You’ve probably heard about “special” or “absorbing” interests, right?
Well, most neurodivergent people have them. Some dive deep into complex math formulas, some into art, some into tech, physics, video games, books, colors, sounds… you name it. There’s no rule and definitely no limit to what our interests can be. And honestly, that doesn’t make us so different from anyone else. But for us, these interests are absolutely vital.

They’re not hobbies on the side, they’re part of who we are. One pretty common example is neurodivergence itself. So you’ll often hear us (especially when we feel safe with someone) talking about who we are, what we’ve discovered, differences we’ve noticed, and so on. I want to make it very clear: when we do that, it’s not because we think we’re more special or better than anyone else. Actually, it’s usually the opposite. Most of us aren’t very good at prejudice, we tend to see ourselves and others with a lot of clarity and honesty. That can be useful in relationships, but it can also backfire, because sometimes people see offense or judgment where none was intended. That’s never our goal.

My interests usually go hand in hand with hyperfocus (another word you’ll see around here). If you catch me analyzing something down to the tiniest detail, it’s probably because I’m trying to understand something I hadn’t fully grasped before. Looking for patterns, inconsistencies, or hidden directions in conversations, behaviors, or situations, that’s just normal for me. And yes, I usually do this with the things I deeply care about. For everything else, I often need to work even harder to make sense of the context, which burns up a lot of energy.

Let’s just say I’m one of those people who split hairs—even when it’s risky for me.