How I Overcome My ADHD Without Taking Pills?
The change is so drastic that I never imagined it could be achievable.
Hello, wonderful souls! I am Daksh Parmar, a 24-year-old fellow who has had ADHD from a very young age. No one understood me, and many still can’t.
I got bullied, hella procrastinated, felt lonely and depressed, had no purpose in my life, and hated my brain, which always speaks nonsense.
Although some of the readers might be very young, some in the middle, and some very old, most ADHDers can relate to this, so to say it is not true.
My Experience
I have always searched for my exact cause since my school days. My mind never sits, and I couldn’t even think of a proper sentence that is truly mine without my brain interfering with something nonsense I don’t care about.
At 19, my search led me to different psychologists, and that’s when I encountered a term I had never heard before — A.D.H.D. They told me A.D.H.D. could either be genetically or by traumatic experience, and I was fulfilled with the second criterion.
Initially, I was thrilled, thinking I had found a solution. But it horrified me for three more years; I hopped between 5 part-time jobs, yet financial struggles and a lack of purpose persisted.
While I was going through this, I took a variety of pills the doctor prescribed; some made no difference, while others left me feeling like a zombie or a magnet to food. Some were even worse, draining both my energy and my wallet.
Then, In 2021, rights, I finally thought this pill might work; that very night, it unleashed the most intense headache I’d ever experienced. Alone and unable to communicate, I found myself at a breaking point. The next day, I tossed away my pills and started searching for something I had never searched “Understanding ADHD.”
Understanding Your ADHD
Sure, we’ve all heard the textbook definition of ADHD and its effects, but that’s not what we call “understanding”; it’s just learning or truly understanding something you have to feel and experience. Good for us; ADHDers already feel and experience a little too much.
The best way I understand my ADHD is by observing it.
All my life, I have tried to avoid it by distracting myself or cursing and getting angry at it, but the brain is a highly trained and repetitive machine; it doesn’t matter how many times you hate or distract it, it will repeat what we are feeding it, again and again, and make our lives miserable.
So, the question arises: how do you observe it?
It’s simple: think about how you observe others. ADHDers are adept at picking up on subtleties that others may miss. Channel this observational power for your own benefit.
But Observe what!?
In every case scenario, there might be something that physically interferes with your life the most. Some ADHDers forget things very often; for some, they do simple things; for like me, their brain doesn’t stop talking while it’s singing at the same time.
I know we have all these problems combined and many more, but you cannot observe everything at once.
Pick one that’s taking your life the most and start with that.
Transform Your Life Through Observation and Awareness
As you observe your own thoughts, you are no longer the self, but you are observing as a third person and trying to understand why that thought came and why right now!
The whole process of observing and understanding converts your observing capabilities to awareness.
Awareness in that context means that now your own thought knows that it’s being watched.
These thoughts are like rabbits; they are mischievous and run around on the ground, but once they realize a hawk is watching them from the sky, they run back to their hole. The key is to make the hawk a daily presence; it’s not a one-time effort. The rabbit may persist, but consistently placing the hawk above will keep it in check. I know at the start it can be difficult, but daily reminders that you don’t want the Rabbit to control your life will help.
This small additional step can significantly improve your life.
The awareness created by acknowledging your forgetfulness sends a powerful signal to your subconscious mind. Consistently do these actions into your routine, and your subconscious mind will automatically make the changes for your conscious according to your needs.
In my experience, whenever my thoughts take me somewhere I don’t want to go, I become aware that my thoughts are taking me there, and they suddenly vanish. Sometimes, I mock and laugh at my own thoughts, thinking it’s not easy to take wants to, but it’s only after a lot of practice.
For an extra boost in Inner peace, try this practical exercise.
Breathe Easy: The Hong Sau (Ham Sa) Method
The best way to be aware of your own very existence is by focusing on your breath. You exist because you breathe, so for your own existence, breathing is the most important flow of your life; without that, you are nothing. The Ham Sa method has simple steps that will make your life a little more stable and less agitated, but make sure you do it in the morning(Early morning is best). Once you feel more comfortable with that, you can do that anywhere and anytime you want.
- Set the Scene:
- Close your eyes and picture your favorite flower blossoming at the center, right where your heart chakra is located.
- Take a moment to pray or express gratitude for 5 minutes, acknowledge the gift of life, and chant the name of whomever you believe in.
2. Breathing Technique:
- Inhale deeply, drawing breath from your stomach.
- While inhaling, make the sound “Ham” in your mind and hold it for one second.
- Exhale, creating the sound “Sau.” (if it’s difficult, then exhale with your mouth by saying sau)
3. Daily Practice:
- Begin with a 10-minute session each morning.
- Gradually increase the time based on your comfort and preference.
Important Note: Your thoughts may wander during the practice. Bring your focus back to your breath, which is your primal task; this way, you will be able to control your thoughts more easily.
These practices aren’t exclusive to those avoiding pills; they complement any lifestyle. Even if you’re on medication, this exercise can reduce dependency over time.
By consistently focusing on a single thing, your mind will listen to you more. As you make this a routine, your ability to stay aware grows organically. You’ll reach a point where awareness becomes second nature, and concentrating on a specific task gains a more attentive response from your mind.
Here’s a tip that will help you: As you start practicing for a few weeks, don’t force your thoughts too much to show who is in charge. The moment you force, the thoughts understand that it’s hard for you to take control. It’s like playing a game with kids; you let them win sometimes, and they think, and in the middle of the game, you steal one or two points. Just make sure you are patient, keep reminding yourself that “you are a hawk,” and go slow and play a long game. The more points you get, the more confident you will become.
Now, even if you do all this mental work, there is some physical activity that is an important factor for overcoming and taking control of your brain.
COOK! COOK! COOK!
You are what you eat; when I heard it the first time, it made me think for exactly 3 seconds, and then I got back to my junk food.
Later in college, I lived in a hostel, and At the end of the day, I was always depressed, no matter if it was a fun day or a boring one.
After a year, I was trying to learn more about ADHD and, coincidentally, started thinking about eating healthy. As a result, I began preparing my own meals. I noticed a small but significant improvement. This motivated me to pay closer attention to what I eat and avoid certain foods, giving me a sense of purpose.
But What to Eat?
People claim to have something specific food in their diet for ADHD and make you write a list. I am giving you a simple answer.
JUST EAT WHAT YOU COOK!!!
If you want to eat salad, make one. If you like some special sauce on it, learn how to make it. If you want a burger, MAKE THE DAMN BURGER. It’s much healthier than an outside one.
Doctors recommend nuts for brain health, and it’s absolutely true. If you’ve tried them without noticing a difference, it might be because you haven’t been eating them consistently.
Cooking every day, especially if you are busy, will eat your time, but it’s much better than hospital bills eating your money.
Remember, it’s not always a fight with your ADHD; in the long run, we learn to live with it. As long as our inner self is at peace, we all are the winners.
Start small, be consistent, and breathe into a more centered and focused life.
It’s a practice, not perfection.
Patience is key, as positive changes take time; no transformation happens overnight.
Thank you for reading! Since it is my first article on Medium, I really appreciate it. I hope you find value in my content and that it contributes positively to your journey with ADHD. Please follow me for more articles coming ahead.
And let me know about your journey in the comments; I’d love to hear about your unique path with ADHD.
