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Introverts, find yourself oblivious to the world often?

raz

Let's make this showy!
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Nov 11, 2008
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I'm curious how often other introverts experience these same things.

For instance, do people ever ask you if anything's wrong going just by your silence?

Like, for me, I usually listen to music a lot in the car, but at times, I get in my car, and I've left my radio station on my fm transmitter station, which causes a lot of static if my iPod isn't plugged in. I'll drive for like 15 minutes before I notice there's no music because I was just so busy thinking.

Or, like, if you're walking somewhere, and you completely pass up where you were going because you were lost in your thoughts.

I know things like this happen to me a lot. I'm just so stuck daydreaming that I look around and go, "wait, what's going on?"
 

Virtual ghost

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All the time, as a matter of fact this is my lifestyle.

Every day I isolate myself from other for a 6+ hours just so that I could think about things or study something.
I am a person that needs almost no stimulation form out side to function properly.

People have a very hard time to understand this way of functioning. Which is mostly because they don't understand my interests.
 
G

garbage

Guest
I empathize with the OP, but I think it's the sensotard in me that brings that out..
 

Simplexity

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Constantly. The scope of things I'm attuned to externally is very minimal, especially in the moment. It's actually one of the first things most people notice and mention about me during both extended and initial interactions. In fact, in high school I would even say it was more pronounced and a lot of people (classmates) took some measure of joy in observing me.

I'm very much an idea oriented, aloof, detached, and tangential person and it was jarring to the more predominant SJ environment back then. I would only sort of "activate" myself to answer certain questions or discuss my musings or theories in classes I found interesting. I think the contrast was what was so shocking in others eyes, because when I'm up for it I can articulate my thoughts in a more involved and intricate manner. That is the total opposite of my general demeanor and my lack of interest in engaging unless absolutely necessary. Frequency and constancy are other things that are not in my skill set when it comes to social interactions, I hate being held to that standard. I like the freedom of picking my spots. I think that massive divide in terms of "personalities" is what is shocking to the "world."
 

93JC

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Depends on what I'm thinking about. Once in a while I will zone out as described, and other times I'll be ridiculously attuned to my surroundings.
 

CrystalViolet

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In answer to the the OP questions, Everyday. I can quite happily go days without speaking to people and not even notice.
 

Willfrey

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I remember In two jobs with completely different crews I earned the name 'space cadet' for instances where I'd pause in thought and just stare blankly at nothing.

When I just started college I knew nobody and hated the floor I was on (somehow I got lumped in with the 'too cool for school lot'), so I'd play a little game where I'd see how long I could go without speaking, my record was two and a half days, broken by my mom calling.

I'm perfectly comfortable being on my own, and often over periods of time I'll put off engagements with friends just to be home and relax for a while.
 
V

violaine

Guest
In answer to the the OP questions, Everyday. I can quite happily go days without speaking to people and not even notice.

When I'm working from home :)drool: :heart:) days can go by with me happily immersed in my own world, preoccupied with whatever I'm working on. LOLOL my former boyfriend used to call and say "Have you talked to anyone else today?" I would often have to think about it before I replied "No." :)
 

norepinephrine

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My first co-worker would interrupt me at least once a week while I was intent on what I was doing with "Are you mad at me?" Why? Because I wasn't exchanging social niceties.

This, at least, I have learned how to do over the years. If a friend mentions an ill child, I file it away and make a point of asking later how dear Emily is feeling today.

But unless it's life threatening, I still don't particularly care.

Within the last year though, I had a neighbor stalk me in his car for almost the length of a block while I was deep in thought. And although I was vaguely aware of a car that didn't appear to know where it was going, (I honestly thought the driver was searching for an address) it never occurred to me that I was the object of interest.

Fortunately, when he mentioned it later, he was simply amused. His sole intention was to offer me a ride.
 

Eldanen

Arcesso pulli gingerios!
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I'm an extrovert and I often find myself oblivious to the world. But that's more because I have a romantic outlook on external objects, if that makes any sense.
 

JRT

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yes for me that happens all the time. My sister says we're from different planets because I live in my head most of the time and she's a strong ESFJ. I'm very involved in my thoughts or something is going through my head where I forget to do something. Or I zone out while someone is speaking to me.
 

raz

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yes for me that happens all the time. My sister says we're from different planets because I live in my head most of the time and she's a strong ESFJ. I'm very involved in my thoughts or something is going through my head where I forget to do something. Or I zone out while someone is speaking to me.

ESFJs don't like it when people are oblivious to them.
 

helmetel

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I'm curious how often other introverts experience these same things.

For instance, do people ever ask you if anything's wrong going just by your silence?

I have a friend who's an ESFJ (complete opposite of me), and I'll just be staring happily out a window or something, and she will constatly asking me if I'm ok. So yeah - it happens alot.
 

BerberElla

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All the time, it's actually quite frustrating tbh since I want to be more anchored, but instead I'm just up there in my own head.

Sometimes I will sit there and stare at a wall for hours, and then sort of come to, look at the clock and realise just how much time I lost.

People call me on the street, sometimes even have to chase after me because I didn't hear them and they have to sort of tap my shoulder to get me out of my reverie.

I actually hate it, I'm sick of living up there.
 

Jeffster

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No, not really.
 

raz

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I have a friend who's an ESFJ (complete opposite of me), and I'll just be staring happily out a window or something, and she will constatly asking me if I'm ok. So yeah - it happens alot.

See, that just makes me wonder which type is the most likely to try to "fix" our introversion.
 

WobblyStilettos

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My friends regularly notice (and mock) my 'complete and utter lack of spatial awareness' ^^ I keep nearly getting hit by bikes (they don't make much noise, why should I notice them? :smile:) on my way to college, not to mention the fact that I seem unable to walk in a straight line :blush:. Oh, and I'm constantly being jerked out of my reverie by people either asking that dreaded question 'So, what do you think?' or I suddenly find myself being stared at by everyone else in the group because some sort of response is expected, when I haven't the faintest idea what they've been talking about.
 

JRT

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My friends regularly notice (and mock) my 'complete and utter lack of spatial awareness' ^^ I keep nearly getting hit by bikes (they don't make much noise, why should I notice them? :smile:) on my way to college, not to mention the fact that I seem unable to walk in a straight line :blush:. Oh, and I'm constantly being jerked out of my reverie by people either asking that dreaded question 'So, what do you think?' or I suddenly find myself being stared at by everyone else in the group because some sort of response is expected, when I haven't the faintest idea what they've been talking about.


hahaha that happens to me all the time "so What do you think?" Usually with family gatherings. Everyone around me is talkin about something. So I therefore tend to not listen and focus more on my thoughts. This used to happen to me a lot in college too. Then I got used to thinking up something on the spot when I was asked that dreadful question!

I'm usually quite aware of my surroundings and have quick reflexes. I don't know why or how but i'm quite good at playing sports that i've never played before. The only time I zone out is when people are having a really in depth conversation with me and then my thoughts tend to wander :)
 

AfterHours

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I do. It's a large part of why I hate driving. I try to be careful- luckily I've only injured vehicles so far. I zone out at work a lot, too; I've never earned a nickname, but my boss likes to ask, "So how far into space did you get that time?"
 
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