Get in the Zone

     I can't believe it's already Saturday again. I feel like I just wrote one of these the other day lol. I feel like I've been in my own world half of the time this week. That's where our topic comes from today. I'm very much an introvert. It's not that I don't like hanging out with people; I do. It's just that being around people eventually drains my energy, and I have to be alone in order to recharge. I also get overwhelmed easily. My senses are more sensitive than other people's, and I can often have sensory overload. It's harder for me to interpret and understand emotions, my own and other people's. At times, my emotions can overtake my mind and shut it down. 
     I've always compared the mind to a computer. My computer runs a little different than yours does. It processes information differently than yours does. Sometimes, it runs a little slower than yours does, and you have to be patient with it. Have you ever had a computer freeze up on you because you thought it was going too slow so you kept clicking the mouse? Same thing happens in my head. The more information that keeps coming into it, the slower it runs. If you don't give it time to process it all, it will eventually crash. This is when I feel completely overwhelmed and will usually start crying. 
     However, I have come to notice something that is a kind of warning sign before I reach that point-of-no-return. I've noticed that when my mind starts reaching its limit, when I have used up almost all of my energy, I start zoning out. I won't realize it until someone says something to me, snapping me out of it. That's when I realize I've been staring off into space, totally unaware of anyone or anything around me. I've worked out that this is a way my mind warns me that it's reaching its simmering point, and that I should leave as soon as possible.
     However, I think it's also a kind of protection. I've noticed that if I can't leave right away, I will keep zoning in and out. I think this is my mind's way of trying to stay connected in the present moment like its supposed to, but also trying to shut down and process things at the same time. So I'll be present in the moment then, for a few moments, I'll completely zone out. Then the cycle repeats until I can actually get away and fully recharge. I've noticed this happens when I'm around people for too long or when I'm in an environment with too much sensory stimuli. 
     Sounds like a very frustrating computer to work with, doesn't it? ;) May be, but don't worry. I have almost 25 years of experience with it. It may not be perfect (but whose is), and it may be hard. However, I do my best. 

"I live in the same world you do; I just experience it differently. I am a human being with feelings, just like you; I just express them in my own way." ~Me~