Mother Nature and ADHD
| February 17, 2009 | Posted by Brenda under Life Skills |
Mother Nature doesn’t have ADHD – I don’t think – but she can help make ADHD more manageable.
I have been saying for years that time spent outdoors in nature can help with ADHD symptoms. Those of you who purchased my Natural ADHD Diet over a year ago will know that.
Well, it seems that science has finally caught up.
Recent studies show that time spent in nature can be helpful for calming and clearing ADHD minds. Here is an article about a study done at the University of Illinois.
The findings show that many people are positively affected by being in natural surroundings, including those with Alzheimer disease.
We all have busy lives, and a trip to the park is rarely a daily event, unless maybe your kids are toddlers. There are ways, though, that you can bring nature into your lives.
Plants, at home and in the classroom, are one good way to evoke a natural surrounding.
A fishbowl or aquarium, or even one of those small tabletop fountains, can help provide a sense of calm.
A beautiful view, whether it’s out the window, or on a poster on the wall, can bring the outdoors inside.
I’ve always had a habit of picking up pretty rocks and bringing them home. I’ve been doing it all my life. I keep them in bowls and on little saucers in my house. They bring a sense of calm to me. (When we lived in an apartment when I was 4 or 5, I used to fill band aid boxes and cigar boxes with dirt to bring home to play in. That didn’t go over well with my mom.)
You can get the sounds of nature (wind, water, rain, etc) in a variety of formats: CD’s, tapes, iTunes, iPod applications, even special sound machines. Wouldn’t that be a better audio background at homework time than the TV?
Consider adding nature where ever you can. Get notebooks, folders, and book covers with mountains, or trees, or water on them. If you’ve got photos of natural settings from vacations you’ve taken, frame a few and display them in your home. Here’s one of my favorites, from a business trip to Bellingham, Washington.
The Bay at Bellingham, WA
And of course, once in a while, go and visit the real thing.
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