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Usually when people think of meditation they think of something like this...
...but that's not the only kind of meditation that exists.
This is also meditation.
Also meditation!
Can be meditation.
♪ [intro music] ♪
Hello Brains!
I have three questions for you.
Put them in the comments, if you'd like.
Do you meditate? How do you meditate? How consistently do you meditate?
And the answer can be: not at all.
A lot of people in our community don't meditate.
Because the second they sit down to try to meditate...
...their brain just floods with thoughts and anxieties.
And all these things that they've probably been trying to avoid.
And obviously, because we have ADHD...
...we have a harder time regulating our attention.
We have a harder time sticking to a mantra.
Or staying focused on a guided meditation.
Than maybe a neurotypical person would.
And on top of that we have a really hard time sitting still, maybe.
If we have the hyperactivity, impulsivity presentations of ADHD.
So, all of that to say...
...a lot of times people with ADHD really struggle to meditate.
Really struggle to get into a regular meditation-practice.
There's a really cool Zen-saying that I like.
I think it's something along the lines of...
..."Everyone should meditate 20 mins a day...
...and if you don't have time, then it should be an hour.
Because the busier we are, probably the more stressful our lives are.
Meditation can be one way to offload some of that stress.
Everyone has kind of a line at which things are too much.
They're overwhelmed, they're stressed out. Maybe they melt down.
And what therapists often use to describe this...
...imagine you have a glass. And you're filling it with water.
And no matter how good you are at keeping your cool, managing your stress...
...at some point, if people keep adding water to that glass, it's gonna overflow.
That's the point at which we're incredibly stressed out, we might melt down.
Let's say you wake up and you're a little stressed.
Things have been stressful lately. But, like, you're alright.
And then, you're going though your day.
And then, something stressful happens.
Maybe you realize there's a meeting you weren't prepared for on your schedule.
And you forgot about completely.
So you're trying to prep for that.
So let's say your stress-level spikes a little bit.
Because "Oh, right. Meeting! I wasn't prepared."
And then it starts to come down a little bit.
'Cause, like, you're going through your day.
But then you're going to make coffee...
...and you realize you're out of coffee. And you're like "Shoot!"
So stress-level up a little bit. It goes down a little bit.
And then you can't figure out what to wear. Stress-level spikes a little bit.
So you start driving to work, you pick up coffee on the way.
And that goes well, so your stress-level starts to come down.
But then you take a hard turn, and you spill coffee on yourself.
Now your stress-level is pretty high.
Depending on where your base-line was...
...this might have put you over the edge.
But let's say you were in a real good place starting that morning...
...it hasn't put you over the edge yet.
So your stress-levels come down a little bit.
But you get to work, and then the tiniest thing happens.
Maybe somebody goes through a door and slams it.
And doesn't let you in.
That can be enough to be like...
..."what's wrong with you? What's wrong with people in the world today?
Why are people so rude? Couldn't you see I was trying to get in the door?
And you lose it.
Not because that incident was so bad in and of itself...
...but because your stress-levels were so high...
...that you were right almost at that line anyway.
So that pushed you over.
There are a lot of things we can do to kind of de-stress.
Even sleep. Sleep is a way to offload some of the stress of the day
Usually you wake up feeling a little less stressed out than when you went to bed.
Laughter, watching comedies, snuggling with my dog.
There's a lot of ways to keep stress-levels under that boiling point.
Meditation is one of the most effective.
There's been a lot of research on this.
Meditation is really really good for stress and anxiety.
That's really important for those of us with ADHD.
A lot of the time we're stressed and anxious.
Those little things that keep going wrong or those little stressors...
...we get those a lot.
That might be unusual for most people.
For somebody with ADHD, it's normal.
So we're really riding that stress-line a lot of the time.
A lot of people with ADHD are
It doesn't take much for us to be pushed over the edge.
For us to spiral out, or to lose our temper at somebody.
So meditation can be helpful for anybody.
But especially for people with ADHD.
We've got to find ways to bring that stress-level down.
Meditation itself can also feel stressful.
We don't want to necessarily force ourselves.
There are times where maybe we're not ready to sit down and be alone with our thoughts.
But if we are so stressed out that we don't feel like we have time to meditate.
Or we are so attacked by our thoughts the second we sit down to meditate.
That's actually a really good sign that we probably should be meditating.
♪♪
One of the most common that people are aware of is mindfulness meditation.
Where you sit and are aware of your thoughts.
You let them pass by, almost like they're clouds.
Or cars in a street.
You're standing on the side of the street just watching the cars go by.
You can notice what kinds of thoughts you're having.
You can notice the patterns.
But you don't go chasing after the cars.
I think is how Headspace explained it to me.
You don't want to be standing in the middle of the street getting run over by the cars.
You don't want to go chasing the cars.
You just stand on the sidewalk going "Huh, there's a lot of orange cars today."
And you can notice that, but not judge it.
You don't want to judge your thoughts.
Just recognize patterns.
♪♪
There's also moving meditation.
Which a lot of people with ADHD like.
Walking, Tai Chi. I do restorative yoga.
Any kind of gentle movement that gets us...
...kind of grounded into our bodies and is a bit of a break for our mind.
If you're on your phone while you're walking, that's not a meditation.
Because you're not giving your brain space to wander.
If you're watching a YouTube video, your brain's paying attention to something.
This is your focused attention.
And meditation, one of the reasons it can reduce stress...
...is because it gives our focused attention a break.
And we need that break.
ADHD brains really need time to wander.
We need time for our attention to just kind of float.
Where we're not putting that demand of....
..."stay focused on this! Stay focused on this!"
A walking meditation would be just noticing one foot in front of the other.
Maybe looking around. Seeing the leaves, seeing the trees.
Being present in the moment.
Without giving yourself more input.
Without taking a phone call. Without checking your email.
Anything like that.
♪♪
There's also something called focus meditation.
Which I just learned about today.
And didn't realize that that's what I was doing.
That's a sensory thing.
Where you're paying attention to something sensory.
You're counting beads. Or you're knitting.
Something that a lot of people with ADHD like.
Because it is a kind of focused meditation.
It kind of chills your brain out.
Because all you're focusing on is counting stitches.
Four of this one, now four of this one.
One of this one, one of this one.
When I worked at a restaurant, I found it really relaxing...
...at the end of the shift to just fold napkins.
And just get in the rhythm of it and the feel of it.
Now I fold towels.
I like having warm towels.
If I forgot to take them out of the dryer, I'll spin them again.
So that they're warm.
Then I'll make a big pile.
And I'll sit there and fold the towels.
And that's a kind of focused meditation.
All I'm paying attention to is the texture and the feel of this.
And folding towels.
You can do bodyscans.
Where you notice if you've got tension in your head.
You notice if you've got tension in your eyebrows, your ears.
And you relax body-parts as you scan through your body.
That one makes me really really anxious.
I don't like doing it.
Which might mean I should probably do it, I don't know.
Different people like different types of meditation.
And kind of like exercise, the best meditation...
...for your brain is the one that you'll actually do.
Because this is really something that benefits us a lot.
♪♪
The main meditation practice that I use...
...is transcendental meditation.
And they recommend you do it twice a day.
So 25 mins in the morning and 25 mins in the afternoon.
I have never stuck to this consistently.
Like, every morning and every afternoon...
...for like, an extended period of time.
But I notice that when I do it regularly...
...I'm
My anxiety is not as bad.
It's gonna be different for everybody. And I realize that.
But for me personally it makes a huge difference.
What they taught us to do in transcendental meditation...
...is wash your face.
So I will get up, out of bed in the morning...
...first thing I do is I go brush my teeth. I wash my face.
I put some lotion on and stuff.
And then I go back and I meditate.
But I'm still getting into bed to meditate.
So, the second thing they say is leave your head free.
You want your back supported, but you want your head free.
So you're not leaning against a pillow.
That's a cue to your brain: "fall asleep now. It's cool"
So you have your back supported.
And for a couple of minutes, you sit.
You can do this with any mantra meditation.
Like, "Ohm" is something that a lot of people do.
But with transcendental meditation...
... your teacher gives you a specific word that is your mantra.
And you're not supposed to share it.
So I'm not gonna tell you.
Actually say it out loud.
If your word was "Ohm" you'd be like: "Ohm."
Ohm. Ohm.
And then slowly you say it a little quieter.
Until you're just saying it in your head.
And you're just repeating it.
[quietly] Ohm. Ohm.
The thought is, that if you give your brain that to focus on...
...there's less room for other thoughts.
Other thoughts will still come up. And that's normal.
That's one of the biggest myths and misconceptions about meditating.
Is that like, if you're having thoughts, you're doing it wrong.
That's what's supposed to happen.
You're supposed to have thoughts pop up.
That's what your brain does.
And if you're not distracting it, it's probably gonna think a lot of things.
So a lot of thoughts tend to come up.
Especially if you haven't meditated much before or in a while.
But the idea is, instead of chasing those thoughts...
...you go "okay that's a thought" and then you bring yourself back to that mantra.
One of the biggest things that I personally notice right away when I meditate...
...is the chatter usually decreases.
And there are some times that I get to that magical...
...like what we imagine meditating as...
...where I'm not having any thoughts.
It's really nice, and it's really peaceful.
It kinda feels like my hands blend together.
It's like this deep relaxation for
...that happens with transcendental meditation..
I'd be curious what your experience is if you meditate.
♪♪
So, let's talk about meditation myths.
1. Meditation has to look like this.
You don't have to be in the Lotus position.
You don't even have to be flexible to do it.
You don't have to sit still.
Quite often, when I go to meditate in the morning...
...I'm antsy, I'm restless.
I move a little bit. I need to crack my knuckles.
Or my dog wants to join me.
So I'll let her climb into my lap and snuggle with me.
You do not have to stay perfectly still during meditation for it to work.
Another myth is that you're supposed to not have any thoughts in your head.
You're supposed to be completely Zen'ed out and peaceful.
And if you're not, you're doing it wrong.
What I was taught with meditation...
...if you're sitting and letting your thoughts do their thing.
And coming back to your mantra, or coming back to your breath.
Or counting your knitting stitches or whatever.
You're meditating.
Whatever your brain is doing in terms of all the chatter...
...all the thoughts that are happening in your head.
That's a normal part of meditation.
And the reason why we meditate.
'Cause we want to learn not to chase after all those thoughts.
A really good distinction that my meditation teacher pointed out was...
...while you're meditating "Oh you know what I'd really like to do. I'd love to go to Hawaii!"
So as long as you don't then start planning your trip to Hawaii...
...you're meditating.
I don't want to pressure anybody to do anything that they're not ready for.
But I just want to make sure people are making an informed decision.
If you're not meditating, I want to make sure...
...the reasons you're not meditating aren't myths and misconceptions.
With ADHD, I'm all about looking for optimal treatment.
And what that looks like is gonna be different for everybody.
Maybe there are people where meditation just really is not...
...the right hing for them right now.
And okay.
I at least want people to be educated on what's available.
And what research says helps.
And research says this helps.
[phone dings] Oh! Ooh!
It's our researcher!
It's Patrick!
Hey! -- [Patrick] How's it going?
Good. That was good timing. -- [Patrick] Perfect.
We're just getting to the end of the vlog, so yeah...
I'm sitting here talking about meditation...
...and trying to convince people to try it.
And also show them that maybe they're already meditating in some ways.
'Cause there's different types of meditation, including knitting!
I didn't realize can be a form of meditation.
-- [Patrick] I think as far as meditation, I kind of like...
...I don't know. More mindfulness kind of fixating your attention on something.
Yeah. -- [Patrick] And grounding yourself in an experience.
The difference between mindfulness and meditation is...
...meditation is a form of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is just being present and grounded in the moment.
And meditation is a formal practice of that.
So in meditation, you're sitting down. You're carving out time...
...to formally practice mindfulness.
But mindfulness is something you can practice any time of the day.
So going down the stairs earlier...
...I was feeling the wood beneath my feet.
And that's a form of mindfulness.
But I'm not booking time in my schedule to walk down my stairs.
Barefoot, so I can feel the wood under my feet.
If I did, now it'd be meditation!
-- [Patrick] Yeah, I like that actually.
That sounds pretty darn great.
So, do you meditate, Patrick?
-- [Patrick] Man. I used to more consistently in grad school.
Is there a reason why you were doing it during grad school and not any more?
Like as a formal practice?
-- [Patrick] I think like with most things, it just kinda fell to the wayside.
And when I was in grad school, I noticed a couple of times where...
...my mind was running crazy.
And I was like, alright. 10 mins. Take 10 mins to do this.
And I'd literally shut my office doors, lay on the ground...
...find some YouTube video and just go through that.
And consistently every time having fun.
Is meditation more useful for people with ADHD?
Is it less useful? Is it harder?
-- [Patrick] So I know anecdotally there's definitely some resistance to it.
'Cause it's like, I definitely usually have a hard time focusing.
And a lot of these exercises are focusing on something for an extended period of time.
A lot of it is training your attention, training those attention muscles.
So John Mitchell and Lidia Zylowska, the analogy...
...well they kinda talk about it as you're training your brain...
...how to turn on the flashlight, so that's your attention.
How to hone in and focus that flashlight on the thing you want.
To not, if you hear a rustling around the corner...
...not to move that flashlight elsewhere.
Like, to keep it fixed. To do those things.
To notice stuff and not let it completely dysregulate you.
Is there any reason why somebody might not want to meditate?
-- [Patrick] I'm glad you're highlighting that. Because it's not for everyone.
Let's say, if you're really depressed and you're being mindful...
...and present about how miserable your day is.
I think if you try it, if it's feels like you're having a hard time with it...
...like I can't keep my focus with this.
Like, every person will be, like, just gently bring your attention back.
It's okay, you're not supposed to be perfect.
If it's causing you to feel bad, maybe don't do it.
Otherwise, if you feel loose, relaxed afterwards...
...that's a pretty good indication that this might be helpful.
Okay, cool. Thank you so much.
I really appreciate that. Yeah.
It's been really helpful for me, and I know the research is really positive on it.
So it's like, "everyone should do this!"
But no, there's nothing that everyone should do.
Everyone's different, and everybody's situation's different.
So listen to Patrick, he's a professional.
And if you live in Colorado, you can actually work with him!
He's a fantastic ADHD psychologist.
I'll put his website in the description as well.
Thank you Patrick!
-- [Patrick] Absolutely Jessica. Have a good one.
You too! Bye!
So I've officially started writing my book.
And I'm really nervous about it.
Meditation is helping.
So is Wondrium.
I've been taking this course on Wondrium about writing creative nonfiction.
And it's so good.
The professor breaks down what creative nonfiction is.
What the responsibilities are that I have to my readers.
Even how to write a great beginning.
Every episode I learn something new and super helpful.
I'm only a little way into the course...
...because it keeps sparking ideas and I keep going off to write.
Which is fine.
Wondrium is on-demand, so I can go off and do other things...
...and come back to it when I'm ready.
It's giving me a lot of confidence. Especially writing my first book.
And so far, it's going really well. My editor is impressed.
If you haven't heard of Wondrium before...
...it's the rebrand of The Great Courses Plus.
And it's designed for curious brains.
Wondrium has a ton of courses.
Anything you want to watch is included in a monthly subscription.
How-to's, tutorials, documentaries...
...Wondrium is where you can find the answer to...
...pretty much everything you've ever wondered about.
And they're constantly adding new stuff.
You can browse by subject.
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There's even an option to switch to audio while you're driving.
Wondrium is offering a free trial right now.
And they're regular supporters of this show.
So by supporting them, you're also supporting us.
If you'd like to try it out, go to wondrium.com/howtoadhd...
...or click on the link in the description below.
To start your free trial today.
Thank you to my Brain Advocates and all my Patreon Brains.
I love that I get to make content like this.
I love that we get to do what's right for us and our community.
As opposed to having to wonder what's trending right now.
So thank you for that.
Let me know in the comments below...
...if you want me to do more on meditation.
There are researchers I can talk to.
I can dig in a little bit more.
As to the different types of meditation and their specific benefits.
Which ones might be more effective for ADHD.
Let me know if that's something you're interested in.
And ehm,
And I'll see you next video.
Bye Brains!
♪♪