# Your Mind Chatter?



## Turi (May 9, 2017)

What is your mind chatter like?
i.e What is usually going on in your head as you do normal, day to say stuff like walking up the street, or going to the shops etc?


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## To_august (Oct 13, 2013)

Hmm, that’s rather general question. 

My thoughts depend on what is currently happening in my life, what I’m currently into. Events, people, movies, books, music evoke all kinds of thoughts, make me synthesize ideas and ponder over different stuff. 

If I’m experiencing stressful situation then I think a lot about how to fix it, or about ways to stop stressing oneself over it if it’s not something overcomable. 

Under normal conditions, I think about my current projects, constructing steps of their implementation or come up with ideas for the new ones, thinking about how bring them to life, what skills I’d need to learn and what resources I’d need so as to achieve the result I want.

Frequently go over situations that I’m about to experience and conversations with people that I’m about to have, sort of playing out different scenarios of the routes they are likely to take. Or I can just zone out into imagining other place/world, creating an interesting enjoyable experience for oneself. Guess, that’s what people call daydreaming?

If I’m reading/watching something currently, then it makes my mind wonder to think about ideas and themes of it. Connecting dots of the plot, possible references, meaning the author wants to convey, character’s significance in the story. I try not to think about specific future events in those though, as it always takes away a bit of enjoyment when you think you know what is going to happen and just exactly this thing happens, so I shut train of thoughts that lead to specifics like that. General developments don’t have the same effect so they are safe in this regard.

Or when in public places I can just listen to the song in my head and imagine how I do some crazy dancing with all those people around, like in that KENZO advertisement, lol.

So, just normal things like that.


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## Rouskyrie (Jul 20, 2016)

For the most part, my 'mind chatter' is random questions, followed by seeking answers to those questions in order to expand on what I already know.


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## compulsiverambler (Jan 7, 2010)

This would be an interesting question to pose to all the different types and compare, but autism/neurotypical status would have to be disclosed along with type in order to make it meaningful, because autistic people don't spend nearly as much time thinking about our own lives or inserting ourselves into our imaginary scenarios as neurotypicals do. Regardless of type we mostly think about our special interests whenever not otherwise occupied.


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## Happy29 (Jul 31, 2016)

Oh gosh, so much chatter in this head! 50% planning things or thinking about plans that have been made (either work stuff, home stuff, or both), 25% various memories, 10% work in general, 10% just observations about people walking by or things I've overheard folks on the street saying, and 5% song lyrics and earworms. Those percentages vary based on what's going on at the time, but that's the general breakdown.


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## grumpytiger (Feb 23, 2016)

Turi said:


> What is your mind chatter like?
> i.e What is usually going on in your head as you do normal, day to say stuff like walking up the street, or going to the shops etc?


I virtually have no mind chatter by default. I likened my mind before to a clear blue sky with some clouds scurrying across at times (clouds = thoughts). I'd find it very draining to get into random thinking too much and away from the surroundings around me or away from deliberate reasoning for problem solving. Worst would be if it would take my attention away when in the midst of action. Eww. 

I think part of why I don't have it is that I am good at removing stress by just focusing on where I am/being in the present and by having a direct problem solving approach. I noticed that when I once got some very heavy stress from people (long story) then one day the coping capacity from this approach of mine was overwhelmed and then I did start to have more thinking in my mind but even then it was broadly aimed at finding a solution. It was just too indirect of an approach for a solution, it was not deliberate enough reasoning because I lacked a way to find relevant and concrete factors to analyze for a solution. Anyway, I really disliked it when I noticed it was taking my attention away from looking at stuff around me. I'm better since then.




compulsiverambler said:


> This would be an interesting question to pose to all the different types and compare, but autism/neurotypical status would have to be disclosed along with type in order to make it meaningful, because autistic people don't spend nearly as much time thinking about our own lives or inserting ourselves into our imaginary scenarios as neurotypicals do. Regardless of type we mostly think about our special interests whenever not otherwise occupied.


OK. Neurotypical here, ISTJ, with strong S and T preferences and less strong I and J preferences though clear enough. I described in my two posts here how I am with the topic of this thread. 

Btw, I talked to autistic people who do spend a lot of time thinking about their lives and imaginary scenarios so I doubt the correlation if it exists is strong. But yeah they think about their special interests most of the time.


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## grumpytiger (Feb 23, 2016)

To_august said:


> If I’m experiencing stressful situation then I think a lot about how to fix it, or about ways to stop stressing oneself over it if it’s not something overcomable.


Yeahh, when I had the biggest ever stress where I couldn't see a way out immediately is when I got into that... It doesn't feel like just "mind chatter" though if it's deliberate thinking to solve the issue. And I notice, deliberate thinking for me doesn't disconnect me from things like it would if I were to go deeper in the mind. With the deliberate focus for thinking, I retain the concrete sense of reality and remain connected to it. And I'm comfortable only that way.




> Under normal conditions, I think about my current projects, constructing steps of their implementation or come up with ideas for the new ones, thinking about how bring them to life, what skills I’d need to learn and what resources I’d need so as to achieve the result I want.


I can't/won't do the brainstorming part heh but the rest I find really important too, I just try to get the consideration process done as quickly as possible, keep it as concrete and realistic as possible (this is the default/normal approach for me anyway).

I'm sure though it can be useful for some people to brainstorm like that. I find that rather N myself in a way I do not have access to it.




> Frequently go over situations that I’m about to experience and conversations with people that I’m about to have, sort of playing out different scenarios of the routes they are likely to take. Or I can just zone out into imagining other place/world, creating an interesting enjoyable experience for oneself. Guess, that’s what people call daydreaming?


This is the part I'd find so draining. I don't know how some people actually ENJOY it, lol. The one time I would enjoy imagining fantasy adventures was as a kid in kindergarten when we were put to bed in the afternoon and I couldn't sleep and same at home, I couldn't sleep when put to bed in the evening so I did this. But as I got older I started to prefer adventure in reality.  Not that I do it too much by default... But yeah I can't enjoy fantasy like that anymore.

Oh and as for the part about planning/preparing for situations you are about to experience/conversations you are about to have, I guess you need this preparation, I noticed some people need it. I don't and I'd find it incredibly draining as well even if I didn't run into a mental block trying to imagine ways of how it all would be happening. Though as I age (lol), I'm sometimes now finding preparation for certain outcomes is very useful to me, then I can act better and more carefully instead of just getting angry at first. It is just hard to prepare/think up possible outcomes if I have not experienced them before, actually, nearly impossible for me to brainstorm like that... zero Ne/Ni here, lol.




> If I’m reading/watching something currently, then it makes my mind wonder to think about ideas and themes of it. Connecting dots of the plot, possible references, meaning the author wants to convey, character’s significance in the story. I try not to think about specific future events in those though, as it always takes away a bit of enjoyment when you think you know what is going to happen and just exactly this thing happens, so I shut train of thoughts that lead to specifics like that. General developments don’t have the same effect so they are safe in this regard.


Ohh more N hurting my head.  Jk, I don't think it's wrong for you to be like this. It is cool actually, but for me it'd be draining, it taking me away from the _actual_.




> Or when in public places I can just listen to the song in my head and imagine how I do some crazy dancing with all those people around, like in that KENZO advertisement, lol.


Lol that part actually sounds fun. 




> So, just normal things like that.


Normal? Am I the abnormal one... reading this thread makes me feel like it. :laughing: Though I know I'm not the only one who lives so strongly in the present, for example my ISFJ mom is very similar to me with it. We are both very strong on the S preference. But yeah I got weirded out here for a second. :laughing:


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## Siriusly McGonagall (Jan 3, 2018)

I am a normal ESTJ no autism or mental illness, though I am blind, but that matters not. There may be one interesting variation though I am ESTJ 1w9 I am not sure how common that combination actually is.

probably pretty typical ESTJ
Often I think about what I should say to someone how handle a situation.
other people I observe.
conflict resolution
social issues.
what people could be like.
social science topics.
world issues.
future planning for groups I am in and ideas I could propose.


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