Hello friends,
You are so welcome here.
My name is Stella and this is a short meditation designed to help folks who have ADHD to cultivate a sense of time awareness.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental phenomena that often impairs the ability to manage time effectively.
This is partly due to differences in brain function that affect executive functions.
The mental skills used in planning,
Organising and executing tasks.
Many of us with ADHD might experience time blindness,
Where estimating the duration of tasks,
Perceiving the passage of time and transitioning between tasks can become challenging.
This can lead to difficulties with punctuality,
Meeting deadlines and managing daily routines and moreover it's really tiring.
Understanding the link between ADHD and time management is crucial in developing strategies that cater to these unique set of experiences.
Internal distractions common for ADHD folk include wandering thoughts,
Daydreaming and shifts in emotion.
These distractions originate within the mind and they can be triggered by stress or anxiety or the brain's natural tendency to divert attention.
This mindfulness practice can help to train your brain to stay focused and reduce the internal chatter.
External distractions include environmental factors like noise,
Visual clutter or interruptions from people or technology and all of these things can be particularly disruptive for us ADHD folk and these distractions are physical and they can break the flow of concentration.
So to help to minimise any external distractions for the duration of this short practice,
You might want to choose to listen on your headphones or listen in a place where you know you won't be disrupted or you might want to turn your device on to do not disturb or close the eyes if that helps to cultivate a sense of safety in your body.
Should you choose to practice with your eyes open,
I would suggest picking one visual point to look at and giving the eyes a rest.
Recognising these internal and external disruptions is key as it helps in developing strategies to manage them.
So make any adjustments you need to make now and find a position that you'll be comfortable in.
This might be seated or lying down.
Close your eyes or find a visual anchor to rest your eyes on if they're remaining open and take a moment to breathe in and to breathe out slowly and through the nose if that's available to you.
Let your body relax as your mind begins to settle.
Let's start by grounding ourselves in the present moment and you're invited to feel the surface beneath you whether you're seated in a chair or lying on the floor on your bed,
Really noticing how this surface is offering support to your body and take a few breaths in,
Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly and with each breath,
Allowing yourself to become more present and aware of the support that the earth is offering you.
And now let's turn our attention to the breath.
So noticing the natural rhythm of your breathing without trying to change it or manipulate it in any way.
Feel the rise and the fall of your chest or the sensation of the air entering and then leaving your nostrils.
If it's helpful to bring hands onto your stomach or your chest,
You may do so.
And just noticing how each breath is a marker of time,
Imagining that each inhale and exhale represents time passing by and counting your breath silently so a breath is composed of one inhale and one exhale.
And if your mind wanders,
Just gently bring it back to counting,
Starting again and now letting this focus go.
Just remembering that time is always passing and you're invited to visualise your breath as it's passing by.
Time is always passing and you're invited to visualise one of the ways that time can be marked and the invitation is to imagine that you're standing on a beach and you're watching the tide come in and go out and each wave represents a moment in time As the water advances and retreats,
Notice how time flows steadily like the rhythm of the ocean and feel the calm and consistent movement of the tide marking the passage of time.
Marking the passage of time.
Waves come in,
Waves go out and then we'll let that focus go as well,
Letting the image dissipate.
I'm bringing your attention to your body and in a moment we will scan each body part,
Spending a few moments noticing the sensation or feelings that come in that body part.
Imagine moving through your body in sync with the rhythm of the waves as the tide ebbs in and out.
We will spend a measured amount of time on each body part and this will help you to connect to your sense of physical presence as well as the awareness of time.
So let's begin.
Starting from your toes,
Slowly moving your awareness up through the lower legs and the upper legs.
Slowly shift your focus to the lower back,
Middle back and your upper back.
Let the wave of your attention rest on your glutes.
Slowly shift your focus to the lower back,
Middle back and your upper back.
Focus on your fingers now,
The hands,
Forearms and upper arms.
Let the wave of your attention shift to your head,
Ears,
Mouth,
Nose and eyes.
And finally let's shift the focus so that it engulfs the whole body.
Be aware of the whole of your body and now let that go too.
And as we draw to the close of this practice,
You're invited to take a moment just to reflect on this as an experience and notice how it feels to be aware of the passing of time.
And remember that you can bring this activity and this awareness into your daily life and it can help you to stay present and to stay more focused.
You can return to this practice at the start of your day,
The close of your day or in the middle of the day if time awareness is proving to be elusive.
Take a final breath in and out and slowly opening your eyes.
And the invitation is to carry this sense of time awareness with you as you go about your day.
Thank you so much for joining me beautiful people,
Wishing you a beautiful day.
