{"id":2331,"date":"2026-08-16T02:18:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T00:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arantxaavalantxa.com\/?p=2331"},"modified":"2026-09-02T03:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T01:50:14","slug":"hiperfoco-tdah-regular-atencion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arantxaavalantxa.com\/en\/hiperfoco-tdah-regular-atencion\/","title":{"rendered":"Attention deficit\u2026 or difficulty deciding where to put it?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There\u2019s something about the name ADHD\u2014attention deficit hyperactivity disorder\u2014that never quite fits me: the \u201cattention deficit\u201d part.<\/p>

Because, at least in my experience, many times I don't feel like I'm lacking attention.<\/p>

Sometimes I feel like I have too much of it.<\/p>

I can spend three, four, or more hours completely focused on something that interests me. I research, write, create, and search for something that leads me to another thing, and when I look up, I think:<\/p>

\u201cBut what time is it?\u201d<\/p>

I haven't eaten.
I didn't look at the phone.
I didn't even hear that they were calling me.<\/p>

And then the inevitable question arises:<\/p>

Where was my attention deficit during all those hours?<\/p>

When focusing isn't the problem<\/h2>

This ability to become completely absorbed by an activity is often described as Hyperfocus on ADHD<\/strong>.<\/p>

And from the outside it can seem contradictory.<\/p>

How can a person have attention difficulties and at the same time spend hours focused on just one thing?<\/p>

Precisely because the problem is not always in having or not having attention.<\/p>

Many times it is in regular use.<\/p>

In my case, the difference becomes evident when I have to direct that same attention to something that my brain does not consider sufficiently interesting, urgent, novel, or stimulating.<\/p>

Then everything changes.<\/p>

A task that could objectively take me ten minutes can turn into a mountain.<\/p>

I know I have to do it.
I know how to make it.
I even know that I will probably be very slow to start.<\/p>

And even so, starting can cost me a lot more than spending four hours researching something I\u2019m passionate about.<\/p>

The hyperfocus has another side too<\/h2>

Sometimes we talk about hyperfocus almost as if it were a superpower.<\/p>

And yes, it can have a wonderful part.<\/p>

When something excites me, I can create, research, learn, and deepen my knowledge for hours.<\/p>

But there is also the other side.<\/p>

Because delving deeply into something does not necessarily mean being able to decide when to leave.<\/p>

You can lose track of time, delay other tasks, forget to eat, or discover that what was supposed to take you half an hour has taken up a good chunk of the afternoon.<\/p>

Therefore, for me, understanding ADHD solely as a lack of attention is insufficient.<\/p>

\u201cFor what you\u2019re interested in, you better focus\u201d<\/h2>

I think many people with ADHD have heard some version of this phrase at some point:<\/p>

\u201cFor what you\u2019re interested in, you better focus.\u201d<\/p>

Well, yes.<\/p>

Exactly.<\/p>

And for a long time that phrase can make you think that the problem is simply a lack of willpower.<\/p>

\u201cIf I can concentrate here, I should be able to do it there.\u201d<\/p>

But my experience doesn't work that way.<\/p>

I can't always choose with the same ease where to focus my attention, when to activate it, and when to remove it from what has taken hold of me.<\/p>

And understanding that difference changes things a lot.<\/p>

Because you start to wonder:<\/p>

\u201cWhy don\u2019t I try harder?\u201d<\/p>

I asked you:<\/p>

\u201cWhat does my brain need to be able to start this?\u201d<\/p>

And that second question is much more useful.<\/p>

I don't need more blame, I need to understand how it works<\/h2>

It helps me a lot more to think of ADHD as a difficulty in regulating attention than as a simple inability to concentrate.<\/p>

No significa que pueda controlarlo todo una vez que lo entiendo.<\/p>

Ojal\u00e1. Nos ahorrar\u00edamos unas cuantas agendas abandonadas por el camino.<\/p>

Pero s\u00ed me permite observarme de otra manera.<\/p>