How To Meditate With Adhd

[JessW]

Anyone struggle with add or adhd? Anyone have trouble meditating with these? I know I do! But seriously I've tried meditating HUNDREDS of times and I get 5-10 minutes in and my mind goes CRAZY. Or I start fidgeting or moving or looking off. The thing is, is I don't want to take medication. Very much against western medicine. I've taken medication for my adhd before and I hated it. I felt so depressed and not like my fun self. Sure my mind goes 100 miles an hour all the time but I don't want to suppress it with medicine. And I know meditation will help emensely but how the hell do I get passed that 5-10 minute stage where I start getting all Ansy. I want to calm my mind and really dive deep into meditation. 

Jess

[FinnishJon]

1 hour ago, JessW said:

Anyone struggle with add or adhd? Anyone have trouble meditating with these? I

I suspect that I have ADD, and 20 minute meditation sessions can sometimes be difficult, but not impossible to get through.  But, I suspect that some of the meditation guru's will point out that this is exactly what you and I need to get a better grip on our drunken monkeys in our heads.  

I have never taken any medications and I've never officially been diagnosed with ADD, I just have done a few self assessment tests and my symptoms do correlate pretty strongly.  However, I don't understand why one would oppose western medicine in general, nor eastern medicine either for that matter.  Perhaps that's an issue you can work out for yourself... I wouldn't want to get hooked on an expensive medicine if not altogether necessary, but if it can at least begin to heal you, then I don't see why not.  I know a guy who has schizophrenia and if he didn't take his medicine he'd be a drooling idiot with no normal functioning whatsoever.  You don't oppose his taking of western medicine, do you?

[Sarah Marie]

Perhaps try a non traditional way of meditation? Coloring? Visualizations of grounding might help you as well. 

[Leo Gura]

If I had ADHD, I would invest a lot of time and energy researching the root cause and finding a natural cure.

It's very likely related to improper diet or toxins/chemicals in your body that need to be detoxed. Or some psychosomatic thing. Or simply lack of discipline.

What you're doing now is like trying to race your car while the parking break is on.

Go research people who have cured their ADHD naturally and read what steps they took. You'll likely find the solution.

[Emerald]

21 hours ago, JessW said:

Anyone struggle with add or adhd? Anyone have trouble meditating with these? I know I do! But seriously I've tried meditating HUNDREDS of times and I get 5-10 minutes in and my mind goes CRAZY. Or I start fidgeting or moving or looking off. The thing is, is I don't want to take medication. Very much against western medicine. I've taken medication for my adhd before and I hated it. I felt so depressed and not like my fun self. Sure my mind goes 100 miles an hour all the time but I don't want to suppress it with medicine. And I know meditation will help emensely but how the hell do I get passed that 5-10 minute stage where I start getting all Ansy. I want to calm my mind and really dive deep into meditation. 

Jess

My recommendation is to push through it. Even if you have ADHD, this is something that everyone goes through in one degree or another. I have the same urges. So, think of your ADHD as just a slightly more cranked up version of what the average person has. It isn't like there's something 100% different about your psychology because of it. This is a very limiting belief to bust through. Just notice the thoughts and urges as they come up, and maintain your focus on the breath. If your mind is running 200 miles an hour, just notice it mindfully and bring the attention back to the breath. The great thing about meditation is that it actually has neurological effects on the ability to concentrate, so if practiced over time, it will likely alleviate the attention issues quite a bit. In fact, I've read articles about scientific studies that suggest that the long term effects of meditation are conferable to the effects of using pharmaceuticals to treat certain psychological problems. 

[LeoDai]

I have ADHD .

I think it involves both physiological and psychological problems. ADHD is caused by some defects in neurons that makes you not able to stay focused. On the other hand, we ADHD patients justify our lack of attention with the disease and think we are doomed to be hyper active and can't stay focused. I think the best way to do meditation is to first build up confidence in  you can meditate 20 minutes. Next find yourself a quiet( when I say quite I mean very very quiet, no distractions)place. Turn off your phone . And meditate

[kyleplarson]

20 hours ago, 8LanguageStud said:

I know a guy who has schizophrenia and if he didn't take his medicine he'd be a drooling idiot with no normal functioning whatsoever.  You don't oppose his taking of western medicine, do you?

I understand where you're coming from. only if immediate attention is absolutely necessary though in my opinion. Like as in a life or death situation. the thing with medication is that its literally a magic pill solution and will NEVER work long term. when you take a medication you're brain isn't doing something it wouldn't be able to do by itself, its just a forced version of how you should be biohacking and shaping your own brain already. that can make you very emotionally lethargic because it allows you to postpone the real problem as long as you have a script. just my opinion though.

[JessW]

Great feedback. I will definitely research how others have cured there adhd. I know I can over come it and I will put to use all the great advice I was given. Thank you! 

[Tom Beast]

Meanwhile you can try pshisicall forms of meditation like walking meditation (very popular in forest tradition of Theravada as a break between formal meditations … long break :))

Yoga as a introduction to mindfullness is great.

any activity that keeps you aware of your body … maybe slackline?

with such a problem start to get in touch in touch with your body… not only sex  but in a mindful way - it's a great practice!

[Rufus]

I do have an extreme ADD, I found the ways to cope with it!
I found that most of the times when my mind is busy while meditating is because I'm probably not investing my day doing the things that I really love, and that's what originally makes me distracted and keep thinking what I wish to do right now. by the laws of nature, I realized I cannot force myself to do anything I don't feel like doing right now unless if someone points a gun over my head. but what I could do is I needed is to re-schedule my entire life, and see what are the compulsive habits I do, what are all the unnecessary bullshit that are in my head and I'm attached to? I'm involved in tons of obligations, do I really need half of them? what is the unhealthy food that makes me lazy to do what I love to do? Why I am wasting 8 hours in my life in an office not doing my dream Job? do I have a comfortable room? do I have unnecessary objects in my home that I'm continuously worried about?

There are so many unprocessed tasks in the modern City human's head, I needed to minimize my tasks and obligations and try to make my life simpler and more flexible because I don't have enough RAM (memory) in my mind to handle all these tasks together, that's why my mind jumps from one task to another and I cannot focus to complete one task, and within my personal experience, the problem with ADD is probably caused by one or both of these two factors: 1 - People with ADHD mostly have smaller RAM amount than others.  2- They have an excessive need to express their talents but they don't have the right social conditions and environment to do it.

How did I cope with this?
1 - I managed to change my Job to something much closer to what I love, and I managed to successfully explain to my employer why do I need flexible working hours (I was completely honest, no lies), which gave me awesome flexibility to do other activities that I love during the morning hours (Gym & Yoga),

2 - I managed to throw all the unnecessary objects from my home, anything I use less than twice a year, I throw it away or give it to donations.

3 - I managed to clean and re-arrange my home furniture to make a suitable space for movement, exercise, Yoga and meditation, 

4 - I reduced the amount of the unnecessary people I deal with every day, I found that I hang with so many unnecessary friends and acquaintances who consume my time, if you look carefully most of our friends they just want to use you to fulfill their ego's, they don't give a damn about you even if they seem nice and kind, I didn't cut them completely, I stayed in good terms with all the people I know for my inner peace, plus I don't know when will I ever need them in my life, I still love them but I reduced my unnecessary egoic attachment to them.

5 - I managed to solve some hanging problems with my GF, Parents, Family and Friends, business clients.. etc,

6 - Smartphone Facebook and the social media, are your ultimate enemy if you are not using them consciously,
Facebook: If you can not deactivate your FB for a reason to another, you can go to the Setting and remove all notifications, why do you want to know if someone liked your post? 
Smartphone & WhatsApp: how many unnecessary groups are you engaged with? you can always remove yourself from these groups or mute the notifications.
If you can live without a smartphone or social media, I salute you. 

7 -  I learned not to leave any unfinished business behind. unfinished business in all it's forms will consume most of the RAM in the mind.

It's been almost 3-4  months now and I'm still half way through simplifying my life, I'm making giant progress every day, and I'm gradually making space to do everything that I love. and I noticed a significant difference in my mind calmness and now whenever I use my mind in any task (including meditation), I am more capable now in giving things the attention they deserve, and guess what! I'm gradually fixing my insomnia as well! and what physiological Insomnia is other than thinking about all the unfinished business we have in mind!
With simplifying my life I'm not just making it easy to focus but also I'm gradually wrapping up my life togather in terms of self-development, personal achievement, joy, and most importantly spiritual enlightenment.. all these are beautifully related.

I hope this is useful.

Edited February 11, 2016 by MWS

[Gnosis]

On 2/10/2016 at 0:06 PM, Leo Gura said:

If I had ADHD, I would invest a lot of time and energy researching the root cause and finding a natural cure.

It's very likely related to improper diet or toxins/chemicals in your body that need to be detoxed. Or some psychosomatic thing. Or simply lack of discipline.

What you're doing now is like trying to race your car while the parking break is on.

Go research people who have cured their ADHD naturally and read what steps they took. You'll likely find the solution.

Leo, I believe in this particular case you don't entirely understand the situation. ADHD isn't depression, it also isn't a sickness. Most people with ADHD have it without an obvious cause and it usually stays with them. Our current medication for ADHD are in no way a "cure" for ADHD, just more stimulants to make people with ADHD more "functional" for a short time. It's why so many people with ADHD "self medicate" with drugs and alcohol. Medication for ADHD does fundamentally the same thing, but a lot more expensive (On a side note, I'm aware you did not state anything about ADHD medication, just wanted to mention the above).

Another perspective is that ADHD doesn't exist. ADHD is complicated because it is not just one condition, a better description would be a whole variety of conditions (that are not limited to just the common view of ADHD, which is "chemical imbalances" in the brain), which may appear in a certain way. And we call the "symptoms", that is the certain way that it appears, ADHD. In addition, the "chemical imbalances" people refer to, are not very well defined at all. And so isn't our definition of what is "chemically balanced". In one way, people with ADHD are simply less adjusted towards our society's standards and nothing more than that. Therefore to "cure" ADHD, would be in-applicable. And to complicate the situation even more, there's also ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) which have almost the same symptoms as ADHD (and are often tested together). I have ADHD myself, so I apologize if I'm trying to "defend" the "disorder".

The following is addressed at the topic. Regarding the subject of meditation, I can say that for the most part I agree with what others have said in this thread. I'm diagnosed with ADHD, and I'm committed to meditation. There's no way anyone can make a set-in-stone judgement about whether ADHD makes it harder to meditate effectively (though it does seem like it does in early stages). My recommendation is the same as Emerald's, if you're motivated enough to meditate, push through it. This thing we call "ADHD" alone doesn't seem to be a major road-block in meditation from my observation. If you have actually tried hundreds of times (without exaggeration) to meditate without success, there's without a doubt something else that is in play here keeping you from meditating effectively (which may or may not be coupled with ADHD thus making it difficult to meditate), I do not know what that may be and it's up to you to find that. If you're dedicated enough to observe yourself, there's a good chance you'll realize what is keeping you from meditating more effectively and be able to overcome that obstacle (On a side note, there's also a good chance that you already know). Also, it may be simply that you're trying too hard. Meditate consistently and use a very basic technique such as mindfulness or do nothing, even if it's just for 10 minutes every day. And the likes are that you'll get better at it. 

And regarding "curing" ADHD or making yourself more "functional" without needing to take medication, personal development and counter intuitively, meditation is the way to go. Don't let ADHD be an excuse for you to live off stimulants (because that's essentially what you're doing when you're depended on ADHD medication). Lifestyle or dietary changes are included when I say personal development and meditation. It very well may be that, once you've progressed further enough in personal development work, that ADHD is no longer relevant (In that sense, you've "cured" ADHD). And as Leo says, discipline comes with sufficient awareness. 

This is just my perspective on the matter. MWS who posted above me has some great practical advise on ADHD.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Gnosis

[vjackson45]

Hi Jess,

Perhaps try another method of managing your ADHD, maybe try to exercise if meditation doesn't work for you.

[furashido]

@JessW Do not see Adhd as a hinderence, instead recognize it as the ability to zone in on the things that interest you with an Intencity those Without adhd can’t imagine. If you truly are interested in this path you will find a way. I had Adhd untill i was 30. I don’t have it anymore. 

[vjackson45]

16 hours ago, vjackson45 said:

Hi Jess,

Perhaps try another method of managing your ADHD, maybe try to exercise if meditation doesn't work for you.

Hi Jess, 

I found a blog that gives tips on how to manage ADHD symptoms. Try to check it out, maybe this one will fit in you.

[pluto]

Natural Herbs for ADHD and cleaning up my diet/lifestyles helped me in the beginning stages but after my first awakening, they all vanished with the rest of the illusions i had accepted to be true.

[WaterfallMachine]

On 2/10/2016 at 0:06 PM, Leo Gura said:

If I had ADHD, I would invest a lot of time and energy researching the root cause and finding a natural cure.

It's very likely related to improper diet or toxins/chemicals in your body that need to be detoxed. Or some psychosomatic thing. Or simply lack of discipline.

What you're doing now is like trying to race your car while the parking break is on.

Go research people who have cured their ADHD naturally and read what steps they took. You'll likely find the solution.

@Gnosis was right about what he said. ADHD cannot be “cured”, even if people wanted too.

I don’t have ADD or ADHD either, but I am autistic though, and many books I’ve read on that is paired with other conditions like ADHD. There’s no cure, but it is possible to manage it well, just like I have to do with being autistic. Enough social therapies and most people barely notice.  .

But anyway, it’s not exactly a disease or sickness either. It’s more like a difference. In the neurodiverse movement, they noted those with ADHD have weaker focus and stronger impulses, yes, but they also have been researched to have stronger strengths than the usual. Such as higher energy, creativity and adaptability to new environments. Their ability to hyperfocus when they’re really passionate about a task really helps them.

Lots of people with neurodiverse differences like us have different strengths, and maybe instead of working against them, I’d work with them. Maybe before trying more “boring” meditations beginners tend to be given — maybe try the more dynamic meditations. Ones that require more physical activity, walking/running, or visualizations.

Maybe with meditations that require focusing on the five senses — you could do it with traveling around or exploring somewhere. Maybe switch around between different types of meditation if you get too bored with one, but don’t do too many meditations at once.

Then when you can do this, feel free to go to the harder ones that require more discipline and focus. Focus on a more narrow choice then, and see what happens. 

Edited June 8, 2018 by WaterfallMachine