If you have ADHD, you may have difficulty sitting still, paying attention, completing tasks, managing your time effectively, or dealing with stress.
Meditation’s primary goal is to sit with one’s thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. It’s about being aware of your own awareness as well as being able to be nonjudgmental of yourself. Combating ADHD is difficult, especially when your symptoms interfere with your productivity, eating habits, sleep, motivation, mood, behavior, relationships, or success rates in school, work, or social activities.
When you face these issues on a daily basis, you may feel anxious, depressed, or unhappy. Meditation can be beneficial. It is not only free and simple to incorporate into your daily routine, but it has also been scientifically proven to be effective and requires minimal effort for maximum results.
Meditation Practice for Mindfulness for ADHD
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are widely used to reduce stress, treat anxiety and depression, and improve physical health and well-being. Mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness meditation are some of the most commonly used therapies.
Mindfulness meditation has numerous advantages for people with ADHD. It has been shown to improve adults with ADHD’s mood, attention, and quality of life. 1 It can also improve children’s performance in all executive functions, including paying attention, organizing, self-monitoring, and emotion regulation.
Mindfulness meditation entails focusing on an ‘anchor,’ such as the breath, and returning to it whenever your mind wanders. The skills acquired through mindfulness meditation can be applied anywhere. You can practice mindfulness while taking a walk, washing dishes, or spending time with a loved one, for example.
When you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and surroundings, you will be able to be more intentional and stay in the present moment, making it easier to stay on task, pay attention, and control your emotions in high-stress situations.
How to Meditation with ADHD? The Right Strategies
Anyone, at any time, can meditate. It’s a simple tool that can help you understand yourself and the world around you, but effective meditation requires concentration, which may be difficult if you have ADHD.
Here are some approaches to getting started or improving your practice:
- Take a seat. Maintain a straight back and a forward posture. Take note of the tension in your body. Make certain that you are relaxed, but not too relaxed. You don’t want to be slouching or lying down. It can help to choose a comfortable chair or cross your legs on the ground. Concentrate on your breathing as you inhale. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.Close your eyes if you want to avoid visual distractions, but it’s not necessary.
- Maintain an open mind. Your thoughts will most likely wander as you practice. This is perfectly normal. Maybe you’re thinking about your dinner, and then you get distracted by pasta and how it’s made, or maybe your mind wandered over to Reddit, and now you’re thinking about dog videos. Once you realize this, note the thought trail, and simply return slowly to your breath. Choosing a mantra can be beneficial. You can tell yourself to “breathe in” and “breathe out” or to “remain calm.”
- You may have a strong desire to move, stretch, itch, or count the lines in your blinds throughout your session. This occurs. Instead of quitting the session or the practice, be gentle with yourself. Return to scratch the itch. Understand that while meditating, you cannot make mistakes; you can only learn. Keep going even if your thoughts wander or you leave the session before the time runs out.
Some Useful Tips
Meditation can help you slow down your thoughts, calm your mind, and increase your self-awareness, but it requires practice. If you’re just starting out or want to improve your meditation practice, try the following suggestions:
- Set a daily goal of three minutes. This may seem like a long time at first. Your thoughts will most likely wander, and this is perfectly normal. The goal is not to clear your mind, relax, or stop thinking. The goal is to observe your mind and return it to your anchor whenever it wanders.
- Online meditation class near mecan help guide you through the fundamentals of meditation. And there are numerous options available. Each one provides a wealth of resources for both beginners and experts, as well as extras such as community groups and targeted meditations.
- Habits are difficult to form, but tying meditation to an existing habit will make it easier to remember and integrate into your day. Furthermore, meditate before brushing your teeth or after completing a workout. Make a note of it in your calendar and, if possible, find a dedicated meditation space, such as your back porch, living room, or car.
- Meditating with another person can help people with ADHD stay focused. You can join a guided group session or meet a friend for a limited time on Zoom. Even if your thoughts wander during the sessions, accountability can assist you in developing a routine practice.
The Final Words
Building a daily meditation practice can help you manage symptoms, but meditation should not replace your current medication or therapy sessions. Make an appointment with your doctor if you want to change your treatment plan.
