For many of us with ADHD, building a mindfulness practice that works may seem like an impossible task. Sitting still in a quiet space, trying to quiet our busy minds and tune into our bodies is no easy feat! This low-dopamine activity may feel under-stimulating, which often leads to a wandering mind and antsy body. If you’re anything like me, after a few minutes you’re either frustrated, completely distracted, or asleep. Even worse, you may be judging yourself harshly for “failing” at mindfulness, which invites shame into the equation. What a cruel punishment for trying to do something to take care of your mental health!
Before you lose hope altogether, I have good news! There are ways to incorporate mindfulness into your life that don’t require you to sit silently in total stillness! The benefits of mindfulness are astounding, especially for my fellow "ADHDers." Read on for a quick breakdown of how mindfulness can help manage symptoms associated with ADHD, and for five ADHD-friendly mindfulness techniques to try!
Redefining Mindfulness
Mindfulness is often colloquially used as a synonym for meditation. While meditation is one of the most common and traditional forms of mindfulness practice, it is not an all encompassing definition of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a path to psychological and physical well-being. There are many definitions and conceptualizations of mindfulness, but at its core:
Mindfulness is the cognitive ability to be consciously aware and present in any given
moment through attention, awareness, memory, and discernment.
Benefits of Mindfulness for ADHD
● Improved attention. Attention-deficit is the hallmark diagnostic criterion for ADHD. Mindfulness can help improve three forms of attention: increasing sustained attention, decreasing attention switching due to distractions, and increasing our selective attention on the task we want to be focused on.
● Improved working memory. Do you struggle to remember what you were just doing, saying, or why you came into this room in the first place? The ability to hold onto information temporarily is powered by your working memory. Mindfulness has been shown to improve the function of our working memory, which can reduce that pesky forgetfulness!
● Improved executive functioning. Mindfulness can improve our executive functioning, which regulates our ability to make behavior changes and initiate behaviors that help us reach our goals. Executive functioning operates like an internal coach by motivating us to start and finish the tasks required to reach our goals. Whether that’s writing a paper, calling back your best friend, sending an email, folding laundry, or scheduling a doctor’s appointment, executive functioning is key to getting stuff done!
● Improved self-regulation. A less discussed symptom of ADHD is difficulty with emotional regulation. Our capacity for emotional distress may be lower than our peers, and our ability to recognize and intercept an impending meltdown might not be as honed as we’d like. Mindfulness can teach us how to better recognize and observe our emotional states without judgment and respond compassionately, thus reducing the likelihood of a minor inconvenience ruining the whole day.
● Improved interoception. Do you forget to eat lunch because you just never felt hungry? Do you ever realize you’ve been sitting in an uncomfortable slouch for the last two hours despite your best intention to work on your posture? Your awareness of bodily sensations is called interoception, and it’s something many people with ADHD struggle with. Mindfulness strengthens our awareness of our internal and external worlds, which can significantly improve our interoceptive awareness.
● Improved sense of self-understanding. Mindfulness is all about compassionate acceptance of the present moment. Consistently practicing mindfulness strengthens our self-compassion, reduces negative self-talk, and helps us better understand who we are and how we operate.
Strategies
Here are 5 mindfulness exercises and techniques that are more ADHD-friendly than your
typical seated meditation!
1. Mindfulness Walks: Simply going for a walk is a mindfulness practice with the right intentions! Put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode and try walking for at least 15 minutes without any distractions - and yes, that means no music or podcasts. Pay attention to the world around you and choose to be present in the moment.
a. Rainbow Walk: Add on to your mindfulness walk by looking for something of each color in the rainbow! First find something red, then orange, and so on!
b. Sparks Joy Walk: As you walk, give attention to all the things you see that spark joy! You’ll be amazed at how many flowers, critters, lawn gnomes, and other little marvels are in your neighborhood.
c. Right Blue Walk: Add some novelty into your mindfulness walk by leaving your route up to fate! Set a rule for your walk, like every time you come across something blue at a crossway turn right!
d. Eye Spy: If you’re walking with a buddy, throw it back to elementary school and play a game of Eye Spy!
2. While You Wait: While you wait for coffee to brew or your lunch to reheat in the microwave, check in with your body and bring gentle movement into your day! Take 3-5 deep breaths and conduct a body scan from the crown of your head to the bottoms of your toes. If you notice any tension, give that part of your body some love with gentle stretching, a simple chi exercise, or a little self-massage.
3. Use Your Non-Dominant Hand: Our tendency to go on autopilot is one of the biggest barriers to mindfulness. One way to disrupt autopilot and be present is to do something unusual! Try brushing your teeth, eating, or any other routine task with your nondominant hand!
4. Threshold Rituals: Develop a short, simple ritual to practice whenever you get home, get in your car, get to work, or cross a specific threshold. Here are a few examples:
a. Pause at the front door before leaving the house, take 3 deep breaths, and do a
full body stretch towards the sky.
b. When you get to your desk at work, grab a sticky note and write down 3 things
you feel grateful for, take 3 deep breaths, and do 3 shoulder rolls up, down, and
back.
c. When you arrive at home, put your phone, keys, wallet, and bag where they
belong and go get a glass of water. Stand in your kitchen while you drink the
whole glass, touch your toes, and take 3 deep breaths.
5. Practice Yoga. While this isn’t a groundbreaking mindfulness recommendation, it really is a great, ADHD-friendly way to integrate mindfulness into your life. Yoga incorporates mindful body movement, intention-setting, mindful breathing, and is an exceptional way to reconnect with and listen to your body. Whether you join a yoga studio, go to classes at the Y, or do Yoga with Adriene on YouTube, there are options for every schedule, comfort level, and budget.
TLDR:
● Mindfulness doesn’t just mean meditating along to the Calm app - it’s the ability to be present and aware in any given moment.
● There are numerous mental and physical health benefits, especially for folks who struggle with attentiveness, including improved executive function, working memory, self-regulation, interoception, and self-understanding.
● If you’ve struggled to find a mindfulness practice that is ADHD-friendly, you might try some of the strategies above!
● Most importantly, be gentle and compassionate with yourself as you try something new. Mindfulness is a skill that we can build, which is why we call it a mindfulness practice, not a mindfulness perfect!
If you’re interested in working on building your ADHD-friendly mindfulness practice with someone who really gets it, contact us about scheduling a free consultation call with Alexis
Crewse. She specializes in working with neurodivergent clients and uses these strategies for
her own ADHD-friendly mindfulness practice!
References
● Meditation-based therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children,
adolescents and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10270372/
● Mindfulness and Behavior Change
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7647439/
● Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective. Front. Psychol.
10:2012. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02012
● Mindfulness Enhances Episodic Memory Performance: Evidence from a Multimethod
Investigation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4846034/
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