[blanc]

When in any social situation, do you find it hard to remember things? Like if you are talking to someone you know and you have some common grounds (lets say same music taste), you will only have one or two little quips. You know there is more you could expand on, but you can't remember specific details in order to keep going, which will result in an equally forgettable conversation.:mum I just get so frustrated that I can't remember anything when talking to people. I feel like my brain freezes up and there is nothing ever to talk about.

Anyone else feel like this?

 

[JS86]

I don't have this particular issue myself, but why do you think you are having this particular problem? For example, you might be concentrating too hard on dealing with your (social) anxiety and forget about other things, but that is only one guess.

 

[Holly Short]

Yep. That's why it doesn't work for me to make lists of conversation subjects ahead of time. When I actually find myself in a social situation my mind goes blank and all I can think about is how stupid I sound.

 

[shychick2]

I was in a job where I was on the phone a lot eek I found that I forgot the really obvious details about who they were and where they were calling from.

I also go to name something e.g. film, actor, band and all I can do is come up with vague descriptions like...they were in...you know the film with the....the one with funny ears you know. I can see it in my head or have a feeling but can't come up with a name. I generally narrow it down to about 20 films :b
My partner is increasingly better at identifying things, partly as we watch the same things and he has a good memory. We're a good double act, I come up with the "thing" and he tries to name it.

 

[Moon Fire]

I often forget things such as famous people's names or simple words.

 

[Toad Licker]

I hate when this happens especially when it's something I know well but my anxiety won't allow me to think of it. :sigh

 

[Corey]

I'm exactly the opposite for some reason. When I'm around people, all the stimulation tends to make me remember so much better and I'm constantly called 'smart' and variations of that, which is embarrassing. I hate being in social situations and rarely talk, so I don't know why I have better memory then.

On my own, my memory is ****. Sometimes, I can't even remember where I set my wallet... like two seconds prior. This happens all the time.

 

[letitrock]

When in any social situation, do you find it hard to remember things? Like if you are talking to someone you know and you have some common grounds (lets say same music taste), you will only have one or two little quips. You know there is more you could expand on, but you can't remember specific details in order to keep going, which will result in an equally forgettable conversation.:mum I just get so frustrated that I can't remember anything when talking to people. I feel like my brain freezes up and there is nothing ever to talk about.

Anyone else feel like this?

Yes, yes, yes, I can totally relate to this esp the part about your brain freezing up

Example #1: Once I heard my roommate listening to Prodigy and I asked, is that Prodigy, and she replied, yeah, something something and then she said, that's my major used to be in films to make music vids because of Prodigy, and I just said "oh", and the convo was over. If my brain hadn't froze up, instead of saying oh, I would've said, yeah, me too, there are some songs that have made me want to learn animation so I can make music vids......

Example #2: Another time I heard her flipping thru her songs and I asked was that Lady Gaga, she said yeah, I used to listen to her all the time, and with that, my brain froze up and I said "oh." What I would've said if I was a normal ****ing girl, is "Yeah, I know, me too, I used to listen to her all the time, esp, her song, Just Dance, but now I can't stand listening to that song."

So as you can see, I'm a retarded conversationalist. A lot of the times, and this is a HUGE weird recurring issue with me, but for example, there's been a number of times in class where we've been critiquing someone's work, and I never say anything because I'm afraid to but there'll be times that I get a passing thought about their work, and the reason I don't voice it is not because I'm afraid, but because I won't even be conciously aware of the thought until someone says what I was thinking out loud-Like it's even impossible to say to myself, no don't say that in critique because I don't even pay attention to that thought until someone else says it, and I'm like, hey I was thinking that!, why didn't I say it??

It's like there's a 10 second to 1 minute delay in my brain, In a convo, I won't be able to form a response until like 30seconds later, after I've replayed the convo in my mind. The idea of the response is there after the person has said their part, but it's locked frozen in my head and I am not aware of it until I replay the convo. Does that make sense to anyone, how the raw idea is there but it doesn't surface and become a coherent thought until a minute has gone by and by then I can't respond to the person cuz that'd be weird so it's like a one-sided convo?

 

[dlennr]

That's exactly how I feel, that I freeze up in social situations. If I'm not expecting the question, it even takes me a minute to remember simple details about myself -like my age, etc. The pause isn't enough to make me really embarassed, but it's enough to remind me that there is always the potential of being really embarassed.

 

[turingmachine]

I have this sometimes too. I feel like the anxiety is causing too much stimulation so the relevant information does not retrieve as it should. I write quite a bit so I know my ideas are there, but I can't adequately express them verbally.