Riding the Waves: Understanding Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria

A live online workshop for ADHD and AuDHD adults – whether you’re officially, or self, diagnosed

See dates and pricing

If you’ve ever sent a text and then spent the next hour convinced you’ve ruined a friendship… if a flat-sounding reply from your boss has ever sent you spiralling into “I’m about to get fired”… if you’ve ever apologised for something that, looking back, really didn’t need an apology — you already know what this workshop is about, even if you’ve never had a name for it.

It’s called Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD. It’s incredibly common in ADHD and AuDHD adults, and it is not a character flaw, a sign of weakness, or proof that you’re “too sensitive.” It’s a nervous system and brain-wiring thing. And once you understand how it actually works, it gets a lot easier to live with.

That’s what we’ll spend two and a half hours doing together.

What We’ll Actually Cover

We start with the basics — what RSD is, why it isn’t officially in the diagnostic manuals but is still very real and very recognised, and why “perceived” rejection can hit just as hard as the real thing.

Then we go a bit deeper into where it comes from: years of extra criticism and correction that wires the nervous system to see social risk everywhere, the way ADHD and autistic brains process social cues differently, the shame spiral that turns a small mistake into “I’m fundamentally broken,” and the neuroscience — including the fact that social pain and physical pain light up the same part of the brain. That’s why rejection can genuinely feel like it hurts.

After that, we’ll name how this shows up day to day — the people-pleasing, the mood swings, the not asking for help, the masking, the withdrawing. If you recognise yourself in that list, you’re in good company.

We’ll take a 15-minute break in the middle. No content, just a breather.

Then we move into the part most people come for: the strategies.

We’ll work through:

• Spotting your own personal triggers before they catch you off guard
• A simple model for catching the story your mind tells you in the moment, and gently questioning whether it’s actually true
• Meeting those big feelings without judging yourself for having them
• A few ways to calm your body down when the wave hits, so it passes faster
• Using journaling as an ongoing tool, not just a one-off exercise

We’ll do these live, together, as we go — not just talk about them. You’ll leave with things you’ve actually practised, not just a list of ideas.

We’ll close with some time for questions, and a few pointers if you want to keep exploring this afterwards.

A Few Practical Things

It’s live on Zoom, and runs for about two and a half hours including the break. You don’t need to keep your camera on, you’re welcome to move around if you need to, and there’s no pressure to speak or share anything in the chat. Bring a notebook if you can — there are a few journaling moments built in, and it’s nice to have something to come back to afterwards.

This is psychoeducation — it’s here to help you understand and normalise your experience, not to replace therapy or personalised clinical support. If you’re already working with someone, this is a great companion to that. If you’re not, it might point you towards next steps.

Is This for You?

If you’re an ADHD or AuDHD adult who’s tired of feeling like rejection — real or imagined — knocks you sideways, and you’d like some tools and some company while you figure out a different way to handle it, I’d love to have you there.

Book Your Place

I want these workshops to be as accessible as possible, so I am offering it at two rates. The standard rate is £40 and the reduced price rate is £30, offered on a trust basis. If your personal (not household) income is less than the UK median of £39k, use coupon code RSD-DISCOUNT-10.