response: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Explained

07:20 – Digging Deeper: Rejection Sensitivity and the Nervous System

21:15 – How Regulation Brings Freedom from People-Pleasing

Check out the show notes and other resources at https://jennafree.com/blog/4-reasons-behind-adhd-people-pleasing

Let's stay connected!

Want to thrive with ADHD? Come hang out with me on Instagram!

Get out of paralysis, be more productive, and enjoy your life again! Join an upcoming group!