i have such a hard time watching tv/movies/reading books...

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My brain shuts down, it's so much information and I usually get stuck on one detail and it will loop and i'll not understand what I'm watching. It feels like people are punching my skull, is there anything I can do? Or any alternative ways of entertainment?

I sort of understand what you mean. Oftentimes I'll be watching a movie, and I'll get completely lost on who the characters are, what the storyline is, etc. Books can be somewhat confusing too, though at least there's the option to go at your own pace. I typically prefer to watch movies where it is firmly established who the characters are, and what the plot is about, so that I don't end up getting confused.

Anyway, have you considered video games as an alternative entertainment medium? A lot of games nowadays are quite plot-heavy, but there are still a good number where you can just focus on the game itself, like Tetris. I can play Tetris when I'm half-asleep, and still get decent scores.

I have experienced this all throughout my life to a lesser degree.

If what you say is true, it is very likely that you have OCD. I get stuck on details and have to constantly reload tabs that I close on the internet all the time, and it's incredibly irritating. I waste so much time re-looking at text or images for particular things. Apply this to all branches of life.

I wouldn't qualify for a clinical case of hypergraphia, but when I was younger I had urges to make notes of very pointless things, and I only recently related that to my need for memory hoarding. I still do record useless information but I type rather than write.

Some may view what you type and consider it to be a joke. It is not. It's incredibly distressing.

It's ironic that those with OCD are seen to be all controlling, when really, they are the ones who are being controlled (by the disorder).

_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

Hm, I think I get the same thing with films, but not books. I wonder why.

Does it make any difference to you (or any other posters) whether the film/book is long, has subtitles if it's a film, if you watch the film in a cinema or at home, with people or alone, or the environment you read in?

I understand not wanting to take meds. I don't take any kind of pharmaceutical drugs unless I absolutely have to, not even over the counter stuff.

I don't get the looping thing with movies or books, but I have that with real life conversations. Like if someone says something I don't totally understand it may keep repeating in my mind over and over. Or sometimes I will obsess for days over one little thing someone said that annoyed me. I also will obsess over forum discussions and have the comments I've read endlessly repeating in my mind while I'm away from the computer doing other things.

I used to love to read, and I enjoyed literary analysis. Now I like to analyze movies and usually after I watch one I will google it so I can read lots of different opinions and reviews and interpretations of it. The only problem with that is I can't watch a movie all the way through anymore without feeling a strong urge to research it. If I watch a movie on my computer I may pause it every few minutes so I can go read something about it on IMDB. I get the urge to do that while I'm sitting in a theater too, but I can't.

I like to analyze things and I really enjoy it to a certain extent, so long as it's not distracting me from doing other things. What's bad is when I can't keep my mind on where I am and what I'm doing because I keep thinking about something else. Sometimes the only thing that helps is to tell myself, I will think about that later.

OCD is ego-dystonic, you really, really don't want to have the thoughts, but you do, and you've had them for a long time.

When somebody says they have OCD because they have to see a TV show at the exact time it starts or that they have to brush their teeth before showering, it really bothers me. It's like saying 'I am sometimes socially inept, therefore I am autistic' or 'I must have ADHD because I can't concentrate on my school work'.

_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

But yes, OP, I also have trouble following most films, unless it's a good classic (for me that means easy to follow) and just get bored and start thinking of other stuff.