Associative Thinking

Your brain makes connections that others might find surprising or random, but to you they make perfect sense? Welcome to associative thinking — where thoughts link together through feelings, memories, and creative leaps rather than strict logical steps.

Picture this: you hear a song, which reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen, which makes you think about the smell of cinnamon, which suddenly gives you a brilliant idea for solving a work problem. To someone watching, it might look like your mind just did three Olympic-level mental gymnastics moves, but for you, each connection feels natural and obvious.

This is super common among neurodivergent folks, especially those of us with ADHD or autism. Your brain is basically a master at seeing patterns and connections that others miss. This can lead to amazing creativity, unexpected solutions, and the kind of humor that catches people off guard in the best way.

The downside? Sometimes it makes linear tasks feel like torture. When someone asks you to “stay on topic” or follow a step-by-step process, your brain might be screaming “But wait, this connects to seventeen other interesting things!”

Here’s the thing though: associative thinking isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. You’re not being “scattered” or “unfocused” — you’re processing information in a rich, interconnected way that can lead to insights others would never reach. The world needs people who think in webs instead of straight lines.