Before I start with what I want to share, please note this is just my understanding and
personal views based on my night-time wanderings on the internet.
Have a read, let me know your thoughts if you would like to, maybe do your own research, and most importantly find the answers that work best for you.
Some years ago I read or heard something stating that the human brain can only have one thought at a time. That you might have other thoughts which flit very quickly, but only one at a time. For years I tried so hard to buy into this and to believe it, as it somehow felt easier
than what my brain was telling me, and I tried to convince myself of this "fact" as I wanted to
believe I could slow them down and just focus on one at a time.
Well... when I was laying in bed at 2.30 am a few nights ago, and my mind was racing
through lots of thoughts "one at a time" I stopped fighting it for a few minutes. I stopped
trying to force myself to get to sleep. I stopped berating myself for not being able to slow
them down or stop them. I just listened! I didn't give any particular thought too much
attention, just listened to what was going on in there, without trying to make sense of it, and
to see if I was really only thinking one at a time. This led to 90 minutes of researching,
reading loads of websites, and considering various theories about this, and I found some
interesting stuff out there.
As you know, if you have ever done any "research" along these lines, there are always many
conflicting views and hypotheses. You will find valid (and less valid) reading, and often
enough to at least vaguely answer the question you want answering.
The first question I asked the mighty web was, "Is it true that a human brain can only think
one thought at a time?". A lot of the pages I read were stating that yes only one at a time was
normal and how the brain works. You might have two thoughts that flit back and forth, but
they don't occur at the same time.
I then went on to ask if this is the same for an ADHD brain, which brought very different
answers. There seemed to be a lot of research showing that ADHD brains can have multiple
thoughts happening at the same time. This might be due to the ADHD brain working and
processing certain things much faster than a neurotypical brain, or just because of how the
brain works in general for the neurodiverse. Many of the sites talked about excessive
spontaneous thoughts and mind wandering. Mind wandering is made up of those short-lived
thoughts, that flit in and out very quickly, and often come multi-layered with several
happening at the same time. EXHAUSTING!!!
The ADHD brain is often more likely to have far more spontaneous thoughts, and these can
distract us from the task at hand, or the thing we actually want to need to be thinking about.
We do not ask for these thoughts, and for many people, they are going on ALL the time. This
could feed into those moments where getting a task done is made harder than it "should" be.
It could account for many of those moments when we need to be focusing on something or
someone else, and find we have checked out and not actually heard or noticed what is
happening in front of us.
Having so many thoughts going on at any one time is hard, and brings the danger of more
thinking loops, which in turn can lead to depression or anxiety. It chips away at self-
confidence and can be exhausting to live with. I am not sure if I feel better for having found
validation that my brain does think several things at once, or if it feels more tiring. For now
though, I am happy to accept that this is what I am working with, and to look into ways to
help us ADHDers, and other neurodivergent, deal with it better. My next hyperfocus, when I
have a minute, will be looking into ways of slowing the overthinking and how we can be kinder to ourselves in the process – and of course I will share any findings when I have
them.
For now, I am keeping a pen and paper next to my bed so I can write down any important
seeming thoughts before I forget them, or I text myself if I am out and about. This way I
can let go of some, once the fear of forgetting them is reduced, and this helps me to feel a
little bit of peace. I also give myself permission to ignore all the chatter, which is easier said
than done, but again, helps to find just a little bit of peace when I can do it.
If you have any tips or tricks you are happy to share, please do drop me a line – both for my
own sanity and to help others.
*** If you would like support or help to talk about anything in this blog, please get in touch. I know things can be confusing at times, and that's why I am here. I provide a non-judgmental safe space to ensure you get the best possible outcome from your sessions. I offer both online and in-person treatments. My therapy room is based in Alton, Hampshire. I'm on the Hampshire/Surrey Boarder and just 15 minutes from Basingstoke and Farnham. Talk Helps is at the end of a direct line from London, Waterloo - and I would love to welcome you. ***
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