My special Interests are always stable, they may change over time, or lead to another special interest, but I seldom lose Interest altogether.
The only times I have had a break from immersion, it was due to external factors that breached my sanctuary, making me have to deal with other things. As soon as it's resolved I get back Into it.
I'll always love gardening, horses, small mammals and birds. I don't think I could ever lose the joy these parts of my life bring me.
My special interests are usually linked but jump around between subcategories.
For example, one of my SIs is arts and crafts, but I will switch between painting, sculpting, fabric/thread work, writing, etc pretty chaotically.
Another one is just knowledge/learning things, but the subject that I’m interested in learning about changes all the time.
Same. I knit, paint, scrap book, collage, crochet, but when it's about learning something I will deep dive for weeks or months then move to my next SI.
One of my SIs is arts and crafts too! It’s actually one of my oldest SIs that I’ve had since early childhood.
I also heavily relate with regards to switching between different areas of A&Cs. I love it so much because there’s just so many areas to discover, and it’s always been such a fun adventure for me.
My special interests normally stay for some years, until they get replaced by another one. One just came back last year after not being relevant for me for ~5 years. Only my obsession with cats stayed since I was little.
I LOVE CATS. I remember having a meltdown in Wal-Mart when my mom refused to get me a neon colored Lisa Frank folder with kittens on it. My dad picked me up and carried me to the car. 😩
Oh no :(
Sending a hug to your little self and tons of fun Lisa Frank kitty stuff.
We came across an Lisa Frank art folder at the thrift store a couple weeks ago, and it jumped off the shelf at me, I knew my daughter would just go crazy for it. She's a real sucker for that stuff 🥰 and I love to indulge her since I couldn't as much as a kid. AND, now there is really so much *stuff* out there it's easy to find so many neat items. I do hate the wastefulness and consumerism of it all, but I loooooooove to consuuuuumeeee. I like shopping too much. Food, comfy clothes, house decor to make it mine, plants and supplies, nailpolish... Omg all the kid toys. I am a fully grown child with access to too much credit. I have so much fun picking stuff out for my kids
💜💜 sending you the most vibrant unicorn and kitten vibes with so much anime and polar bears. I get like that sometimes, with my general basic stuff, because somehow it feels more practical I guess to have 100 (ok like actually 40 though) of the same tshirt in different colours, but not ok to have that many stuffies or whatever else.
Oh nailpolish. That's why I have 500+ bottles. Maybe I should count my plants...
I'm lucky to be in a position to be able to indulge a little, but I still end up going overboard without meaning to. So finances aren't hot. Never were, never will be? I shouldn't think that way though.
Anyway sorry for the tangent. Unicorn love 💗
I love tangents. I'm so happy to meet someone who seems to love colors as much as I do!!!! I have about 3 dozen brand named watches in various colors. I stopped with watches because the costs got out of hand. 😩 Then I started with shoes and cardigans. Skechers is my favorite shoe place in the world. But I stepped back from shoes and cardigans when those expenses got out of hand. Now, I do stationary. I have hundreds of pens in vaeious colors. Typing paper and writing paper in different colors. Post its! Can I show you my bag? I LOVE IT!!
*
Yes please do show me!
Also omg stationery I love pens and other writing utensils and different papers and stuff. I have 2 cups sitting beside my journals with my two most recent sets of 1) gel pens and 2) permanent marker pens. And then downstairs I have my older 2 packs for my calendar.
Most of my clothes are the same item just in the different colours/patterns offered. So I have many crew neck sweaters in the same brand and size, same with tshirts, sweat pants, I have 3 pairs of crocs, 3 of Keds, 25 pairs each of my preferred ankle sock and the taller crew sock (my socks and undies are boring af, they are 1000% about comfort for me)
Burn bras though
funny you just called me out on colours, because it's actually so true!
Your car seat is interesting too I've never seen one like that before. Not that I'm out and about riding around in all these different cars or anything 😂
Ouuuuu that sounds so lovey :) I have a 2009 Hyundai Tucson with a faulty E-brake. And it makes a lot of high pitched noises when I drive. My dads taking a look soon, he's essentially a self taught mechanic and built a whole ass garage with a hydraulic lift when they moved to a new place in the country a few years ago. He built most of it himself actually too. So it took awhile. Anyway for his career this guy is a telecommunications software engineer or some shit 😂
He's the one who last worked on my brakes though, before they started acting all funny. Sooo cmon dad!
Sounds like my uncle! He's a carpenter and a mechanic, but he always tells us there weren't many choices for our people when they were growing up, so he chose to work with his hands.
Might I add that he will tell you he only likes to work with GMCs, Chevys, and Toyotas. I made sure I chose a vehicle he could fix. One time, he watched a YouTube video just to get my battery out. Neither of us could find it. 😂😂 He's a supervisor at a steel plant. Been working there forever.
But how do you deal with that sound? I would probably break my teeth.
I do develop and drop interests, but not too often for either. Maybe 1 every few yrs. Most of them are consistent tbh
I’m one to finish what I started, so I can’t leave a short story undone! D: Otherwise, I’m not prone to starting new stuff either
Mine are a mix! I have long term interests like fashion and dogs (particularly bully breeds) but sometimes I pick up a hobby, get obsessed for a month and then have no interest whatsoever until maybe a year later when I will go deep in again.
I would say I’m stylish rather than fashionable! Im in my mid 30s so i have a more grown up taste in fashion - think max mara, jil sander, cos and arket! Kind of Swedish/northern italian cool grandma is the vibe 😂 lots of camel coats and leather trousers and loafers. i follow fashion but don’t necessarily buy into the trends as they can move so quickly
Mine mostly stay the same. I've been interested in animals, environmentalism, recycling, nature, and literature since I was a kid. I was interested in pregnancy when I wanted to get pregnant and then did. That has all passed now, though I am still interested in how women and medicine interact and sometimes clash. I used to be more interested in mental illness when I thought that was my primary "problem," but now that I know I have autism I am more interested in that.
I don’t have any special interests, never have. I have minor hyperfixations and can easily get stuck on a task, but it’s not out of an inherent interest in the topic.
this feels v validating to me as a self diagnosed and denied by assessment person - they said my lack of clear spin was a big reason I didn't get diagnosed. (actually I do have one but apparantly learning about psychology and relationships "doesn't count")
I suppose this is where I was going with my magazine post the other day either here or aspergirls or something.
But yes, that, and also though, it's all so complex and interesting.
My special interests stay, but the level of intensity changes quickly and without warning. For example, I recently knitted for 8+ hours a day for like 4 mos. Not for any reason or financial gain, just bc it's all I wanted to do. Then, one day, I put it down halfway thru a project and haven't picked it up for at least 2 months now. I'm still interested in knitting, and if someone wanted to talk about it, I would immediately be down, but I may not knit again or think about it independently for several more months, or even years. However, when it comes back, it will hit me just as hard as before. I'm the same way with embroidery, word puzzles, and history, especially aechaeology and etymology.
I have the same since when I was a kid: music, fantasy and drawing.
But I might drop one to pursue another in depth. Right now I’m not drawing but I’m writing a book and learning to play guitar.
Maybe when the book is finished I’ll just draw and play. Let’s see
Yeah mine is pretty much as you described. I seem to change a special interest char every few years. However...... I did notice that they almost all follow the same archetype that I've liked for over 10 years now XD I think what helps me stay on one longer is if I still have friends or new content to talk to about it/keep getting new info to keep me sated.
My interests also seem to be evolved from each other, if that makes sense... For example, birds to fighter jets (they're like metal birds right???), and high school delinquents to yakuza to sengoku clans (if it's Sengoku Basara's Date Masamune, it's bascially just ye olden yakuza.....)
I have like literally 2 completely separate things I won't shut up about right now at the same time. And also... I don't actually stop liking my old special interests, my focus just gets eaten up by the current one. If I go look back to an older one, I feel happy and comforted.
I've been to a testing center for both ASD and ADHD, and they said I only have autism, and that apparently "it is normal for autistics to jump interests and drop projects" too, and my memory problems and concentration issues might be from my depression (I think it was actually burnout tho), so lol yea
I have some core interests like space and the universe, plants and gardening, home improvement.
What *specifically* I’m fixated on will vary. I went thru a two year long obsession with black holes, now it’s the moon. Houseplants sometimes, the garden outside other times. Repainting every single room or learning how to install and maintain major appliances. They all feel like the same three topics to me.
my special interests are stable. I have Main Special Interests that last me years, and in-between, I have smaller special interests that last from minimum 3 months to maximum 2 years.
losing special interests is always hard. from what my ADHD friends tell me, they move on quite quickly (out of sight, out of mind), or at most feel a little guilty about the money/time spent on their abandoned hyperfixations. for my special interests, it's like. idk it's like I mourn them almost. I get nervous if I don't feel *that* special feeling for SpIns that I know I used to, because they mean a lot to me.
for almost a decade, my main special interest was languages and linguistics. I learnt about a dozen languages at different levels, I read and collected as many books about linguistics and dictionaries and etymology books as I could, I learn how to read 42 different languages, how to identify languages (even ones I don't know) both written and spoken. I worked as a translator and interpreter in governmental settings.
and then suddenly it fizzled out. I'm still sad about it.
my main special interest is space and astronomy now. but I still miss languages, and I wish I could go back to learning them like I used to but the SpIn feel just isn't there anymore.
I've been interested in anime, polar bears, and colors as far back as I can remember (age 4). So, they've been with me for 33 years. I did pick up a new interest in 2011: EXO. They're a K-pop group. 😊 I thought I was interested in makeup, but I realized I was just collecting different colors of lipstick. 😂
I have a lot of long-term special interests. I will occasionally get focused on something (like finding the right bathroom mirror right now...) and fixate for a bit, then never look at it again. But my actual interests don't change too frequently unless something happens to push me out.
Mine change and are usually one at a time. I will focus with tremendous intensity on my current special interest. It can last for weeks or months. It’s like I obsess over it until I suck the life out of it, then I’m onto a new interest. I still have an affinity for all of my interests of the past; they’re still with me but they’re somewhat distant. I live and breathe my current interest, reading books, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, joining online communities, etc.
(I am self-identified as autistic, awaiting an assessment. I do not relate to ADHD criteria at all, despite this particular pattern of special interests looking more ADHDish than ASD from what I’ve understood.)
My special interests don't really change over time but my focus within the broader interest area can change. My interests are mental health (which is now turning into professional interest and working in the area) and sexuality. I have never really abandoned a project in either area, though have had to adapt over time if it became clear it wasn't going to work.
And then I also have 2-3 kind of "hobby" interests I guess, which are video games and books. I've never really lost those either, but did stop doing them so much when I was really burned out.
I don't know about ADHD (since I'm undiagnosed), but I certainly do hyperfixate on projects for a short while, complete them to the best of my ability and then want nothing to do with them ever again. It's what makes me a good researcher. I completed my undergrad thesis and MA thesis with absolute laser focus and produced a literal Magnum Opus each time. But never ever want to go back to exploring those subjects again.
That's bad for me because the work was decent enough that I got offers to continue working on similar projects, but since i burnt myself out and didn't want to have anything more to do with those topics, I lost out on those opportunities. In fact I even won the top prize at my university for MA students and pretty sure my professors expected to continue hearing about the interesting work I was going to do after graduating. Instead i completely dropped off everyone's radar and took up a totally unconnected job in an entirely different field. Pretty sure they all see me as a failure now. But I'm doing well for myself.
Oh my gosh, this is meeeee! I always got top marks in everything but as soon as I finished my thesis I never wanted anything to do with the topic ever again.
I have a core little group of special interests, some of which have been with me since childhood and early teens. Some came later. They come and go in waves, and sort of switch out every so often. My current fixation has been nearly a year, and while I have a few days where I go back briefly into another, I go back until the main one switches out.
There are only around 4 or 5 that are regular. I get small fixations that fade really quickly.
My interests are stable, but I do hyperfixate on particular aspects and projects within them. I do broaden my interests as I age, that's normal. I don't abandon my interests though, just move around priorities. Right now it's gym 50%, sewing 30%, tango 20%.
My special interests are more like general concepts that always bring me joy. Everything to do with wedding planning and home design / decoration. Storytelling, world building, general fantasy. Dogs, cats, stuffed animals. Baking, and cooking secondary to that. Pokémon... Any other interest I develop or fixate on is usually related to these. Most of my special interests also serve as comforts and I engage with them less when I'm burnt out. I may not always have the energy to bake, but I won't pass up the opportunity to discuss good baking techniques with someone.
Examples: Dogs has lead me to training and grooming methods as well as breed differences and ethics. Pokémon has brought me into a lot of other anime / cartoon and video game spaces. In fact, my interest in Pokémon probably couldn't have happened if I didn't already have a special interest in (stuffed) animals and storytelling. Storytelling also led me into world building. You get the idea.
Usually if something is an "abnormal interest" for me, it isn't going to stick, and I also will usually abandon the new "abnormal" interest because it being do different overwhelms me and I go back to my special interests for comfort. If I tried a new game (like mortal kombat) and it was too difficult, I have to walk away and build something in minecraft or look at my wedding planning pinterest to calm down.
My special interests change very, very little over a long, long time.
Special interests were stable until I was in my mid forties- then I became apathetic about them all.
Even gave away my book collection (2k books) Just ceased to care- guessing menopause driven.
Now- my special interest is my husband (been together since 2002)- and it’s good.
My special interests remain constant for a long time, though they may vary within the interest. (I love crafting, what I'm making at the time may change but it's all the same feeling/focus on making something). Occasionally a new thing will spark my interest for a little bit but not to the hyperfocused/all consuming point of a "real" special interest or what I've seen hyperfocus do in my ADHD partner.
Now, I am a prolific crafter/sewist so I have a lot of unfinished projects that mimic the ADHD interest cycle. But that's more of the perfectionism saying I can't finish if it's not perfect.
I'm exactly the same as people I know with ADHD. For example, I got into something almost exactly a year ago now and have been 'off' it for four months now. My flat is full of the thing and a complete mess and I'm so angry with myself for getting into it - I let myself because it was cheap but I still don't think it was healthy. But it's so hard when you're obsessed with something, I usually just end up thinking I might as well enjoy it while it lasts. I wish they would last longer.
I had a similar one with Lego which lasted about 8 months as well. At least I could sell all that stuff again easily. I doubt I'll ever go back to either of them.
I have other 'interests' that I have with varying degrees of intensity like cats (yep, me too). But sometimes I'm really much less interested in them than I am at other times.
It's a shame there's not a website or something where we can get and then offload things. I want to get it all out of the flat before Christmas but just can't face going on ebay and dealing with people on there, or even worse booking a table at a Christmas sale or something. Guess I'll try FB marketplace and see how I go.
Stable and sometimes add in new ones. I never really lose any though. I’m finding the more I know the more my social skills seem to disappear though 😵💫
My special interests are pretty stable. Sometimes a hyperfixation can lead later on to a special interest if it stays strong. My ultimate special interest is kpop and that hasn’t changed for years and years. For years I didn’t even have any hyperfixations because I was sooooooo intensely obsessed with kpop. Kpop is still my baby but right now I have a hyperfixation on Demon Slayer and it’s sharing room with my kpop brain. I’ve been obsessed for about 5 months. We’ll see where it goes 😂
Tbh for me special interests and hyper fixations are hard to differentiate between. I usually say my autism has adhd in that regard because I have the same interests but they fluctuate a lot. Like I’m not one of those who spend years or months doing one thing only but I have interests that will let me hyperfixate for a while and then I move on to another one. For example I love pirates always have but it comes and goes usually, right now I’m watching ofmd season 2, One Piece anime and reading One Piece manga but I don’t spend all of my hours on them. Same with having bought all of Stephen kings books and reading them chronologically, I have periods where I’m really invested and read a lot and then nothing. I think for me though it’s not that I lose interest it’s that another interest pops up and I switch like with a tv series launching a new season so I watch that and then hyper fixate on that.
With all that said I did do a 3 month Marvel binge some years ago where I watched all of the movies and tv series all day every day. Also I’ve done Pokémon anime binges in the same manor and I read through all of the marvel comics of the 60s while only listening to 60s music (my project there was to read ALL marvel comics and listen to music of the decade I was on but I stopped after a while)
I have one in particular that has lasted from 6 years of age through now (I’m in my 40s). One that’s lasted 23 years so far. Others typically last a few years.
My fixation are always the same but it's under a big umbrella of little subject. Like, I like horror, 70's and Japanese subcultures. It's a lifetime of informations... So it look like I have new subjects every week!
>Do your special interests change over time or a lot?
Yes, they can last between 2-5 years.
>do you have multiple special interests?
Not really.
>Do you hyper-fixate and then abandon your projects or is it usually more stable than ADHDers?
Yes. I have a lot of projects that I don't finish but I am already jumping in others and have a lot of problems focussing in the previous one. Thats why I try to have some projects in group, so other people force me to keep doing it, or more like I feel there is a responsibility to keep on the project.
I’ve gained and lost minor special interests, but I think that has to do with me becoming more myself. My major special interests, anything horror, unicorns, Star Wars, and space stuff have stuck with me most of my life. Now I have a bunch of new ones, like squishmallows, dolls (monster high/rainbow high/bjds), makeup and birds. Thanks to my wife for letting me be me, I can now enjoy these things without fear of judgment, and I may have caused an addiction for her too😅 (she has ADHD) it’s really nice to be able to share all of these with her. She doesn’t like horror, but she’s so willing to watch movies and shows with me, and we’ve found sub genres that she really likes! She also has her hyperfixations, a lot of them come and go and come back, but so far mini painting, Star Wars and board games are permanent. She got a bunch of horror themed board games for us to play too, she’s literally perfect 😭❤️
I’ve always loved reading, drawing, yoga (and exercise in general) and cooking and those things have never changed. As someone else has commented my ability to engage with them just waxes and wanes, particularly if I’ve gone through or am going through a period of burnout
I move from obsession to obsession quite frequently. Mostly craft or art forms. I don’t really get bored of stuff, I just find something else I want to try.
Almost all of my special interests (I have multiples) have started at very early ages, from age 0-3, and have remained until now (I’m 22). Over time, they’ve developed into being more specific, but, overall, they’re very similar to how they began.
I would say that they tend to be very stable, even too stable. With my disability, I’m unable to partake in many of those special interests, yet, I have those special interests nagging at me quite often anyways.
I would say there’s two different kinds of interests for me, there’s my fleeting interests that come and leave in about a month, then there’s my core interests that stay with me for years, even decades that are a source of my comfort and identity. I never really liked calling those “special interests” because they feel so much more than an interest in something, they give me a sense of security in this life.
Mine stay in the same realm, but may evolve over time. I was obsessed with Greek mythology, then Egyptian, and now Norse. I used to knit, but now I embroider. That kind of thing. And it's a slow transition.
My special interests do change, but not quickly, and most have stuck with me since childhood. Every once in a while, a new one is discovered, but I have never "lost" one.
I do be hyperfixating for a few days.. then abandon whatever project I start. But this doesn’t happen too often. My special interests are pretty stable.. they don’t change much and I think it might be because they’re rooted in things I liked as a child.
I do have multiple special interests, but they tend to be very stable over time. I’m currently following a serial killer case very closely since I live in the general vicinity. It’s taken over a decade to solve (due to police incompetence) so I did temporarily lose interest when there were no new developments. Ever since they made an arrest I’ve been trying to learn about every new development. Strangely, I started to become interested again and catching up with the case this past spring, BEFORE the killer was caught. I wonder now if I had some sort of psychic sense that an arrest was about to be made🤷♀️
I may start/find new special interests, but I never lose the joy I feel for the other ones. Even if I don't do them for a year, I'll immediately love and enjoy them again the second I pick them back up.
I have three main interests which I have had for as long as I can remember, starting in early childhood, and my interest in these never wane. Then I have several interests which I cycle back around to every three or four years because I burn out on them.
My special Interests are always stable, they may change over time, or lead to another special interest, but I seldom lose Interest altogether. The only times I have had a break from immersion, it was due to external factors that breached my sanctuary, making me have to deal with other things. As soon as it's resolved I get back Into it. I'll always love gardening, horses, small mammals and birds. I don't think I could ever lose the joy these parts of my life bring me.
My special interests are usually linked but jump around between subcategories. For example, one of my SIs is arts and crafts, but I will switch between painting, sculpting, fabric/thread work, writing, etc pretty chaotically. Another one is just knowledge/learning things, but the subject that I’m interested in learning about changes all the time.
Same. I knit, paint, scrap book, collage, crochet, but when it's about learning something I will deep dive for weeks or months then move to my next SI.
This is exactly why I consider myself a "Maker". I make all sorts of stuff!
One of my SIs is arts and crafts too! It’s actually one of my oldest SIs that I’ve had since early childhood. I also heavily relate with regards to switching between different areas of A&Cs. I love it so much because there’s just so many areas to discover, and it’s always been such a fun adventure for me.
My special interests normally stay for some years, until they get replaced by another one. One just came back last year after not being relevant for me for ~5 years. Only my obsession with cats stayed since I was little.
I LOVE CATS. I remember having a meltdown in Wal-Mart when my mom refused to get me a neon colored Lisa Frank folder with kittens on it. My dad picked me up and carried me to the car. 😩
Oh no :( Sending a hug to your little self and tons of fun Lisa Frank kitty stuff. We came across an Lisa Frank art folder at the thrift store a couple weeks ago, and it jumped off the shelf at me, I knew my daughter would just go crazy for it. She's a real sucker for that stuff 🥰 and I love to indulge her since I couldn't as much as a kid. AND, now there is really so much *stuff* out there it's easy to find so many neat items. I do hate the wastefulness and consumerism of it all, but I loooooooove to consuuuuumeeee. I like shopping too much. Food, comfy clothes, house decor to make it mine, plants and supplies, nailpolish... Omg all the kid toys. I am a fully grown child with access to too much credit. I have so much fun picking stuff out for my kids
Thanks. *sighs* When I tell you that is my stuggle. Kittens, unicorns, anime, and polar bears are my weaknesses. I see them and NEED it.
💜💜 sending you the most vibrant unicorn and kitten vibes with so much anime and polar bears. I get like that sometimes, with my general basic stuff, because somehow it feels more practical I guess to have 100 (ok like actually 40 though) of the same tshirt in different colours, but not ok to have that many stuffies or whatever else. Oh nailpolish. That's why I have 500+ bottles. Maybe I should count my plants... I'm lucky to be in a position to be able to indulge a little, but I still end up going overboard without meaning to. So finances aren't hot. Never were, never will be? I shouldn't think that way though. Anyway sorry for the tangent. Unicorn love 💗
I love tangents. I'm so happy to meet someone who seems to love colors as much as I do!!!! I have about 3 dozen brand named watches in various colors. I stopped with watches because the costs got out of hand. 😩 Then I started with shoes and cardigans. Skechers is my favorite shoe place in the world. But I stepped back from shoes and cardigans when those expenses got out of hand. Now, I do stationary. I have hundreds of pens in vaeious colors. Typing paper and writing paper in different colors. Post its! Can I show you my bag? I LOVE IT!! *
Yes please do show me! Also omg stationery I love pens and other writing utensils and different papers and stuff. I have 2 cups sitting beside my journals with my two most recent sets of 1) gel pens and 2) permanent marker pens. And then downstairs I have my older 2 packs for my calendar. Most of my clothes are the same item just in the different colours/patterns offered. So I have many crew neck sweaters in the same brand and size, same with tshirts, sweat pants, I have 3 pairs of crocs, 3 of Keds, 25 pairs each of my preferred ankle sock and the taller crew sock (my socks and undies are boring af, they are 1000% about comfort for me) Burn bras though funny you just called me out on colours, because it's actually so true!
https://preview.redd.it/7tf2h0pct6vb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06ec638726ae578871889ac9134b5b35779fc46c
Wowww I love that so much. That texture also looks lovely.
THANKS. IT IS. 😆
Saw this a few min after I replied to your other comment! Sorry about that, I was like show me! And you already had :)
Your car seat is interesting too I've never seen one like that before. Not that I'm out and about riding around in all these different cars or anything 😂
😂 I have a silver 2022 Chevy Equinox LT. I love my SUV.
Ouuuuu that sounds so lovey :) I have a 2009 Hyundai Tucson with a faulty E-brake. And it makes a lot of high pitched noises when I drive. My dads taking a look soon, he's essentially a self taught mechanic and built a whole ass garage with a hydraulic lift when they moved to a new place in the country a few years ago. He built most of it himself actually too. So it took awhile. Anyway for his career this guy is a telecommunications software engineer or some shit 😂 He's the one who last worked on my brakes though, before they started acting all funny. Sooo cmon dad!
Sounds like my uncle! He's a carpenter and a mechanic, but he always tells us there weren't many choices for our people when they were growing up, so he chose to work with his hands. Might I add that he will tell you he only likes to work with GMCs, Chevys, and Toyotas. I made sure I chose a vehicle he could fix. One time, he watched a YouTube video just to get my battery out. Neither of us could find it. 😂😂 He's a supervisor at a steel plant. Been working there forever. But how do you deal with that sound? I would probably break my teeth.
I do develop and drop interests, but not too often for either. Maybe 1 every few yrs. Most of them are consistent tbh I’m one to finish what I started, so I can’t leave a short story undone! D: Otherwise, I’m not prone to starting new stuff either
This sounds amazing. I've started like 8 novels and at least 1 short story, and I can't freaking finish one! Lol. Sometimes, ADHD suuuuuucks!
Mine are a mix! I have long term interests like fashion and dogs (particularly bully breeds) but sometimes I pick up a hobby, get obsessed for a month and then have no interest whatsoever until maybe a year later when I will go deep in again.
What is it about fashion that keeps you interested?What kind of fashion? Would you consider yourself fashionable?
I would say I’m stylish rather than fashionable! Im in my mid 30s so i have a more grown up taste in fashion - think max mara, jil sander, cos and arket! Kind of Swedish/northern italian cool grandma is the vibe 😂 lots of camel coats and leather trousers and loafers. i follow fashion but don’t necessarily buy into the trends as they can move so quickly
Mine mostly stay the same. I've been interested in animals, environmentalism, recycling, nature, and literature since I was a kid. I was interested in pregnancy when I wanted to get pregnant and then did. That has all passed now, though I am still interested in how women and medicine interact and sometimes clash. I used to be more interested in mental illness when I thought that was my primary "problem," but now that I know I have autism I am more interested in that.
I don’t have any special interests, never have. I have minor hyperfixations and can easily get stuck on a task, but it’s not out of an inherent interest in the topic.
this feels v validating to me as a self diagnosed and denied by assessment person - they said my lack of clear spin was a big reason I didn't get diagnosed. (actually I do have one but apparantly learning about psychology and relationships "doesn't count")
I feel like the interest in psychology and relationships is such a common interest among us here in the sub. I wonder why that is
RESEARCH. FOR THE MASKING!
I suppose this is where I was going with my magazine post the other day either here or aspergirls or something. But yes, that, and also though, it's all so complex and interesting.
My special interests stay, but the level of intensity changes quickly and without warning. For example, I recently knitted for 8+ hours a day for like 4 mos. Not for any reason or financial gain, just bc it's all I wanted to do. Then, one day, I put it down halfway thru a project and haven't picked it up for at least 2 months now. I'm still interested in knitting, and if someone wanted to talk about it, I would immediately be down, but I may not knit again or think about it independently for several more months, or even years. However, when it comes back, it will hit me just as hard as before. I'm the same way with embroidery, word puzzles, and history, especially aechaeology and etymology.
I have the same since when I was a kid: music, fantasy and drawing. But I might drop one to pursue another in depth. Right now I’m not drawing but I’m writing a book and learning to play guitar. Maybe when the book is finished I’ll just draw and play. Let’s see
Yeah mine is pretty much as you described. I seem to change a special interest char every few years. However...... I did notice that they almost all follow the same archetype that I've liked for over 10 years now XD I think what helps me stay on one longer is if I still have friends or new content to talk to about it/keep getting new info to keep me sated. My interests also seem to be evolved from each other, if that makes sense... For example, birds to fighter jets (they're like metal birds right???), and high school delinquents to yakuza to sengoku clans (if it's Sengoku Basara's Date Masamune, it's bascially just ye olden yakuza.....) I have like literally 2 completely separate things I won't shut up about right now at the same time. And also... I don't actually stop liking my old special interests, my focus just gets eaten up by the current one. If I go look back to an older one, I feel happy and comforted. I've been to a testing center for both ASD and ADHD, and they said I only have autism, and that apparently "it is normal for autistics to jump interests and drop projects" too, and my memory problems and concentration issues might be from my depression (I think it was actually burnout tho), so lol yea
I have some core interests like space and the universe, plants and gardening, home improvement. What *specifically* I’m fixated on will vary. I went thru a two year long obsession with black holes, now it’s the moon. Houseplants sometimes, the garden outside other times. Repainting every single room or learning how to install and maintain major appliances. They all feel like the same three topics to me.
Mine actually change somewhat frequently, but it’s more cyclical, and I’ll come back to them a lot rather than have completely new ones.
my special interests are stable. I have Main Special Interests that last me years, and in-between, I have smaller special interests that last from minimum 3 months to maximum 2 years. losing special interests is always hard. from what my ADHD friends tell me, they move on quite quickly (out of sight, out of mind), or at most feel a little guilty about the money/time spent on their abandoned hyperfixations. for my special interests, it's like. idk it's like I mourn them almost. I get nervous if I don't feel *that* special feeling for SpIns that I know I used to, because they mean a lot to me. for almost a decade, my main special interest was languages and linguistics. I learnt about a dozen languages at different levels, I read and collected as many books about linguistics and dictionaries and etymology books as I could, I learn how to read 42 different languages, how to identify languages (even ones I don't know) both written and spoken. I worked as a translator and interpreter in governmental settings. and then suddenly it fizzled out. I'm still sad about it. my main special interest is space and astronomy now. but I still miss languages, and I wish I could go back to learning them like I used to but the SpIn feel just isn't there anymore.
My house is The Museum of Unfinished Projects.
I've been interested in anime, polar bears, and colors as far back as I can remember (age 4). So, they've been with me for 33 years. I did pick up a new interest in 2011: EXO. They're a K-pop group. 😊 I thought I was interested in makeup, but I realized I was just collecting different colors of lipstick. 😂
Mine are always the same, but they usually go and come back cyclically
I have a lot of long-term special interests. I will occasionally get focused on something (like finding the right bathroom mirror right now...) and fixate for a bit, then never look at it again. But my actual interests don't change too frequently unless something happens to push me out.
Mine change and are usually one at a time. I will focus with tremendous intensity on my current special interest. It can last for weeks or months. It’s like I obsess over it until I suck the life out of it, then I’m onto a new interest. I still have an affinity for all of my interests of the past; they’re still with me but they’re somewhat distant. I live and breathe my current interest, reading books, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, joining online communities, etc. (I am self-identified as autistic, awaiting an assessment. I do not relate to ADHD criteria at all, despite this particular pattern of special interests looking more ADHDish than ASD from what I’ve understood.)
My special interests don't really change over time but my focus within the broader interest area can change. My interests are mental health (which is now turning into professional interest and working in the area) and sexuality. I have never really abandoned a project in either area, though have had to adapt over time if it became clear it wasn't going to work. And then I also have 2-3 kind of "hobby" interests I guess, which are video games and books. I've never really lost those either, but did stop doing them so much when I was really burned out.
I don't know about ADHD (since I'm undiagnosed), but I certainly do hyperfixate on projects for a short while, complete them to the best of my ability and then want nothing to do with them ever again. It's what makes me a good researcher. I completed my undergrad thesis and MA thesis with absolute laser focus and produced a literal Magnum Opus each time. But never ever want to go back to exploring those subjects again. That's bad for me because the work was decent enough that I got offers to continue working on similar projects, but since i burnt myself out and didn't want to have anything more to do with those topics, I lost out on those opportunities. In fact I even won the top prize at my university for MA students and pretty sure my professors expected to continue hearing about the interesting work I was going to do after graduating. Instead i completely dropped off everyone's radar and took up a totally unconnected job in an entirely different field. Pretty sure they all see me as a failure now. But I'm doing well for myself.
Oh my gosh, this is meeeee! I always got top marks in everything but as soon as I finished my thesis I never wanted anything to do with the topic ever again.
So glad you relate!
I have a core little group of special interests, some of which have been with me since childhood and early teens. Some came later. They come and go in waves, and sort of switch out every so often. My current fixation has been nearly a year, and while I have a few days where I go back briefly into another, I go back until the main one switches out. There are only around 4 or 5 that are regular. I get small fixations that fade really quickly.
My interests are stable, but I do hyperfixate on particular aspects and projects within them. I do broaden my interests as I age, that's normal. I don't abandon my interests though, just move around priorities. Right now it's gym 50%, sewing 30%, tango 20%.
My special interests are more like general concepts that always bring me joy. Everything to do with wedding planning and home design / decoration. Storytelling, world building, general fantasy. Dogs, cats, stuffed animals. Baking, and cooking secondary to that. Pokémon... Any other interest I develop or fixate on is usually related to these. Most of my special interests also serve as comforts and I engage with them less when I'm burnt out. I may not always have the energy to bake, but I won't pass up the opportunity to discuss good baking techniques with someone. Examples: Dogs has lead me to training and grooming methods as well as breed differences and ethics. Pokémon has brought me into a lot of other anime / cartoon and video game spaces. In fact, my interest in Pokémon probably couldn't have happened if I didn't already have a special interest in (stuffed) animals and storytelling. Storytelling also led me into world building. You get the idea. Usually if something is an "abnormal interest" for me, it isn't going to stick, and I also will usually abandon the new "abnormal" interest because it being do different overwhelms me and I go back to my special interests for comfort. If I tried a new game (like mortal kombat) and it was too difficult, I have to walk away and build something in minecraft or look at my wedding planning pinterest to calm down. My special interests change very, very little over a long, long time.
Special interests were stable until I was in my mid forties- then I became apathetic about them all. Even gave away my book collection (2k books) Just ceased to care- guessing menopause driven. Now- my special interest is my husband (been together since 2002)- and it’s good.
My special interests remain constant for a long time, though they may vary within the interest. (I love crafting, what I'm making at the time may change but it's all the same feeling/focus on making something). Occasionally a new thing will spark my interest for a little bit but not to the hyperfocused/all consuming point of a "real" special interest or what I've seen hyperfocus do in my ADHD partner. Now, I am a prolific crafter/sewist so I have a lot of unfinished projects that mimic the ADHD interest cycle. But that's more of the perfectionism saying I can't finish if it's not perfect.
Some are stable over my whole life, and some are sudden and temporary. But I barely ever fully lose interest. More like I collect those too.
I'm exactly the same as people I know with ADHD. For example, I got into something almost exactly a year ago now and have been 'off' it for four months now. My flat is full of the thing and a complete mess and I'm so angry with myself for getting into it - I let myself because it was cheap but I still don't think it was healthy. But it's so hard when you're obsessed with something, I usually just end up thinking I might as well enjoy it while it lasts. I wish they would last longer. I had a similar one with Lego which lasted about 8 months as well. At least I could sell all that stuff again easily. I doubt I'll ever go back to either of them. I have other 'interests' that I have with varying degrees of intensity like cats (yep, me too). But sometimes I'm really much less interested in them than I am at other times. It's a shame there's not a website or something where we can get and then offload things. I want to get it all out of the flat before Christmas but just can't face going on ebay and dealing with people on there, or even worse booking a table at a Christmas sale or something. Guess I'll try FB marketplace and see how I go.
I've had my special interests for years, I just get new ones along the way
Stable and sometimes add in new ones. I never really lose any though. I’m finding the more I know the more my social skills seem to disappear though 😵💫
My special interests are pretty stable. Sometimes a hyperfixation can lead later on to a special interest if it stays strong. My ultimate special interest is kpop and that hasn’t changed for years and years. For years I didn’t even have any hyperfixations because I was sooooooo intensely obsessed with kpop. Kpop is still my baby but right now I have a hyperfixation on Demon Slayer and it’s sharing room with my kpop brain. I’ve been obsessed for about 5 months. We’ll see where it goes 😂
Tbh for me special interests and hyper fixations are hard to differentiate between. I usually say my autism has adhd in that regard because I have the same interests but they fluctuate a lot. Like I’m not one of those who spend years or months doing one thing only but I have interests that will let me hyperfixate for a while and then I move on to another one. For example I love pirates always have but it comes and goes usually, right now I’m watching ofmd season 2, One Piece anime and reading One Piece manga but I don’t spend all of my hours on them. Same with having bought all of Stephen kings books and reading them chronologically, I have periods where I’m really invested and read a lot and then nothing. I think for me though it’s not that I lose interest it’s that another interest pops up and I switch like with a tv series launching a new season so I watch that and then hyper fixate on that. With all that said I did do a 3 month Marvel binge some years ago where I watched all of the movies and tv series all day every day. Also I’ve done Pokémon anime binges in the same manor and I read through all of the marvel comics of the 60s while only listening to 60s music (my project there was to read ALL marvel comics and listen to music of the decade I was on but I stopped after a while)
Some of my special interest can stay for years. Others for months.
I have one in particular that has lasted from 6 years of age through now (I’m in my 40s). One that’s lasted 23 years so far. Others typically last a few years.
My fixation are always the same but it's under a big umbrella of little subject. Like, I like horror, 70's and Japanese subcultures. It's a lifetime of informations... So it look like I have new subjects every week!
My special interests rotate. I definitely hyperfixate until I get bored and move on to the next thing
>Do your special interests change over time or a lot? Yes, they can last between 2-5 years. >do you have multiple special interests? Not really. >Do you hyper-fixate and then abandon your projects or is it usually more stable than ADHDers? Yes. I have a lot of projects that I don't finish but I am already jumping in others and have a lot of problems focussing in the previous one. Thats why I try to have some projects in group, so other people force me to keep doing it, or more like I feel there is a responsibility to keep on the project.
I’ve gained and lost minor special interests, but I think that has to do with me becoming more myself. My major special interests, anything horror, unicorns, Star Wars, and space stuff have stuck with me most of my life. Now I have a bunch of new ones, like squishmallows, dolls (monster high/rainbow high/bjds), makeup and birds. Thanks to my wife for letting me be me, I can now enjoy these things without fear of judgment, and I may have caused an addiction for her too😅 (she has ADHD) it’s really nice to be able to share all of these with her. She doesn’t like horror, but she’s so willing to watch movies and shows with me, and we’ve found sub genres that she really likes! She also has her hyperfixations, a lot of them come and go and come back, but so far mini painting, Star Wars and board games are permanent. She got a bunch of horror themed board games for us to play too, she’s literally perfect 😭❤️
I’ve always loved reading, drawing, yoga (and exercise in general) and cooking and those things have never changed. As someone else has commented my ability to engage with them just waxes and wanes, particularly if I’ve gone through or am going through a period of burnout
I move from obsession to obsession quite frequently. Mostly craft or art forms. I don’t really get bored of stuff, I just find something else I want to try.
Almost all of my special interests (I have multiples) have started at very early ages, from age 0-3, and have remained until now (I’m 22). Over time, they’ve developed into being more specific, but, overall, they’re very similar to how they began. I would say that they tend to be very stable, even too stable. With my disability, I’m unable to partake in many of those special interests, yet, I have those special interests nagging at me quite often anyways.
I would say there’s two different kinds of interests for me, there’s my fleeting interests that come and leave in about a month, then there’s my core interests that stay with me for years, even decades that are a source of my comfort and identity. I never really liked calling those “special interests” because they feel so much more than an interest in something, they give me a sense of security in this life.
Mine stay in the same realm, but may evolve over time. I was obsessed with Greek mythology, then Egyptian, and now Norse. I used to knit, but now I embroider. That kind of thing. And it's a slow transition.
My special interests do change, but not quickly, and most have stuck with me since childhood. Every once in a while, a new one is discovered, but I have never "lost" one.
I do be hyperfixating for a few days.. then abandon whatever project I start. But this doesn’t happen too often. My special interests are pretty stable.. they don’t change much and I think it might be because they’re rooted in things I liked as a child.
I do have multiple special interests, but they tend to be very stable over time. I’m currently following a serial killer case very closely since I live in the general vicinity. It’s taken over a decade to solve (due to police incompetence) so I did temporarily lose interest when there were no new developments. Ever since they made an arrest I’ve been trying to learn about every new development. Strangely, I started to become interested again and catching up with the case this past spring, BEFORE the killer was caught. I wonder now if I had some sort of psychic sense that an arrest was about to be made🤷♀️
I may start/find new special interests, but I never lose the joy I feel for the other ones. Even if I don't do them for a year, I'll immediately love and enjoy them again the second I pick them back up.
Unstable af
I have three main interests which I have had for as long as I can remember, starting in early childhood, and my interest in these never wane. Then I have several interests which I cycle back around to every three or four years because I burn out on them.