being zoned out constantly

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I don't understand why I behave in certain ways, and what exactly triggers these quirks I have. For example, why am I often sort of brain paralysed (I can stare at a book for 15 minutes in a book store, and not take anything in)? Why can't I focus, at times, when someone conveys the simplest instructions? Often when someone speaks to me, the slightest focus on something else, in my mind, results in blanking what the person is saying and completely not taking anything in? My mind is permanently turned on, analysing minutae of things, meaning I can be so dazed.

I forget the slightest details, which I do know, but in the moment they can't come.
Once I forgot my bank card details, the other time at a vending machine I put in money and tried to make it work for five minutes, only for me to look up and see 'not in order'. There are many examples like that.

Do any of you have that problem? How do you get you brain to function in a way that is sharp and on the spot, I don't think my mind can be like that, it always seem stuck in another gear and has to obsess about the smallest thing...

Anyway, it would be nice to share some similar experiences

I can relate. The staring you mentioned: I have it too. I don't like it, it happens sometimes out of the blue, and sometimes in stressful situations. I believe this is what people call a ''shutdown'', when your brain is paralized and you are in some kind of trance, unable to think or have a real conversation, you can only say ''Hi'' and that sort of things. Your mind isn't present. I have this sometimes several times a day, sometimes only once in some days. Your brains just shut down, like a computer you turn off. I always think by myself then: ''I'm in a very autistic mood''.

I recognize that not-focussing to instructions too. I am not sure why it is; I guess it may be a type of a ''shutdown''. I have this sometimes too: I don't know exactly what it is. I do know it it annoying.

I have troubles remembering phone numbers. I can't.

When I have this so-called shutdown, I let myself stay in my autism. I never had problems with it, and it mostly doesn't last that long, in my case. When I do want to get ''back'', I force myself to think ''Come on, i have to wake up'', and then I get myself focussing more at the surrounding people, or items I see. I slowly recover then, until i'm alert. Often I'm much more alert then other people. Though, sometimes I'm not. I force myself to have thoughts.

I am sometimes obsessed by things too. I stare a lot at spinning or moving objects, I even let them spin in my hands because I find it relaxing. It can sometimes lead to autistic behavior or a shutdown, though.

That happens to me sometimes, usually when I have a lot on my mind, and I cant seem to get the thing bothering me away. Others can talk to me and when I'm in that state and i wont even notice them.

When it happens to me it's usually a reaction to having been under too much stress for too long a period of time.

I don't know, but I totally relate to everything you said.

I don't think my mind will ever be sharp. I can relate to 100% of what you said blossoms.

I noticed that a diet rich in omega-3 acids and a lot of coffee/energy drinks helps with that. some people say that going gluten-free helps, it didn't do anything for me but maybe you should give it a try?

Same Problems. I relate 100%

Yesterday I was trying to drain water out of a sink. I couldn't do it. I had to ask my mom for help. It turns out, the plug was in...

Worse than zoning out completely, I think, is having your brain turned on scanning through memories going back days to weeks like a never ending obsession. A puzzle obsession.

But I zone out a lot too, it's what I call the best times of my day.

Another one for the bandwagon. A few weeks ago I posted here about me living in what I could only describe as a "trance-like state". I live like this. When it comes to taking in information, it has to be information related to my current special interest, and then that weird shield goes away... the one that otherwise keeps me from being able to actually read and understand what is going on. It is due to this trance-like state that I have told my wife on many occasions that I feel like perhaps I'm mildly ret*d. I didn't have any better way of describing it really. Then I learned about AS and suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. For once in my life, while I still don't understand myself, I understand that it's not just me. And for the record, I'm not diagnosed but I feel certain I will be. With things like ADHD in the past I have always had my doubts, but with AS I have no doubt whatsoever.

i love that place. it is cooler than the material reality around me....just zone out and make art and see movies in my brain and stuff the world 'cause i want to get off. i am in brain freeze mode......the nether realm. very very cool. all brain freeze and no people.
Gimme more o' that. it is what makes some of us zoned out and creative.

I can totally relate to that. It's not always pleasant.

I have had that a lot this last week. All kinds of memories i didn't know i had are popping up and being recategorized because of a new perspective. And from then on i can access most of them by just thinking about them. Almost as if my brain is going auto-reflective since finding out about Asperger.

Wow, is this an Aspie symptom? I thought everyone did it...

That is my biggest problem. I'm very intelligent yet my mind blanks out quickly when there's the slightest feeling of tension around me. I've had times where I tried to read something at the library and I can't get through a single paragraph. Always forget what I just read because some women in high heels walks by loudly or some annoying guy keeps clearing his throat every 15 seconds. I can almost concentrate better when there's constant commotion around because then at least the noises tend to blur together. At the library all those little sporadic noises that people make annoy the crap out of me. I also occasionally have trouble counting change.

I spend alot of my time lost in daydreams

Blossoms,
get an EEG test done just to make sure are not having seizures.
it sounds like may have something else ontop of AS or autism,such as abscence seizures or ADHD/ADD which make zoning out a lot worse.
those with autism/as/pddnos/adhd/add zone out like non spectrumers do,but the difference is supposed to be,spectrumers do it a lot more.