do you ever get stuck?

Post Reply New Topic

I've recently been diagnosed with AS, and find that the diagnosis to be a bit of a relief. It sheds some light on some of my odd perceptions and tendencies, which had, in the past, been a source of stress to me.

One thing that amuses me a little is my tendency to get 'stuck'. If I'm shopping I'll sometimes grossly underestimate the amount of time my shopping trip will take, because I don't account for the time lost wandering the aisles and touching everything. Mostly this happens in fabric stores or wool stores, I'll just go up and down every aisle, touching everything I can reach (and wiping my hands on my coat if I touch something that feels gross, like polyester) I also get stuck watching people sometimes. I'll appear completely alert but will be focused solely on what's in my hand or the people I'm watching. These episodes are very peaceful and relaxing, it's like my brain is just putting things on autopilot for a bit to take a rest or something.

Does anybody else here do this or have insight on what's going on during these periods of stuck-ness?

I kind of take a long time in the grocery store mainly because I can NEVER find anything!! But as for getting stuck, it happens to me in the shower.

I will tell my self I am going to take a quick shower and think I am showering quickly and then before I know it the water is turning coold because I used all the hot water.

I always get ridiculed because I use all of the hot water but I just can't help it. Its like I meditate under the hot water or something and just stand there lol.

Never fails either.. I don't think I have ever taken a fast shower.

I get 'stuck', and the longer I'm stuck, the more miserable I get. Typically it happens in a place with too much stimulation, like the grocery store or (help! what am I doing here?) the shopping mall. If I have a good list (and boy, do I make good lists) and can get in and get out, I'm fine. But without being so purposeful, I end up sort of wandering around unhappily, and then I get stuck.

People tell me it takes me forever to shop. Perhaps, I get stuck like this, too? Every once in a while I want to reach out and touch something I see. The compulsion isn't as strong as it once was.
I know I get stuck watching movement. This activity is very relaxing. I like watching tree branches swaying in the wind or snow falling from the sky. It kinda allows me to space out and chill.

Do you know what it is about the experience that makes you unhappy? Do you think the stuckness comes from feeling unhappy, or the unhappiness comes from getting stuck?

quote="chris09"]I always get ridiculed because I use all of the hot water but I just can't help it. Its like I meditate under the hot water or something and just stand there lol.

Never fails either.. I don't think I have ever taken a fast shower.[/quote]

Chris09, it sounds like you don't find getting stuck to be too distressing...I find it to be calming. I read an article that suggested that Aspies are just overwhelmed by our environment, and that this sort of thing happens to let us escape inwards and allow us to settle down a bit. I'm not really worried about it, but I do find it interesting, and it's nice to be able to hear about other peoples' experiences

Chris09, it sounds like you don't find getting stuck to be too distressing...I find it to be calming. I read an article that suggested that Aspies are just overwhelmed by our environment, and that this sort of thing happens to let us escape inwards and allow us to settle down a bit. I'm not really worried about it, but I do find it interesting, and it's nice to be able to hear about other peoples' experiences [/quote]

Lol yea getting stuck in the shower is not a bad thing at all. Probly the best place for that to happen, its so nice in the warm water. But it definitely seems to annoy other people. And they usually think you are doing other things

Maybe getting stuck is the body's way of giving us compulsory meditation.

Yeap. I could spend forever in a mall. So many things to do there. So many things to look at. But I usually only go to the mall when I know EXACTLY what I am going to get. If I don't then I could spend a while. I went looking for a pair of black shoes and spent an hour deciding.

I always catch a lot of grief for using all the hot water. My wife calls me the "half-hour-shower" boy. I don't mean to, I just lose track of time and basically blank out. I occasionally catch myself stimming (hand flapping) there.

It is absolutely unhappiness coming from getting stuck, in my case. The only real help for it once I get stuck is to go home and hide under my weighted blanket, or throw rocks at the ocean, or peel glue off my hands.

The real root of the 'stuckness' is probably sensory overload. Too much going on = blastoff shuts down.

Yes, I use all the hot water too, that's how you know when to step out of the shower right.
I live alone, so I don't get any grief for it.

Thats right! I have had to replace the elements on my hot water heater more than once.

a tendency to touch everything is a sensory regulation issue. i think the "stuck" you are describing is a problem with transitions.

i'm very fast in stores because i know i have a certain goal and i can't do anything until it is completed. that's why it is bad for me when something goes unexpected, because I then get "stuck" and feel lost. however, i love stores and can get stuck reading and comparing packaging if i don't have a goal (am with someone).

all the time....

THIS is the reason we prefer to shop the same stores for foods, have routines, etc....

As soon as I am in a new grocery store, I get stuck....

Same here on the grocery stores. It doesn't make any sense to me why a grocery store chain has a different layout for each store. I think if it was in the same format it would be easier. Im sure I would find something wrong with it anyway, like different people working there.

I get "stuck" in the shower all the time...........I love the feeling and the sound of water falling on me. It's one of my favourite places to daydream. I also have a shower ritual...............a half hour shower is a quick shower for me

I never get "stuck" in malls though.............malls are too crowded and noisy so I dislike them and am usually very efficient in my shopping. I actually find it annoying shopping with another person who wants to stop and look at/touch everything they see. I want to get in and get out as quickly as possible!