ADHD, Anxiety, and Hyperfocus: How to Keep It from Running Your Life

Hyperfocus isn’t inherently bad or good. At its best, it offers real superpowers: you get to dive deep into a topic, learn everything you can, and feel like a productive unstoppable genius for a while. But hyperfocus isn’t always helpful. It can make you neglect everything else, forget to eat, ignore texts, lose sleep, and tank your mental health. It can also make you spiral into dissociation, burnout, depression, or anxiety more quickly. Managing hyperfocus isn’t about stopping it. Instead, it’s about learning how to harness it without letting it run you into the ground.

What Is ADHD Hyperfocus?

ADHD hyperfocus is an intense state of concentration where everything else fades into the background. It’s often talked about in ADHD circles as both a gift and a curse. On one hand, it’s an incredible tool for deep work, creative projects, and learning new skills. On the other hand, it can hijack your time, keeping you from switching gears when you need or want to. It’s this loss of control that can feel scary and distressing.

ADHD Hyperfocus Obsession: When It Becomes a Problem

Hyperfocus can be a double-edged sword when it’s out of balance. Some common ways I see it causing challenges for my clients include:

• New hobbies & habits: You pick up a hobby, become obsessed, drop $$$ on supplies, spend every waking hour on it... and then one day, it just stops being interesting. This can also apply to other interests: crushes and new relationships, for example. The crash after an obsession inevitably fades can feel disorienting, painful, and sometimes shame-inducing.
• Work hyperfocus: If you throw yourself into work and ignore everything else (food, breaks, relationships, self-care), burnout is inevitable. ADHDers are especially prone to swinging between being hyper-productive and completely drained.
• Anxiety spirals: If only hyperfocus just kicked into gear about fun and healthy things. Unfortunately, you can also get stuck in anxious loops, like ruminating on conversations, overanalyzing an email or text, and fixating on a problem until it consumes you. Some research suggests hyperfocus can contribute to addiction-like behaviors (like doomscrolling, internet or game use, and binge-watching) and increase mental health struggles.

Does Hyperfocus Increase ADHD Obsessive Thoughts?

ADHD brains love novelty. Sometimes hyperfocus is just a reaction to something new and exciting (which doesn’t have to be a problem.) But it can also spin out, turning into obsessive thoughts that you feel powerless against. This in turn becomes overwhelming and distressing, which fuels the anxiety and obsessive thoughts even more. 

You might find yourself:

• Thinking about one topic all the time.
• Feeling unable to engage in anything else.
• Ignoring physical needs, social interactions, or responsibilities.
• Feeling exhausted or detached from reality after coming out of it.

Deep-diving into things is a great way to experience the world, but when it starts feeling compulsive or like it’s controlling you, it might be time to check in with yourself.

Hyperfocus and Anxiety

Hyperfocus and anxiety go hand in hand more than you’d think. When you’re in a hyperfocused state, your brain isn’t good at recognizing when it needs a break. Hyperfocus can also cause exhaustion and burnout, where you feel fried and irritable during or after coming out. And if you use hyperfocus as a coping mechanism to avoid responsibilities, emotions, or tough situations (even if what you're hyperfocused on is ‘productive’), you’re more likely to get hit hard by the backlash. Plus, you might lose sleep or stop exercising or stop doing other self-care,

All of this feeds anxiety. Constantly thinking about one thing can warp your perspective, making it seem way more important, urgent, and larger-than-life than it actually is. 

How to Stop Hyperfocusing (Without Losing Your Passion)

Managing hyperfocus isn’t about trying to shut it down. That approach is usually motivated by shame and tends not to work, at least not for long. Managing hyperfocus is about making sure it doesn’t run you into the ground. Here are a few ways to do that.

1. Set alarms and timers
   Use external reminders to pull you out and transition to something else before you lose hours (or days). Then take breaks, however small. A walk around the block, a shower, a snack, an hour without your phone, a switch to a different activity: all of these can be helpful cues to bring yourself out of the haze.
2. Build in body check-ins
   Pause to ask yourself: Have I eaten? Do I need water? Have I moved today? Tuning into your body can be hard for a lot of reasons, especially if you tend to dissociate or don’t feel safe in your body. You can practice this skill on your own or with a therapist. 
3. Use accountability
   Ask someone to check in on you, especially if you’re prone to work or hobby binges.
4. Practice intentional disengagement
   Train yourself to step away before you hit total burnout. Start small: five-minute breaks, stretching, changing your environment.
5. Balance the dopamine
   If hyperfocus is making you anxious, balance it with calming activities (breathing exercises, a walk, or even a different, less consuming hobby).

More Support For Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus isn’t bad, it just needs boundaries. Your passions, interests, and deep dives can be incredible, but they shouldn’t leave you feeling drained, isolated, or anxious. 

If you want support changing the behaviors and patterns that make hyperfocus so challenging,  consider therapy. I’m here to help you feel more balanced, change what’s not serving you anymore, and celebrate your wins as we go. Learn about my therapy services (including EMDR and talk therapy) if you’re located in Idaho, Iowa, or South Carolina. For all other locations, check out my coaching services. My coaching program offers all the same expertise, tools, and guidance as therapy in a more direct and goal-oriented approach that you can benefit from anywhere. 

Your neurodivergent brain gives you superpowers, but without checks, they can throw your whole world off-kilter. Together, we can figure out how to find balance amidst the intensity.