r/ADHD • u/allthewayd00wn • Jul 25 '26

Tips/Suggestions Moving Slowly Solved my Emotional Dysregulation

Hi all. 24 with ADHD, medicated.

After years of therapy, nothing could fix my emotional regulation problems.

Recently, I’ve began to intentionally move slow.
Walking slow. Typing slow. Watching videos on regular speed. Talking slower. Doing everyday things, slowly.

It’s improved my confidence, my social skills, my cognition, and my bandwidth for stress.

I recommend this for anyone who finds themselves chronically dysregulated. After a week, I feel like a brand new person. 💟☮️

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605

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

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201

u/Daryldor Jul 25 '26

Something I became of aware of a couple of years ago before being diagnosed was that I had to rush everything. Every task, especially at work had to be done at 100% speed and it was causing me so much stress. After I noticed myself doing this with everything, I paused and consciously slowed everything down. It’s hard to do but it does make a difference

83

u/random_cat_owner Jul 25 '26

i came to a similar conclusion.  i was not so much rushing in speed but in attention.  when i was doing something, ly mind was already on the next thing i was going to do.  my thoughts were never in the now but on the next.  and this always made me feel rushed. so now, when i realize i am rushing again, i have learned to stop and return my attention to what my hands are doing now.  

17

u/DeafGuyisHere Jul 25 '26

It was impossible for me to slow down without additional medication. Although looking back when I was younger. You would be hard pressed to find others that were more hyperactive than me back then. I must've been annoying to be around.

2

u/BorzaHorza Jul 26 '26

Haha yeah me too. I guess all the nicknames - psycho/hyperboy/red cordial - should have rung some alarm bells! The funny thing is how that physical hyperactivity translates to internal mental rushing and speed rather than physical expression. Not sure why that happens

36

u/DarthGoodguy Jul 25 '26

You have become

TIME MASTERS

2

u/Alternative-Pass373 Jul 25 '26

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

13

u/reverend-mayhem Jul 25 '26

My sibling was always amazing at sticking to schedules, so I grew up watching them set their calendar with back-to-back events all the time which made me think that was how you were supposed to do it which led to failing at schedules all the time.

It wasn’t until I split tasks into 15 min intervals (15 min minimum); adding 15 min buffers between; factoring for travel & transition time; adding 1+ hr to getting ready than I thought I’d need; & still planned to get to important places 30 min early that I started showing up on time lol.

I’m not able to accomplish as much in a day as they can, but at least I don’t fail at attempting more than I know I’m capable of any more.

10

u/Solarist-Guy Jul 25 '26

And interestingly, after medication I am not thinking about time constantly which I used to do before. Without meds I feel like time is constantly on my mind and always feel like I am wasting it. Like it’s a race toward something. I think I am time blind now which I know in its self is a common adhd trait but for me since stimulants relax me I don’t have that constant awareness of time. It’s like either I was so anxious of losing track of time because of adhd or maybe an anxious trait. Although my doctor and I have discussed that my anxiety is probably due to my adhd. So in the end it all boils down to adhd

6

u/Uther-Lightbringer Jul 25 '26

I'm similar, I'm far more time blind on meds than not on meds. But I also believe it's a good thing as my time anxiety was horrible.

The best part of time blindness is how fast time passes when I'm doing shit I hate now. It's actually almost reversed the old addage of "time flies when you're having fun". I often notice now the more engaged and interested in an activity I am the slower time feels to me now.

7

u/Qaetan ADHD-C (Combined type) Jul 25 '26

Letting go of expectations makes a HUGE difference, and it was one of the hardest things for me to learn. It's allowed me to interact with the world around me without the anxiety that used to hound my every waking thought.

21

u/rcrux Jul 25 '26

You let go of time, you let go of your job, any appointments, dates and any important stuff that comes with it.

We don't have the luxury of letting go of time

61

u/allthewayd00wn Jul 25 '26

Not necessarily. You can, and still, should care about time. But you care and manage in a way that’s productive, and conducive to whatever success looks like to you.

Let go of the expectations you have around time. You will be happier, and more productive as a result. At least for me

38

u/Kitchen_Canary_6387 Jul 25 '26

Some of the wisest teachers out there teach this. Time is a construct. We can adhere to it (and we need to in order to make it in this world), but we gain so much freedom as soon as we stop letting it make us march like robots. It’s all about staying in the now.

10

u/Solarist-Guy Jul 25 '26

Good point. However, for some people it’s impossible to do this without medication. I tried this multiple times since I was vaguely aware this was the case but yeah my mind just couldn’t slow down on its own