TAMING THE ADHD MIND WITH MINDFULNESS

The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD by Lidia Zylowska

You know what ADHD is. (Not everything about it. Yet. Not by a long shot.)

But we have a good idea of what it is. So, my question is: what would you say is the opposite of ADHD?

After pondering that question, I’ve found a lot of people say Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

That’s what I thought for a long time.

But after our webinar with Dr. Roberto Olivardia, and some presentations at the Ontario Brain Institute, I’ve learned that people with O.C.D. actually have more difficulty than ADHD folks in stopping their runaway thoughts.

With ADHD the mind flits like a butterfly.

With OCD it becomes locked in an emotionally charged loop. In both cases, not a lot of control.

HERE AND NOW

To my mind, the opposite of ADHD, for me, is when I’m really present.  Focused but not hyper-focused!

When I’m hyper-focused I’m not really present to what’s happening around me. Someone could swipe my pants and I wouldn’t notice.

No, the opposite of ADHD, for me, is being simply present, attentive, following what’s being said, what’s happening, or what I’m doing.

Not impatient.

Not worry about the future, or fretting over the past. Not in my head.

The best term to describe this state?  ‘Mindful.’

And a lot of exciting research is demonstrating that ‘Mindfulness’ is a state that you can develop.

How?

Through a surprisingly simple but powerful practice known as ‘Mindful Meditation’.

I could try to explain how it works, but I’ll leave that to the premier researcher in the field of ADHD and Mindfulness, Dr. Lidia Zylowska.

Dr. Lidia Zylowska

A co-founder of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, Lidia has written, “The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD.”

ATTENTION IS SIMPLY BEING ATTENTIVE

Lidia has some questions for you to ponder:

Can Mindfulness Help Me?

Have you ever been in a shower and so caught in your thinking that you were not sure if you already shampooed your hair?

When driving, have you ever missed your exit on the way to an important meeting because you were planning the meeting in your head?

Have you ever done or said things out of habit and then immediately regretted them?

Have you caught yourself eating mindlessly even when not hungry?

Do you feel so stressed that you can’t relax even when the workday is over?

Do you often listen to (insert here what applies to you:  a movie, your spouse, your child, your boss, etc) and realize that you are spacing out and not really hearing what is being said?

Do your emotions often drive you to do something impulsive, or alternatively, you are often not sure what you feel/want?

If you said yes to several of the questions above, learning mindfulness can help you become more present in your life, more self-aware and more in control of your reactions.

While ADHD is often described as a difficulty with self-regulation, mindfulness teaches self-regulation skills.”

NO APPOINTMENT, NO COST, DO IT ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME

This is a powerful practice. One I use often. Mindfulness can impact your ADHD.*

Click here to read more on the subject from an article she wrote for Psychology Today

And a recent article from the NY TImes: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=101340?src=dayp

Dr. Zylowska is funny, smart, fascinating, and knowledgeable.

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