Succeeding at this “life thing” while on the spectrum, where even many neurotypicals fail, requires lots of presence, insight, and hard work. Mindfulness can drastically open up oneself to a person we may not understand….ourselves! Research continues to confirm the benefits of mindfulness in building resiliency and reducing stress. How could this apply to ADHD?

Topics Covered

How being mindful is difficult for people with ADHD.
VERY EASY MINDFULNESS for the ADHD brain.
Resiliency is strengthened during and due to mindfulness.
How stress is reduced by awareness and mediation of our thoughts.
Practicing mindfulness seconds at a time to build proficiency.

You don’t need to go all “Yoga pose” to build mindfulness. Think, or picture mindfulness in your head. Or you can drop to the ground and do this pose in the middle of a conversation!

How can I be Mindful with ADHD?

Many people are sorta on automatic, reacting to what life throws at them partly unaware of why they behave the way they do. (I totally used to be this way and found myself surrounded by like individuals.) This unfortunately leaves us with a bit of a victim mentality or “why me” perspective on our lives. For those of us on the spectrum there is some serious truth to the feeling that things are happening to us, or that we can’t keep up with everything we experience. We can be easily overwhelmed by life or even by our internal selves. Paying more attention to our present feelings, thoughts, and actions, not only helps with ADHD but can increase overall calm and resiliency.

Prove to me Mindfulness is good for you!

I have a bit of a logical brain. Many ADHDers do. We also don’t like doing something just because someone tells us to do it. Hence, this article is something I read for more “proof” of why I should be more mindful. This research from 2022 is honestly just one drop in a pretty large bucket of proof that mindfulness improves people’s well being. In terms of ADHD, mindfulness is a key component to actively moderating ourselves towards success.

So what does real mindfulness look like that is quick and easily achievable for the ADHD or AuDHD brain? You don’t have to meditate for twenty minutes to be mindful. All you need to do is PAUSE for a moment. Do it right now and notice what you are thinking, or how you feel, or any anxiety or tension in your body. There done. You did it. The hard part is doing this more often especially when you’re busy. To be very upfront, you can train your brain to stop and pay attention to itself more often. It takes time and having a few reminders on your phone or notes on the wall can speed this up!

This research sheds light on the relationship between mindfulness, resilience, and happiness, suggesting that these factors interact in complex ways to influence overall well-being. (You can read the research paper HERE.) This investigation emphasizes how mindfulness practices can enhance happiness by reducing stress, while resilience acts as a crucial mediator in this connection.

THE ABILITY TO SWIM WITHIN YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS WITHOUT DROWNING IS A SKILL.

YOU WON’T GAIN THIS SKILL SWIMMING IN THE KIDDIE POOL OF YOUR AWARENESS.

What are the Key Findings of this Research on Mindfulness?

Mindfulness, often practiced through meditation and mindful living techniques, allows people to cultivate awareness and presence in their daily lives. This “heightened” state of awareness not only promotes a calm mind but also equips individuals to handle stressors more effectively.

One of the struggles for people with ADHD is staying in the present. Our brain’s literally switch over to “daydreaming mode” when we’re trying to focus on a task. In this state most people often dwell a bit on the past or think about the future. This could be going over a past event for lessons learned or maybe just thinking about what could be for dinner? However, for people with ADHD who don’t have the same limits on their thinking, these mundane thoughts can spiral out of control building guilt or shame about the past or anxiety and dread about the future. We have big feelings! You are sensitive. So how can being more mindful, dragging your awareness back to the present, be helpful?

How is Happiness affected by being Mindful?

The research identifies several key elements regarding how mindfulness influences happiness:

Resilience Development: Practicing mindfulness builds resilience, the ability to bounce back from challenges and adapt positively to stress. This resilience, in turn, fosters a happier disposition, as individuals feel better equipped to manage life’s ups and downs. Individuals who stay more present with the moment and more aware of their dispositions are better able to modulate themselves and move towards the outcomes they desire. Have you ever lost your cool and fallen to pieces? Me too. Imagine if you were more aware of yourself during these moments and could watch the thoughts and feelings pass by instead of being overcome by them? Welcome to resilience!
Stress Reduction: One of the most significant benefits of mindfulness is its capacity to lower stress levels. By learning to focus on the present and disengage from overwhelming thoughts, typically of the past, future, or fantasies, individuals can reduce anxiety and emotional distress, paving the way for greater happiness.
Emotional Regulation: You’re not going to regulate, or act upon, something you’re not paying attention to. Mindfulness of your emotions, why they are there, and where they are coming from can allow you to better understand them. Understanding what’s going on within you is the first step to regulating your emotions. With practice you may find some of your big feelings drift by your awareness without taking hold.
Strengthened Interpersonal Relationships: When you’re better able to manage your thoughts and emotions you’re better able to attend to the thoughts and emotions of others.
Purpose and Fulfillment: People who are more in touch with themselves are more likely to find alignment with their goals and purpose in their lives. If you’re struggling to find purpose it may mean you’re not paying enough attention to your interior world.

IN CASE OF A LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE SECURE THE OXYGEN MASK OVER YOUR FACE BEFORE ASSISTING OTHERS.

IN CASE OF EMOTIONAL TURMOIL REGULATE YOURSELF BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ASSIST OTHERS.

ADHD Coach Pro Tip: Being mindful is a skill like any other skill. Being in your emotions without being taken away by them can be the result of practice feeling your big feelings. By being more aware of what you’re feeling and being curious as to why, you can better steer the proverbial “feelings ship.” Maintaining the emotional disposition best suited to the outcomes you want is more likely when you’re in tune with your emotions. When this happens, over time, it can build confidence and, you guessed it, resiliency, that you can face what comes at you better than in the past. (I’ve been there. I’ve done this. You can do this too. Science says so!! 😉)

What are the Practical Implications of Mindfulness for People with or without ADHD?

Understanding the role of resilience and stress in the mindfulness-happiness connection opens up new pathways for improving your well-being. Adding mere moments of mindfulness into your daily routine can make big inroads in calming that ADHD nervous system of yours. Simple techniques such as meditation, deep-breathing exercises, and mindful observation can help reduce stress while fostering resilience. When you don’t become as stressed as before over what life throws at you then you can better manage life. You become more resilient and recover faster! We following this little train of thought? 🚂

So what is Mindful Observation? You’re in luck! You, as a people, have this ability called metacognition. This allows you to be aware of your thoughts and feelings. This capability allows you to PAUSE, just for a second, and see what’s going on in that head and heart of yours! This is mindfulness. If you notice what you’re thinking about you have successfully been mindful! Now you have a choice of continuing to think down this line or change it. Personally, I’ve spent piles of time in the past telling my brain things like, “Oh my God stop! This isn’t helpful. Just stop. Let’s go do something productive.” Over time this type of internal conversation can literally change your internal habits and create more internal calm.

AuDHD / Autism Caveat: Some of us out there struggle with feeling and understanding our feelings. Sometimes these signals can happen in mixed up ways. Paying attention to your body’s signals, like an upset stomach, tightness in your chest, or “high energy” feeling can be indications of stress, anxiety, or anger. The reality is if you struggle here you may have your own language to describe what you may be feeling, even if it feels remote. Sometimes I suggest to my clients they describe how they’re feeling any which way they please. Colors, textures, weather patterns, etc all can stand in for basic feeling words. I don’t know about you but I sometimes feel damp and scratchy when my energy is low. (See how this could work?)

How does Gratitude Improve Mindfulness and Resilience?

Techniques that promote self-reflection and gratitude can further strengthen resilience and contribute to sustained happiness over time. Does your brain tend to focus on the negatives? Not only do all us people have a natural negativity bias but for those of us with overactive brains we can literally overdo the negative “thought maelstrom!”

If you find yourself focusing on what you don’t have, try focusing on what you do have. Really get in there and notice some of the basics you might take for granted. Clothes, food, shelter? Wow. Breathe into that. Try and calm that nervous system by looking at what you do have. Another thought that’s helpful is, “Do I really need that?” When you’re not aware of or don’t have any big goals or motivation then commercials, ads, and news talking points can jump in and steal your focus! Again, PAUSE, and look at what you’re focusing on. You can change this by being more mindful.

If this sounds at all silly or you’re feeling a little uncomfortable “looking on the good side of things” then maybe it’s an indication there’s something to learn here? We often make fun of what makes us uncomfortable.

Here’s a challenge for you! Find something very mundane that you don’t like to do. Let’s use washing dishes by hand as an example. Try telling your brain and your body to slow down as you do the dishes. Ask yourself what things feel or smell like as you glance over the dishes. Be present with the methodical and repetitive nature of the task. Each time your brain tries to go somewhere else bring it back to what you’re doing. When you find the presence, the calm in the moment of the task, you may find the boredom slips away as you engage with the moment. Practice, practice, practice! It will get easier.
**Bonus Points:** If you have a hobby you enjoy that you get lost in try to describe what that enjoyment feels like. Now see if you can put that feeling into something you struggle to enjoy. I realize I sound insane but trust me, it’s amazing when doing the dishes becomes restful, calm, and an opportunity to relax instead of something to dread. Could you enjoy doing something boring and mundane and get the benefit of it’s completion too! You can do this. It takes MINDFUL PRACTICE bringing your thoughts back to what you’re doing and away from the worries, judgments, and fantasies our brains like to get lost in.

THERE ARE MOMENTS IN MINDFULNESS WHEN THE WORLD’S BEAUTY TRULY OPENS UP TO REVEAL ITSELF TO YOU. BOREDOM CANNOT EXIST IN THESE MOMENTS.

THAT BEAUTY WAS NEVER HIDDEN. YOU WERE JUST MOVING TOO FAST TO NOTICE.

How can a Coach Help People on the Spectrum with Mindfulness?

Great question! First off, a Coach knows everyone does things differently. This is key to find your path to a more mindful, or present, existence. With open expectations a Coach can help you discover what I like to call, “the cage of judgment!” Foreboding huh? A great Coach can help you see where your judgments are helpful and harmful. Remember, this is about balance.

How Intelligence can Keep us from Being Mindful

One of my favorite things about working with people on the spectrum is how friggin smart they tend to be! This makes Coaching a delightful challenge as I work with my clients to unravel their judgements and views of reality and themselves in a manner that is conducive to their goals. Some of us are literally too smart for our own good and are capable of seeing all the different sides to an argument. In the right time and place this expansive way of thinking can be helpful. When left to the little echo chamber of judgment in our own heads it can be quite destructive. As a Coach, I sometimes have to “cage” my clients in with their own logic arguments to help them see how they harm and hinder themselves with their beliefs. When I recognize this occurring I tend to politely ask, “Do you mind if I throw a little wrench into this reality you’ve created?”

When we get past the logic arguments supporting the judgments we can find those irrational feelings. This is where we may find such thoughts as, “I’m not enough.” Mindfulness is awareness of your feelings as well. Often it is the most logical, ie SUPER SMART, of us that struggle the most with our feelings. Feelings can be quite uncomfortable. Logic is a great shield from our uncomfortable feelings. Feeling our feelings and seeing the connection to our thoughts is what mindful awareness looks like!

Acceptance of Your Feelings as Reality

A Coach can also help you to recognize your thoughts and feelings as both real and valid. One thing I encounter with people who are different is the belief that their experiences are somehow not valid, or not correct. There’s this built up perception that we’re doing things “the wrong way,” or perhaps our own judgements tell us what we’re feeling can’t possibly be valid. A great Coach can sit beside you in those feelings and give you space to safely explore and validate what you’re experiencing. Learning to trust your reality again can be a powerful and sometimes painful step to mindfulness.

Conclusion:

Overall, this research highlights the positive effects of mindfulness not just in terms of reducing stress but as a vital component in cultivating a resilient mindset. People who report a greater satisfaction in life tend to know their thoughts and feelings quite well. How can you align yourself to your actions if you’re not paying attention to your motivating thoughts and feelings?

One thing I’ve learned in my own life and in helping others is the importance of mindfulness. You can’t change what you can’t see. You can’t see what you’re not looking for. For those of us on the spectrum mindfulness allows us to better modulate those symptoms least conducive to our goals. Concurrently, mindfulness also allows us to better utilize our strengths at the right time, right place, and at the right intensity.

References and Additional Reading:

Mediating Role of Resilience in the Impact of Mindfulness on Life Satisfaction - This is the paper this post is based off of. (Published on March 1, 2023)

The Surprising Reason Mindfulness Makes You Happier - This article goes into other ways to improve happiness. My favorite part is the heading, “Allowing the Feeling In.”

Mindfulness and Autism: Effective Strategies for Enhancing Well-Being - An article more geared towards assisting people with Autism be more mindful with specific techniques and referenced case studies.

#Mindfulness #Neurodiversity #ADHD #StressReduction #Happiness #Resilience #IHBAP

Resiliency, Calm and Happiness can be Improved through Mindfulness - Science Says So!