What is RSD Alongside ADHD?

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Have you always been more sensitive than most people you know to rejection, criticism or the feeling that you've fallen short? If that question just landed somewhere deep, this episode is for you.

Today I'm sharing a clip from one of my most popular workshops, "What Is RSD?," as a way of bringing this topic back into focus, because rejection sensitive dysphoria is one of those things that so many of us have felt our entire lives without ever having the language for it.

In this clip, I talk about what Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria actually is, how Dr William Dodson first articulated it, how it shows up physically and emotionally, and why understanding it as a neurological trait rather than a personality flaw changes everything. I also share some practical ways to begin working with RSD rather than against it, including how EFT tapping can help calm the nervous system response in the moment and over time.

The full RSD workshop is available on my website with 10% off ⁠here⁠

In this episode, we cover:

• What rejection sensitive dysphoria is and how it was first identified and named
• Why RSD shows up as part of the emotional dysregulation profile of ADHD
• What RSD can feel like physically, not just emotionally, and why that matters
• How RSD shows up across childhood, relationships, work, parenting and social life
• Why RSD episodes can feel all-consuming and then end surprisingly quickly
• How past social trauma can resurface and amplify RSD triggers later in life
• Why keeping your guard up to avoid RSD can become its own form of exhaustion
• The self-regulation tools that can help including EFT, DBT, somatic work and breathwork
• How lifestyle foundations like sleep, movement and nutrition build resilience against RSD
• Why EFT tapping helps calm the amygdala and reduce cortisol in the moment
• A simple introduction to tapping and how to use it before, during or after an RSD episode

lookingAre you Looking for further support on ADHD Women's Wellbeing⁠⁠⁠⁠? Check out my workshop library ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ or search for any topic on the ⁠⁠⁠Podcast ⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Welcome and introduction to today's More Yourself episode
• 01:30 - Why RSD is such an important part of understanding ADHD
• 04:00 - The workshop clip begins: Dr William Dodson's defining question
• 05:30 - What RSD is and how it shows up emotionally and physically
• 08:00 - The clear trigger, the mood shift and why episodes can end as suddenly as they start
• 10:00 - How past social trauma can keep RSD patterns alive
• 12:00 - How RSD impacts self-esteem, relationships, parenting and career
• 14:00 - What we can do: self-regulation tools, EFT, DBT and somatic approaches
• 16:00 - Why brain and gut health matter for RSD resilience
• 18:00 - Self-talk, journaling and the self-compassion that only you can give yourself
• 20:00 - EFT tapping explained: the meridian points, cortisol reduction and the amygdala
• 22:00 - How tapping creates perspective and shifts the threat response
• 24:00 - Using tapping before a difficult situation to stay regulated

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 What Is RSD? workshop with 10% off here

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.

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