5 Therapist-Backed Strategies for Managing ADHD Overwhelm
Practical Tools to Calm the Chaos and Get Things Done Without Burning Out
As a result of challenges with executive dysfunction, people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are often all too familiar with feeling overwhelmed. Whether you struggle with mental paralysis, emotional flooding, or an inability to prioritize tasks, it’s normal for neurodivergent folks to have a hard time returning to baseline. However, you don’t have to stay stuck in these feelings.
Read on to learn five therapist-backed strategies, including externalizing the mental load, breaking down tasks and celebrating wins, creating a safe start routine, using time blindness tools, and reframing the narrative around productivity, to help you overcome ADHD overwhelm.
Strategy 1: Externalize the Mental Load
One of the challenges of ADHD is difficulty with organization and prioritization. Over time, juggling the mental load of everything life throws at you can become unmanageable, leading to shutdown. Instead of trying to carry everything in your head, make the load external:
Track tasks and to-dos on a whiteboard, with Post-its, or via voice notes
Talk with a friend, family member, or partner about the steps of your next project
Use body doubling, working beside someone else, to provide an external reminder and help maintain focus
Strategy 2: Break Tasks Down and Celebrate the Wins
Getting started on a new project or task can be incredibly daunting when the finish line feels far away. Rather than looking too far ahead, break the task into smaller steps to create momentum. Once you get started, celebrate your wins along the way instead of holding out until the project is fully complete. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
Strategy 3: Create a Safe Start Routine
Starting the day in an energy or attention deficit is a surefire way to quickly become overwhelmed by life’s demands. Create a reliable routine that helps manage your mornings and soothe nervous system dysregulation before it begins. Use habit stacking to make the routine stick, pairing enjoyable habits, like listening to music or a podcast, with tasks that may be harder to start, like brushing your teeth or stretching.
Strategy 4: Use Time Blindness Tools
Managing time with ADHD can be particularly challenging, and the feeling of running out of time can quickly lead to overwhelm. Instead of falling victim to time blindness, the experience of losing track of time or struggling to sense it passing, use practical tools to reclaim your time:
Set timers to remind yourself how much time you have left
Keep a visible clock within your line of sight
Practice time tracking—noticing and recording how you spend your time—to increase awareness
And remember: when you begin time tracking, set the shame down. This practice is designed to support better time management, not to judge you.
Strategy 5: Reframe the Narrative
There is nothing wrong with you if you struggle with ADHD overwhelm and find yourself feeling burnt out. In fact, internalized ableism and perfectionism often intensify feelings of inadequacy. Neurodivergent brains require different kinds of support than neurotypical brains—and finding the systems that work for you is part of the process.
You’re not lazy, bad, or unproductive. You simply need support, not shame.
Get ADHD Therapy in Colorado
Try each of these strategies one at a time and notice what works best for you. For more personalized support in managing ADHD, the Emotionally Focused Therapists at Colorado Therapy Collective are trained in supporting neurodivergent individuals and can help you reduce overwhelm in the long term.
Learn more about ADHD therapy in Colorado here or schedule a consultation with our intake team. Spend 20 minutes getting your questions answered and get matched with a therapist today.
