This week's guest is Ying Deng, known as ADHD Asian Girl, who discusses the benefits of mindfulness meditation for ADHD individuals. They explore the practice of paying attention to the present moment, the effects of mindfulness on reducing symptoms, improving emotional functioning and executive functioning, and strategies for incorporating meditation into daily life. The conversation also covers redirecting thoughts, cultivating compassion, building meditation habits for ADHD, and concludes with top tips for practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness meditation can be practiced during daily activities and helps individuals with ADHD be present in the moment.
Adapting meditation to individual energy levels and preferences, such as using guided meditations or incorporating it into daily activities, is essential for establishing a sustainable practice for individuals with ADHD.
Deep dives
Understanding Mindfulness and Meditation
In this podcast episode, the host welcomes guest Ying Deng, also known as ADHD Asian Girl. They discuss the misconceptions surrounding meditation and mindfulness often depicted in popular media. The conversation explicitly focuses on the practice of mindfulness meditation, emphasizing its association with paying attention, awareness, and being present in the moment. The benefits of mindfulness meditation for individuals with ADHD are highlighted, including reduced symptoms of ADHD, improved emotional functioning, increased self-compassion, reduced stress levels, and potential enhancements in executive functioning. Strategies for incorporating meditation into the lives of individuals with ADHD are explored, such as setting achievable goals, utilizing guided meditations, practicing in nature, and experimenting with different meditation styles to find what works best.
Developing a Personalized Meditation Practice
This segment of the podcast delves into the importance of adapting meditation to suit individual needs and preferences. The concept of having different energy levels for meditation practice is introduced, and three variations based on energy levels are discussed: high, medium, and low. The high-energy version involves longer, self-guided meditation sessions, while the medium-energy approach utilizes guided meditation for a more focused practice. The low-energy option involves incorporating meditation into daily activities like walking or doing chores. The emphasis is on finding what works for each person while also acknowledging that our energy and focus levels can vary day to day. Personalization and exploration are encouraged to create an engaging and sustainable meditation practice.
Overcoming Challenges and Building the Habit
This final segment of the podcast addresses common challenges faced when establishing a meditation habit for individuals with ADHD. Strategies to overcome these challenges are discussed, such as setting realistic goals, celebrating small victories, using meditation as a transition tool, and incorporating accountability through community support or body doubling. The importance of embracing curiosity, avoiding self-criticism, and understanding that it takes time to experience the benefits of meditation are emphasized. Furthermore, the idea of accepting thoughts during meditation rather than trying to eliminate them is introduced, highlighting the practice of redirecting attention and cultivating self-compassion. The episode concludes by reminding listeners to be open-minded, experiment, and customize their meditation practice to fit their unique needs and preferences.
Hey Team!This week we’re joined by Ying Deng, known as ADHD Asian Girl across social media. I was able to get to know Ying a bit at the recent International ADHD Conference and thought she’d be a great guest for the show. Meditation is something that I’ve wanted to discuss on the show for quite a while now, but it also isn’t something I’m super knowledgeable about so it was great to have a chance for this discussion.In our conversation today we get into what mindfulness and mediation actually is - and some about what it isn’t, since meditation isn’t exactly something we get an accurate picture of from popular media. We talk about some of the reasons that mediation can be beneficial for ADHD as well as some of the strategies to help bring meditation into our lives because ADHD can also make it a hard habit to start. Be sure to check out all of Ying's Mindfulness Course or checkout where she's on the web with her Linktree Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/169 This Episode's Top Tips
We can engage in mindfulness during daily activities like putting on socks or brewing coffee. By focusing on the sensations we can work on being present in the moment.
ADHD can make it hard for us to build our practice so we can mix up our routine with guided and unguided meditations, sit outside to connect with nature or engage in mindful movements to cater to how we’re feeling on any given day.
We don’t need to meditate for long periods and if we find that challenging, start with shorter, more manageable sessions and gradually increase the duration as we build the habit.
Body doubling can be a great way for us to get into a meditation practice. Partner up with someone or join a community for meditation sessions to make the practice more engaging and accountable.
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