Hyper fixations

[mysterionz]

Has anyone ever had any strange/unusual hyperfixations? One of mine was the weekly ad for where I work at, and the size/scaling of various objects in marketing campaigns they do/how effective these tactics are. Another one I have is watching art YouTube videos and then writing down techniques various illustrators use in their art for my own use.

Mods, move to a different thread if this topic already exists.

 

[Misty Avich]

I can only hyperfixate on something if it's something that is causing anxiety or depression, and I literally keep thinking about it or worrying about it until I have spoken to someone about it and got reassurance. Often it's impossible to get rid of the thought until I have gotten reassurance or answers from someone I trust.

For example, when my more intelligent/confident cousin got a really good well-paying job with a promised early retirement pension, I felt a bit jealous but felt comforted with the fact that my other cousin is likely to always be in low-paying jobs like me, and will have to work until she's 100, like me. Until a thought formed in my mind telling me what if the confident cousin somehow gets the less confident cousin into the good job too? I obsessed over it, imagining a future where they're both rich and retiring at 50 while I'll still be slogging my guts out at 70, and just fearing that everyone but me is going to succeed in life. I couldn't stop the thought from niggling in the back of my mind, so I had to confide in my aunts about it. Once I'd got reassured that it's not as easy as that for the less confident cousin who is pregnant anyway, the thought faded and then I suddenly saw reality.

That's my hyperfixations. I can't hyperfixate on interests or learning though. See, this is why I always say I have all the "bad traits" of autism instead of the useful ones that serve enjoyment or even a purpose in life.

 

[jsilver256]

I've definitely had intense hyperfixations. Occasionally, they turn into useful life skills.

Hyperfixated on cooking in my late 20's. Learned cooking. Hyperfixated on makeup in my early 30's. Learned makeup. Hyperfixated on 汉字, but stopped at the 300 word level. Etc...

But most of the time they're not useful. And they're not controllable. I hyperfixated on writing for an year. Absorbed everything related to writing. Now that's gone even though I have a publishable manuscript. So close and yet so far.

Of all things, I'm hyperfixating on Pallas cats. There's an online community dedicated to tracing the ancestry of Pallas cats world-wide and keeping track of the daily lives of various Pallas cats in zoos. Least useful hyperfixation ever, but I've got a bunch of cat genealogies memorized now.

Up to last year, my life was basically all hyperfixating. One hyperfixation for the day job and another after work. I've actually been hyperfixating a lot less recently and made a few posts on that. Too much anxiety. My husband thinks my actual hyperfixation is anxiety. Which would suck.

 

[Judge]

Has anyone ever had any strange/unusual hyperfixations? One of mine was the weekly ad for where I work at, and the size/scaling of various objects in marketing campaigns they do/how effective these tactics are. Another one I have is watching art YouTube videos and then writing down techniques various illustrators use in their art for my own use.

Sounds like a good fixation to have if relative to your work. Well done.

Some of the artwork you've shared reminded me of advertisements I'd see from an old Hotel/Casino/Restaurant in Reno, Nevada. Ghastly, outdated artwork that made food in particular seem grim at best. I felt embarrassed for them every time I see such work in print, or worse on television.

Sure, I have suspect many of us have such fixations about things on a very intensive level. Though I also recognize more often than not that it may bother or perplex NTs. Feedback that admittedly I've gotten back on occasion.

 

[Aspychata]

This an interesting post @mysterionz . I feel l can hyperfocus on just about anything l am interested, because it keeps me from slamming my head on the boredom wall.