ADHD

9691 readers

26 users here now

A casual community for people with ADHD

Values:

Acceptance, Openness, Understanding, Equality, Reciprocity.

Rules:

No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments.
No porn, gore, spam, or advertisements allowed.
Do not request for donations.
Do not link to other social media or paywalled content.
Do not gatekeep or diagnose.
Mark NSFW content accordingly.
No racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, or ageism.
Respectful venting, including dealing with oppressive neurotypical culture, is okay.
Discussing other neurological problems like autism, anxiety, ptsd, and brain injury are allowed.
Discussions regarding medication are allowed as long as you are describing your own situation and not telling others what to do (only qualified medical practitioners can prescribe medication).

Encouraged:

Funny memes.
Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
Questions on confusing situations.
Seeking and sharing support.
Engagement in our values.

Relevant Lemmy communities:

Neurodivergent Life Hacks

lemmy.world/c/adhd will happily promote other ND communities as long as said communities demonstrate that they share our values.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.world

MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.dbzer0.com

Anyone else feel awful after hyperfocusing? (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 1 year ago by WatTyler@lemmy.sdf.org to c/adhd@lemmy.world

13 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hi all.

I'll try and be succinct but as I'm sure you all realize that's often easier said than done.

I don't feel like I ever hear my fellow ADHDers discuss how negative an experience hyperfocusing can be.

First off, I never feel like I'm 'enjoying' myself when I hyperfocus. It feels a lot like I'm dreaming. Time moves weirdly, all my senses go askew, and it never feels like I'm in-control.

Then when the focus fades for whatever reason, I feel exhausted. I usually have a headache from the hours of intent concentration. Oftentimes I haven't eaten, had a drink or used the toilet. As I start to come out of it I often feel quite confused and borderline hungover.

It gives me such an existential crisis. An activity is either so boring I can't summon myself to engage with it or it's so absolutely engrossing that it feels like the activity is partaking of me rather than the reverse.

And when I come out of it, to an extent I do feel as if I've been consumed. I don't feel happy or satisfied or fulfilled. I feel tired, confused and uncomfortable.

Can anyone relate? Does anyone have any advice?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] tubabandit@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

I don’t like to call it hyperfocus because of this narrative that it is a “superpower”. It is still inappropriate focus. Barkley calls it “perseveration”, which seems more accurate to me. Yes I can get things done, but at the cost of an inability to observe time and by causing me to forget everything else, including food.

Medication has been wonderful but it isn’t perfect, and I find that it takes work for me not to overcorrect and lapse into too deep a state of focus.

As for exhaustion, I used to get that when I was undermedicated. At the appropriate dose, I’m fine. My “natural” state of perseveration of focus usually comes with much larger baggage (eg. blind panic at a looming deadline) so it’s hard to ascribe the exhaustion to the act of focusing.