Action Powers No. 15 of 28
They call it: Thrives on chaos We call it
Calm in the Storm
Also known as calm under pressure.
The short version When something goes wrong, you get clearer instead of messier. No study has tested it, but lots of people with ADHD describe it.
Collected. 0 of 28.
Sounds like you?
- You see the spill before the panic and hand someone a towel.
- You talk slower and clearer while everyone else speeds up.
- You get your best ideas in the middle of a mess.
Why it’s a power
Many people with ADHD say that when something goes badly wrong, they get quiet and practical. The fog lifts and they see what to do next. It is not something we can promise you.
The body’s stress response, though, looks the same as anyone else’s. A review of 12 studies found no difference in cortisol, a stress hormone, between people with and without ADHD after a stressful task.Source 1 In a survey of 206 adults with ADHD, 17 named “stress resistant” as a good side of their brain.Source 2 In one study of 302 wildland firefighters, about one in five scored in the ADHD range on a questionnaire.Source 3
This one rests on what people report. No study has tested whether ADHD makes anyone better in an emergency. If you are the calm one when things fall apart, that is yours, and it is worth knowing.
Lived experience
No study has tested how people with ADHD handle real emergencies. A 206-person survey counted 17 who called themselves stress resistant.
Where it shines
- Emergency rooms, kitchens, fire crews
- Event day when the plan folds
- Helping a scared friend
The flip side
Some of us freeze instead, and nobody knows in advance which way it goes. Being the calm one also gets tiring when it is expected every time.
Power-up: try this today
Pick one small thing that goes wrong this week and notice, out loud, what your brain does with it.
Say it to a kid
When the tower of blocks falls down, you look at the pieces and start building again. That is a real kind of brave.
Where this comes from
- Kamradt, J. M., Momany, A. M., & Nikolas, M. A. (2018). A meta-analytic review of the association between cortisol reactivity in response to a stressor and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 10, 99-111. Read it
- Schippers, L. M., Horstman, L. I., van de Velde, H., Rodrigues Pereira, R., Zinkstok, J., Mostert, J. C., Greven, C. U., & Hoogman, M. (2022). A qualitative and quantitative study of self-reported positive characteristics of individuals with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 922788. Read it
- Palmer, C. G., Gaskill, S., Domitrovich, J., McNamara, M., Knutson, B., & Spear, A. (2011). Wildland firefighters and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Proceedings of the Second Conference on the Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire, 9-13. Read it