Why ADHD Makes It Hard to Feel
- Nov 28
- 2 min read
Ever forget to eat until you're hangry?
Not realize you’re exhausted until you utterly crash?
Have constant bumps and bruises from smacking limbs into furniture?
Or even wonder why you're dizzy before looking at your untouched glass of water from 8 o'clock this morning?
Yeah, same.
It might go beyond simple ADHD distractibility... Interoception is the brain’s ability to notice what your body is telling you.
What Is Interoception?
Interoception is your body’s internal GPS.
It helps you track physical sensations like:
Hunger
Thirst
Body tension
Needing the bathroom
Temperature
Spatial awareness
Basically, it’s how your brain reads your body’s dashboard.
And for many with ADHD, that dashboard is cracked, faded, or sending alerts too late or not at all.
ADHD Brains Get the Message Late (Or Not at All)
You don’t feel thirsty… until you have an unignorable headache.
You don’t realize you're anxious… until your heart is pounding.
You don’t notice burnout… until you slam into the wall.
This delay leads to a system that constantly runs on empty physically, emotionally, and mentally.
What It Can Look Like
Here’s how this disconnect might show up in real life:
Constantly bumping into things
"Out of nowhere" meltdowns
Seemingly "no reason" headaches
Trouble linking emotions to physical signals
Overreactions that feel confusing, even to you
Your nervous system misses the early warnings.
Why It Happens
ADHD brains often struggle to notice internal signals.
That means:
You miss early cues.
You wait until the crash.
You ignore the warning lights until the engine’s already on fire.
And that disconnect wears down the nervous system fast.
How to Start Reconnecting
The fix? Build a stronger brain/body connection.
That starts by pausing — long enough to listen to your body — and then responding on purpose.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Schedule Body Check-Ins
Make it automatic. Set a timer or notification periodically to pause and ask:
Do I feel lightheaded or dizzy?
Are my shoulders clenched?
Am I more irritable than usual?
Is my jaw tight or my stomach weird?
Am I struggling more to focus?
Step 2: Respond With Tangible Inputs
Once you check in, do something tangible for your brain. Your nervous system needs actual signals, not just mental notes.
Try:
Water
Food
Stretch
Rest
Bathroom break
Brain break
Start associating these actions with regulation. You don’t have to earn them. You need them to function.
Rewiring Takes Repetition
With ADHD, we're often trained to ignoring our bodies. This rewiring won’t be instant.
But it’s not about perfection, but patterns. Every time you listen to your body’s cues (even imperfectly), you rebuild the connection.
That’s how ADHD brains learn to feel again.
Need help rewiring your brain/body connection?
ADHD coaching can help you stop ignoring your body and start using it as your biggest ally.
Take care of your brain,
Coach Brooke
