Living on autopilot
some personal reflections
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Autopilot with an ADHD brain is a very real thing.
When life is passing by automatically, as if you’re not the one driving.
Spending so much time in your head that things are ‘just happening’.
There’s no joy, you’re out of sync & likely plugged into technology at every moment of downtime.
When you live in this parallel universe; maybe your relationships are negatively affected, you’re more distant, less attentive & possibly losing sense of what serves you.
It’s what I attribute to ADHD burnout.
Physically you can have all the energy in the world.
Mentally, you’re exhausted & gasping for air.
What is ADHD Burnout ?
It’s similar to normal burnout although rather from overwork & stress, it’s thought to come from trying to manage symptoms all day long, masking to hide traits, extended periods of being overwhelmed & emotionally dysregulated.
Symptoms can worsen, especially with executive functioning & it can lead to feeling ‘frozen’.
Paralysed by what to do, how to think or how to get out of this.
Before spending more time in your head as a result.
It’s hard to experience this & be present at the same time.
And I say that as someone who’s been focused on finding the present moment for the last 3 years.
Have you experienced ADHD burnout?
Why I Know It’s Rough
Last year took a lot from me.
I’ve got to a place now where growing my business makes a lot of sense & it’s working how I’d like it to. I’m working with some fantastically unique people and I feel deeply satisfied by those who I’m helping.
It’s not been easy though, especially doing everything by myself & juggling so many hats.
Sometimes I spend so much energy helping others to develop self-regulation tools and be present, that I end up neglecting these for myself.
The boundaries I encourage sometimes fall apart in my world.
And rather than addressing any of the challenges, it’s easier to become avoidant and pay no attention to them.
Neglecting relationships, my energy levels and my general moods.
There will always be periods of feeling in & out of sync, oscillating between autopilot and being very in tune.
Perfection rarely exists although it’s easy to spend a bit more time than needed in them.
Something helpful I’ve learnt is that this is pretty normal and therefore, I’m beating myself up less in my head these days and as long as I manage to anchor myself and return back to my centre, I’m ok.
Space & Rest
Mostly, this feeling of living on autopilot comes from a lack of mental space.
ADHD minds can clutter very quickly, especially if they haven’t got the space they need to wander.
2024 was possibly the most intune I’ve ever felt because I was consistently practicing Yin-Yoga and made it a habit to hike frequently, without any headphones.
38 hikes in one year with probably at least 65% of those by myself.
2025 until now, I’m not sure if I actually managed more than 6 solo hikes.
Weekends and downtime were focused on growing my business that I’m actually not surprised for the disconnect.
The more I understand our brain types, the more I know that time away from technology and being outside is the rest we need.
We’re always plugged into something besides nature and it prevents your mind from running wild in the space it needs.
The way out
There is one.
And it’s good timing because the weather has picked up significantly in the UK.
Getting outside & practicing mindfulness as much as we can.
Living in our heads can be a toxic place if we’re not careful so giving it space to breathe & observing what our minds are telling us.
I know that the mindfulness tools I’ve developed for feeling calmer, more in control & balanced will get me out of this and there’s always room to practice them more.
Having tighter boundaries, being gentler with ourselves & really living in the present moment.
It’s one of the harder bits of Combined & Inattentive ADHD although it is possible.
Bit of a ramble this post although even someone who helps people frequently with ADHD finds it difficult sometimes too.
Jack
P.s If you’re looking for validation, support, or strategy, here are a few ways to go deeper:
🗺️ Get your Mindfulness with ADHD Blueprint and start developing the micro-practices
📞 Book a call with me to see if I’m the right person to support you throughout this. (If not, you’ll still leave the call knowing what’s helping the other ADHD brained professionals I work with.)
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