Distraction, ADD, and prayer

[pprimeau1976]

I have a severe adult case of ADD. If you or your child have it then you know how the ADD person can mentally bounce from one thing to another.

My wandering mind and short attention span really takes a toll on my prayer life, especially when I pray the Rosary. I can never stay focused on the mysteries, and I often lose track of which bead I’ve been fingering. I often get to the end of a decade and realize I’ve hardly even thought about the mental picture of the mystery at all. Even staring at a picture of a mystery doesn’t help.

Any ideas what I could do about this? Lately I’ve been spending at least two hours a day in prayer and devotions, but I’m not sure it’s doing me any good. (The fact that I’m seriously depressed and often feel like I’m just going through the motions is another topic entirely.)

Thanks in advance.

I like you have Adult ADD as well. It is very difficult to find time to pray the rosary, but I find consolation in the fact that there is more than one way to pray. Most of it is mental prayer that I do while driving, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, going on the CA Forums, etc. Some people think to themselves or have an internal dialogues with themselves when they do these tasks. I have internal dialogues with God, who is outside of me.

Are you taking any medications like Adderall? Feel free to e-mail me anytime if you want any advise. Ever since I started the medicine, I am more focused, but the medication only helps me learn the skills I should have learned as a child. The ADD will always be a part of who I am.

 

[Hipster_Doofus]

I took Ritalin from about 92-94. By the end of that time it wasn’t helping, and in fact made me bounce off the wall. I’ve also had no luck with meds for my depression. One or two doctors said I seem to have a weird metabolism so that meds have the opposite effect on me than they’re supposed to.

puzzleannie’s reply was very much on-target as to the sort of racing thoughts I have when praying.

 

[pprimeau1976]

If you think you have depression, by all means seek treatment for that. The first thing I did when I got diagnosed was to express my concern that my inattentiveness was caused by depression. What would happen was the ADD would cause me to be depressed. Once they finally diagnosed me, a huge burden was lifted.

However, if you are struggling with depression, don’t be afraid to seek help for that. Symptoms of ADD and depression are similar, so it is very easy for one to be confused for the other plus it is common for both conditions to exist at the same time. If you want a more Catholic-friendly approach for help, try contacting the Pastoral Solutions Institute, founded my Greg Popcak. They specialize in:

• Marriage Improvement (couples or solo spouse)
• Help for Parenting Problems
• Overcoming Depression and Anxiety
• Support through Spiritual Crises
• Overcoming Codependency
• Faithful Solutions to Sexual Problems
• Resolving Family Conflict
• Living a More Peaceful, Joyful Life.
  I hope this helps you out.