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Fidgeting — It's Not Just for Kids

Fidget toys or games can help adults with ADHD keep their eye on the prize, too.

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  1. I actually got written up at work for crocheting during a training meeting when I had become stressed. I switched to writing copious notes of everything around me and doodling in the margins. Then I was praised for my change of attitude. Go figure.

  2. This is a great article and I wish I knew about my AdD Inattentive the first 40 years of my life. But I know now! I chewed gum throughout high school (I hid it well so I never had to spit it out!) and never knew it was helping me. I always have to have a pen in my hand at all times for meetings. I get bored immediately. I even get bored while I’m driving a short distance so I listen to podcasts non stop. I just bought a pack of fidget toys for the guys at work. They love them. I recently learned about spinning fidget rings (JadziaKLD already mentioned) – there’s a huge selection of them on Amazon! For men and women. The woman who taught me to knit would knit everywhere – meetings, conferences, church and even at the movies in the dark! She said it was the only way she could concentrate. We attended a Unitarian Church where anything is allowed (people bring their dogs, knit, drink coffee in the pews). I would write notes down – things to remember, grocery lists etc. Only way I could pay attention. And I have always moved my tongue around so much (in my closed mouth) – never realized I was using it as a fidget! If your child or partner or coworker is fidgety or not able to pay attention…give them something to do with their hands. It can only help them!

  3. Having an appropriate fidget can be a lifesaver in the workplace. As the article mentions it’s not always easy to find something to do at work.

    I am employed in a professional job an I am held to a high standard at work; I found a beautiful stainless steel fidget ring that has been amazing. It looks like a simple band with designs on it, in reality no one can see me spin it. I can feel it spinning while I type or do normal things, and I play with it in meetings. They can be hard to find but I definitely recommend it if other options wont work.

  4. Knitting helps tremendously, engaging that part of my brain that might otherwise get distracted so I can’t pay attention to what’s being said. I’ve explained this at church, where I sit in the back during the sermon so my knitting won’t distract the pastor or others up on the platform. Everyone understands it except one particular pastor we have had. I explained it to him several times and provided him with links and resources, but he continues to say that I do it only because I “want to.” Surely I must be able to find something else to do that doesn’t involve knitting and would still allow me to listen, he says. He’s stopped saying anything about it lately, but I think it’s only because he’s given up, not because he understands. I have tried other things — taking notes, handling beads, etc. Nothing works as well as knitting. And when I was taking notes, another person started criticizing, saying why was I “journaling” in church? Apparently she had never been in a church where note-taking was common.

  5. Not recommended for everyone but I sit at the back of a choir at the front of a church. Many years ago this involved sitting through a long monotone sermon that no amount of concentrating could overcome the boredom. I developed the habit of counting people in the pews. As we were not a lot higher than the congregation and they kept entering and leaving, repeating it until it was the same usually occupied all the time and surprisingly i rememberred most if not all of the sermon later. Eventually this became handy as the person in the next seat to me became the official counter for the church records. Now he doesnt bother to count unless i am not there . He waits for my number.

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