11 Tips for Meditating with ADHD
For many with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), meditation may seem like a challenging idea. Indeed, for people with ADHD meditation can present a fair amount of difficulties. But, I’m here to tell you it’s possible to meditate!
I will offer some tips from my own experience, but I have found the big catalyst for me in my practice was finding something interesting. Trying to sit and meditate with sensations and experiences I found boring was just not sustainable. It was only through finding some curiosity that I was able to really engage.
Can Meditation Help ADHD?
Research suggests mindfulness meditation is effective in supporting individuals with ADHD. In a 2020 study, study participants with ADHD underwent an eight week mindfulness-based treatment. Compared with the control group, the meditators had less emotional dysregulation, improved executive functioning, and less self-reported symptoms of ADHD.
According to ADHDevidence.org, meta-analyses on dozens of studies found that meditation produced a small effect on ADHD symptoms and a medium effect size on executive functioning. The effects were definitely stronger closer to the meditation intervention, suggesting mindfulness may be best used regularly to help support individuals with ADHD.
There are plenty of potential reasons mindfulness works for ADHD. We know mindfulness can improve attention in general, calm emotions, lessen reactions, and calm emotions. In fMRI imaging studies, researchers have found that meditation can alter areas of the brain associated with attention functioning that are typically impaired in individuals with ADHD.
Tips for Meditating with ADHD
So meditation may help support individuals with ADHD, but the flip side is that meditation can seem quite difficult as well. Before jumping into my tips and suggestions, remember that meditation can feel hard at first for anyone. It’s a practice that takes time and cultivation.
Don’t Try to “Fix” with Meditation
I think the most important thing to remember right off the bat is that we aren’t going to “fix” ADHD with meditation. Sure, it may support us in many ways, but it’s not going to fix us. I won’t get into anything too cheesy here, but there’s nothing to fix anyway. If ADHD is part of your experience, allow it to be there.
I actually recommend going to the other side with it. Instead of fixing your ADHD, bring it to your meditation. I know this came seem counter-intuitive, but think it about it like this. The ADHD is coming with you into meditation whether you invite it in or push it away. Why not have a more amicable relationship?
I’ll talk more in a few of the coming sections about how to actually do so, but the idea here is to respond with kindness in gentleness. Rather than resisting, we accept the reality and are able to investigate it and work with it more deeply.
You Don’t Need to Clear the Mind (or Control Thoughts)
The idea that we need to clear our minds to meditate is one of many common misconceptions about meditation. I cover this more in my post Do You Have to Clear Your Mind to Meditate?, but the simple truth is that you don’t. Let go of any ideas of clearing the mind. Carrying the expectation of a cleared mind is just going to set you up for disappointment and frustration.
A few sections below is a practice on actually paying attention to the thoughts, so feel free to skip there if this is something that interests you. Regardless of what type of meditation we are doing, we can note when the mind wanders off or begins thinking. The thoughts need not be a problem, but part of the practice! Recognize how the mind goes off, what it goes off to, and begin to truly see the nature of the mind.
Aim for Regular Practice
I know this can be hard for anyone, especially people with ADHD. But consistency is key. Research suggests frequency of meditation may be a better indicator of building the habit and positive outcomes than actual time meditated. You can read more about the research in my post How Often Should You Meditate as a Beginner?
Furthermore, it’s no secret that routines certainly help those with ADHD. Whereas consistency might help anyone, I have found consistency to be even more helpful in those with ADHD.
Sit in the Same Place
Meditating in the same place is a great way to start. This plays into context-dependent memory. When you engage in meditation in the same physical place every day, your mind will recognize it as meditation time. If you can, pick a place that feels conducive to your practice that you can use regularly.
Practice at the Same Time
Finding the time to meditate can be difficult. I recommend this for anyone, but especially individuals with ADHD. Pick one time to meditate, and bake it into your schedule and routine. This will help you build routine, and again help due to the context-dependent memory.
If you can, I recommend meditating in the morning. I know this isn’t the right fit for everyone, but it is perhaps the best way to build the habit. I have a post here where I talk about choosing a meditation time. It also covers some research that suggests morning is the best time to build new habits, and more research specifically finding the same in regards to meditation.
Start Small
Nobody needs to start with twenty or thirty minutes of meditation. As I cover in my post For How Long Should Beginners Meditate?, starting small is often the best choice. Short periods of just five or ten minutes are much more doable, and we come up with less excuses to avoid it. Set your intention to meditate for just five minutes to start, and make it accessible.
Find Something Interesting
The vast majority of students that reach out to me for individual sessions share that their experience with meditation has been almost entirely focused on working with the breath. Personally, it took me a long time to find a way to practice with the breath that felt interesting. I struggled to develop mindfulness and concentration.
Instead of trying to force yourself to focus on something, try to find something that interests you. It might be something in the body with a body scan, a mindfulness of the mind practice, or walking meditation. Don’t get stuck on sitting meditation with the breath as the only way to meditate. Investigate different practices and find something that piques your interest.
Consider Moving
Although we often think of meditation as a sitting practice, there are actually many ways to do it. You don’t need to sit still if it isn’t working for you in this moment. Try a form of moving meditation such as walking meditation, tai chi, qigong, or yoga. Sometimes, the movement in the body can help us work through the energy or restlessness we find in sitting meditation.
Don’t write off these forms of meditation as lesser-than in any way. In most Buddhist traditions, moving meditation is an integral part of both monastic and lay life. Nuns and monks will often engage in walking meditation and other moving practices to deepen their mindfulness. Give it a shot, and see if it’s useful for you.
Practice in Daily Life
I’m assuming if you’re reading this you’re probably not a monastic spending all day meditating. As a layperson, you engage with the world and responsibilities. It can be extremely useful to learn to practice mindfulness in everyday life. This can be especially useful for people with ADHD. We find moments to practice micro-meditations rather than long sitting periods.
There are many ways to do this, but my favorite introductory practice is that of mindfulness reminders or awareness triggers. To do this, you simply pick something to trigger your awareness. A good one to start with is any time your phone rings or buzzes. When you notice this happening, take a moment to take a few mindful breaths, be present in the body, or notice what is happening in the mind.
Use Guidance
Guidance can be your best friend when learning to meditate. With guidance, you can know exactly what you’re doing and stay on track. Sometimes too much freedom in meditation can leave a lot of space for the mind to wander, while guidance can help direct us more clearly. You can check out my playlist Mindfulness for Beginners for talks and meditations for beginners, or 10 Minute Guided Meditations for short meditation practices.
Keep at Concentration
I know I already said to try other things other than concentration or mindfulness of the breath. But that doesn’t mean to fully give up on concentration. With patience, spend a bit of time to slowly work on the cultivation of this ability. This is most often done with the breath, such as a breath counting meditation. But as I cover in this talk on my podcast, you can also build some concentration with metta or other practices.
Find Comfort
This is true for anyone new to meditation, but especially important for those with ADHD. You want to minimize distractions during meditation, so make sure you are comfortable. Wear comfortable clothing, try to sit in a room with a comfortable temperature, and make the posture of your body comfortable.
As I cover in another post, you don’t have to sit any specific way to meditate. Leave behind any ideas of the perfect meditation posture, and practice however works for you. It might be sitting cross-legged, kneeling on a meditation bench, sitting in a chair, or standing. Find relative comfort with your posture, rather than searching for what is “correct.”
Try Mindfulness of the Mind
If you find yourself thinking a lot during meditation or getting distracted, you can actually make this the focus of your meditation practice. For many reasons, it’s totally normal to think during meditation. I cover this topic and the reasons for unwanted thinking in this post, but suffice it to say that all of our minds think. You’re not alone here.
Instead of seeing the thoughts as a distraction, you might consider investigating practices related to mindfulness of the mind. I’ve included two meditations below. One looks at thoughts, while the other looks more at mental states. Mental states are the overall flavor or attitude of the mind, while thoughts are the individual components.
Don’t Forget Kindness
Finally, we can’t forget to bring kindness to our practice. There are many benefits of loving-kindness practice, including building concentration. Research suggests it improves empathy, promotes social connection, and decreases self-criticism. It’s a part of a healthy meditation practice, and must be included alongside mindfulness in my opinion.
I have a few solid loving-kindness and compassion meditations below that can be useful for beginners. When we cultivate loving-kindness through meditation, we begin to respond more kindly and gently to our own experience. When the mind wanders off in any meditation, our response is more patient and we create less stress for ourselves.
Diving into Meditation
I have plenty of offerings on my site, such as my podcast, courses, and meditation challenges. However, I recommend you start by reading my post Mindfulness for Beginners: A Guide to Getting Started with Meditation. Here you’ll find some tips, understanding, and answers to common questions.
If you are interested in developing your practice, you can reach out to me here for a free consultation. I work one-on-one with individuals around the world looking to build a mindfulness practice that actually works for them, and I’m here to support you!