MEDITATION — New thoughts on an ancient practice
Meditation is good for you, whether you have ADHD or not. Meditation exists in every spiritual tradition. It calms the body and mind, is impossible to do “wrong” and costs nothing.
Of course, you already knew this, as did I.
And yet.
People with ADHD, almost universally, react to the idea of meditation with dread, and I certainly get it. Who with our brain chemistry can imagine succeeding at something as “simple” as sitting still and thinking about nothing for a specified period of time? Did reading that last sentence make you feel calm? I didn’t think so.
Here’s the issue. People don’t just figure meditation out. They need to be taught, and I’ve come to think that we in the counseling world are teaching it wrong--for clients with ADHD, at least. It’s way too linear: find a comfortable seat, start your meditation app, focus on your breath, count backwards from twenty…
But people with ADHD don’t respond well to linear. Their non-responses give them a sense of failure. Thoughts of failure are anything but restful, though they may be familiar, in an unpleasant way.
So how can people with ADHD experience the benefits, rather than the stress, of meditation? A few suggestions.
Don’t set a timer. Any amount of time is fine.
Experiment with micro-meditation. For 30 seconds, shut your eyes and breathe.
Instead of contemplating, or thinking, or not thinking, allow yourself to experience the present. If your mind just won’t take you there, concentrate on your body and your senses. If you’re inside, go out. Sit in the branches of a tree. Feast your eyes on whatever you consider beautiful. If you like poetry, read some.
It’s okay to use your imagination. It’s okay to engage in strategic, therapeutic daydreaming. Invent, or recall, an appealing place. Imagine, for instance, that you’re seven years old. No one is counting on you. You’re not letting anyone down. When you feel like running, you run. When you make art, it’s art for art’s sake.
For a minute or two, just pay attention. Experiment with tasks you usually do on autopilot. So, when you’re folding clothes, fold clothes. When you’re driving, drive. When you’re drinking tea, drink tea. Do this for as long or as short as you want.
It’s all meditation. It counts.