Criticism sticks with me far longer than it should

This is a very common ADHD experience, and it has a clear emotional and neurological explanation. ADHD affects emotional regulation and threat sensitivity, not just attention. Feedback, even when mild, can trigger a strong emotional response in the moment because the brain registers it as socially significant or threatening. The emotional signal comes in fast and loud, while the systems that put it into perspective take longer to catch up. Many people with ADHD also carry a long history of criticism, correction, or feeling “not good enough.” That history primes the nervous system. New feedback does not arrive alone. It hooks into old memories and meanings, so it feels heavier than the words themselves. This is why your intellect can know it was minor, while your body keeps replaying it. Working memory plays a role too. ADHD brains tend to loop emotionally charged material more easily, especially when there is no clear resolution. The mind keeps revisiting it, trying to protect you from future mistakes. Clinically, this is not oversensitivity. It is emotional dysregulation shaped by experience. Strategies focus on shortening the emotional aftershock, not dismissing your reaction. The goal is helping feedback pass through, rather than stick, without turning it into a verdict on your worth.