herbeey
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Oct 30, 2010
Posts: 38
Location: Glasgow
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 Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:25 am Post subject: Forgetting conversational topic mid-sentence |
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Does anyone else often forget mid-sentence what they're saying and even what on earth the conversation they're having is about?
It happens a fair bit to me. I'm in the middle of talking and then suddenly I forget what I planned to say next and also what the conversational topic is, so I stop speaking - quite abruptly - look confused for a moment, and then ask the person I'm speaking with to tell me what either I was saying or what the conversation is about.
I figured everyone did this, but I've been keeping an eye out for it for a long time and I've not seen it happen once. |
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Wallourdes
Klaymen
Joined: Jul 25, 2010
Age: 25
Posts: 4589
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:50 am Post subject: |
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used to do this, do it from time to time these days.
I make a mental marker what topic we where talking about to begin with.
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KuRowbot
Blue Jay
Joined: Dec 10, 2011
Age: 23
Posts: 84
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:03 am Post subject: |
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Seems like this may be some sort of ADD thing.
If you're paying attention closely enough, you shouldn't forget what you're saying mid-sentence!
Just be more careful to not get distracted from the original topic.
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Moog
Pussycat
Joined: Feb 26, 2010
Age: 34
Posts: 17642
Location: Untied Kingdom
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:09 am Post subject: |
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| KuRowbot wrote: | | Seems like this may be some sort of ADD thing. |
Yeah.
I do this a lot. I tend to have very tangential conversations.
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Aimless
innocent bystander
Joined: Apr 02, 2009
Posts: 8159
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:09 am Post subject: |
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This happens to me and I looked it up. It seems to be somewhat anxiety based. The way it was explained was that because of anxiety the brain switches to fight or flight mode and everything else as a consequence just drops away. I don't know, I've had this happen when I wasn't anxious. It's weird though, it's like a switch just turns off leaving your mind in the dark, as it were.
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Angel_ryan
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 20, 2010
Age: 24
Posts: 745
Location: Ontario Canada
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:17 am Post subject: |
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| I get that too. It's very annoying. I feel like it's worse when I'm mentally exhausted from either not enough sleep, over working, or sensory overload. I'm sure other people do it too, you might not notice it as much because they are better at hiding it. I can't hide it though and I know I get it pretty bad sometimes. I think it is worse in ASDs. Having to convert thoughts into speech can be taxing on me sometimes. It's easier not to talk to people not because of social anxiety, but because it wears me out. |
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Sibyl
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 11, 2009
Age: 68
Posts: 530
Location: Kansas
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:39 am Post subject: |
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It happens to me occasionally -- when it does, I just figure I was talking too much anyway and should let other people get a word in edgewise. It would be bad in a lecturer, who's _supposed_ to keep talking for the hour or whatever time!
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CocoNuts
Snowy Owl
Joined: Oct 31, 2011
Posts: 169
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:45 am Post subject: |
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It happens pretty often, but just if there's something concrete to distract me (unluckily, the concrete things that distract me are quite irrelevant things...).
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Dunnyveg
Deinonychus
Joined: May 06, 2011
Posts: 370
Location: Deep in the heart of Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:16 am Post subject: |
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| Sibyl wrote: | | It happens to me occasionally -- when it does, I just figure I was talking too much anyway and should let other people get a word in edgewise. It would be bad in a lecturer, who's _supposed_ to keep talking for the hour or whatever time! |
I agree. If I can't get a thought across in a couple of sentences orally, that means my thoughts need to be written down, or saved for a formal lecture. Conveying complex thoughts orally is as hard on the listener as it is on the speaker. I think one of the characteristics of those with excellent social skills is that they are easy to talk to and listen to.
I would also add that brevity is indeed the soul of wit. And if we're brief, we're not likely to lose track of our thoughts in mid-sentence. My experience is listeners are also grateful. |
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jojobean
sacred clown
Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 3341
Location: In Georgia sipping a virgin pina' colada while the rest of the world is drunk
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:29 am Post subject: |
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I do this alot. And doesnt mean that I am not interested or its not important.
It can be very interesting or important and I will be talking and suddenly draw a blank like someone turned out the lights.
I have a seizure disorder, so I always chalked it up to a petite-mal which is a very minor seizure where my brain just fizzes of something.
Seizures are more common with those with ASD than the general population. You can have a mild seizure disorder and not know it for a long time. Do you also have moments of blanking out for a few seconds, or that ppl told you about? That is called an absence seizure which are very mild, but can be dangerous when you blank out while driving or operating machinery.
Jojo
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animalcrackers
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 27, 2011
Posts: 835
Location: Somewhere
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, it happens to me, too.
Usually it happens when there are too many possible words I could use next, or when there are too many pieces to the topic or idea being discussed (I can't hang on to all the pieces for long enough to process them, let alone translate them into words).
For me, I think it's a sort of "mini-brain overload" issue.
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Conspicuous
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Apr 06, 2011
Age: 27
Posts: 195
Location: Phoenix
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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It happens to me, too. When it does, it seems like I can see what I was about to say, but I can't translate it into words like normal. I'm an extremely visual thinker, btw.
I doubt it has anything to do with seizures, though. I had a girlfriend for 5 years who had seizures of all types, and it doesn't seem the same to me.
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ECJ
Deinonychus
Joined: Oct 25, 2011
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Happens occasionally to me too. |
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