The Weirdest ADHD Hack I Never Knew I NEEDED 🌱☀️
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.พ. 2024
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Last week while travelling I decided to try 3well known mental health hacks, but also decided to try one REALLY WEIRD ONE. You'll be shocked by which worked and WHY!
Join me in my mental wellness programs under $20:
hayley-honeyman.mykajabi.com/
Which have you tried and which do you think would work best for you? 🤔 - บันเทิง
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Yo!! For the "insert silent video clips" can you do a small recap for the visually impaired who rely on audio? 🥰 nice video!!!
Yes here it is: What was said in the first tiktok was essentially along the lines of - if you have a long morning routine you are more likely to manage your ADHD symptoms well and that you need to get up early to do this. The second one was along the lines of - adhd is a "gift" and meditation helped harness her "gift" and cure her adhd.... yep lol@@toby-jeanne_almy
A cold shower tip that’s worked for me- I take a hot shower and after I’m completely finished, I turn it to cold. I saturate my hair and make sure it hits the whole body. It still gives my body and brain that cold shock, but at least I’m not suffering for as long! lol. Plus, knowing I can enjoy a hot shower is much more motivating!
I want to add that the cold showers did wonders for my depressive symptoms. Not sure it did much for my ADHD, but maybe a little
hi hi just wanted to pop on and say with the cold shower it doesn't have to be a freezing shower it can be a tolerable cool temperature especially on a hot day and you can end your warm shower with a cool rinse instead of cool :) love your videos xoxox
These tips ( waking up early, cold showers and meditation) sound like tips from non adhd'ers, whereas the standing on one foot feels definitely like a tip from someone with adhd
Was juST goi my to say that
I tried the cold shower trick, led me straight back to bed and under the covers lol
Man, I often stand up on one foot, thought it was because of my ballerina years as a kid XD
Cold showers make me feel like I’m dying ( for a few seconds) 😅also I have the same hesitation I would have for putting my hand on a hot stove burner.
@@KaysWorld4I have my usual hot shower and then at the end I slowly turn down the hot and turn up the cold water and finish with a 30 second freezing blast of water. Satisfies my need for the warm shower but with a fresh wake up to finish without making you too cold.
As an audhd person I have never seen anything more relatable than someone being cranky because of a cold shower then being cheered up by seeing a robot
LOL valid
Same here. (I'm only ADHD)
that was a cool robot
LOL agreed 😂
As an audhd person I'm now questioning everything bc THERE WAS A ROBOT?!? My brain must have nipped out for a quick smoke...
👏 THIS 👏 IS 👏 WHY 👏 I 👏 LOVE 👏 YOGA 👏 It perfectly combines mindfulness and meditation practices with movement that forces me to truly focus and be present instead of just sitting there thinking “I don’t like meditating”
Yes! Wanted to say this!
I use yoga to get ready for meditation otherwise can’t seem to settle my thoughts
Tai chi and qi gong are also great for this. But agreed, yoga is awesome. Even yoga nidra works way better for me than meditation
@@Angel-od1bt uuuuuuuuh, I'll have to check these out! I feel everything that lets me comfortably be mindful is as much meditation as I can do
Yes! My ADHD symptoms improved when I started making yoga the priority in my exercise routine. Also, this is why balancing poses (standing on one foot basically) are recommended for people with a scattered brain (aka vata vosha in ayurveda, you can find some practices here on youtube for this)
Crochet is my favorite form of meditation. I make mostly blankets/afghans, and they tend to be repetitive. Once the pattern is memorized and the stitches are steadily flowing, it's almost hypnotic. I find my mind can wander and dip into things that would otherwise be very emotional without the emotions getting in the way. I can observe the thoughts and memories and choose to either examine them in that emotionally disengaged state, or to let them just wander on by while my hands keep going with the crochet. It's incredibly relaxing and grounding, and every now and then, I am able to resolve things that used to upset me. And as a bonus, I periodically acquire a nice blanket.
It sounds great! I always wanted to learn how to crochet and this is the reason I didn't think I needed to convince myself to actually do it 😂
I do this but with painting !
Same❤
hang on. crocheying or knitting something repetative counts as meditation? ok. then I'm meditating all the time. I tend to make things that are really repetative. just round and round and round.
I've just started crocheting and this is exactly why I've stuck with it and am now having fun while making some cute ass 💩
The foot thing! I was just diagnosed with inattentive type adhd as a 46 year old woman and this foot thing reminded me of a childhood habit! Any time I was doing a boring task like washing dishes, I would always stand on one foot with the other resting against my inner thigh. I remember it drove my stepdad absolutely crazy that I always "insist on standing like a damned flamingo". 😂
ALL the women on my mother’s side did this! I’m now recognizing it’s just another clue we’ve all been navigating with “the ADHD”. (We’re southern, so you gotta add “the”!)
LOL, that last sentence made me chuckle my first chuckle of the day.
@@surewhatever8843- It’s my dream to travel through the South (I’m from Northern California). I cannot wait to be constantly exposed to Southern dialect.
What I took away from this video is that I should keep tinkering until I find what works for me. Thank you.
He was just jealous of your majestic plumage. 🦩
"it sounds dumb to me which is why I want to try it" lol, sold.
I related to this so hard.
The one foot standing seemed to actually be acting as meditating. its just enough stimulation, and playing with balance can (ironically) be really grounding for the neuro-spicy.
Also there's often an overlap between ADHD and autism, standing on one leg can be a form of stimming (which everyone does, some just need it more)
i got into the comment section to say the same thing!
AuDHD fistbump? lol@@caydancebloom
@@BliffleSplickstimming is very much an ADHD thing as well, it might just look a little different. Most people just think of it as fidgeting.
When I did walking meditation in a more public spot, I would balance on some rim or just imagined I am balancing on something, to keep me more focused on that. And for me (ADHD positive) it helped a lot to almost completely forget about the ppl around me.
I think most ppl get meditation a bit „wrong“ (not that I know better), in the sense that „you don’t need to not think at all. You need to notice that a thought comes, and then put it on a cloud and let it pass by“, as my teacher put it.
Standing on one foot stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system into a state of safety which automatically slows down the mind. It’s a great thing to do when standing in line and you’re getting grumpy about it. Also, stand on one foot while brushing your teeth in the morning and the other at night! And as one commenter said, it can be much like a stim. So anytime you are feeling off, give it a try. Cold increases my chronic pain so I do a warm or almost hot shower and then just the one minute cold burst at the end and find that is not nearly as unpleasant.
I read that was also to improve your balance and maybe suffer fewer falls in old age. I brush my teeth on one foot but also do it with my left hand so I have to focus on it more. It’s probably the most efficient i ever get lol
@@yuyuyashasrain oh, it definitely reduces falling! I’ve experienced the change in that myself. It also strengthens your core without having to do crunches. It’s an all around great thing to do for overall well-being!
So regarding the cold showers and ADHD, I tried to do that too and I also hate cold showers LOL but I’ve started doing this thing where I’ll take a regular shower and then at the very end I’ll gradually make it cold until its as cold as i can handle and just rinse off for like a minute or two and breath really deeply while om doing it (because im freezing) and after that I feel good and more energized soooo i feel like I’m still getting at least some of the benefits without suffering as much
Thats a good idea, i might try this
Yesss, I do the same! I basically shower with boiling water, so after a while I feel like I'm gonna pass out, that's when I change to cold water (if it's hair day the feeling is even better), and also drink a cold glass of water when finished. Healthy? Idk. Nice and useful? Absolutely
This is the way! Added bonus to gradually cooling off the shower is that the bathroom doesn't feel cold when you get out!
Same, with an added chant: "This will be over & I will be fine! This will be over & I will be fine!" Somehow that helps me stay under it a bit longer.
I used to do this and I did really enjoy it. It's more difficult to do in winter when it's cold already though, so I fell out of the habit. This is making me think I should start doing it again.
I listened to the Clutterbug podcast the other day, the episode called How Cleaning Your House Affects Your Mental Health and it was really interesting. The host explained through evidence that cleaning your house can be like working out, meditating and journalling all in one, and you get a clean house after. Really worth a listen imo, it was quite transformative for me
I love Cas and her great stories at the end! 🤣
I love clutterbug. I don't have someone willing to body double to help me with chores so I use Cas lol she's got a lot of great adhd tips, too
I once saw a clip of a guy suggesting that brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand would improve your mental health so there’s that
This is the type of adhd life hack I can get behind 😎
This always showed up in my mom's parenting and home magazines as a way to keep your brain sharp. What it really results in is stabbing yourself in the gums with your toothbrush repeatedly and having sore gums. 100% do not recommend!
Yes, it also makes you use the other side of your brain! ❤
@@jenniferpearce1052I mean, you're probably not great at throwing or writing with your non-dominant hand either. That doesn't mean practicing it isn't good for your brain. That being said, while brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand sounds like something that could easily be incorporated in your everyday life, if you have ADHD, brushing your teeth consistently twice a day is probably already challenging enough. Making it less effective and efficient on purpose might not be a good idea. On the other hand, for some it could work as a form of gamifying teeth brushing and make it more fun to do 🤷
Ooh I like this! Neuroplacticity!
Standing on one leg is a covert stim that i have been doing since i was a little kid. Helps me a lot when im in an environment where i cant do full body stims like i normally do.
omg, I love that explanation. Probably gonna use it in public transport or sth similar
I've also been doing this for a long time. just randomly. it helps me think. and somehow it can feel more secure than standing on both legs. I keep picturing sleeping flamingos. on one leg, the other leg tucked away... I have never done it on purpose. as a tool. but I will from now on.
It makes sense that standing on one leg works as a covert but still "effective" stim, since balancing kind of still is a full body stim, it just involves your internal proprioceptive sense instead of outward movement.
I do stretches at work in stead of stimming. We're technically supposed to stretch before working, afer working, and every 2 or so hours. My co workers think I'm just super into safety
Standing on one foot is ABSOLUTELY a form of meditation, so is walking or journaling or focusing on things you're grateful for, having a shower or a bath and just being present etc
Sooooo can you tell I edited this one with 2 missing sound bites lol What was said in the first tiktok was essentially along the lines of - if you have a long morning routine you are more likely to manage your ADHD symptoms well and that you need to get up early to do this. The second one was along the lines of - adhd is a "gift" and meditation helped harness her "gift" and cure her adhd.... yep lol
Cold shower is actually better to help us sleep because it causes the core temperature to cool down which induces sleep… so maybe switch that one up xxx❤
The only thing I've really found useful about cold showers because they give me really crazy sensory rage, is when I'm in like a highly wound up too sensitive place: if I have a hot then cold then hot again shower, it kind of does like a full body reset and recalibration of my nerves at least on the outside.
I thought you were testing our sharpness haha. By the way f**k cold showers, and by the way what helps me meditate A LOT is tai chi - I just play it on the screen and it just makes me flow like a leaf on the wind (mind and body wise). Thanks for the video!
I would say for ADHDers probably something like Mindful meditation would be best as it's mainly focused on clearing your mind, focusing on & noticing your breathing and also if you do have thoughts looking at them from a distance and letting them go by re-focusing on your breath work again
@hayley.honeyman please I neeeeed to know where you found that sweater?! I’ve been looking for one like that for months
Extra benefit of standing on one foot… practicing balance! Which is lacking in a lot of people’s movement practices.
Yes! And there have been a few studies with results suggesting balance exercises may alleviate ADHD symptoms, though all I could find was small studies with children. But I’m going to try it!
@@Chucanelliyes! I think they’re called cerebellum exercises
Yes, super important for ageing, reduces the chance of falls when you get older
The whole standing one one foot is interesting.... The more I focus on it the less I could do it but once I put my mind anywhere else but what I was doing I was able to stand still..🤔could that be the key. I'm just going to start meditating on one foot 😅 2 in 1 haha
@@Chucanelli the nice thing about trying something like that is you’ve got nothing to lose except maybe standing around for a couple minutes. But most of us waste a ton of time on social media anyways so that’s negligible.
I’ve been standing on one foot since I was a kid and didn’t realize until now that it’s probably related to my ADHD. In the middle of boring or uncomfortable conversations, I will transition to standing on one leg with my other leg bent like Yoga people do. People would always ask if I did yoga or assume I did,. Spoiler I don’t. I never understood why I did it, it’s honestly second nature at this point, I’m 34. But this actually makes a lot of sense 🤯
Me too!! Much older than you and just realizing I'm probably ADHD and autistic.
I also have ADHD and also used to struggle with what my brain is supposed to do while meditating. A shift that helped me is that meditation isn't about not having thoughts, it's about the practice of noticing your thoughts and re-focusing them. I love to walk to a nearby park, set a timer, sit, close my eyes, and do a sound meditation. I'll just start mentally naming all the sounds I hear, try to identify the farthest and closest sounds, notice how many types of bird calls I hear (not like, identifying species, just noticing the different pitches and rhythms), practice not spending time with the inevitable random thoughts that come through, and the timer is going off before I know it! That it's outside is like a double dose of grounding, but this could be done practically anywhere. Another type of meditation I like is single point meditation, where you pick something to focus on and practice both noticing when your mind starts to wander and bringing your focus back to your object. It's a bit easier with things like clouds, flames, or water; things that naturally have some change or motion can keep my mind just active enough to dissuade too much wandering.
I'm definitely gonna try standing on one leg, though. As soon as you said it, I thought, "that's definitely a form of meditation." Also, I think I recognized Jason Stephenson's voice on that guided meditation, which is sometimes the only way I can get to sleep.
My body would throw up if I had to take a 5am COLD shower. YOU ARE A CHAMP THANK YOU!
So interesting to hear your experience about maintaining balance on one foot. I recently read the ADHD 2.0 book and in it, they discuss researching the link between balance and the cerebellum, and how balance therapy seems to be helpful for all sorts of cognitive issues and brain disorders, including ADHD and Alzheimers.
I was wondering how to try it out myself and I may do this too! Can't hurt, lol.
Thank you for always sharing all of your experiences 💜
I came here to mention ADHD 2.0 too!
I know my grandmother has been super defiant, about leaving her facility and taking showers - and I think it has a lot to do with her fear of falling and instability.
Though, if I tried to get my grandmother to stand on one foot, for exercise, even if she COULD do it - I could hear her, now..
“Why would I do that?? Oh, that’s so stupid.”
Goodness, gracious.
At least some of the other hens in her hen house are interested, when they do these sort of activities - which, my grandmother likes to feel like the most special, without feeling singled out.
So, she follows the other hens.
AuDHDer and I prefer the concept of contemplation vs meditation. Contemplation for me is basically what you did while standing on one leg - being where you are (ideally outside or looking outside) with just your thoughts and one other healthy helpful thing, which for me is usually a cup of tea or my cat and being present with it all. I often stand on one foot while brushing my teeth; since they're both things I wanna do something else at the same time with, this works out well.
Progressive muscle relaxation and EFT meditations are also great.
Oooh I love this
Why AuDHD as opposed to ADHD?
@@hayden51773 autism + adhd
@@hayden51773 it's the combined abbreviation of Autistic and ADHD
Believe it or not, laundry is my favourite kind of meditation specially folding my clothes in the evening with some music or podcast and my cats around. I know, the podcast thing it's maybe not a meditating tool, but for me being able to focus in a podcast without loosing the threat is HUGE. And it works for me!
Even though I need to try this on one foot thing. Omg, can I fold my clothes ON ONE FOOT?
I do enjoy folding my clothes, when at the laundromat.
I wear all the same pants, shirts, underwear, jackets, etc. for the post part. So, when I fold everything - it’s a repetitive process and everything organizes easily.
Sometimes, I like music. Though, being out in public, I am not too keen on wearing earbuds.
Plus, it’s always a big if an ego-boost to see that I am always the best folder there.
Though, in all fairness, I use to be a hairstylist/barber, and really - we’re just glorified towel folders.
I have a hack for the cold showers- you can do a warm or hot shower and and the end turn the knob to cold for the last few seconds and still get the benefits!
"pretend sauna" is what I call that. used to do it for a long time. but recently energy has become too expensive. just can't afford that much really hot water any more. not regularly.
I do this too! 😊
The only thing that waking up before 7 am made me feel good about is being able to take a late morning nap and not feel lazy lbvs
I've found this too! I've started to realise I function best by sandwiching my night owl tendencies between sleep, so sleeping way earlier than I would when sleeping in one chunk (which is a fairly normal time for most people, but I won't sleep til 3, 4, 5am if I try to do monophasic sleep, so it's super early compared to that),waking up in the early hours of the morning, then going back to sleep for a few hours late morning. I like being able to have the peace of early mornings while not missing out on the evening
Yeah waking up early on my days off is easy because I know I'm probably gonna nap around 10a but it's a different story on work days
As an ADHD girl I have always stood on one foot flamingo style when doing stuff like washing dishes, brushing my teeth, waiting in line ect.
Definitely will be trying the standing on one foot for five minutes. Hate cold showers and will avoid that like the plague, also kind of reminds me of the ices baths they would use in Psychiatric hospitals 😢. I like doing the walking meditation, great exercise and I avoid answering my phone during this time. Won’t be doing the 5 am wake up, I’ve been a night owl since the day I was born.
5am is our bedtime 😂
I love cold showers, but they don't help me with anything. They're just fun for me.
"She can't be left unsupervised" that is 100% the feeling!
I'm so relieved I'm not the only one who absolutely cannot get on the cold shower bus.... nightmares!
Also, thanks for the tips about thinking of doing boring repetitive chores at night as part of a "closing shift checklist" - not only have I used/made a million, now I can think of The Office scenes where Andy Bernard makes the staff sing 🎶Clo-sing time, one more call for alcohol 🎶 and even better, when Pam hilariously mumbles all the lyrics 🎶smeh smeh smeh smnenenen maasll🎶 😄
Emptying & filling the dishwasher is a most loathed chore of mine, but this has definitely made it better & my kitchen has been pretty fucking clean 👏🤩
Standing on one foot reminds me of when I used to do yoga. The act of focusing on the movement of my body does so much to keep me centered.
The kind of meditation that works for me - still or moving - is connecting with my body. I have ADHD and CPTSD and tend to dissociate a lot, so sitting or laying and doing like a progressive muscle relaxation or doing yoga while really concentrating on how it feels in my body is really really beneficial for me. It gives me something to do with my brain instead of just the "let your thoughts go by like clouds" thing which - what even is that?! It also helps me ground and get out of my head and remember that I have a body that needs things like food and water and I should pay attention to it sometimes.
Yes! NSDR that is body focused is incredible for this
I was reading ADHD 2.0 and they actually talk about balance training as something that helps ADHD brains, so I’m not surprised it helped. I haven’t done it yet, so thanks for giving me the motivation to try it! 😉
I’ve been reading ADHD 2.0 by Ned Hallowell and in one of the sections he talks about having found balance exercises to be helpful for people with ADHD. I can’t recall if there were proper studies done on this but the explanation he gives in the book is that our cerebellum is responsible for balance and movement, and plays a role in memory, language processing and other regulatory functions. Balance exercises stimulate the cerebellum which improves its ability to regulate the other functions that ADHD struggles with. I’m probably explaining this poorly, but I started doing balance exercises after I read that and saw some improvements in my symptoms.
For how long have you been doing those exercises? Any update yet?
Waking up early is great, but what if you're genuienly a night person? As in you genuienly feel more comfortable at night, more at ease at night.
That's me. I genuinely believe I will always feel my best in the evening/night. Doesn't matter what I've tried over the years
I don't think a specific time matters so much, but making some extra time in the morning to prepare for the day, maybe doing something personally fulfilling, and having a bit more of a transition from sleep to productivity can be helpful. I'm the type of person to get out of bed 5 minutes before my first meeting working from home, and then I'm in a rush to squeeze in eating breakfast and taking my dog out amongst my work obligations. When I can spend a few minutes listing out and reflecting on a plan for the day before I have any pressing obligations, it does help things go a little better.
Last time I worked in an office, I would spend a bit of time at the end of the workday to list out my biggest priorities for tomorrow. In the evening I would spend some time to prepare for my next day (like portioning out my breakfast and getting my clothes out). It worked better for me to have a smooth morning with less stress, while using my night-owl energy well.
Standing on one foot staring out the window is TOTALLY a meditative experience, I love that you’re getting to meditation without formally seeking it!
Oh ha, you mentioned that later!
I don’t know if anyone has said this yet but balancing on one foot is a cerebral exercise, which is a treatment for ADHD and autism.
A cerebral exercise stimulates the cerebellum which controls a lot of functions of the brain eg emotional regulation, working memory and so many other functions we struggle with ADHD.
Thank you for this video Hayley, it reminded me to go back to those exercises and Pilates.
I usually go inro REM sleep for the first time at 5am but if I stay up all night then 5am feels brilliant! 10am is my optimum wake up time..
OmG Same!! I don’t get to my deep sleep state till around 4/5 am. I’ve been prioritizing sleep but in the fact that I won’t get out of bed till 10 am and it has really helped so much.
the "talk less" hack *IS* preposterous, because first of all yes I do need to explain myself and I will explode if I do not. what then, psychology today, what are you going to tell my family after i've exploded?
I recently found this channel and it has helped me so much and given me so much hope and I honestly want to thank you for creating this space. Wish there was more channels like this when I was younger but I'm finally motivated to figure out my brain thanks to you. Stood on one leg while doing my laundry while I watched this video !!
You are so lovely!! Thank you for being here! 💛💛
There are different types of mediation. But for what I know the main goal is to notice your thoughts. Or your body parts, things you see, hear, smell, ... It's about mindfulness. Paying attention to one thing. Or more like: The goal isn't to do that! But to try it! I guess thats why so many ADHDer hate mediation. Because they think they suck and it doesn't work for them. But once you notice your thoughts slipped away and you're not paying attention anymore that's the moment you succeeded! Just refocus and if your thoughts shift away refocus. THATS MEDIATION. And btw: If you exercise this for a while you will get better and better. Meaning you will be able to be mindful for much longer times. And only after you made some progress you will start to feel the real effect Meditation has on your well-being. But yes at first it kinda sucks and gives you nothing... You have to earn the treat 😂❤
I love that you followed your weirdness and that ended up being your favorite one.
So I find crochet quite meditative. It requires just enough attention that it turns off the noise in my brain but doesn't require so much that I feel drained.
10:51 Ive heard the term monkey brain be used in reference to your mind jumping all over the place. That is normal and part of being human and extra part of ADHD. The trick is non-judgementally noting that your mind has wandered and bringing your attention back to whatever you want it to be on. Over time people can build this skill and get better at noting when their mind has wandered off and bringing it back. Improving the skill of "non-judgemental observing" of your thoughts/sensations/feelings also helps with emotion regulation. I think of it as when i observe my thoughts I dont feel as attached to them so i am less likely to go down a spiral and it helps me be less afraid and feel less shame from intrusive thoughts.
I wonder if almost falling on standing on one foot worked as a gentle reminder to you to refocus your attention which made it feel less unpleasant ??? Well, whatever the reason I'm happy you found a modality u liked!
All right, I gotta call myself out here. I started watching this and was like "Oh no, Hayley, not the CURE hacks" and turned it off. Thankfully I came back and you said exactly what I felt at 3:05. I'm all for trying new things just to experiment - because hey! - you might find another resource to put in my ADHD toolbox. In the last 9 months (diagnosed ADHD in May '23, at 39), I've learned my "early" is 9-11 am. I like my morning routine of meds, vitamins, and coffee. I spent a lot of my life disliking myself for not fitting into the "normal" 9-5 mold, but thanks to meds, therapy, a good support system, and YT channels like you and HowToADHD have made a big difference in how I am much kinder and understanding with myself now.
@HowtoADHD the channel has a just, great video about meditation with ADHD if you're curious. Personally I can't plug that video enough. It's massively helped me at least... I can only hope it will help some of you, Hayley included.
Cold showers won't happen till my water heater vanishes or perma-breaks... walking is hard but I'm planning to get back to it when temp and overall climate is more conducive to my body pains begin managed. Flamingo stands are actually one of my basic internal balance exercises to manage my body issues (osteonecrosis yaaaay... not). I'm a chrono-type who will reach productivity between 9pm and 12am.... when I'm managing my symptoms well. So no, FROWYBS when it comes to a 5am wakeup, I'm more of a sleek from 2am to 10am person and devote my daylight to my home and social/ societal responsibilities, then devote my night to me. Almost on a full year of that and I'm happy with it, only hit the rare occasional road blocks when schedules don't match up, but that's adult life as far as I can tell... between medicating, diet, and minimal exercise as weather and body pain allows, I'm missing higher mobility days of old, but managing ADHD beautifully now adays by my own perspective at least.
Aaaah, googling didn’t help. What is FROWYBS short for?
Adding to the people who says "This is why I love yoga" - for me, this is why I LOVE yin yoga in particular! There's something about being in that calm, mindful stage while just slowly stretching and keeping a gentle stretch for a long time that is like the best side of meditation for me. I have a teacher that says that the point of yin yoga is to stretch the ligaments and to calm the nervous systems, and I've noticed that I have such a tendency to tense up (especially when I have to sit still for long periods of time) and to keep being in Fight or Flight mode, and yin yoga really really helps me land. It's similar to that one-foot thing. Also, I do it at a physiotherapy center, so my class is full of people between 30-90, and you hear people fart a little bit (the little "...sorry!" always makes my cheeks hurt from smiling) and snore during the final meditation etc. - it's so human and wholesome and cute. 11/10, do recommend!!
for me I think medication can be enjoying a cup of coffee or tea just looking out your window trying ur best to not touch your phone until you finish your drink. I sometimes have some music on but without any lyrics. its relaxing to let your mind wander:)
Loved seeing how you navigated the new habits! I love habit stacking and give myself lots of grace within the first 30 days of trying to incorporate new habits. It gives me less demand avoidance forsure! 😂
Also movement meditation is the only way I’ve been able to consistently meditate. I used to do Pilates for a couple years then switched to yoga & weight training for meditation. I loved the question of what our brain is supposed to be doing and my best recommendation is to focus on your breathing or processing your day from beginning to end. When my thoughts are chaotic, I go through all my senses to bring my attention to my sight, sound, touch, or orientation of space. This may bring your thoughts to a slower pace which will help you regulate a bit. Love from an social worker with adhd❤
Love this ❤ You genuinely never know what actually helps you personally until you try. I've tried the cold showers and my autism will NOT allow it, the sensory feeling is legit painful, and that's fine cause not everything is for everyone. I might try to cold face wash tho. I do fully know i feel better and more in control of my life and my symptoms if i get enough sleep and have coffee meds and breakfast right away. Actually making that happen... is a different journey haha
Edit after finishing: the funny thing is what you discovered about standing on one foot is exactly why people recommend yoga. It sounds like regular snobbish annoying unhelpful advice until you try it properly. The idea is to connect your body and mind and to focus on the movements and the way it feels and your balance as you maintain or shift positions, and to let any thoughts that come into or out of your mind simply pass through, similar to meditation.
It was fun to watch you come to that realization through your experiment and to find what works for you!
*This isn't me telling anyone that yoga is better than standing on one foot in any way! Or that they have to try yoga instead or anything. Literally whatever works is amazing because the mind and body connection is so valuable and something we easily neglect in a world of rush rush rush produce produce produce. That inner peace is irreplaceable and I hope this video helps more people cultivate that in their daily life ❤
meditating, i could never! but standing on one leg seems like something i might already do when stimming and moving around, i'm so game to try it. exercising almost first thing in the morning is my greatest adhd hack ever. i also smoke a joint, play sims and watch you tube while on the treadmill, but eventully my brain clicks into bliss mode and i'm ready to goooooooooo sit in the sun with a coffee with my dog and cat while my brain gently sifts thru joyfully looking at the sunshine and thinking about going for a walk
The moment day 3 happened and you were standing on one foot with nothing else distracting you. YOU WERE MEDITATING. I'm not an expert but I honestly feel true meditation is just a centering of oneself, relaxing, focusing on nothing and everything at the same time, allowing yourself to just be. As someone who was literally in the last month diagnosed with ADHD. Who also deals with chronic pain and mental illness, I can't wait to try these things out.
ADHD needs stimulation in order to focus, so it makes sense that to be calm ADHD needs a stimulation that reduces stress
The disconnect is the execution has to be different for ADHD even if the principle is universal....
so like meditation...I CANNOT do anything that requires me to sit still or "quiet" my mind - and yet reducing cortisol/stress is something most ppl in the West need.....
so I discovered shaping bonsai & gardening stills my mind and calms me down even if physically I'm moving around and thinking....
it is mindless in one way, stimulating in another, but ultimately is so calming for me
Standing on one foot sounds... Doable. I can try that - I WILL try that! Ty!
*smiles knowingly* I do a more advanced version of standing on one foot, as part of 20min active meditation routine that I loooooove. Standing on one foot is powerful - it's grounding, it's brain gym balancing the left and right side of the brain, and it's an active meditation. If you're blown away by the simple standing on one foot exercise I can show you an even better version if you like.
I love the trial-&-error you went through to find something that works for you! Every body and mind is different and many people misunderstand what real meditation is: A calm time of focus. Many people break it down to sitting still and focusing on deep breaths (very beneficial in many ways, but not the best practice for a lot of people). But it's definition isn't actually a specific focus on breath. You're focusing on balance and alignment and that's phenomenal!
oh I love standing on one leg. like a sleeping flamingo. for some reason it comforts me. I've never done 5 minutes in one go though. gonna try that!
My observation about meditation is that it took me years to realize that it wasn't about "shutting off", it was about actually seeing the stream of consciousness in action and slowing it down just enough so I could pull out the unhelpful thoughts. And even then, it was trying multiple different types. I discovered for me that the Headspace focus music (specifically the Hans Zimmer one), their nighttime wind downs where I can listen to the equivalent of a story, and specifically meditations that focus on watching the stream of focus worked best. Thank you for putting yourself through the wringer to assess these for yourself! I think people tend to get discouraged and forget that there is no quick fix.
Can’t wait to try this one footed practice! Before you said it, I was thinking, this is a form of meditation. What I learned most from the mindfulness module of DBT, it’s about AWARENESS. Noticing your attention, controlling your attention, whatever it is you are doing. I believe being mindful is a form of meditation, and way more practical for an ADHD brain.
When I was younger and didn’t have a phone, I woke up around 7 am every day and I could only turn on the TV at 10 am (and later) on weekends so I just sat on the couch in silence, looked out the window and thought about random things! It was unintentional meditation (which I basically just realised) and I miss it so I’m gonna start doing that again lol thank you for the video! ❤
The active meditation actually sounds and looks like a good idea. Putting on some nice music and just stretch slowly seems like a win
halfway through the video and I'm seeing a correlation with feeling emotionally regulated initially and your ability to settle into your guided meditation while sitting. Because your face when you finished your meditation is my face when I finish a guided meditation with Headspace! I love it! I'm so glad you enjoyed your meditation.
Also, my definition of a "meditative state" is being fully present and/or aware of your physical body. Aka, not worrying about the future or stressing about the past.
Finally, I would recommend you try hitting up your local sauna and trying their cold plunge after getting out of the sauna. It's tough at first, but keeping your arms out helps a lot. But alternating your body temperature from hot to cold (contrast therapy) is really really good for your circulation and nervous system. At least, it has for me. Thanks for the content!
I started taking hot yoga classes MWF at 6am and the first day I felt a boost of energy/happiness that lasted the whole week. Yoga (which is amazing for ADHD bc it stimulates the cerebellum and can be a form of meditation) + having 2 hours to get ready for work instead of 1 has been so GOOD for me! Morning people are definitely on to something.
I love that the silliest thing was one of the best! Just goes to show, you never know!
Successful meditation for me looks like: guided meditations, gentle movement like yoga, or even just rubbing lotion into my body in an intentional way. Anything where I feel present in my body and in this moment feels like meditation to me.
I think you're spot on with standing on one foot thing, and it reminds me of tree pose in yoga, which is definitely a form of meditation.
I'm gonna have to go and try it now, thanks!
Your character drawings are so cute! 🥰 I already loved the little bees 🐝 I've seen in the few vids I've watched of yours so far. But frogs 🐸 are my fav animal and your froggy in this vid is adorable!
I love doing a guided class about an activity I’m not that familiar with like Tai-Chi. I have to focus on the moment and feel like I have done a meditation session by the time I’m out. Forcing my brain to think about something else besides my stress, allowing me to let go for a while.
i love your videos but i mainly watch podcast style, if you read the captions of the tiktoks it would be really helpful and make it more accessible to those with vision impairment :-)
I’m glad I’m not the only one who “watches” TH-cam as if the videos were podcasts!
Hey Hayley, love the one-footed standing! I actually do something similar. I've found that standing on one foot SUPER helps my attention during long calls with friends (something I definitely want to do, but I have difficulty paying sustained attention to). If the one-footed standing ever gets too easy, you can find many kinds of balance boards for cheap. Those are fun for gamifying/variety too- you can turn around, scoot across the room, do the balance board on one/two feet, whatever. Cheers!
A former struggler with meditation, I watched this whole video waiting for you to realize the standing on one for is ABSOLUTELY a form of meditation.
Also, too disliked cold showers until i changed how i did them. I start warm, and drop the temperature of the water at different points until it's finishing cold.
At no point should i be shivering. I have conditions that make being that cold painful, but finishing a normal shower cold has done amazing things for my morning energy and skin and hair.
And if I don't feel like standing that long any morning shower helps.
Running cold water over your arms and face is a great way to start a day. As a mom with too less sleep I really have to say, that this helps me focus and be more awaks
In winter I have such a hard time staying warm that a cold shower would KILL ME. I HATE being cold.
I will however stand outside without a jacket on to grab something/put out the garbage, use cold water on my face, and use ice packs on my chest/neck.
In the summer I only have cold showers because it's 35 degrees out lol. Even at night
15:55 this is what your mind is supposed to do during meditation! It's about being present in this moment and noticing your thoughts calmly without really engaging with them (letting your mind wander). Anything that puts you in this state of mind while you do it can be considered meditative! My favorite meditative activity is crocheting!
ETA: Taking a warm shower with a minute or two of cold rinsing at the end will give you all the same physical and mental health benefits without the absolute misery a full cold shower causes
I just thought of this, while I was watching you talk about meditating through movement… For most of my life, I did dance, and when I was in class, I would focus on the way my body felt in certain positions. Now when I do yoga or exercise, my brain doesn’t think about other things; it just thinks about movement. And that is a form of meditation, because if I can get my brain to shut up about the 80 other things that wants to think about, I will take it! So in other words, it’s OK to think about what move you’re going to do now, or next, especially if that’s the only thing you’re thinking about.
I want to start off with, I love your Primus shirt in your ad!
I am medicated for ADHD but I really enjoy Headspace for meditation. Mindfulness(no matter what you’re doing) is helpful too. I have to remind myself that a wondering mind is normal and then guide my mind back to whatever it is I’m doing.
I struggle with the early wake-up because I get so moody when I’m tired and I don’t want to be a butthole to my loved ones 😅
I actually discovered the same thing with standing on one foot during vestibular PT! I don't do it every day, but I do it regularly and it's such a nice experience. I'll have to try out doing it early in the day!
I heard about the cold shower on The Doctors several years ago. I remember thinking how that would be nice but not in the winter. I used to live in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois the wind chill would get to -20 during the day and -50 at night. During winter you need to stay warm. I heard dunking your face in an ice bath helps too. Crafting, coloring, sewing, quilting, wood working, puzzles and any other hobbies are good for meditation. Just something for you to focus on and gets you out of your head.
the only meditations i can do are body scan and doing a repetitive task. body scan meditation for me looks like mentally taking a check in of how my body feels, without judging or trying to change any of the things i notice. will note, not good for very anxious days or chronic pain/illness flare up days. and for repetitive tasks,ive taken up sock knitting.
also input on yhe cold shower - i do 30secs at the end of a normal shower. im not consistent w it but it helps when im able :)
Lived in a place with no running cold water at the bathroom sink. Instead of a cold shower, I would just wash my face and arms and actually felt super refreshed.
Now I know why my favorite yoga poses are standing on one foot or any balancing poses for that matter (some require quite a bit of balance even standing on two feet)
I have a hack for the commute-wait-rage...
I knit, i have ADHD, and i also have no car, so i frequently find myself a victim of the worst public transport system in all of Europe.
I'm not gonna say "start knitting", but like, start knitting. Or crocheting, or anything else you can think of that keeps your hands busy during the wait. Bonus points if you end up making something useful out of what you spend your time on.
It is stimming/fidgeting, passing the wait time and being productive at the same time. I never get on a bus or a train without a knitting sock or dishcloth project in my bag.
I can't do cold showers either, but I like to switch back and forth between hot and cold. The quick blasts of cold feel good and help me wake up without losing the joy of a warm shower.
Meditating is tough but I love guided meditations! They really help me stay in it. I also use one to help me fall asleep. As for cold showers, I prefer an ice bath! But I also like to “embrace the suck” as a friend of mine says. As Long as I brace myself for it, I can do it and feel refreshed.
This was a fun video. U feel like a friend I could have :)
I’ll try the 5 min standing on one foot thing too and see how it goes
I remember being in high school and meditation being apart of out daily homeroom for mental health and IT DROVE ME IINSANE! I cannot sit still, my brain gets irritated lol. But I have found that having a night routine really help me so I'm going to share it for someone else: Every night after my shower I grab a foam roller, golf ball, and tennis ball and roll out my muscles listening to relaxing music. (Rolling out muscles can be easier then stretching, and it does not require much effort to put a little ball in your butt/back/calves/neck and just release some tension lol) Sometimes I get bored so I make sure I listen to music I like, but the key to this is breathing and just letting your mind wonder if it wants. A big rule I have during this time IS NO TALKING TO MYSELF. when my brain gets bored I either have to move or talk excessively. But by focusing on my breathing, and relaxing my muscles it makes it so much easier to relax my mind to sleep. Sometimes listening to pink or brown noise can help too! I find pink noise works best for me xx . If someone tries this rolling out meditation then please tell me ! Id love to hear how you go xx
I’m so glad you brought up that still meditation doesn’t work for you! When a therapist mentioned to me that she only meditates when she’s moving, it totally opened up the practice to me
Re:meditation, I think something I don’t ever hear addressed is the fact that it’s something that you practice, that you get better at over time. I also like swimming or any physical activity that forces me to regulate my breath, NSDR meditations (body scans), and meditation with mantras that I can repeat and come back to when my mind wanders. But everyday will be different when you meditate, and that’s ok.
Wow this was the first morning routine video where I was like 🤯”that makes complete sense!” One of most relatable and realistic methods
I do a 10-20 second cold shower at the end of my normal showers!! Sometimes it'll literally be 5 seconds (or I skip it if I'm ill or super tired ). I find that it stills my mind and helps me regulate my nervous system and I just feel pleased with myself for doing it haha. I really liked this video!
I wake up early so I can procrastinate and scroll TH-cam for an hour as my pre work reward, while I do that I do the tasks I don’t enjoy, skincare routine, breakfast, coffee, taking my meds, making sure I have water, making my bed. It’s habit stacking apparently! Who knew? You did Hayley and you told me this in another video last night. Thanks for being a person who finally speaks in a way that stops my guilt for this practice. I can now give myself permission to enjoy that process with my whole self.
The standing on one foot thing makes a lot of sense. There is actual research that shows that balance exercises can help a lot with ADHD symptoms. There are doctors/therapists who use different balance exercises as part of ADHD treatment. I read about this in one of the books by Dr. Hallowell, don’t remember which book though. I was diagnosed as an adult and have been a dancer since I was 4, so I do wonder if my ADHD would be worse without dance.
I used to run cold water at the end of my shower. It was super invigorating, and I had some pretty hot water before, so it helped prep me. You could also start with lukewarm water, if you’re bent on doing cold showers, then slowly decrease it until you find a reasonable, and non miserable, temperature.
Also, cool showers in a house without A/C in the summer, are amazing. Just open the window if you have one, and let the warm breeze roll through while you shower.
Things I do to mentally and or physically to relax. Strength training, reading " I enjoy reading regency / victorian books Sally Britton and Mimi Matthews books are so good! 🙌". Playing a rhythm game or cozy game like Stardew Valley helps me unwind mentally.
thankyou so much for all your videos!
10:42 I actually recently learned that THIS is actual meditation which is normally about focusing (or at least try) to focus on the present time, current space and feelings (both physical and emotional)
Moving meditations are the way 🙌 no wonder I love Qigong, yoga and Wu bu Quan, they have a lot of balancing work. I also love to do guided meditations with a comforting tea/cocoa. Silent meditations were chaotic for me 🤣
Cleaning, cooking, eating, walking and most of the tasks we do are also ways of meditating. If you focus on what you are doing, it is meditating. If you narrate in your head your every move; almost everything can be a meditation. That’s what I heard (on TH-cam) from a Buddhist monk.
You might find some of the movements developed by Donna Eden interesting, fun and very doable. She does tapping/thumping stuff as "energy medicine", but I actually have had good experiences with some of the movements. For example, walking backwards slowly (in a level, uncluttered space) can "smooth" my mind when I am feeling scattered or distressed. There's also walking forward with a criss-cross. You lift your left knee like you're marching while swinging your right arm toward your uplifted knee. Then do the same with your right knee/left arm. There's also a seated criss-cross posture that has the same kind of "recalibrating" effect. And the one "thumping" movement that immediately calms and focuses me mentally and emotionally is 12 thumps with your first 2 fingers (both hands), firmly but not hard, in the hollows beneath your collarbone. And finally, there's a soothing movement where you rub your hands together briskly to energize them, shake them a couple of times like you're shaking off water drops, and then place your fingers meeting horizontally in the middle of your forehead, and gently pull them towards your temples, as if you're open up your forehead. You can keep working upwards with each stroke, opening and opening, and when you get into your hairline, open your fingers a little like they're combs, and keep stroking outwards toward your ears. Like you're opening your skull. It's really soothing. Watching her TH-cam videos (her daughters do videos, too) is easier than following my written descriptions. One last note, meditating at night isn't the best for people with ADHD. I always fall asleep if I try to meditate after 5 p.m. After your shower (hot or cold) and after tea or coffee, believe it or not), works better. Meditation really isn't about relaxing like taking a warm bath. It's more like clearing space to let a little light in. No matter how fleeting that moment of light is, it tends to ground a person and as you said, make you feel more emotionally regulated. Pema Chodron has been meditating something like 60 years, and even she says she's a "bad" meditator. I can't meditate for more than 10 minutes. I use a phrase "I Am Here" in slow repetition while focusing on a spot in front of me. I normally get 2 or 3 very brief moments of silent mind and light. And that's considered "good"! But I always feel some benefit... Good luck with your experiments and thanks for sharing them with us.
From what I understand about meditation, never having done it for long, is that its about just being quiet and sitting with your thoughts. You sit and let your mind wander and our adhd minds will wander far and wide and eventually bring up some uncomfortable thoughts. This whole time, you are to let all the thoughts come and go. You might want to push the bad thoughts away and control the experience, thats not the way. You shouldn't judge the thoughts as good or bad, they are just thoughts and you can learn from them but let them be. You can focus on stretching your ability to let a thought come and go without judgement. A way to do this is remembering to listen to a sound like your breathing, wind chimes, anything soothing. If you start judging your thoughts, focus back on the sound. ❤ love your content you help me a lot❤
Love these tips!
In terms of what active meditation is though, my old therapist described it to me as something that forces the brain to focus on one thing, that requires concentration to be achieved or can be used to pull the brain back to that thing if it starts to wander.
Physical movement, solving puzzles, math problems - anything that makes the brain HAVE to focus. So when it stops focusing, there's something to pull it back. Then by focusing on having to perform a task, the brain can take a rest from the constant chatter vying for attention.
Active meditation is the brain's equivalent of having to turn off one of those smart alarms like Alarmy where you need to do the math problems correctly otherwise the alarm just keeps going. 😂