A.D.D and meditation

[Nazza]

It's a yin and yang kind of thing. Labels can hinder and they can help.

Acknowledgement and acceptance can progress to understanding and/or remediation. Acknowledgement is realising the existence of something. Acceptance is committing to understanding the nature of something. These two qualities can give one the energy to move forward and create new boundaries, in a gentle way.

[Abundance]

Great post David, just what I needed to remember

[Zin]

Haha, I've also got ADHD, and while I don't seem to do so well with the 'just sit and be quiet and listen to your breathing' type of meditation (I have a tendency to nod off), the first time I did was a more visual style. The visual style seems to work well for me, and I'll go into a bit of an explanation of it.

It was explained to me by my friend, who has a visual start to his (or did, not sure what he does now...) but I settle down, and try to chill out, and then visualize my shield going up (getting better at that, again, too). That done, I picture myself within a room or an area, where there are stairs, and I go up the stairs, and into an elevator, which brings me to a location somewhere. (I suppose my entryway is underground, in this scenario.)

I didn't really meditate all that much after I first learned it, but every time I did, I went to the same location and just walked, within my head, exploring it. Wandering, if you will, like my attention likes to do, and exploring my 'inner landscape'.

When I picked it back up after finding creepyhollows (and while I was debating whether I should acquire a spirit at all in the first place, hahaha), I sat down outside one of my classes, before a midterm, because I was riled up and needed to chill out and felt that this was a good thing to do... I went in, and, uh...when I got to the surface, I wasn't in my usual landscape at all.

I've had it happen several times, now, where I haven't gone to an expected locale, but it's interesting. Walking through a forest or through a desert or alongside cliffs or a beach... The pace doesn't matter, and I let my mind or something else guide where I'm going, what's up ahead... (It's been unsure a few times, actually, and I've wandered through a mountain pass while walking through a forest, which was...interesting.) I've been inviting my spirits to come along, too, and, while I can't say for sure if they have joined me, I believe my Duojna has joined me on my walks a few times now...

I dunno, I suppose it channels my mental activity into an outlet, in a way, but... it works for me. otherwise I tend to stare at the insides of my eyelids and start listing to one side and going 'ah! no! wake up!' haha.

[onlooker00]

wow, really need to try some of these suggestions. I usually just close my eyes and listen to myself breath. Finding the time and privacey to do it is a problem however

[Mongrella]

wow, really need to try some of these suggestions. I usually just close my eyes and listen to myself breath. Finding the time and privacey to do it is a problem however

Lock yourself in the bathroom!

[Cell28]

... I usually just close my eyes and listen to myself breath. Finding the time and privacey to do it is a problem however

Lock yourself in the bathroom!

aah LOL :lol: ...
I know this wasn't meant as a joke ,for it sure works..- but this dry sense of humor simply cracked me up! :lol:

[onlooker00]

its a good idea but wouldnt work in this house (long story)

[Zin]

I've meditated on a bench outside of a classroom...

[Killa]

I see an implication here that being labeled as ADD automatically means you will have a tough time meditating.

Meditation is a way for you to learn the nature of your mind. It's a little one-on-one time you've set aside just for you to get to know the little guy in your head.

Reread that sentence I wrote: Meditation is a way for you to learn the nature of your mind. If your mind is hyperactive, so what? That just means you will have a meditation experience that is different from people whose minds are not hyperactive. It does not mean you cannot meditate.

It is in the nature of the mind to wander. Your job when meditating is not to stop your mind from wandering, but to stop wandering along with it. Realize that you are not your mind. There is an awareness in you that until now you have allowed become identified with the mind. What you must do is to detach your awareness from the mind, and simply watch it. If your mind wants to play the "ADD game", then let it go and play. You have been playing these games with your mind all this time, but in truth you are not required to participate in these mind games.

So for the duration of your meditation, make the effort to say, "Hey mind, you know what? I'm tired of playing games. For the next 5/15/30/60 minutes I'm going to stop playing with you. You go ahead if you want to, I'm going to stay here." The mind of course does not like this. It does not like to play alone. So it tries to entice you, it thinks of a million different things to get you not to meditate and to keep playing with it. But if you keep insisting that you are not going to play, sooner or later it will get bored playing by itself and come sit quietly with you. And you who have been listening and submitting to all of the mind's demands all along, you will come to realize that you can get the mind to listen to you.

And remember that ADD is a label. Labels automatically come with a set of social expectations about what a person with that label can/cannot do. If you become too attached to the limitations of those expectations (e.g. ADD=meditation is hard), then those labels will limit, constrict, and define you.

Why do some people who learn they have cancer simply roll over and die, while Lance Armstrong can go on to win the Tour De France?

Don't let the label define you. You redefine the label.

QFT and really great way of putting it and thanks for bringing this up. I have SEVERE ADHD up to a point i can just entertain myself for hours playing mind games lol. At first i used spelled items to help me block out my thoughts which in fact worked. But what i learned later on this can also block out communication from my spirits. Seperate yourself from your mind is indeed fact. Be aware of your own self and what is laid out in front of you. You dont have to control your thoughts because your thoughts become alive and play out themselves! And this is key to communicating. ADD isnt all that bad i've realized but it's helped me immensly once you work it out

[Tsugi]

Bump. David2885's post is gold.