Can’t Focus? 10-Minute ADHD-Friendly Walk to Clear Your Head | 59

A 10-minute ADHD-friendly walk for when your brain has 47 tabs open and won’t close a single one

This low-impact walking workout clears your head, lowers stress, and shakes off that brain fog.

This is a podcast you can listen to while walking outside, or inside on a treadmill or walking pad.

As we walk you’ll get real tips to quiet the noise in your head and stop overwhelm... ADHD or perfectionism be damned.

OMG Becky, and because this podcast rarely stays on a straight path, I also wander into:

• the night I ended up in my backyard in my pajamas screaming obscenities
• the classic fridge stare when you open it hoping cheese will solve your problems
• forgetting why you walked into a room (your kids and cats don’t know either)
• and a couple of brief musical moments (don't ask)

Go grab your sneakers because it’s time to get moving. In just 10 minutes you’ll feel so much better. 

This episode has background music to walk to, and a bell at the halfway point (so my stories don't send you on a wild journey).

And… if you liked this walk, tap Follow (yeah, baby) so the next walk is waiting for you.

And if you feel like saying hi (so I know I’m not just wandering around talking to myself), you can find me on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook @yourwalkingpodcast.

If this episode made your walk more entertaining, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify to help more people find the show.

Transcript

VOICE: 0:01

If you're overwhelmed, let's fix that. Start walking at an easy warm-up pace. You can walk outside or inside on a treadmill or walking pad. So last week, I found myself in the backyard, in the dark, in my pajamas, holding a flashlight, screaming, you fucking asshole, the top of my lungs. And I don't think after that, I'll be invited to any neighborhood parties. That unhinged woman dropping the F-bomb late at night. I love cats. I rescue cats. And I sure have spent an embarrassing amount of money on cats, including former feral cat family who ended up living in my backyard, because of course. I shouted at a cat that I usually like. And he's not part of that family. He had jumped the fence and went after one of the freshly neutered cats. And I just lost Because something in me was already fried. And that was the last straw. That was the straw that broke Helen's back. We're not breaking any backs today. We're just going to go a little bit faster, but still comfortable pace. If you had someone with you, you could talk in full sentences. Your shoulders are relaxed. Your hands are loose. And I'm going to give you some relaxation and detensifying, that's not a word, tips as we walk today, because we want to end this walk feeling better and less stressed than when we started. And when I get overwhelmed, it shows up in some really dumb ways, like forgetting something simple, scooping the litter box again because I forgot if I did it, starting three things at once and nothing gets done because hello, ADHD. Or my favorite, going into a room and asking my kids and cats, does anyone know what I came in here for? Spoiler, nobody knows. Or opening my phone to do something and suddenly I'm doom scrolling and I didn't do that one thing that I needed to do, like place the order for PetSmart or transfer that money or order Instacart because I involved in something else and that was the end of that. And when I have too much to do or I feel overwhelmed, I decide to do absolutely nothing, which is super effective, by the way, sitting on the couch, physically stuck, watching a show I don't even like and feeling guilty about the laundry I'm not doing or the work that's not getting done. Or of course, the fridge stare, which is opening up the fridge and staring for two full minutes, even though I know what's already in there, looking for an answer to your stress or closing it because that block of cheese is not going to pay the bills. And trust me, I've tried because I love cheese. Go a little bit faster now. Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. And as we breathe today, you're really just going to try to exhale any tension. Another deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. And when I'm in that mode, the smallest thing happens and then I snap. And not because it's a big deal, but because my brain is already full. And when I'm overwhelmed, I don't want advice because that's going to piss me off. I want a solution or some relief or I just want one thing to go right. And you can tell that I've been there recently because sometimes one thing does not go right. Drop those shoulders. Keep them down. You're going to keep that pace comfortable. Feel for any tense spots in your body, like your feet, your hands, your jaw. You can open your mouth a little bit. Nobody's looking and nobody cares. Now we're going to pick up a little bit of pace, just enough to kind of work off any frustration that we may have. And then when I get like that, then I want to try to fix everything at once, right? The bills, the email, the laundry, the life decisions, everything that I didn't get done. But, you know, that doesn't work because then I freeze up again. So instead I try to do something ridiculously small. And one tip is called the angry 10 minute clean. Now realize it really is not called that. I just made that up, but it sounds good. Bear with me because it sounds weird and woo-woo, but it's not woo-woo. And this will really work. So set a timer for 10 minutes and just attack one surface. The kitchen counter, bathroom sink, a desk, not the whole room, just one spot and clean it like you're really pissed off at the universe. When you're wiping the counter with the rage of a thousand suns, it physically gets that spicy energy out of your body. Moving and more aggressive moving really helps kind of release that stress. But there is a rule to the angry clean. It's you can't leave the room you're cleaning. Find a coffee mug in the bathroom, put it in the hallway. If you go into the kitchen, you know what happens. You'll clean the kitchen. Then you'll find mail. And then you're organizing the garage at 10 p. m. Stay there and focus on that and get that done. And don't get distracted. Stay with that pace. Everything else is relaxed. Just squeeze your glutes a little bit. Roll through the foot. Find that rhythm. Follow the music. Another trick I like to do is kind of like what's the next thing? It's one boring question you ask yourself. What is the next thing? One thing. Send the email. Boom. Refill your water. Boom. Move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. Boom. Or tiny movement breaks that break up that mental traffic jam like you're doing now. Just one thing. It's like that song. I forgot who did it. For one thing. Just for one thing. Would I give it all away? Can we give it all up for one thing? I don't know. But I would do it for one thing. Whatever that one thing is. Okay, another tip is the scroll reality check. And this is helpful for all of us. If you scroll, keep it light. Look at dog videos, cat videos, travel clips, dumb cooking hacks, no news, no outrage. Sometimes I watch the reaction videos for songs from the 80s. Do something that just doesn't stress you out even more. Stay with that pace now. It's brisk. You're walking to the beat. Shoulders are relaxed. In fact, let's roll them right now. Big, big, big rolls back. See if you can roll and walk at the same time. And big, big, big rolls forward. Roll and walk at same time. Okay, this is my favorite. It is the rant method. You can open your notes app or a document. And I cannot do this on my notes app because I can't type for shit on my phone. So you type exactly what you're thinking. No editing, no politeness. You just rant. And you say what's ever on your mind, the way exactly you want to say it. Don't put restrictions on yourself. Type all those feelings out, all those rants out, and then delete it. I know, but you have to delete it. Don't send it and don't leave it there for someone else to find. I know it sounds weird, but it is super magical. Stay with that pace. Going to clear your mind right now. Just feel how good it feels to move. Feel your body moving the way it's intended to. Finding your groove. Let those arms swing. You know, that cat wasn't the problem. The cat was the spark, the spark that set me off. And when you're overwhelmed, the spark can be anything. A noise, a comment, or something small that went wrong. You react. And then five minutes later, you're like, wow, that was dramatic. I'm going to win an Oscar. It wasn't about that very moment. It was about everything that came before it. And that spark started that fire. We didn't start the fire. Yes, we did. We started the fire. Keep that pace steady now. Breathe nice and slow. This walk not brutal, not mean. Find those tense spots in your body again. Try to release them. Just bring ears really, really bring your ears? No, bring your shoulders all the way up as tight as you can to your ears. Yeah, I don't think I could move my ears away from my head. Bring the shoulders all the way up, up, up, up, tight, tight, tight. Hold it tight and drop them down all the way down. And just tilt your head a little bit side to side. If you can do that while you're walking, don't make yourself dizzy. Now we're going to recover it down just a little bit. Settling into a new pace, shaking out your hands, releasing that sucky overwhelm. And remember, something set you off today. You're not crazy. Your dance card is full. That's one of my favorite sayings. Again, back to the favorite. Let's physically let some of that tension go before we finish. It's not the woo woo thing again. But scan your body and where are you holding your tension right now. Is it your shoulders? Is it your jaw? If your hands are balled into fists while you're walking, shake them out. Take one more deep, deep breath in through your nose. Really fill up those lungs. And blow it out like you're blowing out a birthday candle. But you're not spitting on the cake because that's gross. Everything's good. And make sure you hit follow so that my next walk is there waiting for you. And I would love it if you would review this on Apple Podcasts or leave me a comment on Spotify. So I know I'm not alone in these walks or these feelings. Slow it down a little bit more now. And when you're done and you're back, you can do a quick stretch. Doesn't have to be much. Maybe your calves, maybe the front of your thighs. Slow it down a little bit more. And I'll see you next time.