What is Hyperfixate?

Hyperfixation happens when you're completely engrossed by something, to the point where it becomes all-consuming and disrupts your day-to-day functioning. It gets hard to focus on anything other than the object of your hyperfixation.

Why do I Hyperfixate on things?

Changes in your frontal lobe, the part of your brain that controls your sense of reward, can lead to hyperfocus. You may find a certain task so rewarding that it's hard to move on to something else. Another cause could be related to behavior. You may have trouble controlling how much attention you pay to something.

Is it normal to Hyperfixate?

Hyperfixation is not unique to individuals with ADHD. But almost every child and adult with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) knows what it feels like to become so engrossed in something — a book, a home project, a video game — that they block out the world around them for hours at a time.

What Hyperfixation feels like?

If you're experiencing hyperfixation, you may: Lose track of time or feel like time is passing very quickly. Tune out other things happening around you. Forget to do necessary things like eating or sleeping.

How do you know if it's a Hyperfixation?

HYPERFIXATIONS

How do you Hyperfixate something?

Before you start on a project, decide how long you want to spend on it. Then set an alarm as a reminder to stop. You can also ask a family member or friend to check in. After you go into hyperfocus mode, your brain takes a while to change gears.

Can you control Hyperfixation?

Hyperfixation can be powerful, or a time-sucking vortex, depending on what we fixate on. But as every ADHD specialist in our videos has said, rarely, if ever, is a single tool or strategy enough to successfully manage ADHD.

Is Hyperfixation a coping mechanism?

In any case, it's a coping mechanism. It may not be the most practical or convenient, but it works. My hyperfixation isn't a bad thing. It's just an aspect of my mental illnesses I have to accept.

What does hyperfocus look like?

What Does Hyperfocus Look Like? When someone is in hyperfocus mode they become so immersed in the task that they are oblivious to everything else going on around them. You may notice this when a child with ADHD is playing a video game and you try to get their attention. You call them, but you get no answer.

How do you trigger hyperfocus?

Can you have hyperfocus without ADHD?

Sam: And can people without ADHD have this hyperfocus? Brandon: Absolutely. You see this in normal populations all the time, you know, anybody has had this experience where they just get so focused in on something that they're just not paying attention to anything else.

How do you break out of hyperfocus?

Use natural breaks to remind you to change your focus - at the end of a TV show, or when the commercials come on, or the half-hourly news break on the radio, etc. Give yourself space and time to actually hyperfocus if you want. Choose when to do it, and give yourself permission to do it.

Are Hyperfixations addictions?

Hyperfixation is not addiction in that it comes in waves or phases. You might become hyperfixated on a particular game app on your phone and play it constantly for a while, but not to the point that you stop sleeping, working, or eating. Some examples of common hyperfixations include: Cleaning.

Can music be a Hyperfixation?

A hyperfixation, or special interest is a highly intense interest in a subject, usually associated with autism and ADHD specifically. It can be anything: a fictional universe, a celebrity, a genre of music, a historical period.

What is Overfocused ADD?

Overfocused ADD is a type of ADD characterized by inflexible cognitive thinking, inability to appropriately shift one's attention from task to task and can also include hyper-focused, argumentativeness, obsessiveness, and excessive worrying.