I think most people can relate to getting really into something. This could be a hobby, a routine, a favourite food. But if you have ADHD, being hyper fixated doesn’t just happen to you. It consumes you.
I have written before about the harder side of ADHD: navigating social pressure, how I handle alcohol on a night out, and some of the messier experience that come with it. But ADHD isn’t just a list of problems to solve. Some parts of it are just… interesting. Worth talking about. And being hyper fixated is one of them.
For me, the examples are endless. For years I was playing Call of Duty up to ten hours a day. Last year, I had a phase where I ordered Taco Bell many times a week. Then there is the pre-cooked Costco chickens, which I’d buy on repeat without ever questioning it. That is the thing about being hyper fixated: in the moment, it genuinely feels like you could enjoy this thing forever. And then one day, without warning, you’re completely disgusted by the idea of it. Done. Finished.
Until enough time passes and the whole cycle starts again.
My recent dinners have been a funny example of this. All of March I had a massive bowl of pesto pasta every single night. All of April I had chicken and rice every night. Then one evening I had pesto pasta again, and now I am having that every night.
There is no deep lesson here, no tips or workarounds. Sometimes things that come with ADHD don’t need to be fixed. Sometimes they’re just worth pointing out, having a laugh at, and moving on. This is one of those things.
