There are a million and one tasks to complete and seemingly so little time to get them finished. The adult ADHD brain is no harder worked than anyone else’s, but perhaps it just seems that way at times!

Your mind is always running at super-high speed, trying to achieve everything that needs to be achieved and then some.

Unfortunately, sometimes, the ADHD brain does not seem to want to co-operate at all, so that you end up getting more and more frustrated and upset about the fact that you never really feel that you achieve anything.

As a result, you waste time constantly worrying, and very little time actually enjoying life. And, ADHD or no, we all need to have fun, to relax from time to time.

While establishing an ability to slow down, to take it a little bit easier, is a difficult thing to do, it certainly is not impossible.

Here are 6 established methods to slow down the ADHD adult brain:

1. Escape from working sometimes.

Establish the hours when you will work and stick to them. Even though, in the real world, everyone needs to put in that little it extra sometimes, perhaps by working overtime, try not to do it if it is not necessary. In fact, you will be considerably more efficient and achieve a great deal more during the day when the time you have to complete your tasks is fixed beforehand. And try to give the brain a rest at weekends – everyone needs time to refresh and recharge the batteries.

2. Arrange Time Out with Friends.

Getting an evening 'off', and spending it with close friends or family, preferably outside the home environment, is one of the most enjoyable experiences there is. Basically, all you need to do is go out and have a good time.

3. Give Yourself a Weekly Commitment to Stick To (e.g. Joining a Class or a Group).

Give yourself a reason and a valid excuse to get entirely away from both your home and work environments at least once a week. Think of something that you've always wanted to do - learn a new language, become an advanced driver, or take up skydiving - and enroll in a class to learn this new skill once or twice a week.

Make a genuine commitment to see it through, and, if possible, do it with friends, so that they can help you stay committed any time your determination falters.

4. Keep a Journal or Diary.

Compiling your own daily journal or diary forces you to stop, take stock of your thoughts and then act accordingly. It helps you handle nervous tension and gradually move towards clarity.

Set aside a time that you will do it every day - even if it's only a little 15 minute 'window' in your day!

Remember that this is your own personal journal, for your eyes only, so do not be too fussed or get stressed out about sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary and the like. No-one else will ever read it!

5. Take up meditation.

There are many different forms or types of meditation, and it is really up to you which suits you best, but the objective of all of them is pretty similar, that is, to encourage a relaxed state of mind. Take as an example what is sometimes termed ‘mindful’ meditation, where your aim is to attain the feeling of only existing in the present instant, whatever it is that you might actually be doing at that moment.

By focusing only on the immediate here and now, you avoid worrying or troubling feelings abut what might happen, or what has happened before. Plan to grow into the art of meditation little by little, as a gradual thing, and make this pattern of growth an integral part of your learning cycle.

6. Stop Using the PC at LEAST two hours before bedtime.

Computers have a somewhat unfortunate fascination for the ADHD adult brain, so you need to make sure that your mind 'winds down' before going to bed each night.

Otherwise, it is far too easy for the average ADHD adult to find themselves sitting at the computer at 3 o'clock in the morning totally absorbed in something totally inconsequential and arbitrary.

The unfortunate fact is that the PC tends to overstimulate the ADHD adult brain, and that makes it incredibly difficult to relax and then sleep.

Switching off the PC at least two hours before bed gives you a chance to avoid this unnecessary overstimulation, and thus, relaxation and sleep will come to you that much more easily.

The author has compiled a FREE handbook of some of the best writings about ADHD from the last ten years, and you can access your personal copy from http://SteveCowan.com/ADHD/book.html He also writes regularly about ADHD related matters on his blog pages at http://SteveCowan.com/add