Hyperfocus meet Mindfulness
Hello!
I’ve started reading “The Mindfulness Prescription for ADHD“ by Lydia Zylowska, the book we’ll be discussing in my next book club.
In the Introduction there was a description that really landed with me. The author talks about being lost in thought and the opposite, being alert and aware of what we are doing.
For example, last week I completely lost Wednesday.
How does one lose a day you might ask? (But you probably won’t if you have ADHD)
Well, I didn’t have a lot on my calendar because I intentionally planned a pretty chill week after getting back from a trip. But I had a lot on my to-do list that I hadn’t gotten around to actually time blocking on my calendar.
You get the picture.
Instead I spent the day doing… I’m not sure what exactly.
It wasn’t a big problem, but by Friday I was scrambling. All the things that never even crossed my mind on Wednesday were now critically important to get done, all before 11 AM.
So when I read that description about being alert and aware, it really hit me. The book introduction explains:
Mindfulness allows us to grow our ability to be aware of the present and make choices about what we want to do and what will support our goals.
Have you ever completely lost track of time before? Maybe you were deep in a hyper-focus or binging a show, book, or social media.
Did balls get dropped?
What is your strategy for recovering or pulling yourself out of a hyper-focus when necessary?
Hyper-focus can be an ADHD superpower, but when you have competing responsibilities, as most women do, it can also be a source of shame. Balls get dropped, appointments get missed, kids don’t make it to sports practices - Ahem.
I looked for a good article with a description of hyper-focus and not a single one talked about what to do in the aftermath of lost time. Here are two articles from Additude Magazine that explain hyper-focus and offer some exit strategies. But how do we recover from the aftermath?
Understanding ADHD and Hyperfocus
I chose The Mindfulness Prescription for our next book club because I love how mindfulness supports our ability to actually use the executive function tools in our toolbox, to be present to what’s happening in the moment so the structures that work for our lives can stick, and to be kind to ourselves when things go awry.
Care to join me? Grab a copy of the book/audiobook and get reading/listening!
In May and June I’ll be hosting a special two-session book club on The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD: An 8-Step Program for Strengthening Attention, Managing Emotions, and Achieving Your Goals by Lidia Zylowska MD. It’s a beautiful, practical guide - and reading it in community makes it even richer.
We’ll meet on:
Session 1: Tuesday, May 26 at 3PM Pacific (Note the date change!)
Session 2: Tuesday, June 9th at 10AM Pacific
If mindfulness has been on your mind — or if you’ve been curious about it but haven’t known where to start — I’d love to have you join us. This is a warm, no-pressure space to learn alongside other late-diagnosed women who get it. Hit reply to let me know you’re in.
Warmly,
Danica
What I’ve been Reading/Watching/Listening to:
I love when synchronicity shows up in life, I’m obviously reading The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD. But in an email this week from Kate Moryoussef of The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast she included a link to an old episode. An interview with Lydia Zylowska, the author of The Mindfulness Prescription.
Sari Solden, the author of The Radical Guide for Women with ADHD, my all time favorite book for ADHD women, has a new Substack and it is absolutely right up my alley. Soo good! If you’re into Substack, it’s a must follow. I don’t think I could possibly recommend it more highly.
