Can Nature Help When You’re Scrambling in ADHD or Hyperactivity Mode?
- Mandy Young
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Greetings,
Have you ever found your mind so scattered—jumping restlessly from one task to the next, unable to settle—that you wonder if you’ll ever feel focused again? For those of us living with ADHD or simply swept up in the chaos of modern life, the world can feel like a relentless tumble of thoughts, lists, and unfinished intentions. Is it possible that the wild, untamed world, even the small garden outside your window holds a remedy?
Scrambling Minds Meet the Stillness of the Wild
Years ago, I guided a young woman called Jo on safari. We were in Hwange National Park and startled a group of birds named 'the shlegebefaz by the locals (the red billed wood hoopoes), which means, 'laughing women' because of their cackles, chatter and banter when talking to each other. Jo smiles and shared that her mind sometimes sounds like “this flock of animated birds—never landing, always chattering to her, and always darting from branch to branch.” She’d been recently diagnosed with ADHD and had tried every planner, app, and technique to rest her splayed attention. But it wasn’t until we sat quietly on a sluggish, brown river bend watching the slow, graceful moments of some bull elephants she whispered, “This is the first time all week my brain has stopped shouting for attention.”
What Does Nature Offer a Restless Mind?
Emerging research in ecopsychology suggests that time in natural settings—especially wild, biodiverse places—can settle our nervous systems in ways city parks and screens cannot. For those whose attention feels life-and-death urgent, nature offers a tranquil, non-judgmental space to reset. The sights, sounds, and scents of the bush ironically stimulate and soothe your senses all at the same time. You are drawn out-of-your head into a sensual awareness, away from racing thoughts and into the living present.
Lessons from the Wild: Presence, Rhythm, and Permission to Pause
Animals in the wild are masters of being present in the now. The lionesse and her cubs doesn’t fret about yesterday’s hunting failure when the warthog got away, or how she will feed her hungry cubs today—she serenely sleeps in the sun with her paws in mid-air while her playful cubs use her body as a bush-jungle-gym. If you look closely however her ears are perked and alert. This quality of focus is not forced, but arises from deep attunement to her environment. Even in my own psychology practice when clients chose to walk and talk in the forest nearby, or walk the labyrinth on a hallowed hill, I’ve seen how even a few hours in wild places can offers an internal stillness enabling the know-how to be truly present.
Simple Nature-Based Practices for Sporadic Thoughts
Find Your Sit Spot: Choose a place outdoors—garden, park, or wild patch—where you can sit quietly for ten minutes. Notice the temperature, the movement of light, the sounds near and far. Each time your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your senses.
Track Like a Bushman: On your next walk, focus on one sense at a time—sight, sound, touch, smell. What do you notice that you’ve never noticed before?
Adopt a Natural Rhythm: Align a daily ritual with sunrise or sunset. Let this be a moment of transition, a gentle anchor in the swirl of your day.
Stories from the Wild: When ADHD Meets Wilderness
On a recent wilderness encounter, another participant shared, “I thought I’d be too restless to enjoy the stillness, but watching the impala graze—alert, but not anxious—I realized my attention could be wide and soft, not just sharp and narrow. Nature gave me permission to enjoy a mental meander.”
Upcoming Experiences: Step Into Focus and Calm
If you or someone you love is seeking a new way to relate to their restlessness, our immersive wilderness journeys are crafted to bring clarity and calm, especially when you engage in a beyond-words watery wilderness encounter called the Healing Power of Dolphins. As dolphins glide through the waves you can't stop yourself, you will slow down to move at their pace.
To learn more about these life-changing experiences, visit the Wilderness Encounters Africa website or explore our latest reflections on the blog.
You deserve the steadying, honest presence of the wild. If your mind is al over the place, let nature be your gentle guide back to focus, curiosity, and a deeper sense of belonging.
With wild wishes,
Mandy Young Psychologist & Ecopsychologist
WhatsApp: +44 7456 184 700
P.S. If you’re curious about how nature can support neurodiversity and attention, I invite you to join an upcoming journey or reach out for a personal conversation. The wild is waiting—and so is your calm.
Comments