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Sidetracked..
"I can still get caught up in a moment and forget what I am supposed to do. It's so frustrating" says Julie, a 38-year-old store manager who has been recently diagnosed with adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—a condition often characterized by being easily distracted, "spacey", disorganized or forgetful. Once diagnosed, the doctor started Julie on a stimulant medication. The medication increased Julie's focus and motivation to tackle previously avoided tasks but she continues to complain of being easily sidetracked. In that she is not alone. Increasingly, we realize that the best treatment for many adults with ADHD is a combination of medications and other tools that help develop attention and self-directedness.
So what are some of these other ADHD tools? Common ones are phone alarms, timers, reminders, keeping a calendar and to-do list, and these often make a big difference. But here I want to describe another complementary approach—mindfulness training—as a way to curb distraction.
"But wait!"—you could stop me—"mindfulness is often described as being in the moment so how is that going to help with ADHD? Isn't being in the moment too much the very problem with ADHD?" A fair question, so let me elaborate on this paradox.
It's true that if you have ADHD it's easy to get lost in what you're doing or to attend to the "wrong thing," depending on what grabs your attention from moment to moment. This bouncing around of attention often happens automatically or impulsively, and you can spend much time doing something different than what you first set out to do. Alternatively, you can get hyperfocused on something (e.g. reading email or browsing the Internet), and end up losing track of time and forgetting other important things.
In contrast, mindfulness is a practice of clear awareness and remembering in the present moment. It involves bringing your attention to the present moment in such a way that frees you from being engrossed in the cloud of busy thinking, acting impulsively or doing things out of habit. With mindfulness, you recognize with more clarity what is happening in the now. You learn to observe what you are doing (or not doing) in the present moment (for example, noticing yourself sitting in front of the computer and perhaps avoiding going through your mail). Such skill of monitoring and remembering is called meta-awareness and it is an anti-dote to being "lost in the moment". This skill can help stay connected to important goals and resist distractions and diversions. Even if you get lost in the moment, with mindfulness you realize it sooner and can self-correct.
Ultimately, mindfulness is about being alert and aware of what you are doing as you are doing it. It involves tracking your experience moment by moment to see clearly and honestly what is, without being judgmental of it. In this process, mindfulness expands awareness, allows for reflection, and leads to a choice. In this way, mindfulness helps with self-directedness. But mindfulness practice is also so much more: a way of living and being present with others with openness and compassion. To find out more on the diverse applications of mindfulness go to www.mindful.org
Note: The content of this blog has been adapted from Dr. Zylowska's new book 'The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD" (released 2/14/11). For more see www.mindfulness-adhd.com
