1. The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
2. A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
There has been a lot of discussion on how mindfulness can help the ADHD mind focus and concentrate. The very definition of mindfulness being a mental state achieved by one’s ability to focus on ONLY the present moment, is the direct opposite of the ADHD state of mind. The ADHD mind is defined as an on-going pattern of inattention.
So if being in the now is so important, how can you get there?
There are several strategies and apps to assist you with this. One simple strategy recommend by Practicing Mindfulness is a called a Mental Focus Exercise. “Stare at any object and try to remain focused on just that object for as long as possible. Keep a mental watch on when your mind starts to wander, then just bring it back to the object. The longer you can remain focused, the more your mindfulness will increase.”