Your ADHD Nervous System Explained

ADHD Awareness Month 2026: What Actually Helps? This October, I'm putting community, real experiences and practical support at the heart of ADHD Awareness Month. There are live conversations, Instagram Lives, podcast events and ways for you to share what actually helps in your own life. ⁠⁠Visit the Events page⁠⁠ to see what’s happening and get involved. If you've ever wondered why some days feel manageable and others feel completely impossible, even when nothing has obviously changed, your nervous system is trying to tell you something. Welcome to this week's More Yourself Monday episode. Today I'm sharing a clip from one of my workshops on the nervous system, polyvagal theory and how understanding both can genuinely change the way you move through your days with ADHD. This is not a clinical lecture. This is a simple, accessible explanation of why your nervous system behaves the way it does, what the polyvagal ladder actually means in real life, and how you can start to work with your nervous system rather than against it. I also introduce the concept of glimmers, those small micro moments of safety and joy that can shift your entire day when you learn to notice and actively seek them out. The full workshop is available on my website, and the link is below. In this episode, we cover: What it means to feel grounded, connected and safe in your nervous system, and why so many of us rarely get there A simple explanation of polyvagal theory and why it matters so much for neurodivergent people The three states of the polyvagal ladder: ventral vagal, sympathetic and dorsal vagal, and what each one feels like from the inside Why the ADHD brain so often operates in fight or flight mode, and what that costs us over time What the dorsal vagal shutdown state feels like, and why it shows up as fatigue, numbness and withdrawal The window of tolerance: what it is, what opens and closes it, and why ADHD narrows it The difference between hyper arousal and hypo arousal, and why each needs a different response What glimmers are and why they matter as much as knowing your triggers How to identify your own personal glimmers and actively harness them across the day Why regulating your own nervous system is not selfish but has a ripple effect on everyone around you The role of co-regulation and why our nervous system state affects the people we live and work with Links and Resources: Find my popular ADHD Women's Wellbeing workshops and resources on my website ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Follow the podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@adhd_womenswellbeing_pod⁠⁠⁠ Get my book, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit (also available in ebook and audiobook) ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ Join the More Yourself membership community ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠ Get the full nervous system and polyvagal theory workshop series here with a 10% discount for Podcast listeners Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed women with ADHD find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity, and clarity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices