SpecialInterests

The Joy (and Intensity) of Special Interests: Loving Things the Autistic Way

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Intro

One of the best parts of being autistic is having special interests—the things I love with my whole heart, with an intensity most people don’t understand. Special interests aren’t hobbies. They aren’t phases. They aren’t just passing interests. They are passion, comfort, and joy. They are home.

The Joy (and Intensity) of Special Interests

People who aren’t autistic often mistake special interests for hobbies.
But special interests aren’t the same thing as liking something.
They are deeper. More consuming. They have weight.

When a neurotypical person says, “I’m really into tennis,” it means they play sometimes or enjoy watching it. When an autistic person says, “I love something,” it often means, I will spend hours, sometimes days, completely absorbed by it. I will think about it constantly. I will fall into it with my entire self, because it lights me up in a way nothing else does.

Special interests have always been part of my life.
Some have stuck with me for years. Others come and go, rotating, jumping, shifting.
But the intensity is always real.

Here are some of mine: Kendrick Lamar. Shania Twain. Hip-hop music in general. History. Classic rock. Fashion. Art. The law. Education systems. Cats. Feminism. Flowers and plants. Books. Notre Dame football. Pi Beta Phi. Social justice. Writing. And honestly so many more. In one of my autism books I have read to help me learn more about autism there is a couple pages in the chapter on “autistic special interests” that lists a long list of different special interests; I literally remember checking almost every single one on the list as one of my special interests even though I really tried not to do just that. Anyways..

I love these things the way a person loves oxygen. I can fall into them for hours and not want to come back.
I can skip meals. I can forget to use the bathroom, or purposefully hold it in for as long as I physically can until I find myself running to the bathroom. I can lose time.

There are days when, on the outside, it looks like I’ve done nothing. But in reality, I’ve spent hours researching one thing, then another, then another, jumping from thought to thought in a way that feels completely natural to me. That’s what happens when autism and ADHD live together inside the same brain.

Sometimes people think the ADHD ruins the “purity” of my special interests because I bounce around, because I don’t always stick with them forever. But the truth is, they don’t have to last to matter. The joy is real even when it’s temporary.

There’s something I hold onto that my dad told me over ten years ago when I was still in college. He said, “You have too many ideas.”
And he was right. I do. I have too many ideas. And that’s okay.

For a long time, I thought I was supposed to act on every single one. I thought I was supposed to become an expert, an encyclopedia, a living archive of every topic that captured my heart. But I’ve learned that I can let myself have too many ideas. I can let them live and fade and come back and evolve. I don’t have to finish everything I start. I don’t have to know everything. I don’t have to feel disappointed in myself for being pulled toward too many things.

Having too many ideas is part of who I am. It’s not a flaw. It’s a pulse.

Special Interests Aren’t Always Practical

Sometimes my special interests pull me into situations that are chaotic or hard to explain.

There was a day I was working at a law firm, doing reception and assistant tasks. I was supposed to be finishing something for the lawyer I worked for, but there was a snake plant in the office that caught my attention.

It didn’t really need to be repotted. But I couldn’t stop myself. I got distracted, started messing with the plant, and before I knew it, I was fully, aggressively repotting it in the middle of the office. Dirt was everywhere. It got all over my dress. I was sweating like crazy. I knew I should stop, but I couldn’t. The pull was too strong.

The task I was supposed to finish? Never got done.

I’m sure the lawyer and my coworkers thought I was out of my mind. And honestly? It’s kind of funny now. But it’s also real.

This is what special interests can do. They can take over. They can call your full attention whether it makes sense in the moment or not. And that’s not something to apologize for—it’s something to understand.

What I Wish People Knew

Special interests aren’t obsessions in the way people often mean when they use that word.
They aren’t distractions.
They aren’t problems to be managed.

They are anchors. They are comfort. They are joy. They are windows into the world. They are how I fall in love with life over and over again.

Sometimes people want to shame autistic people for being “too intense” or “too much” about the things we love. I wish people knew that the intensity is what makes it beautiful. I wish people knew that this is how we connect to ourselves. I wish people knew that sometimes, when the world is too fast, too loud, and too painful, a special interest is the thing that saves us.

Please don’t tell us we’re too much. Please don’t roll your eyes. Please don’t call it weird.

Let us love what we love.

Special interests don’t make life smaller. They make life big enough to hold us.

A person sitting on the floor next to several plant pots, surrounded by dirt and plant debris, with a focused expression, indicating engagement in repotting plants.

Title: Hyperfocused on Gardening: A Neurodivergent Spin on a Joyful Day of Planting

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A black cat sitting inside a gardening planter on a patio, with additional empty pots nearby.

Today was one of those days where everything just clicked, and I got completely lost in something. I mean, I was hyperfocused—like, buzzing with excitement. My whole body was practically tingling with joy as I worked my way through this gardening project. If you’ve ever felt so into something that your entire body is just lit up, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

A person potting new plants on a wooden deck, with a black cat nearby. The individual is wearing a red floral top and white shorts, holding a gardening tool. A container for planting is visible in the foreground.
Me & Frodo during the potting process (which I’ll have to redo, but that’s OK!)

For a while now, I’ve wanted to grow a garden—not just flowers in pots, but something I could eat. Something I could snack on, something healthy. My first thought was strawberries. I’d love to grow them and just pop them in my mouth right from the garden. But, as it turns out, they were a little too expensive for my budget today (they were $30, which is way out of my price range). I’ll definitely be getting them eventually, but today wasn’t the day for strawberries.

Person taking a selfie in a mirror wearing a white shirt with paint splatters and a visor, sticking out their tongue and showing a playful expression.

As I walked through the garden center, I started thinking about what I could grow within my budget. That’s when I spotted cucumber plants, and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Cucumbers! They’re perfect for snacking, and I could totally make pickles someday. And at $4.56, they were a great fit for my budget. So, I grabbed one.

Then I saw it. Lavender. Oh, lavender. It was $5.37, and I had to have it. I debated for a second but knew I couldn’t leave without it. I was about to stop there, but THEN, when the cashier rang me up, I found out both the cucumber and lavender were on sale for $3.33 each. I couldn’t resist—so I ran back and grabbed a cantaloupe plant I had also been eyeing. It was my third choice, but at that price, it was totally meant to be!

A person sitting on a patio with potted plants, a black cat nearby, and a dog lying on the grass in a backyard setting.
HEY! 😀

I was so stoked, I couldn’t wait to get home and start planting. Now, I’m not a pro, but I had enough of an idea of what I was doing. I potted the plants into the containers I had on hand, but here’s the thing—after a little more research, I realized that I’ll definitely need bigger pots. So, that fun repotting session? That’s coming either tonight or tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it, though, because I’m excited to give them the space they need to grow.

Overgrown catnip plant and soil in a backyard with a white fence in the background.
A rustic wooden planter box sitting on grass, with a plain background.

And, of course, I also found out that cucumbers and cantaloupe need trellises, which sent me into another hyperfocused spin. I started Googling how to make trellises, and then I was texting my dad about any random pieces of wood he has in his garage (he has a ton, believe me). The idea of building my own trellis has me pretty hyped, and I can’t wait to see how that turns out.

The other part of my day that really lit me up was working with my hands to clear out the overgrown catnip plant in the backyard. I grabbed my cutters, started pulling out weeds, and getting all dirty in the soil was just so satisfying. I didn’t realize how much I’d enjoy using a hoe until today. It kind of felt like swinging a softball bat, but in a really productive way. So, I got a little workout in too (no complaints there). My muscles are definitely feeling it, and I think I’ll be sore tomorrow, but it was totally worth it.

By the end of the day, I had cucumber, cantaloupe, and lavender plants sitting in their new pots (for now). The backyard looks a million times better with the catnip cleared out. And honestly? It was so much fun. I was so into it that I forgot time even existed. This whole gardening thing? It’s turned into one of my “special interests,” and I think it’s a perfect example of how my neurodivergent mind works. When something captures my attention, it grabs hold of me fully. And today, gardening was that thing.

If you’re wondering what “special interests” are, they’re basically things that autistic people get really into. It’s not just a passing fascination, either. Special interests can bring so much joy and motivation. For me, gardening (and my house plants) has become a major part of that. It’s one of those things that makes me feel energized and alive in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it yourself.

Anyway, today was a reminder that it’s okay to get lost in something that excites you, even if you don’t have everything figured out. Sometimes, it’s about the joy of doing something right then and there, just because. And hey, if you haven’t tried gardening yet, I highly recommend it. It’s grounding, it’s thrilling, and it’s incredibly satisfying.

Thanks for reading! Drop a comment if you’ve had any hyperfocused moments (or gardening wins). I’d love to hear about it!