Meditation! Does it Actually Work for People with ADHD?

Those of us with ADHD are often told to find ways to calm our hyperactivity. Meditation is one of those suggestions we constantly hear, but what exactly is meditation, and does it actually work for people with ADHD?

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[billmalcolm]

One that's worked for me lately is I just lay flat on the floor, with my legs up on a chair making my back flat. Usually gives a fun series of cracks. Then I try to picture myself in an idyllic scene by a river. As the thoughts flood in, I try to imagine picking up each one, putting it in a paper boat and letting it float down the river. Sometimes I have to put it back in the boat a couple times and I usually get up before I run out of thoughts, but it helps.

[tobias]

I realized that using noise-canceling headphones on the commute is almost like mediation to me. The moment you put them in everything is suddenly much more quiet and I get a lot calmer.

[BeingIntegrated]

I’m actually a meditation teacher with ADHD and specialize in this. What I’ve found is that typical beginner meditation practices are actually the ones that are least compatible with ADHD.

Instead I primarily teach a more vipassana or insight style meditation practice (you can see on my channel), where you notice the barriers to focus, especially the feelings of restlessness in the body, and bring more clarity and acceptance to these.

It’s actually counterintuitive but brining more attention to the discomfort in the body, with the right attitude, actually helps to soothe it, and it also relaxes our mind. I have a lot of practices on this topic and if you search “meditation for adhd that actually works” you’ll find the practice that I recommend for most people.

[KacielNolwen]

I always struggled with the 'let your thoughts go by' thing until I was in a writing class in college and discovered stream of consciousness writing, For me that works a lot better, I think it's difficult for me to remember any thought I had while meditating so the mindfulness side was difficult but I also didn't like not thinking about anything, this is a good compromise for me as I can reflect on the thoughts after while having something physical to do to stop myself focussing on any thought itself. I still do it when I get overwhelm, I'll sit with a notebook if I can, a computer if I don't have a pen and paper, and I'll just write down everything that comes into my mind. It helps.

[marymaguire]

One additional kind of meditation that I like is one that includes visual aspects. Like watching a fire or a candle flame or fish swimming or waves. Or visual cues to sync your breathing to, like gifs of expanding and collapsing shapes or lights that get brighter and dimmer. As someone with a very inattentive type of ADHD closing my eyes is not always a good idea! lol, so having a visual anchor helps a lot!

[annalisaviola]

I've tried to meditate in different ways as you've explain, even consistently, but everytime I feel it's just the moment in which I realize how fast my thoughts are and how difficult is to catch them. It's a confirmation of my adhd diagnosis everytime, I feel dizzy. Even when I stretch or take a bath or whatever I need to listen to music or watching something. So if you have tried without any benefit just know I'm a certified psychologist and I really can't meditate. You are not alone!

[PotatoJet]

Oh hey, I like how this filming space looks!
Also your videos changed my life so thanks for that too!

[paneerbhurji]

One thing to think about is that mainstream meditation is often a whitewashed, watered-down version of Asian spirituality. If you go back to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophy, you might find it to be more helpful especially with ADHD (it is for me at least). Meditation today is centered more around companies making profit and that takes away from its purpose.

[KyleJMitchell]

I really like the 'watching traffic' metaphor for letting your thoughts just come and go. I never felt sure that I was being passive enough in mindfulness, but "noticing the number of this kind of car" (and not letting yourself get run over!) is immediately clear to me.

[tetheallian]

This video came at a great time, I’m day 4 into starting ADHD medication I can actually meditate with a more quiet mind 😅 been a time
This channel gave me the idea to get tested since I related so much to the videos. Just wanna drop by and thank Jessica and her team for giving me a new lease on life. Thank you :)

[AlwaysAndForever]

For anyone who doesn’t know, there are certain times of the day where your brain is more naturally open to a meditative state. Right when you wake up, and as you’re wrapping up for bed - or just generally in that in- between state. (Has to do with the hertz waves your brain is operating on) This was a game changer for me in learning how to work WITH my brain while tapping into mindfulness:)

[rosemarysease]

1. Yes I meditate and I started meditating to deal with my anxiety, but I eventually found it helped me with ADHD as well.
2. I use the Calm app and I do the Daily Calm which is a guided meditation that teaches you different mindfulness techniques. It also has a story at the end that gives an example of how to practice mindfulness in everyday life. I like the first half that focuses on breathing and trying new techniques the best, but the lessons about mindfulness are good because it shows me how to be less reactive to strong emotions which is good for me because I have a tendency to react strongly to emotions especially in response to what other people do/say.

3. I started meditating at the beginning of the pandemic and I did it every day for about a year. Then I got really busy last year and probably did it about once a month or less, but now I finished a big project so I'm less busy and I do it almost every day now. In the beginning I expected it to magically make my anxiety go away but over the years I've learned that mindfulness doesn't work that way. It's a muscle that helps you cope with anxiety and the more you use it the stronger it gets. I think that's the hardest part because the reward isn't always immediate. The most helpful thing I've heard is that the point of mindfulness is not necessarily to be calm, it's to practice being able to sit with uncomfortable thoughts/emotions. I've had a few sessions where this happened but even then I felt a sense of relief when I was done, and realized that some of the discomfort did lessen even though I felt it intensely while meditating. And with anxiety that is helpful because avoiding anxiety only makes it worse, facing it might be uncomfortable in the sort term but in the long term it can help. My anxiety has not totally gone away and I have a lot of work to do but I've definitely begun to understand it better and I have better tools for managing it.

[hankdmoose]

I haven't been diagnosed with ADHD, but I finally have a consultation at the end of June (yay American healthcare!) and I may or may not be on day 10 of an ADHD YouTube rabbit hole... Your channel has provided so much amazing information. I may not be diagnosed, but as time goes by I'm more and more certain (or perhaps just hopeful) that my consult will lead to a diagnosis. It would explain so much.

My favorite form of meditation is actually running. It's one of the few times where my brain goes quiet. The only things that matter are my breathing, my stride, the rhythm of my music (I can never focus on lyrics anyway), and my surroundings. It's not "runner's high" because it's not a sense of euphoria or whatever. It's just... quiet.

For focused meditation, I love things like sorting, and honestly washing dishes by hand, although the dishes can sometimes end in rumination instead. Doodling (more like scribbling) and noodling on my guitar are other ways I can get my brain to just be quiet for a while.

I don't meditate nearly enough. Especially the running. I've let that slide far too much over the last 9 months.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart (and brain) for doing what you do. I'm so glad YouTube suggested one of your videos to me 10 days ago! I'll be around trying to learn as much as I can.

[sarahs.]

Body scan meditations have been great for me - sometimes I don't realize how tense I am until I consciously stop to notice what I'm feeling.

[jamlemon]

I’m so glad you mentioned having thoughts when meditating is normal. I’ve only really dabbled with the idea of meditation but I always get thoughts popping into my head so assumed I wasn’t doing it right!

[SageK]

First: thank you for addressing if someone might NOT want to meditate! I appreciate bringing up depression, and wanted to add that some people who are prone to forms of dissociation can have adverse reactions to meditation, in that it can trigger dissociation for some. I have a few clients who've struggled through trying to make themselves meditate because they thought they SHOULD, and instead just made themselves miserable.

As for your questions: I do meditate! I love moving meditations like yoga and going for walks. On a good week, I'll practice five times, but I get at least one or two a week. I also enjoy coloring, but my hands can't always handle it, and body scans are something I do several times a day.

[neuroticnation]

I was in a chronic pain class and they were introducing various types of meditations. The one that really helped me and seemed the most ADHD friendly was called autogenic training. You sit or lie in a comfortable position, then focus on a part of the body like the right arm and repeat phrases like “my right arm is heavy…. (Pause) x3 slowly. Then finish with “and I am at peace.” Next say my right arm is warm… (pause) 3x slowly and finish with “and I am at peace.” Work your way around the body. Repeating the phrases REALLY helped me to focus comfortably. My class did the guided version and by the end I felt like I had been in a trance! It was so warm and relaxing.

[pamimoo]

I am super inconsistent with meditation, but when I do I normally focus on a mantra or a guided meditation. Also using multiple sources of stimuli helps, like music and a candle or some incense or some tea or coffee.
Also some video games are really meditative for me. Landscaping in Minecraft or Animal Crossing is super meditative for me for example.

[stevendraper]

I would consider this a "Focused Meditation" but what has really worked for me is hearing a calm voice in guided meditation. The first time I experienced it was from a yoga teacher who would tell us where to focus our thoughts - feet, legs, core, arms, chest, head. I went home and downloaded an app that talked while I would meditate & it worked wonders! I just need to be more consistent lol. Hope this helps someone!

[jeopardy_music]

I do various breathing exercises for ~20 min before work about 4 days a week (as well as finding little mindful moments throughout the day). I get distracted A LOT especially with the anticipation of a new day starting and my cats loving up on me when they finish their breakfast lol. It’s key to be gentle with yourself, treat each time you notice a distraction as an opportunity to practice self love and mindfulness, rather than an opportunity to berate yourself about how bad you are at focusing (I know that game too well).