Hmm, this wasn’t entirely mindful, but I was preparing a meal and I put on the radio. The show happened to be on happiness, and the scientific bases of happiness. The biggest contributor to being happy was being “present”, to be doing what you “should” be doing. The opposite of happy was to be doing one thing but thinking of something else. Being mindful generates a state of happiness… not when your mind is wandering.
Which sounds exactly like the mindfulness practice for controlling ADHD behaviors and emotions. All you need to do when you are worrying or feeling frantic is to remind yourself to re-focus on one thing. If you’re not sure what to focus on, then sit still and focus on your breath going in and out. The more you practice doing this, either formally or informally, the easier and more automatic it becomes. If you can plan on practicing 5 minutes a day, twice a day, you will have already started a new way to help you with executive functions AND generate happiness.
TED Radio Hour’s show on happiness. When the player pops up, click on the “Are We Happier When We Stay in the Moment?” for a scientific exploration of how to increase happiness. (If you have time, the theme of creating happiness is explored very nicely in the other segments of the show.)
[Note: I could listen and cook, but I cannot write and cook, or even write and listen to the voices on the radio. I need to be “mindful” to write. I cannot hear the “next thought” or “next word” if there are competing sensations that my brain needs to process. This need for complete silence and concentration may be different for a person with ADHD… I continue to explore that question with my students, who appear to be able to produce more with non-verbal music or binaural beats playing in the background.]