EPTI also agree with intrigue's post and also relate to that. As for KillerPenguin, I unfortunately relate to a lot of his post (which is a bad thing) but fortunately actually financially support myself through playing poker (which has negatively led me to have the feelings shared in the OP).
The problem of needing constant mental stimulation - Page 2
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exalted
United States3612 Posts
I also agree with intrigue's post and also relate to that. As for KillerPenguin, I unfortunately relate to a lot of his post (which is a bad thing) but fortunately actually financially support myself through playing poker (which has negatively led me to have the feelings shared in the OP). | ||
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evanthebouncy!
United States12796 Posts
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Moody
United States750 Posts
On February 16 2011 14:59 intrigue wrote: it's your habitual use of the computer. i also feel massive withdrawal when i'm on vacation (or some other prolonged absence from the internet), but my mind adjusts very nicely to the relative calm in just a few days. upon using the computer again i often feel just totally overwhelmed. Wow.. I'm glad I read that post. I feel like you nailed down the problem/solution perfectly in 2 improperly capitalized sentences.  I've noticed the EXACT same thing, but never stopped to think about it before. When I go on vacation, or go out of town for the weekend, or whatever, I feel really anxious/bored for the first bit. Then after I adjust, everything is more fun, I'm more outgoing, and I just enjoy myself more.Wow. I'm just.. Wow... I will sleep on this and probably write a blog about it tomorrow. Nice post, it was quite intrigueing + Show Spoiler + lol u c wut I did? | ||
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Godstorm
Romania845 Posts
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palanq
United States761 Posts
or you could study something complicated. or you could read more English books, I don't quite understand some of your sentences >.< | ||
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Deleted User 101379
4849 Posts
On February 16 2011 16:31 Godstorm wrote: Haha i've noticed this. Right now i'm browsing tl, doing a problem for school and watching a stream. I can't seem to just focus on one thing i keep having the need to switch between different subjects :\. However i doubt it's add since when i try hard to focus i have no problem with concentrating on one thing. Also yes whenever i go on vacation without my pc i go into withdrawal lol ^^. I agree with the doubt about ADD, i never had problems focussing on something if i wanted to, it's only when i get bored that my attention wanders, but if i want to solve a problem for which i don't already know the solution, i'm 100% focussed until i have the solution, even if it takes hours. On February 16 2011 16:23 evanthebouncy! wrote: U need to go to school and get stimulated in a way that can help you in the future haha, try to get into a good school Why do you think we are young enough to still go to school? I'm only a year younger than WhiteRa. | ||
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smokeyhoodoo
United States1021 Posts
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Qzy
Denmark1121 Posts
I don't like reading - hmm... | ||
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Ulfsark
United States958 Posts
I have a harder time just playing a game. I need to be playing and listening/watching something else at the same time. Good thing I have 2 monitors. | ||
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Yttrasil
Sweden651 Posts
Did reply to all the posts I found the most striking anyhow hope this will do, quite enjoyed replying once starting to do it but it took some effort (3 days) to start replying to it all. On February 16 2011 16:07 Morfildur wrote: I have that, too, though it gets harder every day to get the mental stimulation. As soon as i find a pattern in something i get bored by it, and sadly i'm extremely fast with finding pattern. I learned programming because it's something complex, but now even that just bores me because for 99% of the problems i immedatly find the pattern and apply other patterns to solve them. It's just tedious work, no mental stimulation. Walking, working out, etc... just boring repetition, nothing to distract me. I think the main problem is that i'm trying to distract me from thinking thoughts i know i shouldn't be thinking (i have a serious depression), so i try to find anything that stimulates my brain to do something else than thinking, though i haven't found anything that works very long. This also causes problems when trying to sleep, since suddenly there is no more mental stimulation and it takes several hours for my brain to shut down. ok, this post is not very coherent, but well... maybe i'm too tired... Wow, I never thought anyone would have the exact same "symptoms" as me in this regard. The first sentence is extremely fitting, I have trouble really finding anything to burn/strive for, it's like you find a pattern as you say and then get bored and wants to try something else. It's like you can have a hobby but not for very long somehow I find it being somewhat similar with going out meeting new people, they are extremely similar to other people and it much often isn't very interesting or maybe that's just people in general? On February 16 2011 14:47 TheAbysCries wrote: Yea the same sort of thing happens to me i literelly cannot just do nothing I constnatly have to be stimulating y brain somehow, especialy on a computer. I don't think it's affected my overall life too much, but yea it can be weird. The posts above me are certainly interesting, thx for ur responses guys. Yep exactly, it's not that the computer is addicting it's just that it's the only place where you can get as much information to digest. It's funny because when I was young starting using the computer I never had the trouble with having to do many things at once it's something more recent maybe the last 5 years and having been a poker player wanting to play many many tables at once, maybe that has affected the thing? On February 16 2011 15:24 ckw wrote: Maybe not the same thing but I leave streams open while I play games so I don't feel lonely? This I don't find at all, just use them as stimuli I think anyhow Long quote from ZombiesOMG + Show Spoiler + On February 16 2011 15:38 ZombiesOMG wrote: Yeah idk, OP, I've got no advice because I seem to be stricken with the same affliction. I was excited to see your thread because I had been really wondering about this myself over the weekend. I guess I'll just share my experience, it's pretty much the same as yours. I HAVE to be doing something while I'm doing something, almost as if Xzibit visited and put a brain in my brain so I can do stuff while I'm doing stuff. If I'm watching a show or a movie, I'm always finding myself looking up articles, surfing facebook, or reading a forum. Whenever I'm eating, it feels like a waste of time to just sit at the table and eat, so I'll read, or put on a movie(which means I'll also be researching something at the same time), etc. Even when I lay down to sleep, I have to have turn on music, or turn on this talk radio show I like that comes on super late. If I don't I have trouble sleeping. I try to catch 6 hours of sleep maximum per night, I feel like I've wasted time if I go over that amount. I'm currently learning Korean, but just like with HS and College, I can't concentrate without some form of background noise. Even when I go out to smoke a cigarette, I pull out my phone and start a game, a Korean vocab app, or cruise TL/Facebook. I do this when there's a line I've got to stand in, as well. Like you I lead a normal, happy life- lots of friends, no problems with girls, a job, a band, all great stuff. Also like you, I know it isn't ADD at all, but it's like I've got this weird need to be constantly productive. I don't think it's entirely related to SC, if at all. This started for me a long time before I began playing starcraft with hopes of being competitive. Maybe Intrigue has got it right, maybe it's over-stimulation from constant computer/internet use particular to those of us who grew up in the computer age. I've been wondering, though, if this behavior has started to hinder my ability to enjoy some of the simpler things in life like just taking a walk, working out without music, or watching a movie. Maybe it's some weird aversion to being lazy? Some crazy desire to multitask like a god? I'm not sure, but I'll think about it some more and post another reply with more thoughts if they bubble up to the surface. Thanks. I hope you know that immediately after reading your post I had to go search duck poop before replying to the thread lol Edit: to the first reply: I'm pretty certain the OP mentioned his friends/gf etc, as did I, to demonstrate that this isn't having an adverse effect on his relationships or overall contentedness with life. Haha so true with the Xzibit thing. Compaired to you I never really have trouble sleeping, I love sleeping and that for a long time as it's a time to just chill out and enjoy the warmth of the bed. When lying there I never really feel the need for all the other stuff. It brings back memories from Thailand a few years ago, was on a small Island with electricity just a few hours each day and no internet or connectivity. In the beginning it was kind of different but after just a few days you really could start enjoying being there. There was no way for you to get information even news which was kind of scary but once you got used to it it felt just amazing and you could enjoy life in a totally different way. In a way this is the way I want to live and I felt very happy about it but there is no way to do that in todays society, maybe if I make some money in these 10 years and then try it out but I wonder what will happen in these 10 years continuing doing all this stuff. Funny still with the ADD stuff, don't think it's so although some aspects are similar but some others the total opposite of it. I mean isn't it something you are born with, because when I was smaller not having used the computer I never had any real trouble with these aspects. Have had great grades and never had to put in much effort, also going to a good uni right now am 24 years old but I find myself being quite lazy and have always been. I do find it has stopped me from enjoying the simpler things, because you have trouble to enjoy them to their fullest without having some extra distraction like I love the nature and all but still can't find the effort to enjoy it by itself. On February 16 2011 15:40 lOvOlUNiMEDiA wrote: You should try meditation. I agree with meegrean's suggestion to get some exercise as well. I also think you should keep a journal and force yourself to write in it at least 5 minutes a day. You might be surprised how hard it is to do that. Yeah I need to start getting more exercise again have been slacking on that part lately, don't really get the point of a journal but meditation might actually be good even though it sounds stupid. But can't see how it would stop me from doing these things all the other time Long quote from KillerPenguin + Show Spoiler + On February 16 2011 15:48 KillerPenguin wrote: I'm like this but probably much worse than you. I get very bored with people extremely fast. I do a LOT of games, stumbling, videos, music, tv shows, movies, news, etc and it's only gotten worse once I graduated and have been too lazy to get a job. It's as though I'm extremely interested in what I don't know but then once I feel I'm not learning anymore about it I just completely ignore it even if it might be a friend. The unhealthy parts I think are the things that are very hard to understand and understanding them does not help your life like politics, news, philosophy, even a lot of stuff about science and games. I remember realizing that I had gone to far when I needed to buy a bag of chips and it was driving me crazy that there were so many kinds and I had to take into account health, previous tastes, what others would like,etc. I also cannot sit through a commercial when watching something on tv, it drives me crazy I have to change the channel constantly until I find something interesting and then I spam the last button to check if the show is on while everyone yells at me. I also find I have trouble even leaving small posts, it's like if I post it has to perfectly explain what I'm trying to say and that makes them end up way longer than I intended them to be. Sometimes I will spend an entire hour just to post some stupid comment and then I look back and I'm like wtf what a waste of time, then I continue to edit the post as I find better or more accurate ways to explain it. I will often do things like cook, eat, brush my teeth, dress, drive, extremely fast like korean progamer fast because they are just mundane things then I'll get on my computer having gone light speed think of nothing to do and listen to a dance song on repeat for 2 hours straight while I daydream. Pretty fucked up?!? This could be you! I look at my brother big house, rich, family, kids, lot of work and I just think how much it would suck to be in that situation where you cannot go on the internet, read, relax, not be stuck doing something you don't want to. I guess if you don't want to end up like me keep doing things you don't want to do just to teach yourself restraint, force yourself to keep in touch with ur friends, gf, try to act normal when you dont' want to and probably most important to get and keep a job. I gave up fighting it and now I usually just sit on my comp all day it's a lot of fun and I can trade the stock market which is fun it's like a new game but I keep getting bored of that off and on too. Sometimes I wish there was a switch I could turn on to be more normal and less obsessive about information but I dunno this is what I enjoy I guess we all do what we enjoy. Interesting this, though I don't really see this part as too fitting compared to some of the other posts. Except the part about editing your post/reply that way I work too when I'm writing something I really care about, took me 3 days to just muster the effort to reply to all this in this thread even though I really wanted to all the time. On February 16 2011 16:18 exalted wrote: I do this as well (what the OP describes). We should have a Skype support group or something where we can all chat! Morfildur your post about finding patterns and getting bored described some of my feelings exactly. Thirding the notion that working out can help with this. I haven't played badminton in a long time and that probably has had a bad effect on my recent mental state. I also agree with intrigue's post and also relate to that. As for KillerPenguin, I unfortunately relate to a lot of his post (which is a bad thing) but fortunately actually financially support myself through playing poker (which has negatively led me to have the feelings shared in the OP). Interesting this too, just wonder do you hate poker like you found it really fun the first few months but then started to play it just for the money and don't really have alot of interest in it? (this I have found is very common in other poker player friends of mine, also it's what keeps them from getting addicted to the game I think compared to some other people) Skype support, hmm maybe :D But I think that exercise actually might be a good start for many of us to begin with? Thanks once again, funny how similar some of you guys' experiences are. | ||
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apalemorning
Canada509 Posts
On February 16 2011 14:59 intrigue wrote: it's your habitual use of the computer. i also feel massive withdrawal when i'm on vacation (or some other prolonged absence from the internet), but my mind adjusts very nicely to the relative calm in just a few days. upon using the computer again i often feel just totally overwhelmed. this mental state is peculiar to our generation and will only become more pronounced in the ones to follow. sometimes i just sit back and feel amazed after a quick search in google: 30 seconds ago i wondered what duck poop looks like, and now on this screen before me is hundreds of closeups of duck poop, videos of ducks pooping, articles on the diets of ducks and constituents of their feces, and comparisons to the wastes of other species. absurd, really i thought i was the only one who searched duck poop on google before. in response to the op, i feel exactly how you do. its so bad that having to visit my family (im visiting my grandma right now) i have to sit on a laptop, while talking to her to feel satisfied. i just cant sit there and talk to her, its not that shes boring, she just doesnt talk fast enough to satisfy my constant need for stimuli. while i type this, im also talking on facebook to a few people, while listening to the cast of complexities "v" tourament. its so bad that i can do all of this, while concentrating on every individual thing. p.s i also have rank adhd. | ||
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Ilfirin
United States102 Posts
But other things that tend to be good to look into would be any "skill toy" (poi, staff, juggling, hooping, rope dart, contact juggling), and any sort of physical exercise that your body can handle for excessive amounts of time (bicycling and swimming are the only two that really get me, and swimming is sorta in spurts between resting anyway lol). I'd love to hear any other good ideas, suggestions, etc that help for you guys. But yea, I have mad ADD. shit's no fun. Can't focus on things when I try, mind racing when I try to turn it off for sleep, get bored of just about everything (and most people for that matter) extremely quickly. This affects my daily life the most as I will quickly stop caring about jobs, classes, people, etc. I'm not getting too far with life lol. ADD meds (both stimulant and non-stimulant) tend to make me "level out" and be able to focus on things and be generally more calm and productive. Gave up programming right about when I got my degree cuz I got bored with it. Have serious issues changing my mood in general, pretty much constantly have to be doing at least 2 things at once (usually primary focus plus at least one other sense, but to the point where if I know the song i'm listening to at least reasonably well, I can sing along while reading and still retain what i'm reading. Speaking of which, I love reading, I can totally focus on reading almost anything at all. No clue why it seems to be counter to how I react to almost everything, but it's such a strange and wonderful anomaly. | ||
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Yttrasil
Sweden651 Posts
But still all that input is really interesting and some of the things you guys do seem like great ways to focus on something else. Still it sounds quite tough for you guys, going through that all your lives and having a hard time focusing on things which so to say are important. If I get what you are saying right that is, if not I excuse myself. I love all the replys it really gets you thinking though, also maybe what might happen if things continue like this. The advice to continue searching and finding something you do like constantly is something I always wanted. There are many things I love doing but not too much of, would want to see what will happen if I put all my heart and soul into task for a long time and what results it might reap, money and happiness hopefully =) So thank you again for the replies! | ||
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Craton
United States17274 Posts
On February 16 2011 14:59 intrigue wrote: 30 seconds ago i wondered what duck poop looks like, and now on this screen before me is hundreds of closeups of duck poop, videos of ducks pooping, articles on the diets of ducks and constituents of their feces, and comparisons to the wastes of other species. absurd, really Might be time to change your icon from a cat to a duck. | ||
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MasterSquid
United States12 Posts
try manifesting your attention into exhaustion go for an overly long run. with your ipod and a puzzle if need be | ||
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eLiE
Canada1039 Posts
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Holgerius
Sweden16951 Posts
On February 16 2011 14:59 intrigue wrote: it's your habitual use of the computer. i also feel massive withdrawal when i'm on vacation (or some other prolonged absence from the internet), but my mind adjusts very nicely to the relative calm in just a few days. upon using the computer again i often feel just totally overwhelmed. this mental state is peculiar to our generation and will only become more pronounced in the ones to follow. sometimes i just sit back and feel amazed after a quick search in google: 30 seconds ago i wondered what duck poop looks like, and now on this screen before me is hundreds of closeups of duck poop, videos of ducks pooping, articles on the diets of ducks and constituents of their feces, and comparisons to the wastes of other species. absurd, really So, who else just had to google ''duck poop'' after reading this post? XD | ||
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Ilfirin
United States102 Posts
And saying "Oh, well, he just doesn't care, he could pay attention if he wants, this disorder is made up", is nonsensical bullshit. From what I remember, the main issues/areas affected are: 1.) Trouble focusing on something 2.) Trouble stopping focusing on something 3.) Trouble changing focus at command 4.) Trouble with moods/emotions (violent flare ups, unable to change emotive state, unable to control it, wild swings from one to another) ...I need to go home and pull out my books, I believe theres 3 more. But as you can see, these are all fairly inter-related, and many other disorders can be "diagnosed" based on levels of symptoms in these areas. The lines between autism, bipolar, add, depression, etc, are actually very blurry. So, OP, i'm not saying you "have" ADD/ADHD by any means, just that you seem to exhibit some of the symptoms that could lead to such a diagnosis. If you personally say it isn't negatively affecting your day-to-day life, then I doubt many people would try to diagnose you. And tbh, I think a lot of this is our brains adjusting to new conditions of life. Now that (most of us) don't need to "fight or flight" survive for food, shelter, etc (again, for the most part), there's honestly no reason for a lot of the natural tendencies/instincts that we still have from survival days. Time to move up :-) I just think our brains are finding a way to prepare themselves for large influxes of data allowing us to make better, more well-informed decisions, rather then just "reacting" to stimuli in our nearby environment. | ||
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Railxp
Hong Kong1313 Posts
i dont have to be doing 3 things, but i feel the need to be listening to something interesting while doing 1 other thing. That said, i dont have massive withdrawal when i am disconnected to the PC, i still have a mp3 player, so maybe i'm not 100% disconnected, but i really only use it when i'm doing something solitary. | ||
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buhhy
United States1113 Posts
On February 16 2011 14:59 intrigue wrote: it's your habitual use of the computer. i also feel massive withdrawal when i'm on vacation (or some other prolonged absence from the internet), but my mind adjusts very nicely to the relative calm in just a few days. upon using the computer again i often feel just totally overwhelmed. Can't be, I was like this even before I started using a computer (when I was 10~), I'd always be drawing while watching TV. Though computers kinda amplify the effect. | ||
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