🔥 INTENSITY
“Don’t be afraid of your intensity. It’s the birthplace of your power.” – Unknown
Intensity is the wildfire in your spirit—the depth of emotion, the sharpness of focus, the all-or-nothing energy that defines so many ADHD lives. It can feel like both a superpower and a burden. But when honoured, channelled, and cared for, intensity becomes fuel. It drives insight, passion, connection, and action.
For ADHDers, intensity is often misunderstood. We're told we're “too much,” “too loud,” “too sensitive,” “too driven.” But this fire isn’t the problem—it’s the guidance system. It shows us what we care about, where our boundaries are, what makes us feel. The challenge isn’t the intensity itself—it’s how to live with it in a world that keeps asking us to tone it down.
This value invites us to own our fire. Not to suppress it, but to steward it. To learn when to rest and when to rise. To understand that our depth isn’t a flaw—it’s a source of creativity, empathy, and momentum. Intensity doesn’t need to be extinguished. It needs to be respected.
🧭 The HOPE Trail Map
- Helps or Harms: Am I letting my intensity guide me with clarity—or run me ragged?
- Own My Values: I want to be someone who embraces depth and passion, not someone who apologizes for it.
- People and Pursuits: Who sees and celebrates my intensity? What pursuits let me bring my full self without dimming?
- Enact and Evaluate: Today, I’ll choose to honour my intensity with intention—not suppression, not explosion, but grounded expression.
⚠️ Trail Challenges
- Emotional dysregulation can turn intensity into overwhelm or conflict.
- Others may misunderstand intense feelings as overreaction.
- Self-criticism may lead to shame around being “too much.”
🪧 Trail Markers: Small Steps Toward Intensity
- Journal what your intensity is trying to tell you—it’s usually pointing to something meaningful.
- Create a “fire plan”: What soothes you when intensity spikes? What helps express it safely?
- Use intense energy creatively—write, move, build, connect.
🔥 Campfire Questions for Reflection
- Where has my intensity been a gift—something I’ve undervalued?
- What have I learned about managing energy without shaming emotion?
- How can I teach others to honour my intensity by modelling how I honour it myself?
Your intensity isn’t the problem—it’s the proof you’re alive, engaged, and connected. Learn to tend the fire, and it will light the way forward.
