Why Fidget?

Are you a fidgeter? Do people tell you to stop fidgeting? Well, don’t listen to them. Fidgeting is good for you, especially if you have ADHD. The H stands for “hyperactivity” and fidgeting falls into that category.

Why is fidgeting good? Well, if you’re feeling overwhelmed it can help calm you. If you’re agitated it’s a way to release energy.

On the other hand, if you’re underwhelmed it can get the dopamine in your brain flowing again. Fidgeting keeps your brain awake.

Whether you’re playing with a squeeze ball or a pen, shaking your leg, or twiddling your fingers, there are many ways people fidget.

Physical fidgeting – tapping your foot, bouncing your leg – can help keep blood flowing when sitting for long periods. While not recommended as a dieting technique, fidgeting also burns more calories than just sitting still.

Because focusing on a specific task generally requires only part of the brain, other parts can get bored. Those parts then get distracted and take your focus with them. For many, doing something small and physical gives focus to the parts of the brain not needed for the task at hand.

As an example, I have one client who is positive that if she had understood how to occupy the non-learning sections of her brain at the time, she would have done much better in college. She frequently fell asleep or “spaced out” because she couldn’t appropriately focus on lectures.

By the way, fidgeting is fine for those who do not have ADHD as well. In the age of online everything, we all find ourselves sitting more and for longer periods than what evolution has built us for.

– Sydney Metrick