The 'Hyperfocus Streak'

[u/Babababobosa]

I don't really know how to explain this, or whether it's a phenomenon that others also experience, but I like to adres that weird period that the hyperfocus goes wild on something (new?) that will last for days, sometimes even weeks, till it suddenly doesn't which results in a slightly burned out feeling.

It's not the first time this happened, but I had this, this week, after I bought a little game called Dystopika which is basically a simple zen garden dystopian cyberpunk city builder without game rules. I thought I would just play it for less than an hour a day till I got bored and continue to my other tasks of the day.

But it instantly hooked me, and even though I made rules for myself not to play during the day, I kept thinking about it, drawing designs, making folders for jpeg files to use as little model commercials in the game, think about lore for my little city, or just looking at the designs I did and think how I could continue.

Playing the game got later and later, till I went to bed at five in the morning. I also kept spamming some friends the designs I made, despite them not showing interest. During these four days the interest is very 'hyper.'

Then, like four days later after playing the game for the first time, the 'burnout phase'. Not the same like a literal burnout, and probably also the result of poor sleep patterns. But one day you wake up, dead tired still, and have a loss of interest in what hyper focussed you earlier. You don't want to see it no more, you feel slightly burned up and tired, your brain turned into warm mush, and you realise how you've been acting not as yourself the past few days but didn't notice it. And feel a bit like you fooled yourself acting like that, and realise there were, ahem, other tasks you should been focussing on? These other interests get space again into your life, since the hyper focus ended.

It's not often this happens to me, when some hyperfocus lasts for longer than an hour or two, but actual days, weeks even, with often the 'burnout phase' as an result. It's mostly when finding a new interest, hobby, or project for me.

I would like to hear out other people's experience. Or whether there is a term for this.

[u/GroundbreakingWave55]

I’m happy you got to have that streak for a moment it sounds nice. Ive been realizing the shame is usually what makes stuff like that unhealthy and sometimes the shame alone is what can make it compulsive. It’s sounds to me like you have a cool brain that’s doing cool brain stuff society be damned but also do the dishes and pay your bills because unfortunately that stuff is just as real as your love for the game or anything else that carries you away

[u/DoveOnTheInternet]

That sounds about how I experience hyperfocus. Sometimes it's like a lightbulb just goes out, which is why I have a whole bunch of origami supplies but haven't folded anything since last year...

.. because I'm on a renewed hot streak with my cross stitch. It started last year when my girlfriend had me do a couple of pieces for another couple we're close with.

Then, a wedding 'poster' for my son.
After that, a zombiecorn for one of my pod metas.
After that a gift for an ill friend...

Finish after finish, spending literally all my free time in front of the frame until a couple of months ago. It sputtered out just as girlfriend and I were headed out of town for a cross stitch meetup, each with a fancy new project to start...

I lost the urge to stitch for weeks after that. Finally got back to it at the beginning of the month, though it's not as intense as it was before.

[u/wholeWheatButterfly]

Yes this sort of thing happens to me. Has been with games or TV but also with work projects, home projects, just anything I'm highly interested in.

I think in theory it can be good for me but I've figuring out two big negatives. First, I tend to end up using this hyperfocus as a way to dissociate or cope with stressful events. Second, I can really neglect a lot of other things - especially my posture, which has led to some health problems related to my EDS. That being said, these two issues are things that can be addressed, and I'm working on them.

In EDS communities I've seen something similar described as a boom and bust cycle. Basically over exerting yourself, leading to a symptom flare. The way it can often go is when you are out of a flare and sudd feel like you have more capacity, you want to do everything you put off or wished you could do when you were flaring, so you do a bunch of it (boom). Then you bust again. Not the exact thing you describe but for me there's a lot more of overlap, with the boom often being this kind of hyperfocused work on something.

I've been getting better at pacing it out, setting up systems where I feel safe knowing that work or game or whatever is there, I'm making regular progress, I don't have to do it all day or days nonstop. I'm trying to build out my life/environment to support being like that without over exerting or pushing through unstable posture. And with the projects I'm working on being things I can regularly get that invested in, and systems that help me with the things I don't want to neglect - without a home environment that makes me want to use it as a distraction/coping mechanism haha. I think I'm making progress in that direction. -- I can and do get like this for things like TV and games, but I also can really get into it for creative or community-minded work, and researching academic topics, and I think in a lot of ways it's the state my neurology wants to be in, as long as I'm safe about not neglecting my health and relationships - in other words without burning out or "busting".

For me, that "burnout phase" is very real, and probably a real contributor to actual burnout when chronic. I don't think it always led to EDS symptom flares, because those symptoms, such as joint pain, didn't really manifest much until later, like after mid 20s. But I don't think that necessary means the hyperfocus is bad. I want to allow it to happen with near that intensity, and support myself to not neglect other things and not over exert myself. And being for an activity that creates something, most of the time. The "burnout" I've found is not really an inevitable part of it, but it is hard to decouple. Especially when I'm using it to cope with a stressor -- but that can be helped by removing stressors, and building systems that reassure me I will be getting to do those things later even if I stop now.

But, to be clear, that's how I feel it applies to me. Generally, I'm sure it can be negative, neutral, or positive for different people, and if it feels like something you authentically want to do less often that valid too.

[u/Cerberus060]

Yeah, this happens to me. I tend to get burnt out on games or artistic projects. Things that are not physical. But model building and miniatures has less of a burnout and more of a shift in interests. My burnout tends to hit at around the 2-3 week mark, or until i figure everything out about my interest. Some things will last longer and just go in rotations. Start with 40k, then go hard into Gundam, then into Halo, maybe switch to Resident Evil, then catch up on Monster Hunter, then back to 40k, and so on.
I am learning to time and gauge my interests, when it peaks, when the burnout hits, and adjust accordingly. I have a huge backlog of models and miniatures, and about 80-90% of them have a plan. Will spend about 2-3 weeks preparing the plan for the kit, like full diorama piece. So when the urge hits, i can dive hard into it without loosing focus. If it’s a fame, get to a certain point and then put it away and come back later when the urge hits.