ADHD from an Ayurvedic Perspective
ADHD from an Ayurvedic Perspective
Hint... It's all about the vata
Introducing ADHD
I will use the term ADHD ‘Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder’ throughout this book since it has been the correct medical term since 1994, regardless of whether there is hyperactivity. There is also AuDHD, which is a combination of autism and ADHD. You will sometimes hear ADHD referred to as ADD or hyperactivity, but these are outdated terms. But whatever you call it, in Ayurvedic terms, it’s all about the vata!
I should note that ADHD is just a label, and it will likely keep changing. It’s changed a lot in my lifetime. Some of the older people with ADHD that I have worked with were called ‘retarded’ when they were in school and isolated from the ‘normal’ children. Some were grossly misdiagnosed, put on anti-psychotic drugs and even institutionalized. It’s very common for doctors to put people with ADHD on either anti-anxiety or anti-depressive medicines. Often, anxiety and depression are secondary to ADHD.
Most people I’ve worked with are extremely intelligent and often very complex. It’s tough to categorize people into tidy boxes. ADHD can be mistaken for or coexist with autism and other conditions such as OCD and Bipolar, and there can be quite a significant overlap on the Venn diagrams!
From a Western perspective, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that generally presents in childhood. It can persist into adulthood for many people, although some outgrow it. The way it presents itself in people can change over time. It affects people educationally, emotionally, socially and mentally. Symptoms can include problems with attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, learning, risky behaviour, poor judgement, poor decision-making skills, emotional dysregulation, scattered thoughts, irritability and sensitivities.
Not everyone experiences the same issues because everyone is different. But left unchecked, ADHD can wreak havoc in almost every aspect of your life. However, it can be successfully managed when you build the right toolbox and keep practising the skills and routines that work for you.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, ADHD is mostly about needing to calm and balance vata dosha down. I will explain in detail what that means in another Substack, but rest assured, it will all be explained in plain language! Just know that calming vata dosha is essential to reaching your true potential.
A medical diagnosis is irrelevant from an Ayurvedic perspective. If you can identify with the symptoms described here, Ayurveda has solutions. Anyone who needs to find peace in a chaotic world will benefit from calming vata down.
The number of diagnoses of ADHD has increased by more than 30% in the past eight years. This could be because we are getting better at recognizing it, especially in women. But there is also evidence to suggest that we are more likely to acquire it these days. I believe this. Either way, it’s ironic that this 5,000-year-old science holds solid and straightforward solutions to a condition only identified in the last 200 years.
Regardless, the practices of Ayurveda align nicely with modern ADHD coaching, recommendations from Western medicine and circadian science. I know this in my life and the lives of many people I have coached and met. If you have ADHD or ADD, diagnosed or otherwise, this might be one of the most important journeys you will ever make. Ayurveda is a voyage through the heart of India’s traditional wisdom teachings to your personal thrive.
Signs and symptoms of ADHD
Attention and focus, organization and productivity.
Issues with attention, inattention and ability to concentrate, especially if you are bored.
Wandering off task.
Not carrying things through.
Inability to stay focused.
Being disorganized.
Losing things.
Zoning out when speaking to people.
Issues with time management, organization, and punctuality.
Struggles with decision-making and decision fatigue.
Issues with starting or finishing things, unfinished projects.
Avoidance and procrastination.
Being super focused on new rabbit holes, shiny things, and special interests.
Being very easily distracted.
Forgetting daily activities, including self-care.
Inability to stick to a routine.
Living in chaos and not being able to tidy up.
Issues with appetite and food, forgetting to eat, food addictions, and eating disorders.
Impulsivity and compulsivity.
Addictions of all kinds, including love and sex.
Inability to delay gratification.
Acting before thinking.
Hyperactivity.
Fidgeting, tapping, and not being able to sit still and squirming in your seat. Difficulty learning or remembering things unless you are moving at the same time.
Feeling trapped in boring situations where you are expected to remain seated.
Running and climbing to and from places.
Feeling restless when forced to stay still.
Doing nothing.
Having crazy amounts of energy and bouncing off the walls.
Forgetting faces or names.
Overwhelm.
Forgetting essential things.
Talking excessively, quickly and randomly.
Talking loudly.
Not being able to listen very well and interrupting.
Social intrusiveness
Blurting things out
Social clumsiness and being ‘too much’.
Impatience, especially waiting for your ‘turn’
Having an atypical learning style.
Making mistakes others call careless, but you thought you were being careful.
Not being able to follow instructions very well.
Emotions are felt super strongly, more deeply and acutely than others.
Rejection sensitivity.
Emotional dysregulation.
Sensitivity to sound, light, touch, taste or smell, other people and their energies. You could be very intuitive or even psychic.
Extreme perfectionism, which can involve expecting to get many things done simultaneously.
People-pleasing or avoiding intimacy.
‘Seeing’ things long before anyone else. (This can be very bewildering, especially when something is as plain as the nose on your face, but nobody else can see it. Eventually, they will all catch up with you, but by then, you will be on to the next idea or insight that nobody else can see. And so it goes on. It can be lonely until you start making friends with other visionaries.)
Loneliness and feeling different are common, especially in older adults who have burnt many bridges.
Feeling like you’ve made a big mess of your life.
Unfulfilled potential.
Working at a lower pay grade than you are capable of.
When vata has been high for a long time, things can feel like they are falling apart. Similarly, unmanaged ADHD can leave quite a mess in people’s lives. Here are some of the ways that the mess can present itself:
Failed schooling.
Failed businesses or jobs.
Jumping from one career to another before making ‘progress’.
Failed relationships and fear of intimacy.
Social anxieties.
Financial devastation.
Unfulfilled potential- doing jobs that are way beneath you intellectually.
Addictions or dependencies, binge eating.
Risk-taking.
Poor judgments and decisions.
Frustration and bewilderment at why everything is so hard.
Very low self-esteem, no self-trust and feelings of failure.
Knowing you’ve never achieved your life’s purpose leaves you with regret, guilt or remorse. You may feel a void.
You've landed in the right place if you recognize yourself in some or all of these symptoms and understand the mess. I know. I’ve been there, done that, and I’ve got a stack of T-shirts.
Don’t despair; there are solutions! Stay tuned, there is more to come.