ADHD and Getting Distance from the Adrenaline Response Cycle

02/20/23 • 31 min

2 Listeners

Ash and Cam shift from exploring the phases of the Adrenaline Response Cycle to discussing how to become less beholden to the cycle. The hosts share that this work is central to any ADHD coaching relationship - locating motivators other than urgency and hyperfocus to get things done. Ash and Cam focus on three main discussion points in today’s episode.

Building awareness around how we can rationalize our avoidant behaviors prolonging the Delay phase.
Building awareness of how we can hunt for meaning in everything we do and everything we don’t do.
And starting to shift away from our binary (now/not now) approach to time and urgency.

The hosts also look at how awareness of big signals can help to create important new learning about the ARC process. Cam and Ash share numerous examples of how each individual’s approach to this dilemma is unique to that individual and the significance of owning one's own process here. Ash shares a different take on the “Just do it!” approach, and both hosts discuss the importance of popping the ‘fantasy bubble’ and share the limitations of popular phrases like time blindness. Finally, the hosts talk about how they use concepts like emotion, space and social connections to make time more discernible for both Cam and Ash.

Episode links + resources:

Join the Community | Become a Patron
Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate.
About Cam and Asher
More on ARC from Cam’s Blog
Adrenaline Response Cycle (image below)

For more of the Translating ADHD podcast:

Episode Transcripts: visit TranslatingADHD.com and click on the episode
Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD
Visit the Website: TranslatingADHD.com

Building awareness around how we can rationalize our avoidant behaviors prolonging the Delay phase.
Building awareness of how we can hunt for meaning in everything we do and everything we don’t do.
And starting to shift away from our binary (now/not now) approach to time and urgency.

Episode links + resources:

Join the Community | Become a Patron
Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate.
About Cam and Asher
More on ARC from Cam’s Blog
Adrenaline Response Cycle (image below)

For more of the Translating ADHD podcast:

Episode Transcripts: visit TranslatingADHD.com and click on the episode
Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD
Visit the Website: TranslatingADHD.com

Previous Episode

In the Shadow of Impending Urgency: Procrastination and the Adrenaline Response Cycle

Asher and Cam dive deeper into the Adrenaline Respon s e Cycle, exploring the Delay phase that preceeds the Intense Activity phase. Last week they explored the Crash-Recovery phases, so the hosts thought it wise to look at the phase that so many of us with ADHD spend lots of time grappling with. In common circles this is referred to as procrastination, but hosts Cam and Ash prefer to not use this language because it doesn't get to the root of the dilemma. They share several examples of how Delay can play out from doing everything but the urgent task to doing much more than the specific challenge.

Ash reiterates the distinction between constructive and productive work. Cam shares how our contextual wiring can wreak havoc when fueled by fear and urgency, playing out catastrophic scenarios or taking us to valley moments. Both hosts talk about how pause, disrupt and pivot can be useful during the delay phase and the power of acceptance.

Episode links + resources:

Join the Community | Become a Patron
Our Process: Understand, Own, Translate.
About Cam and Asher
More on ARC from Cam’s Blog
Adrenaline Response Cycle (image below)

For more of the Translating ADHD podcast:

Episode Transcripts: visit TranslatingADHD.com and click on the episode
Follow us on Twitter: @TranslatingADHD
Visit the Website: TranslatingADHD.com

Next Episode

Getting Distance from the Adrenaline Response Cycle: Big Signals and Journey Thinking

Ash and Cam continue to discuss the Adrenaline Response Cycle and ways to create some distance from ARC. The hosts revisit the concept of Journey Thinking - a cornerstone of coaching principles and a common theme on the podcast. Those of us with ADHD are prone to Destination Thinking or a propensity for attaching to specific outcomes.

Both Cam and Ash share their own examples of Journey Thinking and what they did to address it. Ash brings back a popular metaphor of rocks in a foggy pond to illustrate the challenge of next steps and Cam shares how ADHD can exacerbate Destination Thinking.

Part of the attaching to outcome dilemma is that it is often connected to a big signal either positive or negative. Along with that big signal is a limiting story and often intense emotions. The hosts share the practice of catch and release - a way to hold thoughts and feelings less tightly.

Episode links + resources: