Why You're Always Rushing — And What Your Body Is Actually Trying to Tell You with Jenna Free

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You know that feeling of fast-walking across the house, going from room to room, shoulders up to your ears — and not even realizing you're doing it until someone asks if you're okay?

That rushing feeling isn't just a bad habit. It's your nervous system in fight or flight mode. And if you have ADHD, you might be living there almost all the time.

Jenna Free is a therapist, ADHD specialist, and author of The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation. She was diagnosed at 32 — after having two kids in a year and a half — and has since spent hundreds of hours working with ADHD adults to understand the one pattern that shows up in every single one of them: the fight or flight cycle.

In this episode, JoAnn and Jenna get into the real reason so many moms feel like they're always drowning — and why more tips and tools are never going to fix it.

What you'll learn:

What the ADHD fight or flight cycle actually looks like — and why it's not just about the big explosive moments

Why rushing and impatience are early warning signals that you're already dysregulated — before you ever snap at your kids

The fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses that every ADHD mom will recognize in herself

Why people pleasing is actually a survival response — and has nothing to do with being a pushover

The one word that tells you immediately you're in dysregulation ("should")

Why awareness is always the first step — and what to actually do once you have it

The Gap vs. Gain theory and why looking at what you've accomplished (not what's left) literally regulates your nervous system

Why your symptoms aren't the ADHD itself — and what's actually making everything so much harder

Jenna's biggest insight:

"If you put an ADHD brain that's already different in fight or flight, you are quadrupling your symptoms. It's hard on top of hard. But it does not have to be this hard."

Resources mentioned:

The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation by Jenna Free — available wherever books are sold, including your local library

The Gap vs. Gain concept from Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Connect with Jenna:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhdwithjennafree

Listen next:

Why You're Always the One Remembering Everything (And How AI Can Help) with Sarah Dooley

Part 2 of the Yelling Series: Why Your Body Starts the Yelling Before Your Brain Does (Coming Thursday, May 29)

Remember: the best mom is a happy mom. Take care of you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices