Distractions, mental static?

[september]

Hi.
I'm a skeptical person, yet I am continually drawn back to unexplainable phenomena. Forgive any incongruencies between your reactions to certain events and my own.

I have always had a tough time concentrating on my own work. I always seem to have a finger in everyone else's cake/ice cream/tasty dessert, and none left for my own. It's distracting to feel like you're not a self, but a conglomerate of other people's ideas -- and dare I say, thoughts.

It's especially tough to focus on my own thoughts and clarify what *I* think about something. And without implying that this must be the case, and that I am a special snowflake, I wanted to float the idea that this static is external and not internal. Specifically, it seems as though maybe this needing to know about everything going on around me constantly is a symptom, not a cause, of my distraction. If I'm experiencing surface static... this is tough to imply, but from other people, it would explain why I try to block something out with music and TV -- and I hate TV -- even when I am in a silent room, if there are other people around.

I'm posting because something seems right about what I'm saying to me. But, of course, there's the possibility that I am doing the "I am a special snowflake with *unique powers!*" thing. And that's not my intent. I'm just a college student trying to self-diagnose my inability to focus myself, and trying to figure out why it's easy to figure out what other people think about something, but so difficult to articulate myself -- that is, why my thoughts are disorganized. It's not ADD. And perhaps it's just lack of discipline. I call that into doubt, however, when I can finish people's sentences in my head and understand the dimensions of an idea or concept they're discussing before they've finished. I've been revered by my profs as an incredibly quick learner. But it can feel like literally soaking myself in the concept.

Reading this, I see I've beaten around the bush and missed the point. Point being: am I picking up on thoughts here? Two heuristic devices I've been floating to explain it:

(1) This is just a fantastic mental organization system I find myself with, while suffering from lack of discipline and focus to bear out or synthesize ideas I come across. I'm great at storing conceptual memories and recalling similarities between ideas, and inferring to the best explanation how a suggestion or partial idea will bear out.

(2) I am constantly picking up things, all the time, causing a base level of static, and when I focus in on a conversation or lecture, I automatically 'tune in', causing what seems like an almost complete understanding and recall of ideas posed to me in casual conversation or in a formal lecture. However, when not 'tuned in' to something, I'm consistently distracted by the static.

Both heuristics seem to explain what's going on here, and of course, it makes sense to me, but -- there's much more going on that is subjective to my experience, that I have difficulty explaining. Any discriminating ideas on how/what to do to sleuth out what's going on? All (constructive) ideas and questions welcome.

[MonkeyFace]

If anyone would know what was going on, your sub-conscious mind might. in case you don't know how to do that...

Seraphic Forums: Acting Behind the Scenes - Communicating with your sub-sconscious: Pendulum - Telekinesis, TK, PSI, and all the other Kinetics
Seraphic Forums: Acting Behind the Scenes - Communicating with Your Sub-conscious Part 2 - Telekinesis, TK, PSI, and all the other Kinetics

...those might help. If you have any questions, I wrote those articles, so feel free to PM me.

[Louise1987]

Hello,

I think I understand what you mean but I just want to clarify the issue you are tying to convey before I attempt to offer any suggestions...(this is more for my own benefit!)

You find it difficult to concentrate because you feel you are picking up on other peoples' thoughts, and the process of integrating these thoughts and processing them supersedes your own thought processes? I.e that is why you understand what other people are thinking but find it difficult to discern your own ideas? But you aren't sure whether this is because you are fantastic at understanding concepts and yet just get distracted, or whether this really is because you are picking up on other people's thoughts?

I think it could be both. You can always do some exercises to find out? I find that I pick up colours associated with people and feelings from them rather than their conceptual ideas. I don't know why and I can't explain it but I can control it. I just imagine a shield/ circle surrounding me and think to myself 'I don't want to pick up on their emotions'. It prevents you from picking up anything unwanted, so long as that is your intention. Whether you believe in psychic phenomena or not is irrelevant because this is also a psychological technique used to gain control over ourselves and our own thought processes.....It won't help you gauge whether this really is static or yourself but it may help you control it.

If you believe it is other people's thoughts and you want to explore this dynamic and have an open mind then there is lots and lots of information on the web about the different ways in which we as humans have the potential to tap into other people's emotions, and to attune ourselves....I am wary of using the term psychic but the psychic forum is a good place to start. I definitely believe that creativity and the ability to understand conceptual ideas is linked with all these ideas. This is more my personal recollections but I have had so many incidences happen now that make me believe that we are all connected in someway; if you already have that knowledge you are already on the springboard, you just have to bounce. There are also some meditations you can do (linked to the above comment about the sub-conscious) - which can help you gain control. It might be worthwhile doing some research or seeing if your college offers any evening meditation activities.

If, however, you decide that this is definitely not something psychically related then you may just have to accept the fact that you are incredibly brainy and will be the envy of all your friends

Not sure if this helps but I hope it does!

[september]

Originally Posted by Louise1987

Not sure if this helps but I hope it does!

Yes, brilliant. I wasn't sure what I was looking for but this is it: an answer that will help me whether my problem is one or the other. I will look up meditations I can do to help myself out here.

Thanks.

[codenamesmiley]

You could possibly be suffering the untamed reality of "the empath".

Also, you may want to read up on the subject of "Ego centrism".

I wish you well in your endeavors. I hope you find what it is you need to, for peace of mind.

Many blessings, Rebecca