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Halfmadgenius
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10 Nov 2013, 12:12 pm

I have noticed this mostly walking around town but some times I will randomly stop and stare at nothing special. It is not something I do on purpose but some times I will just suddenly stop in my tracks and stare. Sometimes I am not aware right away, I'll just suddenly realize I am standing dead still in the middle of the sidewalk gazing at a feather or a sparkle of sunlight on the concrete. Its never happened anywhere dangerous like the middle of the road or any thing.

Anyone else do this?



andrewlavigne
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10 Nov 2013, 12:16 pm

All the time. I'm fond of staring at a particular four way intersection of tiles on the floor of one my classrooms at school. Or, if I want some excitement, I'll stare at this weird sort of wall fixture next to the electrical outlets. It's got two green squares and a yellow square which, if I'm not mistaken, move aside so something can either go into the wall or come out of the wall. And it has two little metal panels, one at the top and one at the bottom, with writing on each. Also, like you, I'll stop and stare at things. Things catch me eye and I want to look at them.



Salkin
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10 Nov 2013, 12:55 pm

I definitely have this tendency. I'll just zone out, eyes going out of focus and my mind going kind of zen.

I usually work hard to suppress it as part of masking my autism around mere mortals, but when I'm by myself I do it quite a lot.



ASPartOfMe
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10 Nov 2013, 2:00 pm

Salkin wrote:
I definitely have this tendency. I'll just zone out, eyes going out of focus and my mind going kind of zen.

I usually work hard to suppress it as part of masking my autism around mere mortals, but when I'm by myself I do it quite a lot.


Similar. However my "masking" efforts can fail when I am bored with the conversation or tired


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Salkin
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10 Nov 2013, 2:05 pm

ASPartOfMe wrote:
Similar. However my "masking" efforts can fail when I am bored with the conversation or tired


Yeah, so do mine. There's a limit to how much I can handle. If I have to spend a lot of time (say, more than an average work day) conforming to general society, I'll not only fail to mask this tendency to stare at nothing, but also fail at many other masking efforts, e.g. I'll go nearly non-verbal, etc.



skibum
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10 Nov 2013, 2:09 pm

I do, usually when I am tired or stressed or sometimes even when I am just relaxing. I really enjoy it and find it very soothing.


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ASPartOfMe
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10 Nov 2013, 2:19 pm

Salkin wrote:
ASPartOfMe wrote:
Similar. However my "masking" efforts can fail when I am bored with the conversation or tired


Yeah, so do mine. There's a limit to how much I can handle. If I have to spend a lot of time (say, more than an average work day) conforming to general society, I'll not only fail to mask this tendency to stare at nothing, but also fail at many other masking efforts, e.g. I'll go nearly non-verbal, etc.


Exactly


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10 Nov 2013, 2:26 pm

I have always had the ability to go within myself while I am thinking. Then a person who coincidentally places himself or herself in front of my eyes accuses me of staring at them.



beneficii
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10 Nov 2013, 2:48 pm

Yes, I notice lots of times I stare at particularly nothing and my mind seems to go blank (or I seem to become unaware that I'm thinking).



lwolf
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10 Nov 2013, 2:54 pm

Yeah I have done this on occasion usually if im stressed out or too much is going on around me. I find it comforting to focus on one thing and zone out the rest. Though this does get a few odd looks lol



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10 Nov 2013, 3:29 pm

Halfmadgenius wrote:
I have noticed this mostly walking around town but some times I will randomly stop and stare at nothing special. It is not something I do on purpose but some times I will just suddenly stop in my tracks and stare. Sometimes I am not aware right away, I'll just suddenly realize I am standing dead still in the middle of the sidewalk gazing at a feather or a sparkle of sunlight on the concrete. Its never happened anywhere dangerous like the middle of the road or any thing.

Anyone else do this?


I do this all the time! I don't know why, and I can't really predict when and where it happens, it's just something I do. I thought I was the only one. :D


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10 Nov 2013, 5:03 pm

It feels good to disconnect, I can't explain why.

When I am overloaded or ticcing a lot, I just want to tear my skin apart and break out of my body. Sometimes, I just stop, stand still, and stare blankly at whatever is ahead of me.


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10 Nov 2013, 5:36 pm

I do this. I stare at things that catch my attention. I stare at things when I am thinking. I stare up at the treetops a lot when I am thinking.



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10 Nov 2013, 8:44 pm

yes.

i put this in my okcupid profile in the "I'm really good at..." section.


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10 Nov 2013, 9:01 pm

What may seem like nothing is not nothing to me. It's a savior from sensory overstimulation and social anxiety.


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micfranklin
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10 Nov 2013, 11:01 pm

More often than I'd like to admit I've done this. As I got older, I at least try to make sure I'm "zoning out" where's there few people around so I don't look like a serial killer.