At some point, the racing thoughts would lead to the game I had been playing and how to progress in it.įrom that moment on, I decided to take control of my hyperfixation by using the following methods. If I played video games until bedtime when I was feeling stressed, then my body would wake me up in the middle of the night with racing thoughts and sweat. Not only did hyperfixation make me hangry during the day, but it also teamed up with my anxiety at night. ![]() Due to hyperfixation, I didn’t pay attention to the time or the fact that my body craved food. I realized that I was angry not only because I was losing, but also because I was really hungry. Then, I happened to look up at the clock and saw that I’d forgotten to eat lunch. One day, I was playing a video game for hours and getting frustrated at what appeared to be a losing streak. ![]() It wasn’t until I had an incident similar to the one I had as a kid that I started to realize that I had a problem. Not only did I not think my self-diagnosis wasn’t valid, but I also didn’t think my neurodivergence could negatively impact me. After an online friend of a family member suggested that I might be autistic, I took some self assessment tests and diagnosed myself as neurodivergent.Īlthough I have symptoms of neurodivergence, depression, and anxiety, internalized ableism left me unable to notice that I was hyperfixating and that it sometimes had a negative impact on me. I only managed to learn about neurodivergence in 2019 because I happened to read a book with a white autistic protagonist, Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde. Since Black people like myself are often overlooked when it comes to being neurodivergent, there are many people who either don’t receive a diagnosis until adulthood or can’t get one at all.Īs of this writing, I still haven’t received a diagnosis. Moreover, it is very hard to access a diagnosis as an adult. Since Black people like myself are often overlooked when it comes to being neurodivergent, there are many people who either don’t receive a diagnosis until adulthood or can’t get one at all.ĭespite having at least one or two more similar incidents, I was never diagnosed with ADHD or autism because I didn’t know about either of these conditions until adulthood. Later, my mom found out and I got a really bad scolding. ![]() As a result, I ended up throwing my dinner away in the trash and returning to the computer after only eating a few bites. I may or may not have been hungry, but I could think of nothing but playing on the computer. Although I was raised to eat at specific times, I was hyperfixating so much on the game that I didn’t want to eat when the time came. My mom had gone out for the evening and I was completely engrossed in some sort of game on the computer. The first time I can recall hyperfixating is when I was in elementary or middle school. It is also important to note that hyperfixation is not the same thing as an extreme like of something. Although this term is commonly applied to people with autism or ADHD, people with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder can also hyperfixate. Hyperfixation aka “hyperfocus” to some psychologists is when you’re so intensely focused on something that you tune out everything else for hours at a time. Contents Alarms Save Points Schedule Time For Hyperfixation
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