82. ADHD Overstimulation: Overwhelmed Before 7am, and No One Sees the Work with Rachel Few

This episode is for ADHD mums who feel like they’re living inside a nervous system experiment.The kind where everything is technically ‘fine’… until the TV is on, someone’s making mouth noises, a child is asking 400 questions, another one is humming, and your body is trying to exit the situation through the nearest wall.We talk a lot about overstimulation like it’s a personal flaw. Like you should be calmer. More patient. Better regulated. But what if you’re not failing at regulation… you’re just carrying too much regulation load?In this conversation with Rachel Few, we get painfully practical about what actually helps when you’re at the edge. Not in an ideal world. In a real ADHD household, with real kids, real noise, real time pressure, and real limits.WHAT WE COVER– Why overstimulation is not a single moment, but a build-up across days– The ‘therapy taxi’ burnout cycle and how it dysregulates the whole family– Why regulation strategies fail when they become another to-do list– Nervous system mapping: learning your early warning signs before the snap– ‘Recipe building’ for families: planning around needs, not just appointments– Why yelling and snapping usually starts earlier than you think– PDA-aware approaches: when direct help makes things worse– Side-step regulation tools that don’t rely on compliance– Real-life resets (including the candle trick, which sounds unhinged until you try it)– Why acceptance is sometimes the missing strategy, not another techniqueTHIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF…– you feel overstimulated before 7am and then blame yourself for it– your household escalates fast and you don’t know where it starts– you’re carrying the clean-up after every meltdown (emotional or literal)– you’re exhausted from scanning for hunger, sensory triggers, and ‘what could go wrong’– you’re parenting a PDA-ish child and standard advice backfires– you keep thinking ‘once we get the right support, it will all be fine’ and then it isn’t– you want tools that actually work when you’re already at your limitRELATED EPISODESSurviving the Mental Load of the School Yearhttps://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-63-surviving-the-mental-load-of-the-school-year/When You Can’t Relax Even When It’s Quiethttps://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/why-adhd-mums-cant-relax/The ADHD Myth of ‘Just Try Harder’ (Quick Reset)https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-24-quick-reset-the-adhd-myth-of-just-try-harder/RESOURCES & REFERENCES– For more information on Rachel Few - see here-PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) is mentioned in the episode– Maternal mental health research is referenced (mum’s mental health as a key predictor for child wellbeing)LISTENER QUESTIONS & COMMUNITYSubmit a Listener Question (anonymous option)If there’s something you want answered on the podcast, you can submit a question here — anonymously if you prefer.https://form.jotform.com/251238118486864Share Feedback or Topic RequestsHave a topic you’d like covered, or feedback you want to pass on?https://form.jotform.com/243189306607864Join the ADHD Mums Facebook GroupFor shared language, lived experience, and conversations with other mums who get it.https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmums