ADHD, Meditation, and the Fight to Slow a Runaway Brain
- Sarah Scritch
- Dec 23, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 6
Let’s be real: ADHD is a mother****** to live with. And while the term has become more “normalized,” it’s often misunderstood in the worst way. I hear comments like, “My ADHD kicked in so I switched shows,” or “I started that earlier but my ADD acts up, so I moved on.”
These are usually well-meaning people who have no idea what the actual cognitive fallout of ADHD looks like. The fact that you decided to switch tasks? That alone tells me you probably don’t have ADHD.
For me, switching tasks on purpose requires work—timers, sleep (if it ever shows up), meds, structure, and mindful practice. If one variable slips, I can find myself on task #4 before I even realize tasks #1–5 are still sitting there, untouched and absolutely not prioritized in any logical order.
ADHD is a constant uphill grind. One minute I’ve got a great idea. The next minute I’ve got twelve. None are finished, all are competing for top billing. Or worse, I hyperfocus on something irrelevant and lose three hours that I swear felt like five minutes.
Medication helps, don’t get me wrong. The first time I took it, I was shocked that this slower, more methodical mental pace is how many people naturally function. But meds aren’t a cure. They’re a tool. ADHD doesn’t disappear because you swallowed something at 8 a.m.
Sleep, My Worst Frenemy
I’m committed to improving my brain health in every way I can. But the most powerful tool, sleep, is practically a myth in my world. If I slept normally, I can only imagine the stability I might feel with both ADHD and Bipolar II. Actual productivity? Clear decisions? A brain that doesn’t feel like a live wire? Wild concept.
But sleep isn’t reliable for me. So I had to find other ways to give my brain a break.
With ADHD, it’s common to crave a sudden state change which sometimes leads people toward unhealthy coping mechanisms. For me, running became a healthier escape. More recently, guided breathing meditation has become another tool. One that genuinely surprised me with how much it helps.
Some days it strengthens my attention span just enough for me to notice when I’m drifting and reel myself back in before I slide too far off track.
Runaway Brain. Warp-Speed Thoughts Need a Brake Pedal.
When your mind runs at warp speed, everything feels urgent...every task, every fear, every idea firing at full volume. Guided breathing meditation has taught me how to hit pause when my anxiety spikes.
Because here’s the truth: When you’re breathing deeply, your brain cannot fully focus on chaos at the same time.
Meditation gives me a physical and mental anchor. Guided audio gives me a voice to focus on. Breathing gives me something to feel. I slow my thoughts by slowing my breath and when the breath steadies, the panic finally loosens its grip.
Meditation Isn’t About “Thinking Nothing”
There’s this idea that meditation means clearing your mind completely. That you shouldn’t get distracted. That you should sit like a peaceful little statue.
Wrong.
Meditation, especially meditation for ADHD, is about noticing when you get distracted and coming back. You will get distracted. That’s the whole point.
You learn to label the interruption:
Thought.
Memory.
Noise.
Idea.
Then you come back to your breath or the guide’s voice. Over time, you catch yourself drifting sooner and return sooner. That’s progress. Not perfection.
Why Guided Breathing Meditation Works for ADHD
Meditation can feel impossible at first with an ADHD brain. That’s why guided breathing helps.
You get:
A voice to follow
A rhythm to breathe to
A physical anchor (your breath)
A mental anchor (the narration)
It engages both mind and body so you’re not just “sitting and trying not to think.”
If you redirect your attention thirty times in sixty seconds, congratulations! You meditated. You have practiced mindfulness.
And here’s the magic: ADHD hyperfocus can become a superpower here. Once you learn to latch onto guided breathing, you can drop deeper than most people ever will.
Meditation has become a tiny vacation for my brain. A moment where my thoughts aren’t running the show and my anxiety isn’t steering the wheel. Some days my Bipolar II or ADHD refuses to cooperate, but I keep trying.
Because even a sliver of peace is worth grabbing with both hands.
And on the days it works?
Damn. It feels like breathing for the first time.
"And hope that I had survived yesterday
And today is jealous of tomorrow
Something like flying
Hard to describe it
My God, I'm breathing underwater
Something like freedom, freedom
My God, I'm breathing underwater..."
🎧 Breathing Underwater - Emeli Sandé
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