Why Boredom Hits Different with ADHD
Boredom isn’t just “eh, I’ve got nothing to do” when you have ADHD. It’s this weird, itchy feeling that crawls under your skin, nags at your brain, and makes everything—even stuff you *usually* enjoy—feel flat. It’s not just boredom. It’s existential boredom. (Okay, maybe dramatic, but you know what I mean.)
You might scroll through 20 YouTube thumbnails, open and close TikTok, stand up, sit down, wander around your room, and still think: “I don’t know what to do.” And yet, when something finally clicks—boom. Hyperfocus for six hours straight like your life depends on it.
The ADHD Obsession Cycle
Here’s the loop I’ve seen (in myself and a lot of others with ADHD):
- Boredom hits.
- You find something shiny. New hobby, new show, new app, new game.
- Obsession kicks in. You go hard. It’s exciting. It’s fresh. You feel *alive*.
- Crash. You burn out, get bored again, and the cycle restarts.
It can be frustrating, especially when it feels like you’re just spinning your wheels. But what if it’s not a weakness? What if it’s actually a tool you haven’t fully figured out how to use yet?
Turning Boredom Into Exploration
I’ve started thinking of boredom like a compass. Not broken. Just wild. It’s always pointing somewhere—maybe not where I expect, but somewhere new.
If I follow the boredom, instead of resisting it, I can usually learn something about myself. Like, one time I randomly got bored and ended up hyperfixating on Korean cooking videos. Now I make a killer kimchi fried rice. Another time I dove headfirst into learning about brain science and discovered just how common the link between ADHD and boredom really is.
Sometimes that boredom leads to gaming. Let’s be honest, gaming is the ADHD boredom killer supreme. And if you haven’t yet, you might enjoy this post on Why ADHD Brains Love Video Games.
Tips That Help Me (Most of the Time)
Not saying I’ve mastered it, but here are a few little tricks I keep in my back pocket when the boredom hits hard:
- Lower the bar. You don’t need to find your new life’s purpose today. Just pick something that sounds kinda interesting and try it for 5 minutes.
- Create a “Bored List.” Not a to-do list. A “stuff that might be interesting if I’m desperate” list. Cooking a new dish, sketching, watching a random documentary—whatever.
- Notice the pattern. If you’re always getting bored after lunch or during certain tasks, it’s probably not random. That’s data.
You’re Not Lazy—You’re Understimulated
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re lazy when nothing excites you. But really, you’re just understimulated. And ADHD brains crave stimulation like it’s oxygen.
The trick is finding that *right kind* of stimulation—something that pulls you in enough to break the boredom loop, without dragging you into burnout land. And hey, sometimes you’ll miss. That’s okay too. Just part of figuring out your rhythm.
Boredom isn’t your enemy. It’s just your brain’s way of saying, “We’re ready for something new.”