Persistently Unfocused Energy

Okay. I am brimming with excitement! I'm simply so excited in being a Jedi I have all this energy build-up and focusing it is ridiculously hard at this point! I have then decided that I will at least flop some of that energy as a post in my journal, which is what I had done. But then I have also decided to share one of my problems with everyone else...

I am almost always packed with energy. Folks at work are always surprised to see me flying through the halls at a near-constant dash. My students are always surprised with how bouncy I am within the classroom walls (I'm also a schoolteacher). However, my head is what's left behind; it's rarely between my shoulders. Both my mind and my body are traveling a mile a minute, but almost never in the same direction. I'm very forgetful and emotional and have the attention span of a goldfish. While I am physically small (5'4'' and ~120lbs), spiritually I'm a bulldozer and exhaust almost everyone around me (except for my energy-absorbing students, lol). Even though I am 25 year old, many people think I'm no more than 18 because of my youthful exuberance. Simply put, I'm too childish! I used to take Adderall (with a prescription, of course) to handle my ADD, but I become rather impatient and brutal when both my mind and body are aligned and focused. Plus, I don't have health insurance, so I can't afford to always keep myself on Adderall during times when I should be on it.

I also run cross country for fun. I'm not the fastest runner but, boy, am I the Energizer Rabbit! I know I am really blessed with all this energy, though I wish I knew how to focus it better and more gracefully without nearly butchering people in my path. I wonder if I could get any advice. Anything is welcome by me!

May the Force be with you and peace be upon you!

Hmmm good question. Im totally different, but when I get excess energy and am unable to exhaust myself with exercise, I listen to some nice electronic music which is upbeat but structured to create a nice aural landscape so I can exercise my mind in spatial awareness while burning excess energy tapping my feet and fingers to the beat. Then I try and take the focus from the music and apply it to either typing or reading.

:side:

I would suggest you try meditation. It has been scientifically proven to have calming effects on the mind. It is also the key to the moment, which is where the party is really happening!

You could also try drinking camomile tea as that has calming properties or use sandalwood, both the incense and essential oil, as I find the aroma particularly relaxing and it also helps to focus the mind.

The Force will be with you, always.

I have moments like this, when I simply can't contain all the energy inside me. It feel like moving at a million miles an hour without going anywhere at all (to me). Very frustrating at times.

My advice -

Find a good website or a good book and just dig in until you feel yourself begin to calm. For me learning new things has always helped the energy work itself out.

Meditate as Psyddhattha suggested and don't be discouraged if it's hard to meditate for long periods of time. If your energy is like mine, when it gets like that it's hard to allow yourself to sit still.

Also exercise is brilliant, especially if you can practice a form of easy martial art or full-body exercise like Tai Chi or Yoga. Those are, to my mind, more effective than weight lifting, (though swimming/running/cycling are also quite amazing.)

Last thing I'd say is that sometimes being removed from society and technology is what the brain needs most in order to calm and free itself. I find that walking or meditating in an isolated park or wooded area (if you have such available) really helps to release that crazy energy and the general stress of the day.

Live Long and Prosper,
and May The Force Be With You

As for one method, I agree with Psyddhattha. Meditation is a very universally recommended practice for good reason such as this.

On the other hand, there are days I am so hyped up and just excited with energy and I can't even conceive of something like meditation because I just know I wouldn't be able to keep myself still, instead... I air drum.... haha! Yup. For years I've been avid in air drumming in the morning hours before I start my day. It's kind of best when you have at least a basic knowledge of what the drummer of a song your listening to is doing. I've developed a very high accuracy with songs I know well and its helped me to improve my drum playing a great deal over the years. But when I do it, I burn a lot of energy over the course of one to three songs depending on the speed and consistency of the song. It's wonderful exercise, both in cardio and in muscle reaction.

I have no idea if you've ever air-drummed in the past or if you'd ever want to, but I figured I share what has helped me a great deal with it.

Edit: In addition, when I think about it... I realize I'm actually in a type of meditative state when air-drumming. I get really into the song. All that is focused on is the present moment, digging the feeling of channeling energy that is taking place from the music and through me. So in essence, air-drumming can be seen as a very active form of meditation in itself.

May the force guide you my friend.

Affie, now I could be wrong, plus, I'm a massive perv anyway, but have you considered (plenty of) wild sex? When I need to tame the beast within, nothing works better than this.

You can also work a lot, become a caffeine addict and sleep very little. Works too although probably not great for health. For the caffeine I recommend pepsi max. There's no side effects like coffee has and no sugar. The caffeine will make your body burn more energy and the withdrawal is painful but short and easy.

Then you can also learn techniques to make your heart beat slower and things like this. It's difficult for me to judge "how" you are excited, I know for me the best solution isn't always the same one.

I have a friend that is ADHD and he also went of the meds because it made him smoke and eat in huge amounts.

His solution was martial arts. Because of the nature of martial arts, it requires you to use your mind and body as one. You start out slow but as you learn more you add in the meditation aspects of martial arts until you can focus yourself and your body.

You are who you are. Don't fight the energy, just use it differently.

To a fellow possible Attention Deficit,

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 5 (along with a hella load more of mental disorders later in life), and The thing about the HD part is that it can be grown out of as you mature. I've been cranked on prescription meds for over 13 years, and had to switch off of many because of bad side effects (Ritalin gave me an allergic reaction and Strattera made me start hearing voices which lead to my schizo case), and I was constantly jumping off of the walls. However, as I grew older, I started to calm down at a very sharp rate and was left with just ADD, which I still deal with today. The meds I use for it now is Vyvanse. I've been on it for about for about 4 years, and it's done nothing but help me. Everybody's different so if you would want to test the effects, You should talk to your doctor about it, becuase it really works. (for me at least) It's rather unfortunate though that according to scientific study, ADHD cases that are diagnosed at adulthood take much longer to get past and can be all the more destructive. it took me about 10 years to learn to calm the hell down after being diagnosed at age 5, and even that was a lucky break. To make a long story short, i know what you're going through and if you wanna talk about it, just pm me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Lividius (Josz)

Adder wrote: Hmmm good question. Im totally different, but when I get excess energy and am unable to exhaust myself with exercise, I listen to some nice electronic music which is upbeat but structured to create a nice aural landscape so I can exercise my mind in spatial awareness while burning excess energy tapping my feet and fingers to the beat. Then I try and take the focus from the music and apply it to either typing or reading. :side:

I sometimes listen to some good music, too, though I find electronic music too derailing (it's too upbeat for my already upbeat personality), so I opt for some indie rock like Modest Mouse, The Strokes, The White Stripes, etc. It does seem to work; I think I should do that more often.

Lividius wrote: ... However, as I grew older, I started to calm down at a very sharp rate and was left with just ADD, which I still deal with today. The meds I use for it now is Vyvanse. ...

Huh. I'll take a look into that.

Lividius wrote: ... To make a long story short, i know what you're going through and if you wanna talk about it, just pm me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thank you so much for the offer! Honestly, having been diagnosed this late sometimes tempts me to wondering how much pain in the past I might have avoided... but those types of thoughts are highly destructive and sometimes exacerbates my depressive moods. To get any advice would be of great value to me. I just might take you up on your offer shortly!

Phortis Nespin wrote: I have a friend that is ADHD and he also went of the meds because it made him smoke and eat in huge amounts.

His solution was martial arts. Because of the nature of martial arts, it requires you to use your mind and body as one. You start out slow but as you learn more you add in the meditation aspects of martial arts until you can focus yourself and your body.

You are who you are. Don't fight the energy, just use it differently.

Lol, Adderall does the exact opposite; it kills my appetite and I have to remind myself to eat something before I accidentally starve myself. :pinch:
Actually, I have done martial arts in the past, specifically kung fu san soo, and I loved it! After graduating from college and moving back to the DC area I just stopped. I should really look for another dojo and try to get back into martial arts, not necessarily kung fu (whatever's available and affordable, really). Thank you so much!

ren wrote: Affie, now I could be wrong, plus, I'm a massive perv anyway, but have you considered (plenty of) wild sex? When I need to tame the beast within, nothing works better than this.

HAHAHA! Well, I'm fairly conservative in how I carry myself sexually and prefer to abstain until marriage. I'm glad it works for you, though!:lol:

ren wrote: You can also work a lot, become a caffeine addict and sleep very little. Works too although probably not great for health. For the caffeine I recommend pepsi max. There's no side effects like coffee has and no sugar. The caffeine will make your body burn more energy and the withdrawal is painful but short and easy.

Then you can also learn techniques to make your heart beat slower and things like this. It's difficult for me to judge "how" you are excited, I know for me the best solution isn't always the same one.

Actually, I sleep very little. Sometimes as little as 4 hours per night for 2 weeks straight. It actually messes me up pretty badly and I only do it when I find myself in a severe pinch for time. My focus drops even more. Caffeine, however, has been "my best friend" since I ran out of Adderall. And like Adderall, I become more impatient when on it, though. You recommend Pepsi Max? I'll look into it.

Also, what kind of techniques might you be thinking of? I don't know of such things and would like to learn! Oh, and I am more of the, um, peppy daydreamer, if that makes any sense. My body is on earth, but my mind is in a galaxy far, far, away... :lol: So, I often find myself going somewhere, forgetting why I was going wherever I was going (or sometimes even what I was doing), and just dropping my whole target and doing something else.

Proteus wrote: On the other hand, there are days I am so hyped up and just excited with energy and I can't even conceive of something like meditation because I just know I wouldn't be able to keep myself still, instead... I air drum.... haha! Yup. For years I've been avid in air drumming in the morning hours before I start my day. It's kind of best when you have at least a basic knowledge of what the drummer of a song your listening to is doing. I've developed a very high accuracy with songs I know well and its helped me to improve my drum playing a great deal over the years. But when I do it, I burn a lot of energy over the course of one to three songs depending on the speed and consistency of the song. It's wonderful exercise, both in cardio and in muscle reaction.

Air drumming? Sounds like air guitar! I do neither; I'm the singer/whistler of my imaginary band, lol. I love singing and I am a pretty descent whistler; sometimes I just burst into song for no apparent reason besides my need to calm my emotions. Or just because I'm bored. It really is energy-burning! But singing and whistling in public isn't always a good thing, lol, so I need to be careful! :lol:

Psyddhattha, Hal_littleeye, and Proteus, which meditations do you recommend? I'm pretty new in the realm of habitual meditation, though I would love to make it a real part of my daily life.

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Thank you, all of you! I am so glad I've decided to share my problem with y'all; I feel like I've benefited greatly by doing so and receiving your advice!

May the Force be with you all and peace be upon you all - always!

Since you're new to meditation I personally don't recommend anything highly strenuous or involved. Find a quiet space where you are removed from all interruptions including those from electronics. All cell phones, pagers computers and TV's off. Some people go so far as to make certain that all electronics in their house are off and their meditation space is as dark as possible, that's a matter of personal preference though.

Light a stick of your favorite incense (if you are in doors), sit cross-legged on the floor, let your eyes relax but don't close them fully and keep your soft gaze focused at a space about a foot in front of you on the floor/ground.

Then take deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, counting each full breath cycle until you reach ten without letting your mind wander. Keep focused on your breathing and the spot you picked on the floor. Don't chastise yourself when your concentration lapses from your breathing and your mind wanders, just gently remind yourself of your breathing and and restart the count from zero. It takes many people a long time to get to the count of ten without letting the mind wander, sometimes even months of steady practice, but this is the best simple meditation there is (in my range of experience).

For an additional aid to concentration you may place your hands directly under your navel while sitting, the fingers of your right hand cupped in the fingers of your left, with the tips of the thumbs touching. When your concentration begins to slip, your thumbs will fall out of alignment. This will help to bring your mind back to your breath with greater ease when your concentration slips.

I'd also recommend you purchase a good Zen mediation pillow to sit upon, as it will GREATLY enhance your meditation sessions and provide excellent support to your back while helping to keep your awareness focused in the moment.

This is the information my Zen Roshi recommended to me to help with my meditation when I first started.