Hyperfocus

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I'm not talking about hyperfocus on a special interest, for me it happens all the time no matter what I'm doing. I can only think about one thing at a time. The current stimulus takes all my attention and everything else fades away. I'm guessing it's a normal aspie thing? (In my case I think overfocused-type adhd is very likely too.)

One of the most annoying situations happened again tonight... I'm the sound girl for a band and we had a gig tonight. Everyone else can do what they need to (setup/performance/tear down) while socializing with the people around them at the same time - other band members, friends, audience, etc. But I get so hyperfocused on the tasks I'm doing that I can't/don't socialize even if I want to, and I hate that because I know how it makes me appear to NTs. During setup I went onto the stage to plug something in and a band member greeted me (she'd just arrived). It took several seconds (seemed like an eternity) for me to process the fact that someone was talking to me, stop what I was doing, and mentally switch gears to return the greeting/participate in a bit of small talk - probably with a rather annoyed facial expression unfortunately. And that's just one example of many - this one at least is one of the few with a 'happy' ending because I managed to get myself to shift my attention and act in a normal way even though it took a bit of time to get there.

So yeah, I guess this thread is just to vent - this hyperfocus thing can be a real problem when there's a few things going on that all need my attention (can't multitask at all)... and the social aspect - in social situations a lot of the time I don't talk to people, and if I do, I just ask a question or share a piece of information directly related to the task at hand, then walk away. I don't follow the proper procedure of greeting/small talk/etc in addition to whatever I wanted to say. I disugustedly watch it happening but either I can't switch gears, or sometimes I'm just too overloaded, to correct it in time. (Of course my attention can jump around all over the place when IT wants to, but not when I want it to be flexible. )

Whoah I've always been like that, if one person is close to me they are all I obsess about, if I'm working on an album project, it is all I think about. If I'm researching its all that my mind can think about etc.

I dunno if it is ADHD, the doctor ruled that out for me though I mentioned the hyper-focus issue, maybe it can also be a different way of making a routine?

I have that problem with switching gears sometimes too. Being more 'NT', or rather less Aspie, or even better, lower on the spectrum than you are, I have trouble, but I am able to do something like saying 'hold on' or raise my hand up with my palm towards the person who asked of my attention (that's the non-verbal way of saying 'hold on', for those who don't know, but it can also mean go away, so be careful when you use it), and then quickly finish what I'm doing. I have to do it most often when drawing, most often when the teacher is telling me to stop drawing in the first place!

Just tell your friends that you zone out a lot and don't have a clue what's going on around you. They'll probably joke about you being blonde (whether you are or not) but they should take it in stride and not be too offended. You'll probably get some "Earth to neongirl!" if you haven't got that already.

I USED to "zone out" ALL THE TIME! My mother never understood it, and would try to like break me out of it. Soe people SWEAR they have seen me on the street, and I didn't react. Yet if they tailgated, slowed down in front of me, or on either side, etc... I certainly would have reacted. If you do your job, etc.... such things might make you BETTER at your job. BTW I DID once try to do as many DIFFERENT things as I could at the same time, mentally. I managed to do about 7, and some seem to think that is the limit of humans. And even "normal" NTs(at least they don't have AS symptoms, etc...) may not give focus to a second thing. HECK, a couple even seemed to zone out. So don't worry about it.

Callista is probably right. BESIDES, if you can LITERALLY walk and chew gum at the same time, the potential is definately there. Even if you just concentrate on the sound, or the lights, you have to be able to do more than one thing at once. Just like with me checking all around my car, the signs, speed, time, etc...

Steve

For me its not in a moment, its more over-focused in terms of each day,

as in I wake up, and whatever thought I have first, no matter what I do I can not get out my head, I must do it until I'm totally exhausted and overwhelmed... It kinda stuffs me up!

I think my problem would actually be going back to the task after an interruption. Interruptions annoy me but I can switch my focus to them pretty easily.

I don't know if this is ADHD-ish, but I also find that my mind hyperfocuses on things I don't want to focus on, like voices/music from the neighbours' house. I might be concentrated on reading but then the neighbour starts yelling on the phone and I can't focus on both things at once. My mind decides that it HAS to decode the voice, so that's that. I'm working on being able to concentrate anyway, but it's hard!

I think that's something we all have in common... hyper-focus. I don't understand how my co-workers get ANYTHING done, they're always chatting on the office messenger, talking to one another... and yet they seem to get things DONE... That's one super-power I certainly don't have.

Oh, and imgine if your name IRL was Tracy. Imagine how many time you'd "shift gears" hearing "Earth to SPACY, come in, Spacy..." and "Trace... in... Space!..." (That last one was my mom. I think she was referring to some old show or something.)

I'm so used to it now that I can even smile about it.

Neon girl,

As for the having to learn, whatever, we ALL understand how wierd the brain can be. I have lately remembered a LOT of old memories. It IS funny remembering things from 38+ years ago from times like when I was five, etc.... I guess I DID act more autistic then, I DID create some disturbances. I even remember a few times I needed a little special attention.(I think it was actually 2) One was improperly explained, and the other required more desterity than I had. Maybe I was just more vocal about it. STILL, it was odd I had the trouble, Yet I knew how to read before going to school, originally got good grades(I eventually just got BORED, etc...). I could tell you how a lot of mechanical things could work, and read schematics and pictoral diagrams! I PRIDE myself at pretty much NEVER reading instructions for things I buy. I just USE them, but I USED to actually read the schematics first. These days, most stuff is obscured with ICs. 8-( I wasn't good with math though, or catching balls, etc...

Even NTs have to practice some things adults consider mundane. Who remembers half of what happened when you were 5 or younger?

As for zoning out, I am doing it more now. Sometimes, I wish I could do it all day. .

MEDUSA,

MAN is that right. These days, I get into that too much, but I have to watch what I say, etc... I used to always tell the truth, and people would get mad. There is so much INSANITY, that I just don't keep quiet. I guess I have been trying to act NT for so long that I appear to be. STILL, people see my lack of interest in sports, and encyclopedic knowledge, and wonder "what gives".
As for getting things done, the corporate world usually runs VERY slow.

Steve

OK, I do ALSO! Certainly not COMPLETELY, but I remember times I was less than 2, in fact I remember some things from when I couldn't have been more than a few months old. It probably IS all there.

I don't know if I TRULY forget anything(my problem is recall). My question was mainly rhetorical, and targeted mainly at NTs.

But YEAH, I remember when I decided to learn to read(I think I was like 3! By 5, I was also reading pictorals, and I was reading schematiocs by 7). I remember I used to LOVE doing puzzles! One wonders WHAT happened! I used to LOVE braunsweiger, etc... I'm actually considering trying to get back to that just to see how it affects me.

I remember what first got me started in electronics.(Ironically, it was a house switch at the end of a supermarket isle!)

My REAL switch to computers happened in 1979(When engineering standard electronics got more complicated.), so remembering IT isn't so remarkable. STILL, I DO remember THAT. And I remember in 1971 what triggered my thoughts about someday MAYBE getting into computers.(I believe it was radio electronics, and I believe it was the september edition, but I never tried to remember that. I was 8 at the time! More evidence I knew how to read schematics earlier, because that was what I bought it for, and it was pretty worthless without that.)

It is funny what you remember. NOW, if only I can remember the 2000 or so hindi words I studied last month. OK, I DO remember maybe 400-600, but that is really kind of pitiful. I AM doing better now though.

As for floorplans? I certainly remember a LOT of them!

Steve

Funny thing. I USED to be able to work around ANY kind of sound, and noise didn't affect my sleep much. NOW, the opposite is true. Go figure. 8-(

As for holding your breath, I have experienced that, and not blinking, also. I actually have to THINK about blinking sometimes. If I forget, my eyes can get red and iritated. Then again, I think NTs mostly have those two problems also.

Steve