Whether you have adhd or not, you should meditate once and awhile. You don't need to put it on your schedule. It's not a regiment. There's nothing to keep track of and no score to keep. Just 20-40 minutes of peace.
"How can I meditate with my scattered, racing ADHD mind?"
Easy. Meditation is actually something you do all the time. Generally it's referred to as "hyperfocus". You know. But don't worry, you don't have to purposely put yourself into this state. It will happen all on its own. How?
Use a soundtrack! Get something with binaural or some other formulaic digital enhancements, grab a pillow, lie down on the couch, close your eyes and listen. That's it! (Sounds a lot like taking a nap, doesn't it?)
So, it's something you already know how to do naturally, and the only physical activity you have to do is lie down on the couch, close your eyes, and listen. Does this seem difficult? Should I go over it one more time?
I've been interested in meditation for years. I've read dozens of books on it. I've read the typical pop-culture stuff, and about the most esoteric Buddhist, Hindu and other spiritual rituals you can find. I searched and searched for just exactly the right way to meditate. Silence your mind they all say... Yep! I LAUGHED at that too!
Finally, I sort of gave up and decided that many of the tapes and cds I had were worth listening to anyways, so I'll just relax, listen to them, and do the best I can to pay attention. I'm not perfect, so my meditations didn't need to be perfect either. No more was I searching for that perfect ZEN moment. It was not long after then, that something started to happen... I started getting positive results in countless ways! Now I can stop the CHATTER in my mind and learn from the tracks with verbal guidance. And the bonus... I learn from myself when I listen to just sounds too!
Breathing is important. So as you lie back on the couch with your headphones on, concentrate on slowing down your breath. Take deeper, longer, slower breaths. Breathe in... 1,2,3,4,5,6,7... breathe out... 1,2,3,4,5,6,7...
Right now! Take a deep breath in and hold it. C'mon! Just do it! Take a deep breath and hold it.
Did you do it? If not, do it now. I'll wait ... You've gotta breathe anyways, so just take a deep breath and hold it for a couple seconds.
There you go ... now let it out slowly. Easy, wasn't it? Now I want you to do it one more time, but this time I want you to pay attention to your chest. Did your chest rise when you breathed in? This is IMPORTANT. You want to breathe with your stomach. When you are breathing properly, your stomach will slightly rise, while your chest stays flat. When you breathe with your chest, you're only getting half the breath you need. To breathe properly, you want to breathe with your diaphragm.
That's it! That's meditation. AGAIN, there is no time schedule, no score keeping, and nothing to ACHIEVE ... just you lying there, with your eyes closed, breathing slowly through your diaphragm listening to refreshing sounds. It may take you a number of times before you get the hang of it, but who cares? Nobody's keeping score! NOT EVEN YOU!
But... that RACING mind ... yeah, I know ... BELIEVE ME! I don't need to explain it to you. Instead, I'll let you in on the secret to dealing with your racing mind ... ready?
Let it race! Let it go! It's a free-for-all!
Just keep an underlying intent to relax, listen to the words and/or music, and let your thoughts be free. Don't judge them, don't count them, don't worry about them and let them be. You'll soon be amazed! The more freedom you allow your thoughts, the less they'll peck at you and let you be at ease.
Whether you choose a "guided" meditation, a hypnosis track, or nothing but sounds and music, it's up to you. Think of it like you do music. We each have our own tastes. Some people like Metallica, while others prefer Kenny G. It's up to you. You get to decide! You may have an "out of body" experience with a track that somebody else may not even be able to relax with. So explore! Try many! Have fun!
I did some research and found some of my favorites to give you a head start. I don't want you to run out and spend a bunch of money, so I looked for some you could get for free. Yes, FREE! However, for me to list them now would be considered advertising which Wordpress doesn't allow. I'll have the information to you soon. I'm a techno-geek neophyte, so please be patient with me. (You know... it's one the 158 different projects I have going on right now :-))
Meditation is by far the best adhd "technique" I've ever encountered. Give yourself two, four or six weeks to find your meditation groove. It's worth it. It changed my life!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 am
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