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ADHD * Rewire Your ADHD Brain * Jim Livingstone - ADHD Optimist

ADHD - Rewire Your ADHD Brain - ADHD Optimist

G’day,

I struggled with undiagnosed ADHD for forty-six years, feeling like I didn't fit in anywhere.

Since my ADHD diagnosis, I have spent the past twenty-six years reading, researching and testing every aspect of adult ADHD with the desire to become the very best version of myself.

Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way….

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Rewire Your ADHD Brain 

Read in 3 Minutes

Your Brain is Adaptable

Your ADHD brain is not fixed—it changes constantly in response to your experiences, behaviours, and thoughts. This neuroplasticity means your brain reorganizes itself based on how you live. The quality of your thoughts, habits, attention, and sleep impacts your nervous system every day.

Your brain is not who you are. It's what you shape through your actions. And those actions can change starting today.

How Your Brain Adapts

Your nervous system adapts intelligently but neutrally. It doesn't judge what you do—it simply adapts to what you repeat. This is why even unproductive behaviours become hardwired over time.

We often believe motivation must precede action, but it works the opposite way. Behaviour drives emotion.

Everything you do sends a message to your brain, making that same action easier next time. This creates a feedback loop where:

  • Behaviours become habits

  • Habits become your identity

The powerful truth is that this loop is under your influence. The brain doesn't ask for perfection—it asks for repetition. Circuits that get used grow stronger; circuits that get ignored weaken. This is the mechanism behind all internal transformation.

Building New Patterns

The more you engage in a new behaviour or thought process, the more your brain starts to favour that route and make it your default. This is how habits form, mindsets evolve, and emotional patterns shift.

It's not about hoping for change—it's about engaging in repeated actions that tell your brain what's important. Repetition of a behaviour, whether journaling, meditating, exercising, or learning something new, lays down new pathways that become easier to access over time. What begins as difficult becomes natural.

Predictability builds stability in the brain. When your actions follow a clear rhythm, repeated consistently, your nervous system can lock in and build stronger pathways.

The Power of Focus

The human brain constantly processes an overwhelming amount of information but cannot handle everything at once. It must select what matters and allocate resources accordingly.

Focus acts like a spotlight, telling your nervous system what deserves attention. When you focus, you initiate a chain reaction that prioritizes and reinforces the circuits involved in that activity. Without focus, the brain cannot determine what to strengthen and what to discard.

To rewire your brain effectively, you must learn to control and direct your focus. The deeper your focus, the more your brain engages and forms new connections. Scattered attention means the brain doesn't know where to build and where to prune.

Your environment significantly impacts your ability to focus. When attention is fragmented by constant switching between screens or thoughts, your brain fails to identify what's relevant.

The Essential Role of Rest

All changes you initiate through behaviour and focus are solidified during rest. During sleep, your brain:

  • Consolidates learning

  • Strengthens useful connections

  • Weakens irrelevant ones

  • Clears neurochemical clutter

Without proper rest, your efforts to change remain unstable. With adequate rest, they become part of your identity.

How to Rewire Your ADHD Brain

Behaviour is the primary tool for rewiring your mind. You don't need new beliefs or perfect clarity—you simply need to act and trust that your brain will respond over time.

Follow these principles:

  1. Don't wait to feel ready

  2. Remember: behaviour first, motivation second

  3. Act and let your brain catch up

  4. Maintain consistent repetition

Don't wait for inspiration if you want to rewire your habits, focus, emotional resilience, or mindset. Start with the smallest version of the behaviour you want to build and let your nervous system do what it was designed to do.

This article summarises concepts presented by Dr. Andrew Huberman in his video Rewire Your Mind. For more information: Watch original video

 

“I just finished reading, I love your balance of giving the science and then being authentic. It feels easier to understand that way. I appreciate the example under limited working memory and LOVE the action steps at the end.

I love a book that gives me homework 😂 it’s definitely good that you have it broken down in sections due to the various topics and length, it’s set up a good way because this is definitely the kind of book I would make notes and markings in so I like it choppy”. - Alexx

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“Learn what is important to you, then choose to become intentional with your ADHD gifts, time and energy”.

Read more on jimlivingstone.com.au

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Download your complimentary PDF of the first couple of chapters.

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Expect the Best,

If you’ve got a second, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. [email protected]  I reply to every email.

This site is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The content in this newsletter is designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional help if you believe you may have Mental Health Issues.

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