ADHD Parallel Thinking or Mental Tabs
🧠 What can ADHD thinking feel like? The Mental Tabs Metaphor
Community Term: Parallel Thinking
AUplusDHD term: ADHD Mental Tabs.
Clinical Term: N/A
TThis visual explainer uses the Mental Tabs metaphor to illustrate parallel thinking, which is how many ADHDers describe their headspace.
The definitions here are based on the inside-out perspective derived from interviews and narratives from those who are neurodivergent. For that reason, the content shown here should be regarded as common patterns, not universal rules, as individual experiences may vary.
—Tahirat Nasiru (Ms. T), LCSW
Imagine this:
You are at a computer, trying to work on a project, however several tabs and pop-up notifications keep interrupting your workspace.
One tab contains the task you are supposed to be doing.
Another reminds you about something you forgot.
Another brings up a conversation from yesterday.
Another contains an idea you do not want to lose.
Another notices a sound in the room.
Then a new pop-up suddenly appears that says: "Wait... did I remember to send that email?"
In our study of individuals with ADHD, attention feels like this.
What is The Mental Tabs Metaphor?
The ADHD Mental Tabs metaphor is a visual way of describing how thoughts, reminders, sensations, memories, ideas, and unfinished tasks can compete for attention at the same time. It is important to note that this is not a literal description of what the brain is doing, but a metaphorical description that resonates with many individuals with ADHD whom we have interviewed, and thereby may not be representative of every ADHDer’s experience.
Many ADHDers describe different categories of these mental tabs:
🟦 Foreground tab:
The task or conversation currently in front of the person.
🟨 Background tabs:
Other thoughts, memories, questions, ideas, or unfinished tasks remaining mentally active.
🟥 Pop-up windows:
Sudden reminders, unrelated associations, worries, impulses, or new ideas that unexpectedly demand attention.
The browser may rarely feel completely quiet. Several tabs may remain active, each competing to become the focus tab (foreground tab).
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The Mental Tabs metaphor can also help illustrate what some ADHDers informally describe as parallel thinking: thoughts developing through multiple associations, questions, memories, possibilities, and connections rather than progressing neatly from one idea to the next.
During parallel thinking, attention might move among:
related memories
emerging questions
possible solutions
images and metaphors
previous experiences
new ideas
seemingly unrelated topics that later connect
This kind of associative thinking can sometimes support creative idea generation. A person may quickly generate possibilities, connect information across different subjects, or approach a problem from several angles.
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The Mental Tabs metaphor should not be interpreted as saying that ADHD means having too many thoughts or not enough dopamine.
The broader picture is more complex than that.
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If you have ADHD—or if this "stuck" metaphor resonates with you—here are some ways you might explain this pattern to the people who support you.
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Share it — send it to someone who needs to understand you, without having to find the words yourself
Use it in conversation — open it together and say "this is what happens for me"
Use it in session — clinicians: introduce before or during psychoeducation discussion
Print it — stick it somewhere visible as a reminder
Use it as a starting point — you don't have to explain everything, just say "read this first"
