I like to think of myself as a pretty focused individual. However, recently it seems like my mind just wanders. If there's nothing in particular I have to do or if I don't want to do the thing that I'm doing, my mind just goes off on its own little adventure. Most of the time it isn't a problem, but more often than I'd like to admit I catch myself spacing out and have to try to integrate my brain back into whatever it was I should have been thinking about. If you're like me and your brain wanders constantly, here are 8 things you probably do!
Find a way to relate literally any two thoughts
How did I go from thinking about my weekly biology lab to thinking about the pharmacist that works at the Giant Eagle by my house? It's simple really: I have to wear long pants to biology lab, which sucks because it's hot out. Then I started thinking about how nice it will feel when it's cold. Colder weather made me think of Fall Break, and thinking about a break made me think of Ross from Friends, and the pharmacist's name is Ross. Duh.
Miss a LOT of turns
If you're driving on the same road for a while and no one's navigating, you're going to day dream, and you're going to miss your turn. One time I literally drove for 45 minutes before I realized I missed my exit, and it was basically the only exit on the entire trip that I had to look for.
Cast yourself in all your favorite movies
Sure, I'm supposed to be reading this textbook, but let me just watch Pretty in Pink in its entirety my head, with ME playing the role of Andie. You never know, they might do a remake one day and you've gotta be ready to take on the starring role!
Lose sleep because your brain just won't shut up
It's after midnight, I should probably get some sleep, but not before thinking about my dog, the exam I have next week, how many K-cups I have left in my box, my friend's birthday that's coming up, whether or not I left my sunglasses in my car, the government conspiracy I heard the other day, the meaning of life, and of course, mathematical calculations telling me how many hours of sleep I'll get since I'm going to sleep right now.
You repeat yourself quite often
This could be telling someone a story over and over because you can't remember who you told it to before, or even asking someone something several different times because you can't remember what they said. I promise it's not that I don't care about what you have to say, I just can't remember. I actually care a lot, which is why I asked again!
Catch yourself accidentally staring at people
Your face is difficult to control when you're spaced out. Sometimes you smile, sometimes you laugh at nothing, sometimes you look really upset, and sometimes you stare into someone's soul and make them really uncomfortable. Just apologize and pray that next time you're facing an inanimate object.
Think about something too much and then never being able to look at it the same way again
That awful moment when you remember something from a childhood tv show or movie and think about it with all your adult knowledge and logic, realizing that it was actually horrible, like the fact that Belle was basically suffering from Stockholm syndrome. And of course, as always, when you figure it out it's too late to go back.
Find yourself unable to talk because your mind is going faster than your mouth can
At that point you just kinda have to close your eyes and focus on forming a coherent sentence in your head. The person you're talking to will understand, you do it all the time.
