ADHD often co-occurs with anxiety, though the two conditions are distinct. Research indicates 50% of people with ADHD also meet diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder. This frequent overlap stems from ADHD involving executive function deficits that can worsen worry and apprehension.
The core symptoms of ADHD like inattention, forgetfulness, and disorganization can understandably increase anxiety. Constant frustration around these struggles creates negative thought patterns and uncertainty. However, ADHD itself does not directly cause anxiety – plenty of people with ADHD do not experience clinical anxiety.
The difficulty with pervasive regulation that defines ADHD can make someone more prone to anxious thoughts and worry. But ADHD does not guarantee anxiety – the two arise for separate reasons, and often require separate treatment.
So, won’t treating my ADHD stop my anxiety?
While ADHD treatment can improve associated anxiety, many find it does not completely resolve anxious thoughts and behaviors. Even with medication and strategies to manage ADHD symptoms, worries often persist.
Intrusive thoughts like, “I’m going to mess this up,” often endure despite improvement. Feelings and worries can lag behind real progress. The mind anticipates so we can avoid past pains and does not predict improved capability.
This seeming self-sabotage stems from self-preservation and survival. The compulsion for perfection and certainty arises to avoid feared consequences of failure. Old habits and thought patterns die hard, still protecting against less likely outcomes.
Past difficulties and real consequences of ADHD can cement unhelpful thought patterns, priming individuals for anxiety and catastrophe. Heightened vigilance to avoid errors often evolves into time-consuming, distressing obsessiveness.
Though ADHD treatment provides relief for some, entrenched anxiety symptoms often warrant additional targeted intervention. With tailored therapeutic approaches, people can learn to challenge catastrophic thinking, tolerate uncertainty, and resist compulsions. Gradually adopting a more balanced, self-compassionate mindset helps counterproductive anxiety acquired as a result of ADHD struggles.
What are some helpful ADHD-related anxiety reducing tips?
Adjusting to reduced anxiety takes time as our minds and bodies adapt at their own pace. Just as worry previously developed unconsciously, calmness requires patient practice.
- Allow time for change. Don’t expect immediate relief. Accept your natural rhythms and where you currently are.
- Reframe anxiety as evidence of past hardship and helpful concern, not current threat. Your mind will always try to protect you, even if that protection is no longer needed.
- Accept and acknowledge anxious feelings without judgment. Let them flow through you without clinging to them or pushing them away.
- Focus on how circumstances have changed, not how anxiety feels. Your life is no longer the same, even if your body hasn’t caught up yet.
- Make decisions based on values or goals, not anxiety habits. Don’t let old survival instincts dictate choices inappropriate for your current situation.
- Appreciate small wins and notice your physical state.
ADHD and anxiety are two distinct conditions, but they often co-occur. Treating ADHD may improve associated anxiety symptoms, but it may not completely resolve them. If you are struggling with anxiety, it is important to seek additional targeted intervention and consider counseling with Daniel Wysocki, Ed.S.
