ADHD and our interest-based nervous system
Anyone else feeling excited about 2024 and the start of a new year, but also feel like they want to curl up under a blanket for a bit longer and watch TV?
I love a new year. I always spend the last few days of the year, tidying and sorting. Like a spring clean for the new year, so that I am ready for a fresh start. Yet in the first four days of 2024 I have felt a bit meh to be honest. The non-stop rain hasn’t helped.
But I can’t help feeling that us neurodivergent folk put so much pressure on ourselves to always be doing something new and exciting. We feel bored if we sit still for just one minute.
Some of the things that have been running through my head lately are:
Starting a new hobby - currently my hobby consists of watching telly whilst trying a new snack. So I love the idea of a new hobby that I can do at home but will give me some dopamine.
Exploring new places - I just want to get out and discover places but then remember it’s raining and I can’t be bothered.
Learning something new - wondering whether I should start a language or if this is the year I become an excellent cook (the latter is even more doubtful than the first!).
Nervous systems
Neurotypicals function with what is referred to as an importance-based nervous system. This is basically the idea that attention is driven by outcomes, rewards, and consequences.
Whereas people with ADHD often have an interest-based nervous system. This can be broken down into four main factors:
interest
competition
novelty
urgency
When one or more of these are met for a person with ADHD, attention, focus, and motivation come much easier. This is why us ADHDers often leave things until the last minute before completing them because we need that sense or urgency to kick in so we can focus. If a topic is interesting, novel, needs to be completed ASAP and it has some form of competition to it - that is the winning combo!
Loving a challenge
The ADHD brain loves a challenge. Whether that is problem solving or a competition comparing skills to others or even yourself. My 12 year old son is constantly asking us to time him to do ‘things’. And each time he likes to reduce how quickly he does the activity by a few seconds!
Most people with ADHD greatly enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing a difficult task or testing their skills. This can also be why we love a to-do list. The satisfaction that ticking something off a list that we have completed feels very validating.
While many neurotypicals also enjoy a challenge, the experience of mastering a new skill or improving upon a previous performance can be particularly motivating for people with ADHD. Which is probably why I want to start a new language or learn to cook! The idea of getting a Duolingo streak is filling me with excitement. Yet I have yet to download the app or choose a language I want to learn!
Before you start a new hobby
So before you dive head first into a list of new hobbies, it is worth thinking about how much you will love your new interest. People with ADHD are well known for having a hobby which quickly turns into a special interest and spending a fortune on equipment. Only for that feeling to wane and we move on to the next hot topic!
So ask yourself:
Do I have time for the new hobby?
Does it interest me?
Can I afford the equipment?
Do I know other people that I could swap tips and equipment with?
Is there a group I can join to find out more?
Is this another phase?
There is nothing wrong with having lots of hobbies and ideas when you have ADHD. But it is worth recognising whether or not you are just dopamine seeking or actually excited for a new hobby.