| Adults with ADD are both blessed and cursed | | | | results. You want to finish a task or make |
| with the ability to hyperfocus. | | | | progress but your frustration in the |
| | | | situation has you feeling unable to move on. |
| Hyperfocus is a unique ability that we have | | | | You become determined to do what you set out |
| to focusso intensely that the rest of the | | | | to do at any cost. (Perfectionism often |
| world temporarily disappears. It's the the | | | | causes negative hyperfocus.) |
| opposite of boredom. Instead of having | | | | |
| difficulty concentrating or getting started, | | | | In this state, you keep telling yourself, |
| the hyperfocused ADDer has trouble shifting | | | | "Just two more minutes. I've got to get |
| focus away from the interesting subject at | | | | this." But it's never just two more minutes. |
| hand. | | | | Your thoughts and actions are stuck. You |
| | | | don't feel good about making progress. You |
| Hyperfocus can be a really good thing. If | | | | feel compelled to finish what you set out to |
| you're highly interested in what you're | | | | do at all costs--including losing sleep, |
| concentrating on, then the ability to | | | | skipping meals, and compromising your mental |
| hyperfocus is an asset. It can help you get | | | | health. |
| through a difficult task, like a report for | | | | |
| work or a household problem that needs to be | | | | In short, positive hyperfocus feels good and |
| fixed. It can also help tremendously during | | | | makes you happy. Negative hyperfocus feels |
| creative periods in which your juices are | | | | bad and makes you stressed. |
| flowing and you're having fun writing, | | | | |
| painting, crafting, or expressing yourself in | | | | Negative hyperfocus is very difficult to |
| an artistic outlet. | | | | break out of. It takes a lot of awareness and |
| | | | a healthy dose of rationalizing self-talk. |
| This positive hyperfocus is what I call being | | | | Forcing yourself (yes, forcing yourself) to |
| in the flow. You enjoy what you're | | | | get unstuck by stopping and de-stressing is |
| doing--whether it's work, problem-solving, or | | | | essential to breaking the pattern. |
| being creative. You're productive and you | | | | |
| enjoy not only what you're doing, but also | | | | It helps to remember that in that stressed |
| the fact that you're making progress. Your | | | | out and frantic state, the things you |
| thoughts and actions are flowing. | | | | actually accomplish are often inferior to |
| | | | what you would accomplish in a relaxed state. |
| However, hyperfocus can also be a bad thing. | | | | Operating from a calm and centered place is |
| Adults with ADD often go into hyperfocus mode | | | | sure to produce better results than operating |
| when a stressful problem or situation | | | | from a stressed and frantic place. |
| presents itself, and the inability to tear | | | | |
| yourself away results in more stress. This | | | | So the next time you find yourself |
| can happen when writing a paper for school, | | | | hyperfocusing, stop and check in with |
| trying to solve a problem at work, attempting | | | | yourself to determine if you're fantastically |
| to fix a broken gadget, or even surfing the | | | | flowing, or stressfully sticking. |
| Internet. | | | | |
| | | | Ask yourself: Do I feel good about what I'm |
| Negative hyperfocus is what I call being in | | | | accomplishing, or am I just stressed out? If |
| the stick. It's really about an inability to | | | | the answer is "I'm just stressed," then take |
| shift focus, and the frustration that | | | | a step to break the pattern. Walk away. |