Oct 20, 2026 · 1h 5m
ADHD reshapes emotions, routines and relationships
Episode 597: Dr. Sasha Hamdani: ADHD, Rejection & Being Too Sensitive: Why You Feel Everything So Deeply
The conversation reframes ADHD as a regulation disorder whose effects can persist beneath professional success and complicate ordinary life.
- 1ADHD affects emotional regulation and executive function, not just attention, helping explain uneven performance across work and home.
- 2Rejection-sensitive dysphoria can turn criticism or perceived rejection into intense emotional and physical pain.
- 3Medication works best alongside behavioral strategies that support sleep, food, exercise, routines and emotional regulation.
Don't miss
Hamdani explains how rejection-sensitive dysphoria can make criticism or perceived rejection feel physically overwhelming, linking it to grief and functional impairment.
The brief
Psychiatrist Sasha Hamdani argues that ADHD is fundamentally a regulation disorder, affecting attention, emotions, executive function and daily routines.
Women and high achievers are often diagnosed later because intense focus and professional success can conceal difficulties with mundane tasks, organization and relationships.
Hamdani explains why medication is most effective alongside structure: consistent meals, sleep, exercise and routines designed around an interest-based nervous system.
The episode’s sharpest turn comes with rejection-sensitive dysphoria, where criticism or perceived rejection can feel physically overwhelming and impair functioning.
Hamdani distinguishes emotional resilience from simply having thicker skin, emphasizing movement, breathing, conversation, empathy and emotional literacy.
Books & mentions
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