The Forums › Forums › Emotional Journey › I Don't Get People › I just had an epiphamy › Re: I just had an epiphamy
Koots, I know exactly where you are coming from.
Your description of your driving itself, is as it should be for someone with ADD, and everyone for that matter. Your mind is in the present and you are looking at the road you see, not the road you know. You are not on autopilot as so many people are. This is a part of of a great tool for ADDers called mindfulness.
The conscious awareness of the road that you describe can be also applied to our emotions. It takes practice, but it’s essentially the same process. If you start to watch your thoughts and feelings in the same way that you look out for hazards while driving, you can start to take more control of them, rather than letting them control you.
Next time someone does something that causes you to be angry while you are driving, notice the feelings rising in you. Consider the feelings for a moment; are you going to let that feeling control you? The important thing here is not to suppress the rage, it’s real, but to accept it is there. Now you are in control. You could let the rage take over and make you do something that might be dangerous, OR you could do what’s needed to make the situation safe. That might mean giving more room to the car that just cut in in front of you. Strangely, as you start to practice this control, you will feel so much better about yourself than if you had let the rage run it’s course.
It’s best to practice being mindful of emotions and thoughts all the time, not just driving.
Two practices I use to take back control of my life are relaxation/meditation and mindfulness. Maybe the core benefit of these practices for ADHD is that you are practicing conscious control of focus.
I would recommend this book http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Prescription-Adult-ADHD-Strengthening/dp/1590308476
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