People with ADHD often experience really strong emotions, both good and bad. It’s not unusual for them to feel sensitive to touch, sounds, light, and even the tags on clothes.
What Is ADHD Hypersensitivity?
People with ADHD may have a hard time tolerating frustration or feeling overwhelmed. This can lead to emotional problems, like being quick to anger and having a lot of mood swings. This can be tough on both your personal life and your safety.
The relationship between emotional sensitivity and ADHD
People with ADHD find it hard to control their emotions. This can be especially hard when emotions like anger, frustration, and sadness are involved. People with ADHD often have difficulty controlling how they act around other people because their emotions can be so strong.
There is still some uncertainty about which of the emotional dysregulation symptoms are caused by ADHD or if they are caused by other conditions, like borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Some people with ADHD may be more sensitive to negative statements and complaints from others.
ADHD and Physical Sensitivities
People with ADHD may find it harder to focus on things around them. This can include the air conditioning sound or a flickering candle’s lights. When someone has ADHD, it’s hard to control their reactions to things, so everything becomes a distraction.
This person has trouble paying attention, but it doesn’t mean they always have problems. Sometimes they’ll pay attention to everything, even if it’s unimportant. This can be very confusing, and they may also have trouble integrating what they see and hear.
Some people with ADHD find it difficult to handle simple touch. This can create problems for them in class and in their relationships with people. Adults with ADHD are usually more sensitive to touch and other sensory stimuli than others.
How to cope with ADHD hypersensitivity
Although hypersensitivity and heightened emotions can be a burden at times, certain techniques can help you cope and leverage these characteristics:
- Increase your self-awareness. Pay attention to what causes exaggerated reactions in you and plan ahead of time how to deal with those situations productively.
- Recognize that your hypersensitivity is a symptom of your disorder, not a weakness or flaw in your personality. This can assist you in avoiding unnecessary and destructive self-criticism.
- When dealing with workplace criticism, keep a positive attitude. Assume the other person is “on your side” and has the same work objectives.
- When you’re feeling anxious, try focused breathing.5
- Include regular exercise in your daily routine.
- Every day, schedule some downtime. It is critical to recharge and replenish your emotional reserves as part of ADHD self-care.
Additional ADHD Coping Strategies
- Include regular exercise in your daily routine.
- Take note of when you may be more prone to exaggerated reactions, such as when your hormones fluctuate, which affects many women with ADHD.
- Every day, schedule some downtime.
If these issues bother you, consult your doctor and work together to develop strategies for dealing with these sensitivities in your daily life.
