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u/Opposite-Form8095 1d ago
Have fun squashing the interruption rage when they snap you out of it
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u/NightStalkerXIV 21h ago
So I wasn't just imagining it?
That's why I trained myself not to read or work on anything aside from actual work/waiting for customers when everyone else(even the good coworkers) tend to go on their phones or draw or read a literal book between customers at certain types of jobs. Because every time I was "interrupted" I had this internal rage in reaction to it...
Also why I don't play video games or read a book in the time before I have to go somewhere or do something in general, I'll get mad and irritated.6
u/Opposite-Form8095 10h ago
I have to set constant alarms for myself to interrupt whatever I’m doing and do the thing I’m supposed to do
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u/OphidianSun 1d ago
Juat staring at somebody for a few seconds while you're brain boots up so you can talk to them
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u/SeahorseRevolution 16h ago
Better than defaulting to nervously saying stupid nonsense to fill the silence like I do...
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u/AncientLineage 1d ago
This is actually one of the traits we have that can make us great at what we pursue. Hyper focus is such a rare trait but it needs to be directed towards things that will benefit our current lives or our future.
Otherwise it turns into time wasting, which feels important to us at that moment because it gives us all the dopamine we desperately need, but then years later we can wake up and wonder where all the time went.
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u/OttoRenner 22h ago
And now for the $1million question:
How?
The only thing that kinda works for me in this regard is getting employed or putting myself up for active duty in someone elses project (like volunteering at the local open mic to do shifts behind the bar or to be the host for that night).
The place I'm feeling myself the most and can combine my hyperfocus with things that interest and benefit me is when I'm in some kind of student situation. I loved to go back to school and to university afterwards and get new input every day. That was the time I had a big friend group, went to martial arts classes, had a relationship...and was able to keep up with most of it.
Right now I'm back to school, so to speak. I'm in retraining for IT systemintegration. 1.5 years theory, then 9 months internship.
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u/AncientLineage 20h ago
So I also loved university. Had lots of friends and it was super enjoyable. The issue was that I didn’t study much at all back then and def chose the wrong major to focus on.
Once I left, I became obsessed with a plethora of subjects that I was truly passionate about and spent over a decade immersing myself in them. Here’s where it gets tricky though. I studied everything I loved. Some that I focused on most were mindset, history, quantum physics and other spiritual and esoteric pursuits. However I had no idea where to channel it.
I was working online throughout that but even I’ve started realising I might wanna direct my energy to something completely different to what I’ve been doing the past 10-15 years. Studying is awesome and adhd people are often very smart people but it’s the choosing of a path that debilitates us.
Either we have too many options and get choice paralysis or we get absolutely confused about what direction to head in. Normies often consider a couple of options max, quickly narrow that down to one and pursue it relentlessly.
On the flip side, we are blessed to have brains that can hyper focus on many different fields but if we don’t choose, time passes so quickly and we wake up one day and think where the hell am I going in my life?
My suggestion would be that if you’d like to study the subject you’ve chosen, meditate on whether you see a long term future in that before you begin. Ask yourself if this is a field you could foresee yourself being in over the next couple of decades that also won’t be soon replaced by AI. Will you be happy doing that daily once you’ve finished your internship. It’s impossible to be 100% sure about this of course but get as close as you can.
While it’s an important skill to be constantly adapting to changing environments, us neurodivergent people need genuine stability and then we quickly race ahead. It truly brings out the best in us and allows us to thrive. We are capable of so much but the choosing process is where we get stuck more often than not. At least that’s what happened to me. Then we feel like we’re not living up to our potential or the expectations we’ve set for ourselves.
Practicing self compassion has helped me and forgiving myself and others for past mistakes. I realised I had to clean the slate to even be able to plant a new seed for the future I wanna create. Mindset work allowed me to do that but just make sure not to get stuck only on the inner work. It’s definitely the foundation of our being but we need to build the external side too.
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u/CpnLouie2 17h ago
Me at work: Man, I'm getting a headache, when is lunch? Coworker: Dude, it's almost 5 o'clock.
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u/HumanNr3 16h ago
Hahaa I did that this week actually except it was just like 2.30 pm but most people at my job have lunch at 11 am so they were a bit shocked to hear I hadn't had lunch yet at that time
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u/ZealousidealSkirt327 1d ago
When I vanish into a hyperfixation on some weird stuff, and I go into full goblin mode I absolutely forget all my surroundings….
Until my boyfriend comes looking for me because he hasn’t seen or heard of me for hours (and we live in a tiny house)
It always feels like someone snaps me out of a dream by switching the lights on. And THATS when I become super self-aware and the shame sets in. The look on his face is priceless. He always looks so confused on how I even got myself into the situation I’m in. Sometimes he asks what the hell happened, and what in the world I am doing.
And sometimes we just stare at eachother for a couple of seconds and he quietly just leaves the room… Like, never mind. 🤷🏼♀️🤣
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u/rodw 1d ago
LCD Soundsystem has a fun expression of this phenomenon on their album "This is happening".
The opening track "Dance Yrself Clean" starts with 30+ seconds of slowly building purely instrumental drum and synth bass, before the first lyrics on the album are flatly and stutteringly delivered:
Walking up to me expecting / Walking up to me expecting words / it happens all the time.
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u/sparkly_butthole 1d ago
Wdym you hate hyperfocus?? That's the best part of ADHD. The rest of the time, my brain is utter chaos.
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u/Virtual-Response6235 17h ago
It's basically for the reason shown in the image
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u/sparkly_butthole 14h ago
Yeah but why? It's not the zoning out that sucks, it's the being interrupted.
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u/12potatoricers 19h ago
One time I hyperfocused so hard on something, I didn't notice one of my cats appearing to ask for snuggles. When I finally realised she was there, she was pissed
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u/SeahorseRevolution 16h ago
Then because you forgot how to interact like a human you say or do something so stupid your RSD will make a permanent memory that will replay over and over again for at least a month
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u/Shymoon-Odd-Tax 9h ago
Im hyperfocused on finding a n ea/va job right now if yiu know a guy hook me up and yes its annoying to be tapped while in the zone
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u/gamerloz 17h ago
Literally just happened to me. Just taking the bins out and someone shouts over to me. Scared me half to death as I was hyper focused on my next chore. Then I was like "oh shit they expect me to respond! Engage human communication mode!"
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u/MIN1RAINBOW 18h ago
Wait, what does hyperfocus even mean?
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u/DatoVanSmurf 17h ago
To me it's a state where i'm so "locked in" that i don't register anything around me. Which is very noticeable to me, as i usually can't block out any sensory input. All of my focus is going into this one thing. I won't notice time passing, i won't notice if i have to go to the bathroom, or if i need to eat.
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