Training Your Brain – Mindfulness works

When I was first diagnosed with ADHD, my doctor sat me down and told me something that has stuck with me and helped me realize how I can be productive with my time. He said, having ADHD doesn’t make you have less attention than everyone else, it makes you have a LOT more attention. If you can learn to channel all that attention into fewer things, it’s possible to become more productive.

Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at focusing on fewer things at a time and being able to stay on-task while doing so. The name of the game here is PRACTICE.

Lately, I’ve been involved in a clinical study on Mindfulness at BC Children’s Hospital. It’s kind of like practicing attention. The study is testing the effectiveness of mindfulness training for kids with Anxiety, ADHD and similar challenges. Over two months of instructional and educational sessions, I’ve been learning how to set up a mindfulness practice and various techniques to stay “in the moment.”

One thing they’ve taught us in the program that really helps me is “Pain x Resistance = Suffering.” Meaning pain, resistance (your attitude about your experience) and suffering are all related. If we take away the resistance to the painful experience we are going through, and stop trying in our heads to fight what we have to deal with, we no longer have to experience the suffering either. It’s a lot to get your head around, but it’s helped me look at things differently.

Mindfulness is a skill we can build. When we practice mindfulness, we practice awareness, non-judgement and stillness of mind. It seems like an excellent tool to help us learn to channel all that attention we have when we have ADHD.

For more information about mindfulness in kids, check out the resources on this page: http://keltymentalhealth.ca/healthy-living/mindfulness. (This is not an affiliate link nor is it an endorsement of anything on this website.)