EP 303 ADHD, Procrastination, and the Nervous System Behind Self-Sabotage

In this episode of Stuck In My Mind Podcast, Wize El Jefe sits down with Theresa, founder of Becoming More Me, bestselling author, keynote speaker, EFT master practitioner, hypnotherapist, wife, and mother of four.

The conversation explores what ADHD, high-functioning anxiety, trauma, perfectionism, and overwhelm can look like behind closed doors. Theresa describes the noisy mental loop of running through lists at midnight, rehearsing conversations, rewriting messages, second-guessing decisions, and feeling behind before the day even begins at 02:29. She also shares how success can become an endless cycle when achievement provides only a few minutes of satisfaction before attention shifts to the next goal at 03:56.

After receiving an ADHD diagnosis, Theresa began to understand her inconsistency, scattered focus, difficulty prioritizing, and unfinished projects with more compassion. The diagnosis helped her recognize that anxiety was not separate from ADHD, but could develop through years of masking, compensating, and trying to keep up at 07:36.

The episode takes a deeper look at procrastination and self-sabotage. Theresa explains how nervous system activation can appear as freezing, researching instead of acting, staying busy while avoiding the important task, or repeatedly promising to start on Monday at 15:09. She also distinguishes procrastination from avoidance, emphasizing awareness and paying attention to what happens in the body when a task or feeling comes to mind at 18:27.

Success itself can feel threatening when it leads into unfamiliar territory. Theresa explains how the subconscious often prefers the familiar, even when the familiar is stressful, because it feels survivable at 16:53. She discusses hidden beliefs around rest, hypervigilance, difficulty, money, and the fear that success might cost someone their health, relationships, or security.

Wize El Jefe and Theresa also explore EFT tapping, hypnotherapy, subconscious patterns, and the “Finish What You Started” method, a seven-minute audio practice designed to support progress without relying solely on willpower or high-functioning anxiety at 27:30.

For anyone with ADHD, unfinished projects, a busy mind, or a habit of turning self-criticism into motivation, Theresa offers a different starting point: get curious instead of critical. Beating yourself up reinforces the identity you are trying to change, while smaller steps can help your nervous system experience completion as safe at 33:25.