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12 RSD Hacks That ACTUALLY Work

RSD is the hardest part of ADHD. It stands for Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria and it causes extreme emotional pain when you perceive someone has criticised you. It's truly debilitating but there are many coping strategies. Pre-order Alex’s book about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria 👉 https://linktr.ee/adhdchatter?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=9ffd8709-06df-444c-9936-c136fbd14d6e Episode chapters: 02:22 RSD Explained 04:59 Give it a name 08:56 RSD hates evidence 11:19 Remove yourself 13:28 How to slow down emotional responses 16:51 Question the story 20:33 Tiimo advert 21:36 Create an alternative story 23:10 The rejection collection 25:14 Manage the basics 30:38 Separate yourself from RSD 33:27 Use clarity 39:24 Pre-rejection preparations Get 30% off an annual Tiimo subscription 👉 https://www.tiimoapp.com/offers/adhdchatter Buy Alex's debut book entitled 'Now It All Makes Sense' 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-All-Makes-Sense-Diagnosis/dp/1399817817 Producer: Timon Woodward  Recorded by: Hamlin Studios Trailer editor: Ryan Faber DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Alex Partridgehost
Feb 23, 202644mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Practical strategies to calm ADHD-related RSD and stop spirals fast

  1. RSD is framed as intense, disproportionate emotional pain rooted in years of accumulated micro-rejections, especially common for people with ADHD.
  2. The core coping approach is creating distance from the RSD reaction—naming it, pausing before responding, and separating a criticized “part” from your whole identity.
  3. Several tactics emphasize building or retrieving evidence (strength lists, “rejection collection,” alternative explanations) to counteract RSD’s tendency to treat feelings as facts.
  4. Regulation tools (breathing, cold water, grounding, leaving the situation) aim to slow the nervous system response so logic can return before damage is done.
  5. Lifestyle “basics” (sleep, limiting alcohol, exercise) are presented as foundational body armor that lowers RSD vulnerability and boosts self-esteem.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Name your RSD to separate it from your identity.

By personifying RSD (e.g., “Dave the Dragon”), you can treat the reaction as a real experience but not a reliable interpretation of reality, reducing shame and escalation.

Keep a “contradicting evidence” list ready on your phone.

RSD makes emotion feel like fact; reading a saved list of strengths and wins (or having a trusted person remind you) can interrupt the spiral with concrete counter-data.

Create a pause by physically removing yourself before you respond.

Leaving the room/bathroom break prevents impulsive, disproportionate reactions that can escalate conflicts at work or in relationships and leave lasting damage after you calm down.

Regulate the nervous system first; don’t problem-solve while flooded.

Breathing (4 seconds in, 6 out), cold water, grounding (noticing senses), or brief stimming/exertion helps your body exit “lion attack” mode so rational thinking can return.

Interrogate the story you instantly formed.

Ask what evidence you truly have and what contextual explanations exist (e.g., you weren’t invited because it’s a different department), widening perspective without “gaslighting” yourself.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Children with ADHD hear 20,000 more micro-rejections than a neurotypical child.

— Alex Partridge

RSD makes emotion feel like fact.

— Alex Partridge

Remove yourself from the situation before you respond. Put a pause between the event that's triggered you and your response to it.

— Alex Partridge

Rationale is the enemy… of RSD. RSD is the emotional tsunami which shuts down the logical side of the brain.

— Alex Partridge

RSD doesn't always need a productivity plan. It just needs safety.

— Alex Partridge

What RSD is and why it feels physicalChildhood micro-rejections and ADHDNaming/externally visualizing RSDEvidence lists and countering catastrophizingRemoving yourself and nervous system regulationQuestioning and rewriting the “story”Clarity-seeking communication in work and relationshipsPre-rejection preparation and mantrasSleep, alcohol, and exercise as RSD buffers

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