ADHD and Emotional Intelligence: Why Feelings Can Feel Like Fireworks in a Windstorm

Welcome back to Authentically ADHD, where we turn emotional chaos into curious exploration. In this episode, Carmen dives deep into one of ADHD’s most misunderstood challenges: emotional intelligence. Spoiler alert — it’s not about being too sensitive, too reactive, or too much. It’s about how the ADHD brain processes emotional information on a totally different timeline.

✨ What we explore in this episode:

* What emotional intelligence really is, and why it’s essential for adulting, relationships, and self-understanding

* The neuroscience behind why ADHD brains struggle with emotional regulation, from delayed prefrontal cortex development to dopamine rollercoasters and amygdala overdrive

* What emotional dysregulation feels like in real life (hello, spiral over a microwave not closing properly 🙃)

* Hopeful, science-backed strategies for strengthening emotional intelligence using mindfulness, emotion labeling, coaching, and reframing sensitivity as data, not drama

* Why your emotional intensity isn’t a flaw — it’s a powerful signal that something matters

Carmen breaks it all down with compassion, humor, and the science to back it up. If your emotions have ever felt like a Fourth of July fireworks finale in a hurricane, this episode will leave you feeling seen, validated, and a little more equipped to ride the waves.

💡 Bottom line? Emotional intelligence is a skill, not a fixed trait—and ADHDers are more than capable of building it, one small moment of self-awareness at a time.

🔁 Tune in and learn how to turn emotional overwhelm into emotional wisdom — ADHD style.

Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/carmen_irace

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Show Notes: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGk_fmZEMQ/E51DE-a7wonH6cG2tRpWew/view?utm_content=DAGk_fmZEMQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h583280c8ec

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