Spacing out?

[SliverOfSand]

Ever since I was little, I have always been ‘spacing out’. My parents would tell me how I’d just sit on a swing, looking at the sky, for long periods of time... just doing nothing. They like to call me a sloth, which I don’t really mind too much.

But lately I’ve been noticing that I ‘space out’ quite a bit. Like, someone will ask me for something, and a minute later I forget it. Usually this happens while I’m doing something, whether it be reading, drawing, watching a video, or when deep in thought. Afterwards, I only remember when I see that person, or some object or word reminds me. I also find that I have a really hard time focusing on two things at once. For example, when I’m watching tv, and someone starts talking, I only hear one or the other. If I focus on the tv, I will only hear that, and vaguely understand what the other person is saying to me. This leads to situations where the other person is mad because I didn’t hear them right.

I also experienced this ‘one way’ thinking while driving. I just recently started to drive, and it’s manual with clutch. I’m pretty ok at it, but as soon as the person in the passenger seat asks me a question, I start losing my concentration to focus more on the question. I suspect that this could be because I am a visual thinker, and when a question is asked, I ‘see’ the answer in my mind. Hopefully when I’m more used to driving, it won’t affect me as much, but it still has quite an effect on my driving.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I have read up on ADD a little bit, which seems to match what I experience, but I’m also wondering if this is a part of autism as well?

 

[Aspychata]

l have noticed at work, people there try best to distract or disrupt as l enter things in the computer. l have trained myself to note it And concentrate harder on what l am doing. l need this job to pay off bills so l am taking care of business. Every time l am entering orders, at least 2-3 people are talking loudly the min l hit the keyboard. But with determination, l get faster and faster at entering things. There is competition for employment because they treat you nicely.

 

[SliverOfSand]

l have noticed at work, people there try best to distract or disrupt as l enter things in the computer. l have trained myself to note it And concentrate harder on what l am doing. l need this job to pay off bills so l am taking care of business. Every time l am entering orders, at least 2-3 people are talking loudly the min l hit the keyboard. But with determination, l get faster and faster at entering things. There is competition for employment because they treat you nicely.

I agree, trying to work in busy places is the worst! I’m glad to hear that it’s getting better though, and that they’re nice at your work. I guess it’s just getting used to multitasking in different situations.

 

[Bolletje]

Oh yeah I struggle with this big time. I’m still trying to train my boyfriend to mute the TV before he starts talking to me, because I just can’t process two auditory input signals at the same time.

As for driving, before I could test for my drivers exam I I had to do a test to see if I was allowed to drive due to my autism. I struggled exactly with what you describe: I was doing quite alright until my instructor started engaging me in conversation, at which point I got so distracted I started making mistakes and overlooking things. I ended up not getting a license because I live in a very busy city with tons of cyclists that don’t follow traffic rules. It’s way too stressful for me to try and keep track of everything (and driving lessons are insanely expensive where I live).

I space out a lot in daily life, I have to make a conscious effort to listen to people, otherwise I just function on autopilot and respond to them without actually processing what they’ve said.

 

[Sarah S]

Oh most definetly ive been having my space outs since i was a child and still have them NOT while driving tho when doing this im 101 % alert and concentrate on the road.

 

[Progster]

Yep, I'm spacey too, and I suspect I might have ADD. One issue is with spacing out while watching movies or TV programs and missing things - sometimes I have to rewind about 4 times before I finally get it all.

 

[Sarah S]

Yep, I'm spacey too, and I suspect I might have ADD. One issue is with spacing out while watching movies or TV programs and missing things - sometimes I have to rewind about 4 times before I finally get it all.

Same here and i KNOW its from my ADHD

 

[SliverOfSand]

Oh yeah I struggle with this big time. I’m still trying to train my boyfriend to mute the TV before he starts talking to me, because I just can’t process two auditory input signals at the same time.

As for driving, before I could test for my drivers exam I I had to do a test to see if I was allowed to drive due to my autism. I struggled exactly with what you describe: I was doing quite alright until my instructor started engaging me in conversation, at which point I got so distracted I started making mistakes and overlooking things. I ended up not getting a license because I live in a very busy city with tons of cyclists that don’t follow traffic rules. It’s way too stressful for me to try and keep track of everything (and driving lessons are insanely expensive where I live).

I space out a lot in daily life, I have to make a conscious effort to listen to people, otherwise I just function on autopilot and respond to them without actually processing what they’ve said.

I’m sorry to hear about your driving experience! Where I live, I can go drive with anyone who is 25+ and has a license, so I don’t have to pay for instructors, which makes things a lot simpler. It’s been about a month, and I have only been on small, quiet roads twice. The person who currently drives with me can see that I have a hard time focusing when asked questions, so I’m not really sure about how it will be when I have to take the road test. I’m really not looking forward to that day...

I also totally get the autopilot feeling, especially when in busy places, like in loud restaurants where there are too many people talking all at once!

 

[SliverOfSand]

Yep, I'm spacey too, and I suspect I might have ADD. One issue is with spacing out while watching movies or TV programs and missing things - sometimes I have to rewind about 4 times before I finally get it all.

That happens to me as well. Although, I don’t watch too many movies where I care enough to rewind much. But I have watched some animated movies in Japanese where I need to have subtitles, and I find that reading the subtitles helps me focus a bit more on what is being said (Even though I still sometimes space out anyways).

 

[Aspychata]

What is interesting at this forum is seeing how other people are impacted by executive function. It's help me become a more understanding person. Some employment positions are very multitask and require mental agility and a decent memory. As l spun out from a bad divorce, l had little faith in myself. But slowly l have bounced back.

 

[Tom]

Oh yes... I could tell you stories that would make your helmet face shield fog up.

 

[SliverOfSand]

Oh most definetly ive been having my space outs since i was a child and still have them NOT while driving tho when doing this im 101 % alert and concentrate on the road.

That’s good to hear! I’m just curious, but when you are driving, do you have a specific strategy for concentrating, or do you find that staying focused while on the road just comes naturally to you?

 

[clg114]

Oh yes. I space out all of the time. It is because I am usually deep in thought. My head is just too full of stuff, not necessarily profound or technical stuff, just stuff. Because of this, whatever I am physically doing kind of goes on auto-pilot. I have driven home, shut the engine off and just sat there in the truck, thinking until my wife come out to see what I am doing.

 

[Skeletor]

Ever since I was little, I have always been ‘spacing out’. My parents would tell me how I’d just sit on a swing, looking at the sky, for long periods of time... just doing nothing. They like to call me a sloth, which I don’t really mind too much.

But lately I’ve been noticing that I ‘space out’ quite a bit. Like, someone will ask me for something, and a minute later I forget it. Usually this happens while I’m doing something, whether it be reading, drawing, watching a video, or when deep in thought. Afterwards, I only remember when I see that person, or some object or word reminds me. I also find that I have a really hard time focusing on two things at once. For example, when I’m watching tv, and someone starts talking, I only hear one or the other. If I focus on the tv, I will only hear that, and vaguely understand what the other person is saying to me. This leads to situations where the other person is mad because I didn’t hear them right.

I also experienced this ‘one way’ thinking while driving. I just recently started to drive, and it’s manual with clutch. I’m pretty ok at it, but as soon as the person in the passenger seat asks me a question, I start losing my concentration to focus more on the question. I suspect that this could be because I am a visual thinker, and when a question is asked, I ‘see’ the answer in my mind. Hopefully when I’m more used to driving, it won’t affect me as much, but it still has quite an effect on my driving.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I have read up on ADD a little bit, which seems to match what I experience, but I’m also wondering if this is a part of autism as well?

Yep. I'm easily distracted even by my own thoughts, and then loose all sense of time thinking on the distraction. At work I follow a.strict routine to keep on task and productive all day.

 

[Skeletor]

Oh yes. I space out all of the time. It is because I am usually deep in thought. My head is just to full of stuff, not necessarily profound or technical stuff, just stuff. Because of this, whatever I am physically doing kind of goes on auto-pilot. I have driven home, shut the engine off and just sat there in the truck, thinking until my wife come out to see what I am doing.

Same here, and my stuff might be anything from the properties of neutron stars to Supernatural villains.

 

[Skeletor]

M

What is interesting at this forum is seeing how other people are impacted by executive function. It's help me become a more understanding person. Some employment positions are very multitask and require mental agility and a decent memory. As l spun out from a bad divorce, l had little faith in myself. But slowly l have bounced back.

Multitasking is the biggest myth since Santa imo. There is even a book on it.

 

[Sara3]

Does being obssesed with a texture count as spacing out?

 

[SliverOfSand]

Does being obssesed with a texture count as spacing out?

I’d say so! Unless the texture has lots of bumps or holes, then I try to avoid those as much as possible...
I also like to stare at every little detail of a room, sort of like a ‘where’s Waldo’, just without the Waldo.

 

[Ursus Chainus]

I space out a lot.

My mother and her men all called me "bubble boy" when I was a kid. It is one of my favorite states of being. I have constant multiple tracks of thought going on in my head and it is nice to be on a track that is less noisy. I don't space out as much as I used to because I meditate now, although meditation has worked itself into my moment by moment existence... so it might look like spacing out

 

[SliverOfSand]

I space out a lot.

My mother and her men all called me "bubble boy" when I was a kid. It is one of my favorite states of being. I have constant multiple tracks of thought going on in my head and it is nice to be on a track that is less noisy. I don't space out as much as I used to because I meditate now, although meditation has worked itself into my moment by moment existence... so it might look like spacing out

I’ve never really tried meditation, it’s not really my kind of thing. But I could see how it helps in keeping your mind clear and focused!