Mindfulness for busy people
What is mindfulness?
Being present and attuned to this moment in time. Noticing what you’re experiencing in your physical body and your surroundings without judgment. Being able to let go of worries about the future and lamentations on the past, for even just a sliver of time.
Mindfulness is a practice, not just a task that we can check off our list and mark as complete. It’s something we need to keep coming back to over and over again before we can see the true impact. It’s not something that always gives us immediate gratification, but over time we can learn to incorporate mindfulness practices into our daily routines. When we can do this consistently, we can learn to combat the stress, anxieties, and triggers that leave us feeling stuck in the past or anxiously anticipating the future.
MindfulNess and ADHD
Though mindfulness can help support a variety of challenges, it can be particularly helpful for managing symptoms of ADHD. It can help support sustained attention and focus, as well as can help support increasing one’s awareness of their emotional state, which tends to be challenging for those with ADHD.
There are, of course, certain challenges that come along with practicing mindfulness for someone with ADHD including struggling to set and maintain consistent routines, getting bored easily, and often desiring immediate reward or gratification from a task. To ease some of these burdens so common for those with ADHD, I suggest engaging in micro-mindfulness practices, rather than a typical mindfulness meditation (think: sitting in silence for 30 minutes or more). Below are some examples of what this can look like:
Micro-mindfulness techniques
Notice “glimmers” regularly. Glimmers are small, positive moments or experiences that bring you joy, peace, or felt safety. It can be supportive to write these down in a journal or in a running note in your phone, but they can also just be something that you take note of throughout the day and just notice for yourself.
Intentional pauses between tasks/activities. Give yourself space to pause between tasks or activities. In a world where we are constantly moving and everything feels so urgent, it can be supportive to notice when we’re transitioning from one task to the next. For example, you finished writing that email, and now it’s wrap up your work and go get the kids. Pause, take a breath, tell yourself that you’re done work and shifting into “mom” mode.
Mindful eating. Eating lunch at your desk? Set a timer for 5 minutes, and for those 5 minutes shut off/close all of your technology and eliminate other distractions. Try to solely focus on the way that your food tastes and feels as you’re eating.
Mindful walking. Take a short break from your work and get outside if possible. Notice the sounds, sights, smells, etc. that are available to you.
Mini-mindful meditations. And when I say “mini” I mean super short (1-5 minutes). Insight Timer has some excellent (and free!) options for guided meditations.
Breathwork. Put that Apple Watch to work. Many smartwatches have a “mindfulness” feature that will prompt a variety of breathwork techniques. Alternately, set a timer for 1-3 minutes and practice some gentle, even cycles of breath, noticing the breath moving in and out of your body.
Journal. Write it out. Even for a sentence or two. Sometimes getting our thoughts out of our head and down on paper can help us feel more grounded.
Mini yoga sessions. Again, keep it short. If 5-10 minutes is all you have, do it. YouTube has a plethora of short yoga videos. I personally love Dr. Arielle Schwartz’s YouTube channel, where she uses trauma-informed yoga practices.
tips
Be gentle with yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint. There is no “perfect” way to engage in mindfulness. The more you practice, the more impact these strategies will have on you…AND it can be incredibly hard to implement a new and/or consistent routine.
Feeling like you want more support?
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