Hyperfocus & Me...

Please Note: This article is based on my lived experience with ADHD Hyperfocus and what I have learned about this condition. It is my attempt at sharing how it affects me and how I try to manage it. Please do not consider this as a scientific or factual analysis of the topic. I acknowledge that people with other types of neurodivergence may experience Hyperfocus too and some attributes may be similar or different.

?Hyperfocus & Me

?Hyperfocus is the ability to zero -in intensely on an ‘interesting’ project or activity for an extended period of time. ?It is the opposite of distractibility, which is a trait more commonly associated with ADHD. I find it better to explain it by saying that people with ADHD have a dysregulated attention system (same as emotional dysregulation).

The critical aspect for my brain is what it identifies as ‘interesting’. Yes, I can intensely focus on a topic, but I can’t usually ‘command’ my brain on what topic to focus on. It can be anything! The whole world is an oyster for my brain at that moment.

?What Causes my ADHD Brain to Hyperfocus?

?The need to do something that I may find psychologically rewarding and help with the low levels of dopamine in my brain initiates the process to hyperfocus. And if there is an instant validation at the end, even better!

I feel sometimes it works as coping mechanism for me when I want to block out certain thoughts or experiences. Every time I am anxious or upset, I clean the hell out of my 3-bedroom apartment, or I go on a long run or walk. Hence, I have managed to complete 4 half marathons during the last lockdown.

It is also triggered from a state of panic when I realise, I have something due, which due to my classic ADHD behaviours, I would have forgotten or kept procrastinating on. Like Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) likes to say, ‘You can’t turn just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. The right mood, being, last minute panic!”

?Is Hyperfocus bad?

?For me, it’s one of my strengths being ADHD. It has definitely helped me become who I am as a person. However, it has only been possible because I have been learning to channel this focus in the right direction, at the right time. A reward always helps! BUT if I don’t get the reward I was expecting, the Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria kicks in. It’s an interesting challenge I need to deal with.

But I also acknowledge that unrestrained and unchecked hyperfocus can lead to failures, lost productivity and in extreme cases, strained relationships with your near and dear ones.

?How do I regulate my ADHD Hyperfocus?

I’ll try to be short and sharp and to the point here –

• Medication - has been a life changer for me!
• Visual or external cues - to redirect my attention.
• My Task buddy - at work helps me prioritise work which gives me a list of potential things to hyperfocus on for the week.
• Timers / reminders on phone or with the help of my fiancé at home, who pulls me out of my hyperfocus when I ask her to.
• Take up/request for projects that have a level of accountability and creativity involved and which are like a puzzle of sorts (a business problem that needs a solution)
• Projects of shorter duration or immediate time frames
• Gamification of work - helps making boring tasks more compelling

?I personally feel that once we learn to accept our condition and ‘quirks’, and try to manage them rather than fight them, hyperfocus can be a built-in advantage.