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I've found that kids with attention deficits (diagnosed or not) tend to be able to talk and focus better when they can move around. Try right now to describe s

I've found that kids with attention deficits (diagnosed or not) tend to be able to talk and focus better when they can move around. Try right now to describe something at the far side of the room without pushing your head or using your hands. Communication and interpretation is more than just verbal.

jMyles 12y ago
No doubt. I can't imagine why you're being downvoted?
hgibbs 12y ago
I have adhd and have noticed that some of my own behaviours fit this characterisation. 1) I typically pace when talking on the phone 2) In general, going for a walk is a really good way to clear my mind. 3) I will walk around a lot, and quickly, when I am anxious. 4) It is easier for me to sleep when there is rain or a fan on in my room. Any kind of white noise. 5) When I need to think about something particularly abstract, I will take a shower. Going through the routines of cleaning my hair, using soap etc, all while having the physical stimulation of water falling on my back, helps to get me in a very focused and 'zen' state.
- late2part 12y ago
  Have you ever tried meditation? I wonder if it would influence how you handle yourself. I think your behaviors are fine, I'm not judging or suggesting you change, but I wonder how it would help.
  - hgibbs 12y ago
    Well my behaviours aren't obtrusive, if thats what you mean, and I am fine with them, considering that. I have tried meditation and yoga, but I could never get the motivation required to build a habit. One of the main problems with meditation is that it is all about stillness, which can be very hard for somebody with ADHD! I mean, relatively speaking, a shower is a bit like a form of meditation for me, so maybe people of ADHD do practice a form of meditation by engaging in these activities.
    - sls 12y ago
      You can do walking meditation. Once you have a basis in concentration practice, it's just about continually returning to awareness of the present moment. It's common to alternate sitting and walking meditation during extended sessions, to my knowledge both in south-east Asia and in Japan.
      - hgibbs 12y ago
        Huh, I guess I should look into it more.
- Retra 12y ago
  Everything you've said is true for me as well. But then people say things like "I need noise and stimulation to concentrate," whereas I can't get anything done unless I have total silence. And I don't have ADHD.
- libraryatnight 12y ago
  I always enjoy reading others have these behaviors. My wife thinks it's funny how I pace when on the phone. Sometimes I even move from room to room and back, pacing the house. I have recently been working from home, and one of the added benefits is I can take a walk and it's not a big deal and no one bothers me. At work it was awkward walking the parking lot and usually people would stop and try to chat. walks significantly lower my anxiety level and help me focus. I use the White Noise app on my phone with the rain on a tent sound loaded to get to sleep. It's a great little app, takes me significantly less time to sleep. Showers are great, I also enjoy a long drive during periods of little or no traffic. Really anything where I'm thinking and engaged but also sort of in autopilot - routine acts. I didn't realize I had ADHD until I was older, and I went to therapy for anxiety and depression. When I was young I struggled a lot, but it was always approached from the angle of discipline and 'just focus and get it done.' I started to develop bad habits of internally beating myself up when I couldn't focus, or I realized a simple homework item was taking me ages - usually because I'd stop to read something out of a novel, or work on a drawing, or just doodle all down the sides of my paper. Then I'd bring myself back, "C'mon, don't be an idiot, this is easy." I developed the same bad habit for depression, "Just cheer up, stop being such a gloomy ass." I often wish I had been more open with my difficulties earlier in life and talked to my parents and teachers about how I was feeling. As a kid, though, that was an unappealing notion.
plaguuuuuu 12y ago
Reddit had a link to a study proving this phenomenon a couple of days ago.

jMyles 12y ago

No doubt. I can't imagine why you're being downvoted?

hgibbs 12y ago

I have adhd and have noticed that some of my own behaviours fit this characterisation. 1) I typically pace when talking on the phone 2) In general, going for a walk is a really good way to clear my mind. 3) I will walk around a lot, and quickly, when I am anxious. 4) It is easier for me to sleep when there is rain or a fan on in my room. Any kind of white noise. 5) When I need to think about something particularly abstract, I will take a shower. Going through the routines of cleaning my hair, using soap etc, all while having the physical stimulation of water falling on my back, helps to get me in a very focused and 'zen' state.

late2part 12y ago
Have you ever tried meditation? I wonder if it would influence how you handle yourself. I think your behaviors are fine, I'm not judging or suggesting you change, but I wonder how it would help.
- hgibbs 12y ago
  Well my behaviours aren't obtrusive, if thats what you mean, and I am fine with them, considering that. I have tried meditation and yoga, but I could never get the motivation required to build a habit. One of the main problems with meditation is that it is all about stillness, which can be very hard for somebody with ADHD! I mean, relatively speaking, a shower is a bit like a form of meditation for me, so maybe people of ADHD do practice a form of meditation by engaging in these activities.
  - sls 12y ago
    You can do walking meditation. Once you have a basis in concentration practice, it's just about continually returning to awareness of the present moment. It's common to alternate sitting and walking meditation during extended sessions, to my knowledge both in south-east Asia and in Japan.
    - hgibbs 12y ago
      Huh, I guess I should look into it more.
Retra 12y ago
Everything you've said is true for me as well. But then people say things like "I need noise and stimulation to concentrate," whereas I can't get anything done unless I have total silence. And I don't have ADHD.
libraryatnight 12y ago
I always enjoy reading others have these behaviors. My wife thinks it's funny how I pace when on the phone. Sometimes I even move from room to room and back, pacing the house. I have recently been working from home, and one of the added benefits is I can take a walk and it's not a big deal and no one bothers me. At work it was awkward walking the parking lot and usually people would stop and try to chat. walks significantly lower my anxiety level and help me focus. I use the White Noise app on my phone with the rain on a tent sound loaded to get to sleep. It's a great little app, takes me significantly less time to sleep. Showers are great, I also enjoy a long drive during periods of little or no traffic. Really anything where I'm thinking and engaged but also sort of in autopilot - routine acts. I didn't realize I had ADHD until I was older, and I went to therapy for anxiety and depression. When I was young I struggled a lot, but it was always approached from the angle of discipline and 'just focus and get it done.' I started to develop bad habits of internally beating myself up when I couldn't focus, or I realized a simple homework item was taking me ages - usually because I'd stop to read something out of a novel, or work on a drawing, or just doodle all down the sides of my paper. Then I'd bring myself back, "C'mon, don't be an idiot, this is easy." I developed the same bad habit for depression, "Just cheer up, stop being such a gloomy ass." I often wish I had been more open with my difficulties earlier in life and talked to my parents and teachers about how I was feeling. As a kid, though, that was an unappealing notion.

plaguuuuuu 12y ago

Reddit had a link to a study proving this phenomenon a couple of days ago.