Skip to main content

Meditation for the Distracted: How an ADHD Mom Declutters her Brain

I didn't think that was possible.  Decluttering my brain.  Most of the time my brain is like those annoying rubber balls let loose in a steel cube competing with the speed of sound.  A lot going on with not much room to go anywhere else.  It was like this before kids.  Now there are lots more of additions, noises, schedules, and distractions.  Sitting down is hard enough but sitting to be quiet and focus seems like a joke.  Even after establishing a meditation practice.  This week has been rough.  As I watch Ghost Child take an interest and begin to meditate to calm, it becomes real.  Our meditation practice is as important as breathing and sleeping.  For our brain survival and surviving our emotions, we need it.   If you have a thriving meditation practice, then Namaste my friend and all power too your practice.  If you struggle to focus or have distractions, then Namaste my friend, we completely understand this struggle.   It isn't out of reach for us and this is how we jump those hurdles to have a healthy meditation practice.

1. Pre- practice: Sleep and Eat


  • Sleep deprivation will set you up for failure.  Most people do meditate in the morning but if later in the day or at night means better sleep then do it.  Get those 8 hours.


  • Eat and Hydrate. This is a continuous cycle for your well being that impacts your meditation practice in either direction. For your best success, lean proteins and veggies.  Adding supplements like Vitamin B Complex, Omega's, Fiber, and Probiotic enhance total body including your brain.   A dehydrated brain contributes to lack of focus and disrupts other brain functions.  Stay Hydrated.


 2. Pre practice: The Set Up 
  • Be time conscious without being conscious of it.  Start short, 5-10 minutes and set a timer.  A timer can allow you to forget about time. You can work into extending your time.
  • Be guided.  Allow someone to talk you through it or use a script.  Script doesn't work for me but may allow you to focus on the words. Listening to a guided meditation does wonders for me. 
  • Use classical music or nature sounds.  
  • Recite a prayer, verse, proverb, mantra, or phrase.  
  • Be touchy.  Use a mala, bracelet, rosary, stone, or mudra.  
  • Be nosy.  Use scents- candles, oils, etc. Lavender calms the brain, Orange engages it.  Those are two of many scents that will help your brain and body. 
  • Use an App.  A dear friend recommended Insight Timer and I love it. It has a timer with guided, music, lectures, and community.  Link: Insight Timer
  • Pencil it in. Put it on the calendar, set a task reminder, etc. 
3. Practice

  • Get comfortable. The positions I would suggest are Lotus (cross legged, spine straight), sitting in a chair with feet on floor and spine straight, or Savasana (corpse pose, lying down).  The important thing is your spine to be straight for optimal blood flow, energy flow, and maximize your breathing.  
  • Breath deep and slow.  Controlling your breath controls your body thus your brain.
  • Accept your thoughts.   It is okay to have thoughts.  Become an observer and let them go.
  • Have grace. It is called a practice and takes practice.  Even after establishing a habit, some days feel more like practice than flow.  Have grace.
Alternative Options

Try:

  •  coloring in silence or calming music
  • walking with in silence while concentrating on breathing,  or listen to calming music or guided meditation,  or use a recitation
  • Yoga
  • Journal: thoughts, gratitude, anything!
  • Tea mediation: using senses to focus during your tea time. I don't think this works the same with wine.

My personal practice starts between 6:00 am to 6:30 am most days.  Some times I walk before hand. I always drink lukewarm water with lemon juice before starting yoga.  From there I move into my favorite position, Savasana, and use a guided and/or timer meditation. All my senses are engaged and I keep my supplies in a dedicated space. This might sound daunting but it is very quick. My yoga is twenty minutes.  On a good day, I can meditation 20 minutes.  Sometimes I split between timer and guided or just do one of them. Bad days-  just yoga with a short 5 minute guided meditation.  There is power in emptying the junk drawer up there but there is more power in having grace when it is difficult to do so.  For attention sake, I kept this relatively short.  You may have a lot of questions- message or email me.  I want to help!

Empty the junk.  Take in the grace. Namaste.






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Health Foodie in the Quest for Italian Do Over

I miss Italian food.  Watching all these food shoes makes it worse, unless it's the one where the "f" word guy goes back into the kitchen.  It's kinda like finding out what's in spam or hot dogs, wish you had never known.  Being in the GF life has severely limited our gluten free Italian options.  Finding a non crunch lasagna noodle takes a trek across town.  I am a label reading fool.  I have found some GF penne and rotini made with ancient grains- brown rice and quinoa.  Jumping up and down giggling my friends.  If it has corn in the ingredients, it's crunchy pasta. Gross. Lasagna was my go to comfort meal.  Other than the gluten issue, lasagna tends to be high in fat and calories. Not good for your waist line or brain power.  What's  health foodie to do for comfort food? Make a redo.  The difference in my creation from other recipes are the switch outs.  Still easy with the Italian comfort; yet, no meat/more veggies ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Health Foodie for Your Face- essentially fighting misbehaving skin

 I am in my mid thirties and until recently, breaking out like an awkward teenager.  Only more awkward because I am thirty something.  It isn't those little things either,  I have had deep cystic acne for decades.  I have literally tried everything on the market: stores or online, plus doctors poking and prescribing everything.  Don't sell me anything.  Seriously, I have tried it all, more than once. Only one prescription worked in my early twenties.  It peeled chunks off my face for months. So that looked gross.  However, I had the best skin for like two years.  Every two years I do not want to look like a molting animal.  It was expensive to boot. No win there. Then these SOB wrinkles start showing up in the midst of all the acne mess. This has to stop.  If you spend anytime with anyone in the skin care profession you get the "talk." About what you eat.  While the debate is out exactly on what that is, there are a f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dance of the Ghost Child and Red Reign of Terror in the Wild

Last night it hit me with full force how these past two weeks have been a long needed victory laps for ghost child.   Normalcy doesn't really exist when a significant amount of your time is spent on a child with special needs, especially in testing or diagnosis.  If you are aware of  your concerns, knowledge of the process, and aggressive in diagnosis, it takes about a year.  Us, eight months of concentrated pushing. Years of voicing concern.  We have arrived to healing. Now therapy with therapy homework.  It can be all consuming and finding balance in a new normal is imperative.  Pulling ghost child home was the best decision.  I feel a lot less pressure in her care with flexibility and non compete with the school system on her needs.  We are integrating her speech goals as opposed to shoving them in at the end of the day and trudging through them on weekends.  I am watching her self regulate her modifications, gaining confide...
Post a Comment
Read more