🚶‍♀️Movement is ADHD self-regulation

Small movements that keep work possible

Author

AuDHD Exec
September 27, 2026

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When the mind won’t sit still

As much as I’m on the journey of forever being on the self-improvement journey, occasionally I still lapse; I’m only human.

This week I had a few things that were heavy on my mind, and if you know the ADHD brain, it can spiral quite quickly.

ADHD brains often struggle to “file away” unresolved thoughts, so rumination can loop instead of resolve.

What the science says

The walk that reset my brain

My mind was very restless, as I couldn’t read a sentence for a meeting I was preparing for.

I simply dropped what I was doing and went for an hour-long walk… I could’ve walked for longer (that’s how restless I was).

When I came back, my brain hyperactivity had slowed down dramatically, and I was able to regain a very calm focus, which is the state of mind I love to be in and that makes me feel stoic.

A single bout of aerobic movement can raise dopamine and norepinephrine and improve attention and executive function for a window afterwards — walking is enough.

What the science

When restlessness shows up at work

But each time I find myself in a restless state of mind, I find “movement” to be one of the key things to help me slow the mind down.

I might find myself in a restless state in the below scenarios:

  • When things haven’t gone according to plan

  • Someone sends a startling email or message

Spoilt for choice (and that’s the point)

When it comes to movement, I’m somewhat spoilt for choice:

  • I can go for a brief walk, or run

  • Play with my fidget toy

  • Adjust my stand-up desk at work

For many people with ADHD, extra movement during demanding tasks is compensatory: it can increase prefrontal arousal and is often linked with better focus, not worse. Small fidgets and sit-stand shifts are the workplace-scale version of the same idea.

What the science says

I remember growing up, they made “movement” seem like it was a bad thing, but in fact it’s a self-regulating system.

Hyperactivity was long treated as noise to extinguish. A growing body of research treats it as the brain recruiting movement to regulate attention and energy.

What the science says

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Lastly,

Stay Different,

The AuDHD Exec

Disclaimer: I am not your psychiatrist, coach, doctor. Neurodiverse Diary does not provide medical services or professional counselling and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Everything I publish represents my opinions, experience, not advice.

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