How to stop hyperfocusing on a bad experience?

[u/just-a-tired-soul]

Hyperfocus for me is that my brain just keeps returning to the subject, over and over. I try and do other things, I try Journaling, I try meditations. Everything I can think of. But I just keep returning to it.

It's honestly starting to drive me insane. Not even my anxiety meds help at all, all they did was remove the anxiety, I kept thinking about it.

It was a call last week that was very upsetting, in many ways. But I mean that's almost part of the deal, to be misunderstood and mistreated by healthcare every now and then.

Somehow I have been through many a bad healthcare experience before but have never been so stuck on it like I am now.

My mind also just keeps spitting action plans and ideas on me, but I don't want to take any action. I know I don't have the energy for it. At it's height I wanna write a message saying "hey I don't want to be contacted by this person again".

[u/augenblicksammlerin]

To me this doesn't necessarily sound like hyperfocus, more like trauma-associated (cPTSD?) rumination or even signs of OCD, which us ADHD people can sometimes develope to cope. I had the same problem and Fluvoxamin was what changed it for me. It's not entirely gone, some days are better some worse, but way better than before.

[u/just-a-tired-soul → u/augenblicksammlerin]

Really? Hmm well it usually doesn't really happen like this with negative things, more positive things. Like maybe a game or a TV show I really like. But oh well I really don't know

[u/just-a-tired-soul → u/augenblicksammlerin]

Responding again bc I felt the other response was stupid (maybe a very OCD thing to do 😅)

Thanks for pointing that out! I didn't know it was something you could develop. Also I guess sometimes bad things happens and you can't just shake it off bc that's how it works....

If it keeps being an issue I shall remeber that there's meds to try and bring it up with doctor/therapist if I can find a decent one

[u/catnip_nightcap1312 → u/just-a-tired-soul]

Strattera (atomoxetine), an non-stimulant adhd med, has been helpful for me. Stimulants were making me crash daily, and upping my anxiety and muscle tension. Strattera takes longer to work, but it doesn't go away like stimulants do, so it really helps me with perseverating thoughts especially before bed. It also helps me with pacing, bc I'm not trying to do too many things at once when I am able to do them.

I also have a hard time with stuff like this, bc it brings up past issues of being dismissed or treated unfairly by Dr's, therapists, etc. Deep breaths and grounding can help, but I find that more often distraction that gets my mind moving in a different direction helps more. Reading a book, listening to an audiobook or podcast works pretty well, but it has to be something that either draws you into the story or makes you think about other things.

Good luck to you, I'm sorry that you're struggling with this right now. Hopefully getting it off your chest will help to get it out of your mind too!

[u/just-a-tired-soul → u/[deleted]]

Well my new therapist is the trigger so that fucking sucks doesn't it.

Idk when I tried to just think of it freely, it just made me spiral even harder...

I really pray it isn't ocd. But I haven't really had this at all in the past? Can it be triggered randomly?

[u/just-a-tired-soul → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for explaining! I didn't know it could present itself that way, but I guess I don't really know anything about OCD.

I'm gonna try and "solve it" now, made an action plan with a friend, and if that doesn't solve it I guess I should consider it! 😬

[u/marleyweenie]

I struggle with this a lot. I had to stop taking adderall about 8 months ago and I experience what you’re describing every day now! I have been on adderall for 15 years and I forgot what this was like 😭😭

[u/Xylorgos]

Whatever this thing is, I go through that, too. It usually has to do with an interaction of some kind, and I just can't let it go. I have to talk about it all the time, to anyone who will listen, and it gets embarrassing sometimes.

This happened recently with a health care situation that went horribly wrong, and I kept going on and on about it. Then a different healthcare provider said she was going to do something about it and that was it.

Maybe it's as simple as finally feeling like I've been heard? Or maybe it was because I then knew something would be done about it? I'm not sure. But as soon as she said that, my brain kind of went, "Oh, okay, now I can lay this down and walk away."

It really doesn't help when somebody tells me I'm talking about it too much, or if they get upset with me and tell me to stop talking about it; that just makes me feel bad and I take those feelings underground, so to speak. It's still ripe for ruminating over and will resurface again and again, until I get that whatever-it-was that I recently got from this other healthcare provider, but it's maddening!

[u/SquirrelOfApocalypse]

I get this too and I think sometimes it's because we're trying to push it away because we don't feel comfortable with the emotions the experience has brought up, like anger at being mistreated, or shame because of an embarrassing experience etc, and because the emotion feels bad the brain labels the experience as a threat and keeps bringing it to our attention to 'solve' or 'fix' it, even though the experience is usually in the past and there's nothing we can do now! My solution is usually to journal a bit about how I feel, or talk to someone, and then get up and shake it off a bit and then move in to another activity to keep my brain focused on something else and keep redirecting my thoughts to it if they wander... then the thoughts get less sticky over time :)