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