unfocused blank stare mistaken for staring at someone

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This ever happen to you?

You're lost in thought without even realizing you're lost in thought, and you're kind of staring into the distance.

Someone walks into your field of vision and assumes you're staring at them.

Some people give themselves too much credit

Yeah this kind of thing happens to me.
I used to worry something like this would happen in an exam. Like I'd finish early and just be sat daydreaming about something and I'd end up looking in the direction of someone else's desk and look like I'm cheating. Luckily I don't think that ever happened and I do exams in a room on my own now so it doesn't matter.
Sometimes I stare at someone's chest without realising. I try to avoid this though.

Happens to me all the time. Just tell them, Sorry, I was lost in thought. That will put them at ease.

Sopho, staring at a chest isn't nearly as bad as having your eyes at the level of their crotch. That's really bad!

Yeah, it happens to me a lot. I get so comfortable with my eyes fixed on something and then some ass has to move in front of it and stay there. It's annoying.

One of the things that got me diagnosed with OCD was my troubles with eye contact...I hated staying after to be tutored in math because I never knew what to do with my eyes and I was terrified my teacher would think I was a lesbian who fancied her by looking her in the eyes too long...but also because I had huge troubles with being worried everyone would think I was gay because I frequently stared off into the distance and a girl would walk past and I'd worry she'd think I was staring at her chest. It got to the point the only place I wasn't afraid to look was directly at my feet!!

It's happened to me sometimes, not much. One time, we were at a restaurant and there was a woman at a table alone and a guy at anothe table alone. This woman loudly accused this man of staring at her and said something to the effect of assaulting her. He was shaken and replied he was looking at the photos on the wall. It was a very awkward moment for a while as there were just 4 of us in the dining room.

Not recently but that one has got me into trouble more than a few times in the past

Oh man, you just hit the nail on the head! It happens so often and it's SO ANNOYING, I just feel like pushing them away or saying 'can you move I was looking at that' but I know I can't do that so I end up getting up and moving away usually cursing silently at what an idiot the person was...

Star

I tend to switch focus when someone gets in my view to make sure no one thinks I'm staring at them.

The other day while waiting to register for college classes I was blankly staring at some books on a shelf and some girl's bf (I'm guessing he was) walked in front of them, so I shifted focus-later she gave me a really dirty look, lol.

This happened to me once, and resulted in someone filing a "sexual harassment" complaint against me because of it. The complaint was dismissed with several other people told HR that I often stare into space like that, and the person who filed the complaint just happened to be in my visual field taht one time. Truth to tell, I wasn't even aware that the complainant had been there.

(This was a long time ago. Now, if I am going to stare, I'll find a wall or something in which there could be no one between me and a nearby flat vertical surface.)

I have to remind myself to turn my head when I catch myself staring out in space. It's kinda cool to be able to turn my head and not lose the 'buzz' I get from staring, and it's cool to be able to self monitor like that and do it before someone objects.
I do notice that I get a good feeling when I space puppy out like that. I don't notice the good feeling while I am doing it, it's more like I notice I don't feel as good when I don't just stare for a while.

Merle

___________________________________
Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

A couple times, but not in recent memory.

Just out of curiosity, what does eye contact stuff have to do with OCD? I didn't think there was a connection (I was diagnosed with OCD too, years and years ago).

Yeah, I do that often too. Once at a band concert thing where a whole bunch of bands from different schools were playing. I was just staring off chewing my gum. And then a girl turned to be and said "Umm I think that guy thinks your flirting with him." And he mistoke me playing with my gum as like doing some tongue flitratious thing. And I notice that this guy was like blushing red looking at me. I was so mortified.

yup!

heh, happens all the time, im lost in my own little world, and ill be thinking of something happy and my face will flash a smile..


right when someone is walking past me.. then they give me a queer look


heheh its funny.

once i was walking to a shopping centre (mall) and i was lost in my own world, and smiling away.. turns out i was looking into the eyes of a very pretty girl and smiling at her... i didnt realise till she walked past me and was still looking back smiling..

so i turned around to look at her and she was walking off and turned back and smiled again.

that always makes me laugh.. (i shoulda done something about it, but my social skills back then were crap compared to now)

--Sken

Yeah, I'd say it's deffinitly an Aspie thing, among the billions of other things that people come in here asking if you do it wanting to know that they're not a "Freak".