How Two Films Saved My Sanity: ADHD, Escapism, and the Power of Immersion

There are moments in life when everything feels like it’s falling apart. For me, that moment came about 15 years ago, when I was professionally and personally at my lowest. I had always been someone who saw problems others missed, especially high-stakes ones. My ADHD gave me a unique ability to hyperfocus, analyze deeply, and uncover risks that could have had life-or-death consequences.

When I found one of those risks in my workplace, I did what I do best, I threw everything I had into solving it.

And I succeeded.

An incident had occurred where we didn't know if a colleague was safe and well or dead. In that environment you assume the worst and work back to the best.

But not everyone likes having their blind spots exposed. My relentless focus had ruffled feathers in powerful places. The solution I developed was implemented, but I was punished for it. I was discriminated against, targeted, and ultimately managed out. At the same time, I was in a toxic relationship filled with emotional abuse, daily rejection, deceit, and blatant infidelity. I felt completely misunderstood, isolated, and lost.

Then came Avatar.

A World to Escape Into

The timing was almost surreal. I had just left my job under traumatic circumstances, and my personal life was a wreck. I was drowning in despair. But Avatar gave me something I desperately needed—**a world where I could disappear, even for just a few hours**.

Except, it wasn’t just a few hours.

I watched Avatar four or five times a day—for over two months. It became the only thing I could engage with, the only thing that made sense in a world that felt impossibly cruel and chaotic.

People with ADHD often struggle with feeling out of place, misunderstood, or at odds with the world around them. I was no exception. But Avatar did something powerful:

- It immersed me in a world that made sense, where connection, belonging, and purpose weren’t just dreams but tangible realities.

- It overloaded my senses in the best possible way—the stunning visuals, the bioluminescent beauty of Pandora, the sense of weightlessness in its floating mountains.

- It gave me a break from the pain of my reality. For a while, I didn’t have to think about my job, my relationship, or the chaos in my mind. I could exist in Pandora, where things felt whole and meaningful.

The same had happened years earlier with The Matrix. That film resonated with me for a different reason. It posed the question: What if the world isn’t what you think it is? What if you’ve been living in a system that doesn’t want you to wake up? At the time, I was questioning everything—how society works, how power operates, and whether we really have agency in a world where truth is often hidden beneath layers of control.

Why ADHD Made These Films a Lifeline

Looking back, I now understand why these two films became more than just entertainment for me. ADHD brings with it a deep craving for stimulation, escape, and engagement—but it also comes with an ability to hyperfocus on things that truly resonate.

Here’s why they were so powerful for me (and likely for others with ADHD):

1. They offered deep, immersive worlds – ADHD minds can struggle with staying engaged in everyday reality, but when a world is rich and layered enough, it locks us in completely. Pandora and the Matrix were those worlds.

2. They provided sensory overload in the best way – ADHD brains crave dopamine. The breathtaking visuals, high-concept storytelling, and dynamic action sequences kept my mind fully engaged without distraction.

3. They spoke to my personal experience of feeling ‘othered’ – Both films center around characters who feel out of place, who wake up to a reality others don’t see, and who fight against a system that resists change. That mirrored my experience in work and in life.

4. They helped me achieve hyperfocus and flow – When ADHD minds latch onto something, it can create a flow state where time disappears, and everything else fades into the background. These films gave me that gift at a time when my reality was too painful to face.

5. They gave me an emotional and intellectual outlet – The Matrix made me think. Avatar made me feel. ADHD minds often crave both depth and intensity, and these films provided that duality—one through philosophy, the other through emotion and beauty.

The Cost of Escapism

As much as Avatar helped me survive that dark period, I can also see now that there was a downside.

I was watching it obsessively—up to five times a day, every day, for over two months. During that time, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t engaging in healthy social interactions, and I wasn’t working through my trauma in a productive way.

At some point, escapism can become avoidance. My ADHD-driven hyperfocus locked onto Avatar so intensely that it became the only thing I could process. I wasn’t living; I was just existing inside a fictional world because my real one was unbearable.

And yet, perhaps that’s what I needed at the time.

I’ve since rebuilt my life, but I will never forget the role these films played in getting me through it. They weren’t just movies to me. They were lifelines, giving me a sense of belonging, wonder, and hope when I had none.

Your Turn, What Helped You?

I know I’m not alone in this. We all have things we escape into when life becomes too much. For me, it was Avatar and The Matrix. For others, it might be books, games, music, or other stories that let you breathe when reality is suffocating.

I’d love to hear from you, what helped you through your darkest moments?

Drop a comment below and let’s start a conversation. Your escape might just be the thing that helps someone else.