How I manage emotional dysregulation

[onemorecookie]

Hey all, emotional dysregulation is one of my biggest challenges, but I'm set on making it easier. I decided to map out all the things I've tried that stuck over the years to share, in the hopes of learning about what else I can try or what I can add to my toolbelt. Let me know what you think! I can also share the spreadsheet too if you're interested.

[STEM_Dad]

Welcome to the forum onemorecookie !

And thanks for sharing the pic of your spreadsheet. (I can only make out the bold text on my phone, so I will have to check it on my laptop later.)

From what I see, you've got some great options.

The two things that I don't see listed that some people benefit from are medication and talk therapy. (These don't act as a substitute for the other things you've mentioned, but can potentially help in addition to them.)

I think that your list is a great one-page guide to how to manage emotional disregulation, though, and deserves a shout-out! If you're bold enough to share it publicly on social media, I think a lot of people might benefit from it.

(Or, alternatively, maybe you can get someone with a podcast or YouTube channel about ADHD to share it.)

~~~~~

According to ADHD experts (Dr. Russell Barkley and others), talk therapy can have one of the most long-lasting positive effects on emotional dysregulation.

Also, according to Dr. William Dodson, who has treated adult ADHD for over two decades, certain medications can help directly with the emotional dysregulation aspects of ADHD, including: beta-blockers, and alpha 2a agonists (specifically Guanfacine or Clonidine ). [Note: these are classed as blood pressure medications, but have been used off-label to treat ADHD.]

• Over the last few years, I've seen Guanfacine (also known by the brand name Intuniv) mentioned the most for treating ADHD, but it was only earlier this year that's I learned from a presentation by Dr. Dodson about how it helps so much with the emotional dysregulation of ADHD, not just the other symptoms of the disorder.

[onemorecookie in reply to STEM_Dad]

Thanks for the suggestion! Definitely due for an update because I am doing talk therapy now. This would be my 3rd therapist in the last 10 years and much better than the prev two. That being said, I've picked up tools and new ways of thinking from all of my therapists.

Talk therapy is just like all the things I shared, they can "work," or "not work," and HOW you engage with therapy (therapist's personality, style, specialty, medium, frequency, and where you are in life) can dramatically affect the effectiveness. I'm hoping to bring more structure and nuance to some of the sharing we do to better help everybody, otherwise I remember I was the kind of person to go around thinking "therapy just doesn't work for me."

[STEM_Dad in reply to onemorecookie]

I used to always think "I can't afford therapy" or "other people need the help more than me, I shouldn't take the therapist's time". (Although when I was married, I suggested a number of times that my wife and I see a marriage counselor. She was the one who always declined...and now we're divorced, so I think I was right that we needed help.)

I haven't been able to establish any long-term care with a therapist, but I've gotten short-term care several times in the last 4 years. Mostly, I can't afford a regular therapy bill. My work EAP assistance only covers a few sessions per year (per issue). That's basically only enough for emergency care.

But timely therapy has definitely benefitted me. The therapist that I went to for help with anxiety back on 2020 was the one who diagnosed my ADHD.

[ABJESO]

Hi,

I can’t really see the spread sheet. But I would like a copy.

[FocusAndFlow]

Thank you for the image of the spreadsheet. Is there a way you could share the actual file? Perhaps breaking it up into two or four larger images may work too. The font is just too small to make out the words at that resolution.

Always interested in learning more about how to manage the wide constellation of symptoms that makes up this thing we call Adult ADHD. Appreciate the doc, for sure.

[HopeRising]

Hi, I'd appreciate a copy of the file please. Not sure how to communicate via this website, but maybe you can reply to me and attach rhe file? It seems to be really helpful from what I can see!

[onemorecookie]

Here's the spreadsheet HopeRising FocusAndFlow ABJESO STEM_Dad . Sorry about the small image! docs.google.com/spreadsheet...