ADHD Mums

Anxiety or ADHD? Understanding the Two Types of Racing Thoughts and what to do about them

July 14, 2026·20 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

It's 10:15 on a Sunday night. You've come out to the kitchen to rinse one pot. One. And now you're just standing there, not touching it — because the second you stopped moving, it started. The permission slip. The referral. Was it orange day. The group chat you didn't answer. The dog bowl. And underneath all of it, the thought that always turns up: what's wrong with you, everyone else can do this.So you do the breathing. Four in, hold four, four out. Name it. I'm feeling anxious.And nothing happens.What We CoverThe Sunday-night sink — 40 thoughts arriving at once, none of them actually dangerousWhy the breathing didn't work, and why that isn't a you-problem — even I've been paid to teach this and still couldn't breathe it downThe two kinds of racing thoughts, and how to tell them apart in about four secondsThe shelf — why yours is smaller, why it won't file, and why the dog bowl and the electricity bill are screaming at exactly the same volumeWhat the friend who 'just handles everything' actually has that you don'tThe fire blanket problem — what happens when the whole wellness industry hands you one tool and tells you it works on everythingThe one question to ask instead: is something actually wrong, or is it everything at once?Why the too-much kind doesn't want calming — it wants emptyingWhat you're really doing when you keep the TV on, scroll till your eyes shut, and say you 'just can't switch your brain off'Free ResourcesThe Energy Accounting Guide — mentioned in the episode — https://adhdmums.com.au/product/adhd-mums-energy-accounting-guide/Household Family Meeting Template — https://adhdmums.com.au/product/adhd-household-family-meeting-template/Paid ResourcesADHD Mums Shop — https://adhdmums.com.au/shop/Related EpisodesQUICK RESET: No, I Can't Meditate. I'm Too Busy Disassociating. — S3 EP47 — https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-47-quick-reset-no-i-cant-meditate-im-too-busy-disassociating/When You Can't Relax Even When It's Quiet — What Your Body Is Doing and Why — S3 — https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/why-adhd-mums-cant-relax/Anxiety & ADHD — S1 EP37, with Jessica Burgess — https://adhdmums.com.au/podcast_episode/episode-37-anxiety-and-adhd-with-jessica-burgess/📬 Listener Questions & Community🎙️ Ask a Listener Question (voice)Voice notes are preferred when possible — hearing your voice helps add context — but you’re very welcome to submit a written question instead.Send a WhatsApp voice or written on 0403 457 313Send a SMS voice or written on 0403 457 313👥 Join the ADHD Mums Facebook GroupFor community, shared language, and conversations with other mums who get it.https://www.facebook.com/groups/adhdmumspodcast

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