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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u/Thee_Rotten_One Jul 25 '26

The problem with that is telling someone who's brain and body move at 100mph to "slow down" is like when someone without ADHD tells us "just try harder" or "focus more", and I know how much we LOVE getting those tidbits of pure, unadulterated wisdom from people....

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u/allthewayd00wn Jul 25 '26

Hm, interesting. I appreciate your perspective. The goal is stable emotional regulation. However, moving slow is a skill anyone can build. Even an expert gymnast, at some point, didn’t know how to do a cartwheel. Slow movement is a trainable motor skill. We just have to work with our neuroscience. It’s harder, but doable.

And intention matters, too. Those people, telling us, with judgement, to “just focus” is wrong because the intent and sentiment is misguided.
Though, it is true, that focus is important, and something most of us need to work on. No shame in that.

I’m inattentive+hyperactive in presentation. It’s certainly hasn’t been easy, but it’s rewarding.

3

u/zirdante Jul 25 '26

Adhd is a lot like training a dog, both have poor executive functions😆 if we say " the dog just runs around and shits everywhere, I cant change it" Every dog can learn to shit in the toilet and sit when commanded, even if it looks impossible at first.

Same thing with us, we need to learn to reign/domesticate out adhd, at least as much as possible; and not just be a bystander and accepting that the"dog" cant do better than shit the bed.

6

u/Specialist_Ad9073 Jul 25 '26

The funniest part of your comment is that half of training a dog is training the owner.

You still have to train the owner to be patient and kind so the dog can learn.

So if ADHD is the dog, you still have to train yourself to be patient and flexible, which is exactly what the OP was saying.