To ask how you think?

[IMissVino]

When I’m stressed or upset, my thoughts get what I’ve always described as ‘messy and tangled’. It’s like I can see them in my head, and they are untidy. I really hate this, so I calm myself down and ‘tidy’ them.

Most of the time, my thoughts are in neat, gleaming lines and A clearly leads onto B. It’s how I think, how I communicate and how I process the world.

I was talking to DH about this and he genuinely doesn’t understand what I mean! As in, he couldn’t even begin to visualise what I was describing and was rather stumped by my ‘so what do your thoughts look like, then?’

So, now I’m interested in if this is just a ‘me’ thing and what everyone else’s thoughts ‘look’ like. How would you describe your thought processes?

How much did you win on Millionaire?
Do you think your linear thinking helped?

Oh daisy1992 you are like me then

Do you mean that you see the word 'party' in your mind?

I can't get what you mean either! What do you mean your thoughts are in lines?

I don't think visually. I just have a constant running monologue. I don't really ruminate either.

my inner voice is almost instant and instinctual - like I know the thought before I even thought it. I definitely don't think in sentences per se. It's like I will think dishwasher and immediately know that I'm wondering whether I put it on before bed, but my internal voice isn't neat - it doesn't say to me - oh did you turn the dishwasher on?

It's more like 'dishwasher' and then I just know I'm thinking whether I turned it on. So I guess my thoughts are more like feelings or something.

I don't see anything visual and I don't see words. I figured everyone thought like that! haha.

I have lots of different thoughts at the same time (like lots of trains at the train station) but not images. I can get an image in my head if I’m thinking about particular place and try to remember how it looks but I’m not good at it. I remember routes and places and never ever lost so I’m very good at recognizing but bad at visualization for some reason.
However I like written info much better and do diagrams and notes to work out things especially if I’m upset, it calms me down and help to process info at the same time.

My thoughts are a lot like this too. They weave and wind in wavy lines, like if you were to join up all the notes on a sheet of music. Strands go off at funny angles or bits get tied in knots but generally they are quiet fluid, and always have a soundtrack running in the background.
The speed they travel depends on my stress levels. If I’m highly strung they are like a pounding techno track (the thoughts, not the musical accompaniment - that can be anything). If I’m drifting off to sleep they float along like the Desert Island Disks music.

I understand OPs straight lines, but I’m not that orderly.

that's probably a better way of describing it for me - my thoughts are abstract and wandering everywhere but I don't feel stressed by it.

If I want to focus on one topic I can.

I used to do this at the end of every day when I was little but I was also in the throes of an OCD.

It was completely different to what I thought. The studio is smaller than you’d expect and Jeremy Clarkson is an arse (I always assumed he’d be a loveable rogue, but he’s just really unpleasant).

I did okay! 😁

I have the running commentary, and images, and songs (but usually only one line on repeat).

If I'm thinking about something specific, eg a task then that gets overlaid on top so I have layers of brain noise. I cant watch a film anymore as it takes too much concentration to stop being distracted by the noise

Yes I have multiple strands of thoughts simultaneously too.

I can focus all thought on one important thing, other times I don’t need to. For example, watching a film, my mind will wander although I’m still following the film.

I wouldn’t describe it as a tangled mess, though, more an intricate web 😂

I wonder about photographic memory. I wouldn’t say mine is good enough to be a truly photographic memory exactly but I can remember things by mentally retracing my steps and conjuring an image of the room/object/whatever. I also notice that if I write things down I can visualise the words at a later time and repeat them like I’m reading from a script. Not sure if that makes sense! For example, I wrote something in my diary that I wanted to discuss with my therapist and visualised the page when I spoke to her, as if I were reading from it there and then. On the flip side, I struggle with making chit chat and being put on the spot.

Well done on Millionaire!

Not that surprised Jeremy Clarkson was an arse 😂

This sounds rather beautiful. Not at all how I function, but gorgeous.

@IMissVino 😆 yes exactly like that, narrating my way through life.

The only problem is it is hard to switch off, have never been able to meditate for example, if im told to "focus on the sounds around you".. my little brain voice will just be chattering about what I can hear, and then I have to tell myself to stop thinking again..

Since finding out people think in images, colours etc, I've thought it would be interesting to research if these people are less anxious/calmer than those who think verbally, I find my thoughts exhausting sometimes, the other ways sound so relaxing 😄

This is what I experience too! And yes to the speed of thoughts correlating with stress levels. My thoughts race and race when I’m stressed (and during ovulation), many strands that I can almost visualise flying about simultaneously, almost helically.

@FuckFuckGo I also notice that if I write things down I can visualise the words at a later time and repeat them like I’m reading from a script. Not sure if that makes sense!

Makes perfect sense to me!

Thank you!

@IMissVino I was thinking about your description of the difference between what you 'see' in your mind when thinking cake and how it is different from visualising an actual cake when you have that thought.

I think I know what you mean. It's like if I think 'headache' I don't visualise myself with a headache or visualise a throbbing pulsing head, nor do I 'see' the word written out, and I don't feel the word either. I just sort of 'feel' and 'see' at the same time a big blobby squishy raspberry coloured thing which I know means headache to me.

Is that close to what you mean?

😂Yep not surprising that JC was an arse at all

Glad you did okay 😉😁

I have an internal monologue constantly like my inner head voice talking all day about things I need to do. Dunno if that's normal lol
@Rarrrarrrarrbumdiay Yes to this, I hate waking up at night as I don’t want to wake up “my inner voice”. Once it’s up it’s impossible to fall asleep again. It does sound mad on paper but it’s not like real voice talking to you of course.
I like words better then images.

@Biffatcrafts Yes! Exactly like that!

OP I’m the same as you, neurotypical, also extremely organised, and a lucid dreamer

I’ve never been able to learn by seeing things, I have to write them down

OP, I'm similar to you. I hate it when my thoughts get untidy. I like them in neat lines and tidy boxes.

I haven't got a clue. I wouldn't even know where to begin.