Have you ever noticed that when you sit down to do something, you feel unable to start? It all just feels too hard, too overwhelming, or too scary? Your mind may be racing about how you have to do it, but you feel stuck and frozen.
This tricky feeling is often called ADHD paralysis or ADHD freeze. It’s when you feel overwhelmed and frozen, unable to start or keep going.
ADHD freeze isn’t a medical term, but a way people with ADHD talk about those moments when everything feels like too much. It can look like:
It’s like your brain hits a wall. Sometimes, you might find yourself scrolling on your phone for a long time, even though your mind is yelling at you to start that homework or chore. It’s frustrating because you want to do it, but can’t seem to get going.
One person described it like this: “I want to do the work. I know what to do. But it feels like pushing against magnets – no matter how hard I try, something is holding me back.”
Sometimes these mix together, but the main thing is that feeling stuck and unable to move forward, even with things you care about.
Can you think of a time this happened to you? What was it like?
Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths. This can calm your worries and clear your head.
Big jobs can feel like mountains. Instead of thinking ‘do it all’ break it into tiny steps, like ‘open my notebook’ or ‘write one sentence’.
Make a list of what’s on your mind or what you need to do. then pick one small thing to start with.
Count down from 5:…5-4-3-2-1…then DO that small step right away. Move your body or do the first action without thinking too much.
Promise yourself to work on it for just five minutes. After that, see how you feel – you might want to keep going!
Even small wins count! Give yourself a mental high-five or a little reward.
After a break or a reward. pick the next small step and repeat. I you get stuck, start back at step 1.
What ideas do you want to try first? Remember, everyone feels stuck sometimes, but with practice, you can find ways to move forward and feel proud of your progress.
Please note: We are not an emergency service, if you are in crisis and need urgent support or are worried about immediate risk of harm to self or others, please call 999. Alternatively, you can contact your GP and ask for an emergency appointment or visit your local A&E department. You can also contact the following services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: NHS Helpline (111) and Samaritans (116 123).