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December 1, 2025
Gratitude is talked about a lot, but for us with ADHD brains it isn’t just a feel-good idea. It is a physiological strategy that changes how the brain functions.
In this episode, Tracy breaks down why gratitude is not optional for ADHD. It starts with dopamine. ADHD brains rely on positive emotion to initiate action, sustain focus, and regulate emotion. Gratitude spikes dopamine, boosts serotonin, improves sleep, and builds the emotional foundation that makes everything else feel more doable. Tracy explains how this loop works and why even trying to think of something to be grateful for is enough to start shifting your brain chemistry.
She also shares personal stories, including the impact of a daily gratitude practice, the “positive emotion dossier” she developed for A-OK, and the profound lessons she learned from a woman with ADHD living with metastatic cancer who embodied gratitude in the hardest circumstances. Tracy walks through the five levels of gratitude, the ADHD habit of scanning for what’s wrong, and how gratitude helps interrupt the spiral.
This episode is both practical and encouraging, giving listeners a clear understanding of how gratitude improves executive function, stabilizes mood, strengthens habits, and helps ADHD brains filter out noise. Tracy also explores how gratitude intersects with trauma and how emotional healing can lead to post-traumatic growth. If you’ve ever wondered why gratitude matters or how to build a practice that actually works for your brain, this episode offers tools you can use immediately.
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“In our ADHD brains, we can't get anything done without positive emotion. Positive emotion spikes our dopamine, and dopamine is what runs the show.”
- Tracy Otsuka
“When we’re in positive emotion, we take action. We’re happier, we’re more inspired, and we move our lives forward.”
- Tracy Otsuka
“When you wake up and begin your day with gratitude, you set the direction for every thought and decision that follows.”
-- Tracy Otsuka
"Whatever we focus on gets bigger. If you focus on what’s good, you’ll see more good. If you focus on what’s wrong, you’ll see more wrong."
-- Tracy Otsuka
"Dopamine feels good, so your brain repeats whatever created it. This is how ADHD brains build habits through positive emotion."
- Tracy Otsuka
"Every time you solve a problem, your brain learns: I’m actually capable. I can handle things."
- Tracy Otsuka
"Hard moments force clarity. Sometimes life closes the door you didn’t have the courage to close yourself."
- Tracy Otsuka
- Tracy explains how gratitude activates dopamine and serotonin, fueling focus, motivation, and emotional regulation for ADHD brains.
- She shows how gratitude loops improve sleep, habits, and resilience, turning positivity into action instead of waiting for motivation.
- Through simple daily practices like morning reflections or journaling, she connects gratitude to emotional balance and better decision-making.
- Tracy shares stories—from her gratitude journaling to the “29 Gifts” experiment—that taught her to notice everyday good and shift energy through giving and receiving.
- She explains that gratitude is not just a list but a frequency that trains the brain to see what’s working instead of what’s missing.
- Using real-life examples, she reminds listeners that ADHD visionaries often lose gratitude by focusing too far ahead, and that joy begins by being present.
[00:50:00 – 00:33:00] Levels of Gratitude and Growth Through Challenge
- Tracy introduces the five levels of gratitude, from no appreciation to seeing every experience as a gift and learning tool.
- She reframes problems as part of life’s “curriculum,” building confidence and self-trust through overcoming challenges.
- Closing the episode, she emphasizes post-traumatic growth—how gratitude, when paired with healing, transforms pain into strength and deeper purpose.
ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem.
That’s why most strategies don’t stick—they weren’t designed for how your brain actually works. Your ADHD Brain is A-OK Academy is different. It’s a patented, science-backed coaching program that helps you stop fighting your brain and start building a life that fits. 👉Learn more here
- Website: tracyotsuka.com
- Instagram: tracyotsuka
- Website: www.drgillykahn.com
- YouTube: @tracyotsuka4796
- Tired of ADHD strategies that don’t work? Here’s what actually does. FREE training here: : programs.tracyotsuka.com