Navigating ADHD: Managing Hyperfixation

A moment of deep focus. A pause before overwhelm.

Hyperfixation can feel like flow — everything else fades away and you become immersed in something that feels essential. But when hours pass without pause, when meals are skipped and time dissolves, that deep focus can shift from helpful to all-consuming.

At get Mind, we believe hyperfixation is not something to fix — but something to better understand. It’s a form of mental intensity that, with the right rhythm, can be gently guided into something sustainable.

Create Boundaries with Time, Not Pressure

Instead of forcing yourself to stop, use time as a guidepost. Setting gentle limits helps you stay aware, not restricted.

• Use a Timer or External Cue
  Try setting a calm interval timer — not to stop the moment, but to check in with it. This might be every 30 or 60 minutes. Let the alert simply ask, “Are you still okay to continue?”

• Use the Pomodoro Technique to Keep Balance
  Originally developed to enhance focus, the Pomodoro Technique can also ground hyperfixation. Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute reset — stand up, stretch, sip water. Tools like the get Mind: Flow Spinner can offer a tactile moment to break the loop without losing your rhythm.
  

Ground the Moment with External Support

When your mind locks in, a gentle nudge from the outside can help you return to the surface.

• Seek Accountability, Not Supervision
  Let a friend, flatmate or family member know your plan:
  “I’m diving into this for a while — would you mind checking in with me in an hour?”
  That simple check-in — even a text — can be the thing that brings you back to balance.
  
  

• Use a Physical Reminder to Reset
  Keep something within reach — like the get Mind: Seesaw Haptic Clicker — that signals you to pause, feel, and breathe. It's not an interruption. It's an anchor.

Acknowledge, Then Adjust

Many people with ADHD describe a cycle of guilt after hyperfixation — time lost, tasks abandoned. But what if we reframed that?

Hyperfixation is not a flaw. It’s focus without boundaries. The aim is not to suppress it — it’s to shape it. Give it a structure that fits your day. A moment to move, a prompt to breathe, a gentle rhythm beneath the intensity.

Mindful Tools Can Help Support This Shift

Our tools at getmind.co.uk aren’t about stopping behaviour. They’re about offering gentle interruption — quiet tactile resets that return you to yourself.

A flick of the Kinetic Spinner, the press of the Haptic Clicker, the subtle motion of the Tank Roller — these aren’t distractions. They’re grounding cues. Supportive reminders that you’re here, in the present, and you can choose how to carry on.

Further reading:

Sources & Further Reading:

• CHADD – Understanding Hyperfocus in ADHD

• Human Health – ADHD Hyperfixation Techniques

• ADD.org – Time Management and Executive Function

• ChoosingTherapy.com – How ADHD Affects Attention

• Teva Pharmaceuticals – ADHD Life Skills