Justine
- Aug 12
- 5 min read

ADHD intuition - What is it?

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and developing your intuition.

I haven’t always known that I had ADHD, my diagnosis came much later in life.

What I have always known is that I am sensitive to people’s words, actions and their presence.

I sometimes wonder if this is intuition or hyper arousal (fear) I respond to the vibe that people give off, rather than the words they use because I have observed over my lifetime that the words people use can be completely different from their true intentions.

I have had my share of trauma and distressing events in my life, some at more significant times in my childhood than others but, non the less, I carry around a bag of unresolved stuff that I have worked hard to address but the residue from some of this, just won’t shift.

You might be the same, wondering if your gut is speaking to you or is it anxiety, worry or fear that’s provoking that sense of something unsettling or knowing deep in your stomach.

Fear or ADHD intuition?

Fear tends to be accompanied by bodily sensations of constricting or minimising.

You may feel tense, panicky, or desperate.

Fear has a pushing energy, as if you’re trying to force something, or selecting an option because you want to avoid a threat, rejection, or punishment.

Fear also tends to be dominated by self-critical thoughts that urge you to hide, conform, or compromise yourself.

Intuition on the other hand has pulling energy, as if your choice is moving toward your best interest, even if that means pursuing a risk or moving more slowly than others.

This is usually accompanied by feelings of excitement and anticipation or ease and contentment.

Physically, gut feelings (intuition) tend to cause your body to relax.

With ADHD intuition, your inner voice is more grounded and wise, like a good mentor

How I see intuition may not be how others observe it in their body.

For me, it's like a deeper knowing that can be uncomfortable to feel or sense, it might relate to a person you care about deeply or a work situation, you get that sense that something isn't quite right.

You get an inner restlessness, or energy that is hard to describe.

You may have a dream that is disturbing or a thought that you just can’t shake.

You get the sense that something is about to happen or maybe it's more about needing to take action to make something happen.

The signs are there, but you are not sure what they mean, or you brush them away as if foolish or irrelevant only to wish later on that you had followed your gut.

My belief is that our gut is never wrong but it can get entangled with our overactive mind chatter or that deep sense that we are just not able to fit into the world as it is and so we question our authenticity.

This is a belief that many people with ADHD have, that they can’t fit in, they are not good enough, that their sensitivities make it almost impossible to develop good personal and professionally working relationships.

However, because of these sensitivities’, you can become a superhero, with a sixth sense or 3rd eye, you can sense things that others miss, zoom in on emotions deep below the facade and build connections with those that need it most.

The ADHD brain is one that breaks boundaries and moves beyond normal everyday thinking.

Harnessing this power takes a gentleness, a calmness within, something that can be a challenge for a brain that is seeking and not witnessing.

Witnessing our thoughts and inner landscape is intuition in my opinion.

If we can learn to understand the difference between fear based gut reactions and our inner north star we can learn to harness the power of intuition.

Our gut instinct (intuition) has heavy science behind it. In fact, surveys of top executives show that a majority of leaders leverage feelings and experience when handling crises.

Even the U.S. Navy has invested millions of dollars into helping sailors and Marines refine their sixth sense, precisely because intuition can supersede intellect in high-stakes situations like the battlefield.

Despite popular belief, there’s a deep neurological basis for intuition.

Scientists call the stomach the “second brain” for a reason.

There’s a vast neural network of 100 million neurons lining your entire digestive tract.

That’s more neurons than are found in the spinal cord, which points to the gut’s incredible processing abilities.

When you approach a decision intuitively, your brain works in tandem with your gut to quickly assess all your memories, past learnings, personal needs, and preferences and then makes the wisest decision given the context.

In this way, intuition is a form of emotional and experiential data that we all need to value.

Even if you’re not consciously using your intuition, you are probably experience benefits from it every day.

Everyone knows what it feels like to have a pit feeling in your stomach as you weigh a decision.

That’s the gut talking loud and clear.

The good news is that intuition is like a muscle — it can be strengthened with intentional practice.

One way to develop our intuition is through meditation.

Many of my clients with ADHD seem to think because their minds are so busy that meditation or being mindful isn't available to them and this is very disheartening.

Meditation is using our breath and body to calm our nervous system and provide clarity; this is available to everyone.

If you have an ADHD neuro-divergent brain, you may benefit more from a walking meditation or a singing meditation.

Try to move your body in other ways, sitting in stillness with no thoughts may not benefit you as much as doing something involving movement.

Sitting in stillness can be very useful but may not be the right starting point, it is just one of many ways to anchor our breath and move through unhelpful energy.

Limiting beliefs could be closing the door on the most profound experiences that could really help you.

Your values.

Your core values represent what’s most important to you.

Take a moment today to reflect on what your top one to three values may be.

The next time you find yourself struggling to make a decision, ask yourself, “which action or decision brings you closer to those core values?”

Going within can help dissolve the internal tension that leads to mental loops.

Finally, keep in mind that intuition can’t flourish in busy, stressful environments.

Many of us are disconnected from our intuition.

Try taking a breath and tuning into your inner landscape before you make a decision.

Listening to the messages our bodies send us can be quickly lost in the information overloaded societies, we live in.

The overwhelm of our everyday responsibilities is not only bad for our physical health but it can block our ability to make good choices for our emotional health.

Take a breath...

Stop...

Listen...

And ask yourself - what’s happening for me in this very moment?

Scroll down for some links that you may find useful.

What you don't heal you pass on.

Be well,