Hello Brains! ADHDers tend to be impulsive and not just when we’re buying office supplies. [Ding!] We’re emotionally and socially impulsive too, which can make us a lot of fun, when we’re in a good mood. The problem is, we’re not always IN a good mood. [Intro Music] We get angry, we get frustrated. Angry thoughts lead to angry actions and we do things that end up costing us friendships, relationships, even our jobs. Afterward, we feel awful. We regret it. And then? We do it again! It’s not that we aren’t smart or capable
of making good decisions. As Dr. Russell Barkley puts it, ADHD is
*not* an “information deficit” disorder. We know we shouldn’t scream in the middle
of class or hit another kid on the playground. We TOTALLY GET that telling off our
coworker is “not acceptable behavior.” The problem is we get SO MAD we can’t control it. You know what I’m talking about. The kind of feeling that builds in the pit of your stomach and makes your teeth clench and absolutely
want to destroy the person who EERRRAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH Well, actually…I did the research, and it’s not just you. Everybody gets that upset. What? How? Then WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE IN DETENTION? [Ice cream truck] [beep beep] [Ice cream truck] [Throws more papers] You weren’t the only one who WANTED to flip a table when your teacher assigned extra homework, you’re just the only one who DID. Why? Because YOUR BRAIN is faster than your brakes. To help me explain, cool science stuff!! [Music] Turns out, there’s a part of the brain whose JOB it is to HELP us hold back emotions and actions when expressing them might not be the best idea. It’s called the anterior cingulate cortex or ACC. In neurotypical brains, it activates anytime they experience an emotional or social conflict. As in, they might WANT to hang up on their boss but that could have consequences. Their ACC picks up on the fact that they’re
about to do something that could be bad for them and buys them time to think about
how to handle the situation. That way, the part of the brain that
knows they NEED that job and have plans to retire someday is able to step in and suppress those impulses. In a fight, the ACC would be the friend holding you back while your other friends talk some sense into you. The problem is, in ADHD brains, the
ACC doesn’t always work that way. Or at all. In fact, according to Dr. Russell Barkley, in adult ADHD brains, the ACC appears to do…nothing. Which means your other friend, the frontal lobe might have some amazing wisdom to share but with no one to hold you back he won’t have time to share it before
YOU get punched in the nose. Dr. Barkley describes this as “trouble
with response inhibition.” Dr. Hallowell calls it having a Ferrari
engine brain, with bicycle brakes. I call it being enthusiastic. Whatever you call it, it can be a
problem for those of us with ADHD. So what's a Brain to do? You gotta build up your brakes. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to do this! Here are 5 ways we can help out our ACC: 1. Meditation. Hear me out! Meditation doesn't mean sitting still
and clearing your mind of thoughts. It's just an opportunity to practice
having thoughts and emotions without reacting to them. You know, the thing were having trouble with? Plus, research has shown that meditation
actually changes your brain, thickening the parts responsible for decision making, maintaining attention, and taking
action in line with our goals. In other words, the parts affected by our ADHD. If you haven’t tried meditating yet, don’t worry. It’s way easier than you think I explain more in THIS video. 2. Mindfulness. Mindfulness is simply being aware of your
thoughts, feelings, and your body’s reactions without judging them. The great thing about mindfulness is if you only remember to meditate when
you’re already about to scream at somebody or eat a box of cookies, it’s not too late to use this technique. One of the easiest ways to do this is
to focus on your breath. That's it! That's enough to active your ACC. There’s a link to a cute video on belly
breathing in the description below There’s also this video! 3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT, is a kind of therapy that focuses on how you process your thoughts and feelings in the present moment. Are you starting to see a pattern here? All of these methods are about creating
space between an event or an emotion and your reaction to it. Basically, what most people’s ACC
does for them automatically. CBT is especially great for dealing with
depression and automatic negative thoughts, but programs have been developed
specifically for dealing with ADHD, emotional self-regulation and impulse control. 4. Medication. Yeah, I don’t talk about this much because I am clearly NOT A DOCTOR! but I have to include it because for most people with ADHD, it’s very effective. It can not only help us focus, it also helps with self-control. I'll include links to more information in
the description below, but if you are considering medication: talk to a doctor (which, I AM NOT). Finally, 5. Exercise. Research suggests that physical activity
can make a huge difference as well. Aerobic exercise, like running, swimming or dancing seems to have the most impact on
ADHD symptoms overall, while mind-body exercise like yoga seems to
have the biggest impact on self-regulation. So the next time you need to have a difficult discussion, try doing it in downward dog. ahh! and 6. [Ding] If you find yourself judging yourself, remember that the emotions you’re feeling are probably totally normal. You just have to work on your brakes. Of course, it also helps to have a backup
plan for times when your brakes might fail. I'll go into that, in another video! That's it for this week! Thanks for making it all the way through. This was a lot of information to cover but really important. Let me know how your brakes have failed or saved you! Comment below or on Facebook or Twitter, and leave me a question for question time. If you like what I do, subscribe. And if you LOVE what I do, consider donating to our Patreon page so we can make even more videos! Bye Brains! Question Time! How do you approach someone in order to make friends (your crush specifically)? Love, true love! I think it’s important to consider the timing. Probably don’t talk to them when they’re in the middle of something or clearly want to be left alone. Wait till you think they might be receptive to conversation, and then try to find
stuff you have in common. Ask them questions about themselves to see
if you guys have the same taste in music or share a hobby. For this reason, a great place to meet is in a class or a group thats dedicated to something
you’re interested in. For instance, Edward and I met at a writer’s group. What do I do about having a lot to do
and not enough time to do it? It helps to focus on stuff that’s
important but not yet urgent. My video on The Priority Matrix explains why. Speaking of which… Remember, Edward promised to do an
FAQ&A — about me if we hit 1,000 #ibnus, so keep working on yours and post
about them when you do! And remember: In case of emergency shake glass!
