How often does your mind "space out"?

Post Reply New Topic

I did this while driving a few times <.< When you wake up realizing that you're driving in the wrong lane/off the road, you tend to not want to drive anymore. It doesn't happen as much anymore because now I try to focus specifically on driving when I do, but that's hard... there are road signs to consider the logic behind their designed shape as I pass.

Could somebody tell me how to get Bonny's response into my private mail? I found her suggestions very helpful.

I have a degree in math, but I was born in the 40's and graduated without taking a single computer course. My mind doesn't wrap easily around using computers even though I'm good at it when I try..

When I sit in classes and listen to boring lectures, my mind spaces out all the time and I think about other things. It certainly is a bad habit for me because then I miss taking notes.

Mainly happens when I am with a lot of people in a noisy place, particularly if I'm tired. Suddenly I find I can no longer follow conversations at all, or concentrate my gaze on anything in particular - find myself staring at something (or through it) and unable to move my eyes without effort. I stop responding intelligably to people also in this situation, even though I am conscious of them and what I am doing, but can't do anything about it. People assume I am thinking about something, but my mind is a complete blank. Like my brain is just too fatigued to do anything at all. I wonder what this would look like on a brain scan - wonder if it is anything like the absence of thought people get through meditation, although I don't generally feel particularly peaceful or anything like they are supposed to feel, even though it isn't in itself at all unpleasant.

Interesting question. I think I'd naturally space out a significant portion of the day, but I kind of intentionally keep myself from doing so. Thing is, it's totally possible to "space out" while appearing present. For instance, I like to play minesweeper and solve rubik's cubes (the 5x5x5's are great for killing time!). While doing so, my right brain is in la-la-land, while my left brain is doing the rote problem I've given it.

The desire to space out is always in the back of my mind, though. So, I didn't vote in your poll, since my answer is different from any of those, but my answer is really "as much as I let myself". Some days, it's more than others.

Sustained attention

Have a very short attention span which changes involuntarily about four times a minute.

This is a little different than spacing out.

Words

Absence (Petit mal, complex partial, TLE, etc.)
ADHD Inattentive
Asperger
Autism
Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD)
Cognition
Continuity of attention

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/seizures/absence.html
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/adhd/adhd.htm (ADHD Inattentive)
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-5/auditory.htm

Memory (Working memory/Short-term memory - Medium-term memory - Long-term memory)

http://www.rsna.org/rsna/media/pr2005/Coffee.cfm (Short-term memory)
http://www.coffeescience.org/alert (Mental alertness)

Parts vs Whole

Paying Attention

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodmi ... ntion.html

Ofc. I'm autistic, so I'm often aut/aus (off, away). It happens more often when I'm tired and overload. So I freeze at school and after lessons. I don't move and I stare at object and I "become" its pattern, shape, motions. I'm silent, but sometimes I'm echolalic.

It's other thing than being in my own world. I'm still in my own world, but I freeze sometimes.

Happens all the time.

my friend calls me 'the airheaded one'. lol. if someone speaks to me, even if im trying to pay attention, I have to ask them to repeat what they just said :L

I do fairly often. I think I'm more in my head than in the world.

A lot, especially during the school day where it happens a couple of times every hour.

Another term I've hear is 'Space Cadet' (a noun, not a verb).

I don't exactly notice, I'd just say I'm thinking, but then every so often someone will ask me 'What's wrong?', and I have no idea why anything would be wrong. I probably have a glazed over look in my eyes.

I'd like to correct the misconception that spacing out stops one concentrating. Spacing out *is* concentrating. The only question is whether or not one can direct the attention of the 'spacing out'.

I find it often triggers when looking over Math or logic problems. That can be especially powerful. Other times (when people ask me 'What's wrong?') are small space outs, though it's rather inconvenient that I loose track of what people are saying to me.

When people tell me to 'pay attention' and such, dragging my attention to where they want it, It feels extremely over-familiar. I can feel quite irate about it. There's little more invasive than someone interfering with one's mind.

I don't know why anyone would want to stop spacing out, except while crossing the road (I've done it).