By Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D.

I’m giving a nod to all my ADHD entrepreneurial colleagues, especially in our local Kennett Square community, as you navigate business in the entrepreneurial spirit with your ADHD superpowers and the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur. When I say challenges, namely, focusing on certain tasks (I’m sure you know which ones you love avoiding) and calming your ADHD brain to feel less stressed and more at ease.

This one’s for you.

I’m sure you’ve noticed how well-suited your ADHD superpowers are in the world of entrepreneurship. 

First and most brilliantly, you bring to the table a first-class energy and the ability to hyperfocus on tasks you find interesting. While you may get distracted, your creativity brings innovation that creates impact in your communities.

So, thank you for bringing your positive influence and neurodiverse brain to make an impact in your own ways.

But you find that the flip side of ADHD may cause you to get distracted, avoid or not be able to stay on tasks, and be forgetful. Or you may struggle with mood swings, unable to cope with stress, and make impulsive decisions that aren’t moving your business forward.

On top of that, your brain feels like it’s spinning its wheels, going in a thousand directions at once. In fact, your brain processes 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts every single day. And how many of these are negative thought patterns cycling in your brain every second of the day; beliefs that come from your upbringing within your family and society. 

That’s why I’m here today to talk about mindfulness to improve your focus, ease symptoms of ADHD, and cope with emotional stress. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment, and having awareness of your external environment and internal states of being. It’s awareness without judgment. 

More importantly, as an entrepreneur with ADHD, mindfulness doesn’t have to be sitting still with your eyes closed for a half an hour. 

Mindfulness is a powerful practice that can enhance your ADHD therapy or coaching sessions and can be used in addition to your ADHD medication, if you’re currently on medication, to manage your ADHD symptoms. 

So let’s get into 5 mindfulness techniques for ADHD entrepreneurs to focus better and reduce stress and anxiety.

5 Mindfulness Techniques for ADHD

The first step to mindfulness is curiosity. Yes, get curious. In this way, you’re increasing your self-awareness so you can pause, reflect, and redirect your thinking. 

When you’re faced with highly uninteresting tasks, or feeling a dose of anxiety, or you keep moving from task to task not finishing anything – then bring your awareness to your thoughts. 

Get curious and notice what thought or emotion is coming up for you at the moment. Ask yourself, in a nonjudgmental way, why you’re having this thought or feeling. Follow your line of thinking, and see if you can find the root cause. 

From here, you can acknowledge or thank your thought or emotion for serving you as needed, and try one of these mindfulness techniques.

If you’re new to practicing mindfulness, I recommend that you try any of these techniques using a guided meditation through apps such as Calm and Breathwrk. You can also find helpful guided meditations on Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self Compassion practices page.

Also, consider trying any of the mindfulness techniques with just 5 minutes and build from there.

Last but not least, you can try these mindfulness techniques while standing, walking, or moving however feels best.

#1: Loving Kindness Meditation

When you’re feeling down about yourself because you haven’t completed any of the tasks you had set out to complete, it may help to try the loving kindness meditation. This is a radical practice in self-compassion as you mentally send kindness and warmth to yourself and others through mantras. 

This mindfulness technique can decrease negative emotions towards yourself and others, and can help you pause and increase self-awareness to then reframe your negative thoughts.

Dr. Kristin Neff has a couple Loving Kindness guided meditations on her self compassion practices page that you can try out.

#2: Moving Meditation

As an entrepreneur with ADHD, the moving meditation might be well-suited for you when you feel like your mind is spinning its wheels. In essence, moving meditation uses intentional movement to calm the mind. While practicing this mindfulness technique, you’ll find deeper clarity around your thoughts and feelings without judgment. 

You can head outside to one of the many beautiful parks in Chester County or the greater PA area for a moving meditation or even while at your standing desk in your home office.

Several different moving meditations include yoga, mindful walking, mindful dancing, and mindful stretching. 

When practicing any of these moving meditations, you’re paying close attention to your body and the sensations, such as the feeling of your foot touching the ground, the temperature of the air coming in and out of your nostrils, or paying attention to specific muscle groups.

#3: 5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Grounding

This mindfulness technique intentionally connects with your 5 senses and helps anchor you into the present moment. If you find yourself unable to focus on the details of a project or you’re feeling like you’re having difficulty managing work stress or feeling anxious, then try the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding technique.

It’s a simple mindfulness technique that can be practiced in the moment anywhere – in your home office, out and about at business networking events, or if you have a moment in your car before you head off to your next destination.

When you practice this technique, all you need to do is notice:

• 5 things you see
• 4 things you touch
• 3 things you hear
• 2 things you smell
• 1 thing you taste

After practicing the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding technique, you may find you’re able to focus better or you feel less stress or anxiety. For any of these techniques, you’ll want to cultivate a practice so you’re able to tap into any of these techniques when you need them.

#4: Body Scan

If your mind feels distracted or you feel like you need to assess your energy level, then try the body scan meditation to increase inner awareness and focus. You can lay down with your eyes closed or, as an active entrepreneur with ADHD, go out for a walk if you want to move while practicing the body scan meditation.

Basically, you mentally scan different parts of your body from head to toes and non-judgmentally notice the sensations in the different parts. If you find your thoughts wandering, that’s okay. It happens to everyone. Just bring your attention back to the body scan.

#5: Breathing Techniques

When you find yourself losing focus, feeling a bit tight in the chest from anxiety, or you’ve noticed your thoughts spiraling in negativity, there are a plethora of breathing techniques to activate a relaxation response within your body. These breathing techniques can help center you and calm your nervous system.

You can try these different breathing techniques only as it feels comfortable for you as some involve inhaling, holding your breath, and exhaling for a number of counts. Also, consider adjusting the breath counts as you see fit.

Here are a few different breathing techniques you can practice that can help to decrease anxiety or stress, slow down your thoughts, or help you sleep:

• 4-7-8 breathing – Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and exhale for a count of 8
• Box breathing – Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold of 4.
• Lion’s breath – Inhale through your nose and forcefully exhale out of your mouth with a “ha” while opening mouth wide and sticking out your tongue
• Lengthen your exhale – Inhale slowly through the nose for 3, exhale through the mouth for 6. You can extend to inhale for 4 and exhale for 8. The purpose is to exhale for a longer count than your inhale.

Testing for ADHD is Crucial For Successful Treatment Goals

I’m finding more people getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and it has helped them to get the right support they need to improve their focus and executive function skills while also improving their well-being. 

As an advocate for high-quality and detailed psychological screeners and evaluations, I recommend first getting tested to identify the underlying diagnosis and concerns. 

Consequently, testing will tease out whether you  truly have ADHD and Executive Functioning concerns versus another mental health concern that is impacting your daily activities. For example, testing can help uncover if procrastination is due to the inability to sustain attention or anxiety and/or perfectionism. 

In essence, accurate diagnosis is critical to developing treatment goals that addresses the underlying mental health concerns and skills needed for daily functioning.   

So if you’re looking for support, make sure to consider a specialist who provides testing to uncover the underlying diagnosis and concerns, thus prompting the appropriate treatment plan and skills implementation.

More Resources

How to Improve Executive Function For Your Child With ADHD, by Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D.

8 Purposeful Activities For Kids With ADHD to Improve Self Regulation and Promote Emotional Well-Being, by Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D.

Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, https://self-compassion.org/fierce-self-compassion/

Kristin Neff’s guided meditations, https://self-compassion.org/category/exercises/#guided-meditations

Self-compassion scale, https://self-compassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Self_Compassion_Scale_for_researchers.pdf

Tedx Talk “Cultivating Unconditional Self-Worth” by clinical psychologist Adia Gooden, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EirlZ7fy3bE

Tedx Talk “Dare to Rewire Your Brain for Self-Compassion” by psychologist Weiyang Xie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiEMVA8AIJw

*Disclaimer: The contents of this blog does not constitute a clinical relationship or replace the need for professional services. 

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Here at CCWB, we value our clients and acknowledge the courage it takes to seek professional mental health support.

Chester County Well-Being (CCWB) provides a range of mental health services to ensure we meet our community’s needs. We serve individuals, couples, and families in the Chester County area. Reach out to us here.

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About the Authors

Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D. is founder and psychologist at Chester County Well-Being.  

She has a collaborative approach that results in highly tailored evaluations intended to meet her clients’ unique needs. She focuses on an individual’s strengths, which are integrated in the practical, personalized recommendations identified by the findings of an evaluation. 

In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and getting ice cream or doughnuts from the local shops.