The most common words associated with zoning out are having trouble focusing, spacing out, or daydreaming. For someone with ADHD, it can be an instance when we feel lost in the present moment because our brain is elsewhere.
While attention fluctuates from moment to moment even in neurotypical brains, people with ADHD are prone to spacing out often. On some days, these episodes of inattention can last so long or happen so frequently, that it makes it impossible to get work done.
Zoning out is considered a type of dissociation, which is a feeling of being disconnected from the world around you. Some people experience severe dissociation, but "zoning out" is considered a much milder form. Daydreaming is the most common kind of zoning or spacing out.
It's a feeling of not being able to control your thoughts and actions no matter how much you want to. We lose our sense of concentration while thinking of other things that go through our ADHD brain. That's what it feels like, complex and full of challenges.
Is zoning out the same as dissociation? No - the two are very different. ADHD-related zoning is simply a trait when the brain no longer focuses on the task at hand. Dissociation, on the other hand, can be due to Dissociative Disorders, which pertains to problems in emotions, memory, perception, behavior, and identity.
In extreme moments of traumatic stress, a person might suddenly “space out.” Whereas they seemed fully present, talking, and participating, they suddenly become vacant, staring into the distance. At such times, they are likely to need help reorienting.
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Some signs that you might be understimulated include: Lack of motivation. Physical hyperactivity. A sense of unease, making you feel "flat" or irritable.
Causes Of Zoning Out
Sleep Deprivation: Whether you know it or not, sleep deprivation can take a heavy toll on your functioning. Sleep deprivation can be very dangerous especially when you're driving. Feeling Overwhelmed: Feeling overwhelming emotions can also lead you to experience dissociation.
Dissociation occurs when people lose awareness of their immediate surroundings. It causes a disconnect between a person's thoughts, actions, feelings, memories, or sense of self. Experiences of trauma may link ADHD and dissociation.
Passing feelings of depersonalization or derealization are common and aren't necessarily a cause for concern. But ongoing or severe feelings of detachment and distortion of your surroundings can be a sign of depersonalization-derealization disorder or another physical or mental health disorder.
It's one of the challenging or explosive behaviors we see in those who have ADHD. Sometimes it appears as poor self-esteem, yelling, rage, or tears. But sometimes the challenging behavior is your own in reaction to your spouse, child, sibling, or friend who has ADHD: “Why did they not hear me? Now I'm the angry one.”
These symptoms are usually seen by the time a child is four years old and typically increase over the next three to four years. The symptoms may peak in severity when the child is seven to eight years of age, after which they often begin to decline.
Boredom is a feeling people with ADHD know all too well. Writing emails seems like an impossible task and looking at (someone else's) spreadsheet feels mind-numbing. An ADHD brain wants immediate relief from boredom and will chase it at the expense of your priorities.
While this differs from person to person, an oversimplified generalization is that ADHD'ers tend to end up understimulated more often than overstimulated, while autistic folks tend to end up overstimulated more. Being understimulated can start as a sense of boredom or discomfort, and grow until it's physically painful.
Overstimulation is a daily reality for many people with ADHD. We feel too much — physically and emotionally. We struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, and big feelings. Many of us also experience sensory sensitivities, reacting strongly to sights, tastes, smell, and more.
Type 6: Ring Of Fire ADHD
People with Ring of Fire ADHD typically show patterns of high brain activity and have trouble “shutting off” their minds, which can make thoughts and emotions overwhelming. Stimulant medications alone may make ADHD symptoms significantly worse.
People with ADHD aren't lazy.
It looks like they are unmotivated and unwilling to work, but it's really that they have trouble staying focused enough to get their work done. They can be easily distracted by sights or sounds.
A person with PTSD might drift out of a conversation and appear distant and withdrawn. This is known among soldiers as a "thousand-yard stare." This is a sign that unpleasant memories have returned to haunt them.
People who ADHD may engage in several different types of stimming, though some may seem to have select behaviors that they tend to default to. Examples of stimming in ADHD, grouped here by type, include: Visual: "Zoning out," spinning objects like coins or fidget toys, pacing, doodling.
Mind wandering happens on two levels: one, when we realize we're not on task, and two, when we're not even aware that our mind is drifting. The latter, mind wandering without awareness, is officially called "zoning out."