---
title: 3 surprising skills ADHD affects
description: 'ADHD doesn’t just cause trouble with focus and concentration. Learn about three surprising skills ADHD affects: managing emotions, getting things done, and hyperfocus.'
slug: surprising-skills-adhd-affects
author: The Understood Team
reviewer: Elizabeth Harstad, MD, MPH
published: '2019-10-11T22:01:55.350Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/2b5KSxugAp5oMfT07BBfOv/e5fd1e0bafba476ba76d6ddced5a60b7/G1055874390.png
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/surprising-skills-adhd-affects
lang: en
---

# 3 surprising skills ADHD affects

You may already know the major [signs of ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/signs-of-adhd-at-different-ages). But ADHD doesn’t just impact focus and self-control. Here are three surprising skills [ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-adhd) can affect.

## 
1. Managing emotions

Emotions can [feel more intense](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-emotions-what-you-need-to-know) with ADHD. They can even get in the way of everyday life. People with ADHD may be quick to get frustrated by seemingly minor things. And they might have trouble calming down when they’re angry or upset. 

Learn more about ADHD and: 

- [Anxiety](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-anxiety-what-you-need-to-know)
- [Mood swings](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-mood-swings)
- [Coping with grief](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-coping-with-grief-death)
- [Remorse](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-feelings-of-remorse-what-you-need-to-know)

## 2. Getting things done

The ADHD brain makes it hard for people to get organized and get things done. It’s especially [hard to get started on tasks](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-kids-with-executive-function-challenges-have-trouble-starting-tasks) they have little or no interest in. This isn’t a matter of willpower. It’s about [how ADHD affects brain chemistry](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-the-brain).

## 3. Hyperfocus

ADHD can make it hard to focus. But it can also make it hard for people to [stop focusing on something they really enjoy](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-hyperfocus), like playing a video game. ADHD can also make it hard to stop thinking about something that’s worrying them. That’s because ADHD makes it hard to choose what to [pay attention](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-attention-works) to at any given moment. And it can explain why people with ADHD might be so absorbed in something that they don’t notice their name being called loudly. 

Learn more about skills that ADHD affects: 

- [A day in the life of a child with ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-kid-with-adhd)
- [A day in the life of an employee with ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-employee-day-in-the-life)

---

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