Do you hyperfocus for days/weeks? | ADHD Information
Wow I'm so glad this topic has come up! I totally do this.
For a couple of weeks, maybe over a month I will completely obbsess about a subject and get such a buzz thinking about it. It's a real rush, surfing the net copying and pasting every bit of info I can on the subject. Then printing it all off and reading pages upon pages in a matter of hours. Even when I'm on the toilet or eating I'll be reading or thinking about it. I just completely tune everything else out of my life. And then as quickly as it came it fizzles out. And I'm left feeling like a failure.
In fact once the hyperfocusing is over I don't even want to think about it because I've litterally lost all interest. I especially hate it when a friend mentions it. "So hows that new project going that you've been so exited about lately". My reply will be pretty monosylabic, "Um...yeah its ok" And I'll feel really ashamed.
Examples include performing street magic, hypnotherapy, moving abroad to italy, moving to america, the armed forces, swimming and all the techniques, the list goes on.
Thinking about how to utilise it though, If anybody is into writing then how about, just at the peak of the hyperfocusing and after gathering reams and reams of info, write an article on the subject. At least then you've captured that energy and interest and pinned it down onto something for other people to read. It's just a thought. I have tried it a couple of times, the only problem for me is that I suddenly started hyperfocusing on becoming an article writer and then that burnt out. LOL Oh the irony
Glad to be back by the way I've been away for nearly two years.
I was reading about hyperfocus and wondered if that is what you call my periodic obsessions. Whenever I get a new business idea, new parenting technique, new diet theory, or new redecorating idea, I obsess about it for days, weeks and sometimes 2-3 months. I research that topic like crazy and learn everything I can about it. I might even start some portion of the project. Then, after a while or after I encounter some glitch that takes the momentum out, I seem to stall and lose interest. I seem to have an energy about chasing these ideas that I don't have about anything else at the time.
Does anyone else do this? Is this hyperfocusing? Or just normal ADD?
Just about everyday, I think I have four or five major projects going at once. I wish I could stay focused on the projects, but most everything becomes partially completed. Yep ,that's me. I really obsess.That's me too.
Maybe we need a job that calls for someone with a constant stream of new ideas and then leave it to someone else to put the ideas into action?
oh my god yes. In fact, I think I always relied on my hyperfocus streaks toget things done in my life. Always some new thing that MUST BE DONE
RIGHT NOW, and hours upon hours spent obsessively thinking about it. I
hyperfocus on activism, and I have a horrible history of burning everyone
out when I hit my hyperfocus modes. They always feel compelled to work as
much as I am, but the reality is that it's not sustainable for them. The flip
side, of course, is that I end up with these monumental projects that require
an immense amount of attention and energy to maintain....and the
hyperfocus wears out. Then I'm always left trying to maintain something
massive when I can't even muster the motivation to go to the grocery store.
Wow!!! See, that's what I have done my whole life and didn't realize what it was. But I feel so ashamed everytime my motivation dies out. My mom told a friend once that I would dissappear in my room and draw for hours. She would forget I was in the house. As a grown up, I have had my share of obsessions...but now I know what it was. Thank you! I started three businesses and the IRS is going to kill me when they find out that I have not made any money on them. I am going to be put on a list that says, don't give this person another DBA. But occasionally I go back and re-visit them and get back to the few days or a week of obsessing about it. One of my businesses is crucial. I have people depending on me.
It really is embarrassing though, when people ask about this or that. Because I am so excited when I am in my zone. And I have awesome ideas!
Anyhow, thank you for touching on this!
i don know...seems to me the behavior is mostly plani old adhd. procrastination. starting and not finishing. i see myself as hyperfouusing any time i spend an extra large amount of time/energy on anything. that can be on my currant obsedssion or on something that i plan to be in for that one time...
sorry for the sorry typing
h
So does everyone with add/adhd do this? Is hyperfocusing separate? [QUOTE=lovelylady2348]I was reading about hyperfocus and wondered if that is what you call my periodic obsessions. Whenever I get a new business idea, new parenting technique, new diet theory, or new redecorating idea, I obsess about it for days, weeks and sometimes 2-3 months. I research that topic like crazy and learn everything I can about it. I might even start some portion of the project. Then, after a while or after I encounter some glitch that takes the momentum out, I seem to stall and lose interest. I seem to have an energy about chasing these ideas that I don't have about anything else at the time.
Does anyone else do this? Is this hyperfocusing? Or just normal ADD?
[/QUOTE]Yes! I do that with all sorts of things. I have so many interests it's hard to keep to one.
Oh geez! Have y'all been watching me lately? I've been spending hours on the internet.
The past week I've been hyperfocusing on an actor (there is no rhyme or reason as to what I'm hyperfocusing on at any given time). Can't get enough. Although I'm starting to feel it fizzle out. Thank goodness. Maybe now I can get some work done and get back to reality (not that I want to). Life is so much more interesting in my head than in my 3-D whirled.
ADD&Proud.. I went through that phase myself not too long ago with Hugh Laurie. I never watched the show House MD until it ran in syndication (because I could never remember when it was on). Once USA Channel picked it up I began watching it and then I went out and bought Season One DVD set.. watched all of those in a days time.. then a week or two after that Season Two set came out and did the same... Once Season 3 started on regular Network I watched one episode and then forgot and got out of my Hugh Laurie- House MD phase.
most people seem to but may not call it that. the book delivered from distraction by hollowell and ratey is a really fine description of typicall adhd. both writers are harvard educated and harvard profs for 20 yrs AND adhders themselves. they now spend time just w/ wrting and speaking about adhd
h
I'm in shock that I'm not the only one with this issue! :-) I can get obsessed with the silliest things (a few years ago, I remember printing out a list of Japanese markets in my neighborhood, just for my own interest)once it's in my mind, I kind of have to wait for it to leave on its own. Does anyone here know if meds would help with this issue? I would think if it's characteristic of ADD the meds would help.
It's like fate brought me to this thread. I've been waiting for someone to say that for so long!btw, does anyone with this problem notice it exacerbates with caffeine??
One more thing: do your obsessions impair your focus? For me, I can't focus on anything else b/c all I can think about all the time is this one thing. It really gets in the way when I'm trying to read something boring. soberxinsanity39094.5863425926
That sure sounds like me too. I'm still working on finding ways to take advantage of that. It's one of our strengths... an advantage we have over people without ADHD (no one can keep up with us when we're hyperfocused), but if all that energy just runs down and we have nothing left that is self-sustaining, the effort we invested during our hyperfocus stage is wasted.
Thom Hartmann says that's one of the advantages he has as an entrepreneur. He has the idea and hyperfocuses to get the research done and systems set up, and then when he's losing interest, he leaves it to his wife to run. I guess that's nice if you have a wife who doesn't mind coming behind you and picking up the pieces you've left behind, but there's got to be some positive lesson we can pull from there.
I'd love to hear ideas about how we can put that tendency to use. I suppose we could just choose short projects (but I know that if they're not big, original, mind-blowing ideas, they rarely have the power to pull me into a hyperfocus period), or we could find a partner (assistant, team, whatever) who likes to take our ideas and run with them. I guess that's kind of like what Peter Pan was talking about. Any other ideas?
I know I'm like that, but I'm lucky - I'm a chef, so when I go into hyperfocus, I'll produce dozens and dozens of ideas; then my sous chef and kitchen team put them into action. It really does help people like us to have a partner who recognizes our gifts and has the complementary gift of being able to follow through and organize our creations.Hypomania and ADHD definitely look similar, but they can be distinguished from each other. A common misconception is that stimulant medication can distinguish the two, but not everyone suffering from hypomania will find their manic episodes induced or worsened by the use of a stimulant (many people with Type 2 bipolar use stimulant medication since many have ADHD as well).
The big signs:
1. Sleep: Both ADHD and people in a hypomanic state are prone to staying up and working on things at late hours. For people with ADHD it's an issue of hyperfocus, but for hypomania it's due to a decreased need for sleep and increase in motivation. The big difference is found in the next morning. ADHD people, after staying up far too late and getting too few hours of sleep, wake up exhausted and groggy (at least until the hyperactivity sets in- which gets worse without sleep as we all know), but the hypomanic wakes up refreshed and ready to go even with only a few hours of sleep.
2. Eating: Both ADHD and hypomanic people tend to have problems with skipping meals. For those dealing with ADHD it's a lack of self-monitoring, becoming distracted from your own physical signs of hunger (which often happens during hyperfocus, but we all know it can happen even outside of that), and not having the motivation to go to the grocery store or plan a meal (let alone cook one). The ADHD person will, at some point in the day, suddenly realize they are ravenously hungry, at which point they will eat something if it's available (provided stimulant medication isn't getting in the way of appetite late at night). Hypomania is characterized in part by disordered appetite. The hypomanic won't realize they're positively starving because they're not. They skip meals because they aren't hungry, not because they forgot they were hungry. They also don't show any signs of weakness or fatigue from not eating, unlike people with ADHD.
3. Dangerous Behavior: Both ADHD people and those in the midst of hypomania are prone to impulsive, self-destructive activities with little regard for their consequences. Excess spending, increase in sexual activity, thrill-seeking behavior, etc. For the ADHD person it is due to both impulsivity and problems with the reward system of the brain. ADHD people are notorious for being unable to pass up short-term rewards in favor of long-term rewards, thus they often engage in high-risk behavior that is short-sighted. Impulsivity and the desire for self-stimulation work together to keep the ADHD person from thinking about the consequences and then the reward system makes it difficult for them to weigh the options fairly ("Oh I know it's 0, but it'll be fine, I'm getting paid at some point"...without considering which bills are coming up and if you can afford to wait until the next paycheck for that money). The hypomanic person is also engaging in thrill-seeking behavior, but they will often show a more reasoned, albeit flawed, approach. They may have a more thoughtful explanation for why they are spending 0 on something when they are broke, even if that explanation isn't particularly logical. ("Oh I can spend 0 on some shoes, what's the worst thing that can happen? It's not the end of the world if I'm late on my mortgage, come on, let's go!"). Also, the ADHD person is generally able to be talked out of behaviors fairly easily with a calm explanation of why. Hypomanic individuals are more likely to get defensive and argumentative about it.
Those are just a couple of ways. There are more. The distinction isn't an easy one, but honestly the sleep issue is generally the most clear cut. Also, the onset of depression after the hypomanic state should clue you in. A depressed ADHD person will be depressed all the time, but the Type II Bipolar individual will have more ups and downs.
Let's all work for George Lucas. How do you think all those special effects scenes look so real? He hired computer specialists who have ADHD.I hyperfocus, but only for a period of hours.
My impatience is a separate issue.
I have obsessive tendencies, too.
Lots of the descriptions of hyperfocus here sound like mania to me. I think sometimes bipolar and ADHD can look alike.
What do you think are the major differences between hyperfocus and hypomania?
I am trying to bettter understand how to utilize Hyper-Focus. I counld not make the board work for older threads a few days ago. So I am bumping this thread so I can find it again
makes perfect sense to me.
hank
Hi sober...this is a good topic for a new thread perhaps? i have racing thoughts a t night... i hav delt with the mild insomniiaq by getting asleep study and being dx w/ sleep apnia BUT i have learned to deal w/ both problems by the following radical solutions: 1. to get enough sleep i need Three hours before bed time. AND i need to set my to bed time an hour earlier that it used to be.so i have started no0t maling any plans at night. boring for some or for many but for me it has beeen a god send. i am sleeeping much better
for the racing thoughts in the middle of the night, reading doesn't work cause it is so hard to read at all BUT listening to books on tape (or CD or MP3) works great for me.
hank
clarification: i neeed 3 hours to be at home with no big stimulation (ie a date, dinner party, concert...anything ourt of the house. i use that time for any normal at home activity.The racing thoughts are a nightmare for me; they're part of what causes my inattention. I thought meds might help...I wouldn't know yet I just started yesterday and nothing's happening so it's too early to tell. It's like what's interesting, your mind races on and on about, and what's not, you have absolutely no mental stimulation for. there's no in between, I'm either overly-focused/stimulated on something, or I can't even concentrate on it for more than a second. The only reason I'm able to post on this forum is because I can hyperfocus on ADD. I don't know why that is, but my mom just says I'm only interested in myself, so maybe I'm into ADD because I have it?? I think we overstimulate our brains to compensate for mental boredom/understimulation, but only certain things can overstimulate it, depending on your own individual interests. Sorry if that didn't make much sense, it's hard to put into words...I have insomnia at night because of racing thoughts, but can't wake up at a reasonable hour in the morning, anytime before 10 am I'm still tired and just want to sleep. When I'm trying to fall asleep at night, my mind is racing about whatever my current "obsession" is..