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Bernardo Louveau's Emergency Deck for the ADHD Brain

For the moment your brain runs off with your whole day.

Find the card. Read the words. Breathe. There are 36 cards. Pick the one that sounds closest to what's flooding your thoughts, and take one small step toward relief.

Plus occasional notes from Bernardo. Unsubscribe any time.

Bernardo Louveau in a cream linen shirt, arms folded, on a sunlit terrace above the sea
Feel it.
File it.
Next.
Stuck right now? Start here.

Does your head ever sound like this?

The deck is organised by the thoughts you actually have in the middle of a spiral. Pick the card whose title sounds like your head right now. Close enough counts.

"They sent one line and I'm sure they hate me."
"I've been staring at the task for an hour."
"The day is ruined."
"I can't sleep and my brain is replaying everything."
"I snapped at someone I love."
"Why can't I just be normal?"

Sometimes it's a task you deeply care about but can't quiet your mind to start. Sometimes the room is just too loud. Sometimes you snap at someone you love and need a way back to level ground. Oh, you too? Come sit by me.

The method

Three moves. Every card.

Say you've been avoiding an email for three days. You open it, stare at it, and suddenly remember the fridge could use a deep clean. Here's how the cards walk you through it.

1

Feel it

Put both feet on the floor and take one slow breath out. Give yourself a second before asking your brain for an answer.

2

File it

Say what's happening in one plain sentence. "I've been putting off this email because I'm worried about how to word it." Now you have something specific to work with.

3

Next

Make the step smaller. Type "Hi" and the person's name. You can decide what comes after that once you've got something on the screen.

The cards use those same three moves for different moments. Sometimes the next step is starting. Sometimes it's stepping out of a noisy room, or asking someone for two minutes.

Try one now

Here's what a card looks like.

This is Card 01, from Part One: The Flood. No email needed to read it.

Card 01 · The Flood

"I can't tell what I'm feeling. I just know it's a lot."

The Weather Report Rule

You don't have to fix the weather. Just report it.

Feel · 60 seconds

  1. Sit down or lean on something solid. Let it hold you.
  2. Breathe in through your nose for a slow count of four, out through your mouth for a slow count of six. Five rounds. Longer out than in.
  3. Ask: "If this feeling were weather, what is the forecast?" Say it out loud. "Heavy fog, chance of shame, wind from the inbox."

File

You don't need the perfect word. Pick the closest one or two: Overwhelmed. Embarrassed. Hurt. Angry. Tired. Scared. Lonely. Wired.

Say to yourself: "I'm allowed to feel this before I understand it."

Next

Write the forecast on the log page in one line. Then do one thing for your body: drink water, eat something, open a window. A lot of "a lot" has a body-shaped cause: hunger, tiredness, hours on a screen.

If someone asks what's wrong: "I'm not sure yet. It's loud in here. Give me twenty minutes."

Don't

  • Don't interrogate yourself for The Reason.
  • Don't make a big decision while the fog is in.
  • Don't tell yourself you "should" be over it.

I want all 36 cards

What's inside

A deck built for the moment, not for a calm Sunday.

36cards
4parts, sorted by feeling
6bonuses
3moves, every card
Cards 01–10

The Flood

For when the feeling arrives before the words do.

Cards 11–18

The Freeze

For when you know exactly what to do and your body won't do it.

Cards 19–26

The Fallout

For after the mistake, when the shame arrives with a plus-one.

Cards 27–36

The Conversations

For the words you need when your own have gone missing.

Also inside: The Method on One Page, a Before and After page, a Usage Log, a note from Bernardo on what actually helps him, and a letter for the day a card doesn't help.

Bonuses

Six extras, included.

1
The Seven Cards

A seven-day practice plan. Spirals are the worst time to learn a new skill, so learn the most-needed cards while you're calm.

2
The Reach

Openers for starting the conversations your brain keeps meaning to have: getting back in touch, asking for company, inviting someone.

3
The Pocket Deck

Ten-second versions of the twelve cards people reach for most. Read them on your phone, or print, cut and keep them in your wallet.

4
The Floor

A one-page baseline for sleep and food, for the days everything feels harder than it should.

5
The Maths

An expectation reset. Neurotypical maths doesn't always add up for your brain, so here are five rules to use your own.

6
The Fridge Card

Seven lines for when you're spiralling. Cut it out, or save it as a photo.

The full deck

The Spiral Cards

Feel it. File it. Next.

  • All 36 cards in 4 parts
  • The Method on One Page, Before and After pages, Usage Log
  • A note from Bernardo on what actually helps him
  • 6 bonuses: Seven Cards, The Reach, Pocket Deck, The Floor, The Maths, Fridge Card
  • Digital download (PDF), printable
$17.99
Get The Spiral Cards

Instant download after checkout.

Bernardo Louveau in an olive linen shirt
Bernardo Louveau · Life coach and actor

Hey there,

I can bring order to a room full of people who can't agree on what to do next. But give me a boring task, and my brain will happily make a case for reorganizing the kitchen drawers instead. My brain can make a very persuasive case.

Oh, you too? Come sit by me.

I've led teams and helped build businesses. I've also spent years coaching people through changes they wanted to make but couldn't quite get started. I love the moment when someone who's been spinning in circles finally says, "Oh! Now I get it."

I was about sixteen when I started searching for ways to find that step for myself. I made these cards so you'd have something to reach for right now.

With love,
Bernardo

Questions

Good questions.

Is this medical advice or therapy?

No. It's not medical advice, therapy, or a diagnosis, and it can't replace a clinician who knows you. Think of it as first aid for the moment: a first aid kit is a wonderful thing to own, it's just not a hospital. Nothing in the deck is a recommendation to take, stop or change any medication.

Do I need an ADHD diagnosis to use it?

No. The cards are about overwhelming feelings, frozen starts, shame spirals and hard conversations. If you recognise those, you can try them.

What if a card doesn't work for me?

Then make it smaller. Try just the first line under Feel, try the card listed under Still Spiralling, or put the deck down for a minute. The deck also has a page called When a Card Doesn't Work, and a letter from Bernardo for exactly that moment.

How do I get it, and can I print it?

It's a digital download (PDF). You can read it on your phone, and the Pocket Deck and Fridge Card are made to be printed on card and cut out.

What if I forget about the deck for a while?

That's fine. The first time you remember it exists might be twenty minutes after you needed it, and you can still open it. There's nothing to catch up on.

Oh. I can still do something about this.

That's the moment the deck is for. Start with two free cards, or take the whole deck.

Get The Spiral Cards   Free cards first

The honest small print

This is not medical advice, therapy, or a diagnosis. It does not diagnose ADHD or any other condition, and it cannot replace a clinician who knows you. Nothing in this deck is a recommendation to take, stop or change any medication. Whether medication is right for you is a decision for you and a qualified medical professional.

Free help is real. US: call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). UK and Ireland: Samaritans on 116 123. Elsewhere: findahelpline.com. Phone numbers and organisations change, so check them before you rely on them.

Your brain has been working overtime for you for years. Be gentle with it.

© 2026 The Spiral Cards · Bernardo Louveau. All rights reserved.