Mental Exercise

[Artifice Orisit]

Post any mental exercises or daydreams that you have.

Mental exercise examples
Painting a picture: In a quiet place imagine a blank sheet of canvas in your mind, then paint on it visualising each stroke and how it changes the picture. The trick is to remember each stoke and visualise the result of the combination.

Dice Dots: Imagine the side of a six sided die, and then imagine eight dots, then nine dots, and so on. How many dots can you visualise at once?

 

[Fleur]

How many dots can you visualise at once?

Many, many dots. So many, that they`re making a black picture.

 

[Decaf]

I like to sit down and try to identify the direction sounds are coming from with my eyes closed. Or sometimes when I'm walking down the sidewalk I close my eyes and try to use my other senses and my memory not to die. The longest I've ever made it was about 35 seconds. Believe me... when you stop looking, that is an eternity. It doesn't even really count cause I walked slow.

 

[Jordan~]

I'm incapable of visualising anything. Seriously, I just can't create an image of anything in my head. I can conceptualise a painting or millions of dots, but actually picturing them will never happen. The only way I can produce an image of an idea I have is by drawing it.

 

[Dissident]

Im not good at visualizing either. Maybe its not that im not good but that I have no control of it, sometimes im reading something or someone is telling me a story/whatever and the image automatically pops in my mind, other times it just wont, and almost never at will. Its weird.

 

[Jordan~]

I do, very occasionally, get a brief image appearing in my head. I've even entered a sort of trance when I can picture things in great detail, both times when listening to the same music. But I listen to that particular song a lot, and most of the time it doesn't happen.

 

[Agent Intellect]

thats strange. i'm great at picturing things in my head. when i read a book, i can always picture it in my head, even though it might not be exactly what the officer had pictured, but thats whats awesome about books in the first place.

and when i read something like say, A Brief History Of Time, i don't think i could have read that book if i couldn't picture what Stephen Hawking was saying in my head.

and writing would be all but impossible if i couldn't conjur images in my head. pictures, patterns and concepts are basically how my mind works, and as a result, language and communication skills often fail me.

 

[Jordan~]

When I write or draw, I'm transferring a set of ideas into a different format. I can think "What does this thing look like?" and list the associated concepts in my mind, but I can't form an image of those concepts. I can think "Four walls, window, door, roof", but the actual formation of the image first occurs on the paper. It's the same with people's faces, etc.

Edit: Also, sometimes I do get a very rudimentary mental image and it's wrong, and I can't change it. Like, if there's a mention of a character holding hands with a nanny when they're young, and I picture a four year old holding hands with a nanny, that character may very well end up holding hands with everyone they ever stand next to, in my mind.

 

[Artifice Orisit]

thats strange. i'm great at picturing things in my head. when i read a book, i can always picture it in my head, even though it might not be exactly what the officer had pictured, but thats whats awesome about books in the first place.

and when i read something like say, A Brief History Of Time, i don't think i could have read that book if i couldn't picture what Stephen Hawking was saying in my head.

Ahh but the real question is...did you hear Stephen Hawking's voice?

 

[Jordan~]

Heh, I always hear voices when I'm reading something and I know what the author sounds like. I automatically impersonate someone when I report something they said, too.

 

[zxc]

When I write or draw, I'm transferring a set of ideas into a different format. I can think "What does this thing look like?" and list the associated concepts in my mind, but I can't form an image of those concepts. I can think "Four walls, window, door, roof", but the actual formation of the image first occurs on the paper. It's the same with people's faces, etc.

Edit: Also, sometimes I do get a very rudimentary mental image and it's wrong, and I can't change it. Like, if there's a mention of a character holding hands with a nanny when they're young, and I picture a four year old holding hands with a nanny, that character may very well end up holding hands with everyone they ever stand next to, in my mind.

That's the same with me. I find it hard to visualise things, and when I'm reading a fantasy novel, I can't visualise what is happening (so I tend to just... slightly... skip over the descriptions of places and cut straight to the events and dialogue!). When I'm really absorbed into a particular fantasy book, however, I feel like I am truly there, and I can visualise everything that is happening (although I don't realise it at the time). I also can't seem to fix 'mistakes' in my visualisation, no matter how much I try.

I like to play chess against friends at school while blindfolded (they don't have a chance otherwise :P), and I used to find it extremely hard to visualise the entire board at once. I knew where all the pieces were, and could even recall the entire game up to that point, but I couldn't SEE the board with all the pieces on it. Chess is a pretty visual/spatial game, so being unable to visualise the entire board puts you on a harsh handicap. Through practise, I've become better at it, and I'm even willing to try playing two games simultaneously while blindfolded, next time (I think I will completely stuff it up though).

When I'm reading something, or learning something new, I occassionally associate the material with a CSS (Counter-Strike Source) map. For example, when I was reading up on Go (the Chinese strategic board game), I would see the B tunnels in de_dust2 for some reason. There are other instances of this occurring, but I can't actually think of any right now. They'll come to me (at the strangest of times) eventually.

 

[macronet]

Originaly when i get mad i have a smoke, I've recently started smoking due to stress and mental rage at the traffic lights and pedestrians.

(Smoking is bad don't start)

 

[Artifice Orisit]

When I'm reading something, or learning something new, I occassionally associate the material with a CSS (Counter-Strike Source) map. For example, when I was reading up on Go (the Chinese strategic board game), I would see the B tunnels in de_dust2 for some reason. There are other instances of this occurring, but I can't actually think of any right now. They'll come to me (at the strangest of times) eventually.

Like playing Splinter Cell then making a mental note of every camera, vent, and security guard you see.
It's kinda scary how well video games can be used to train yourself in certain behaviours. I may not know how to handle a gun but I understand cover tactics perfectly. As games get better the implications of this behavioural adaptation is going to get very interesting.

 

[zxc]

It's kinda scary how well video games can be used to train yourself in certain behaviours. I may not know how to handle a gun but I understand cover tactics perfectly. As games get better the implications of this behavioural adaptation is going to get very interesting.

Exactly! I'm not much of a team player though... I'm more of a one man army I've heard there's not much lag in RL, sounds kinda cool.

 

[Decaf]

Now if we could just get interested in physical training we could make an army of INTP super spy soldiers! Mwahahaha!

 

[Aurora]

Wow, I find it very easy to visualize things. It's the reason I'm good at spelling; even if I've just seen a word once in passing, I can visualize it in my head and spell it. When cramming for tests, I can visualize pages from books or notebooks and remember where everything is on the page. That's pretty short-term memory though (except for the spelling words).

Whenever I read books, I see everything that's happening in my head. I don't really concentrate on detail, but I could make up detail and visualize it if you asked me to. I also make up my own fantasies and picture them in my head.

 

[fullerene]

haha, that's me with math/physics equations... but I think it's because I can anchor them to something. The first time I saw the special relativity equation that relates "rest mass" to the mass of an object in another reference frame, I made a quick note on "ok... so it increases to infinity with velocity, but will obviously never get there." In about 5-10 seconds of looking at it I never forgot it, and that was 2 years ago.

My memory is pretty awful overall though. If I don't understand something and tie it down to other memories, it's gone. It takes a lot of effort to memorize something new.

 

[Ermine]

Here are a few of my daydreaming modes.

Reading aloud inside my head, interpreting the voices for all the characters

playing music in my head, both the mental iPod and physically playing music with imaginary hands

people watching

imagining colors, and the amount of each pigment I'd need. "A touch of alizarin crimson, a dab of pthalo blue, hooker's green..."

 

[severus]

I can visualize most things, but never faces. Obviously if it's a person I've seen before I can picture their face. But characters in books, hardly at all. If anything I have a vague idea but I can't really focus in on it.

 

[Death]

I can visualize things,and usually do them occasionally.I also have can get pretty detailed at remembering words or idea that I've learned beforehand,although it took time,then it suddenly flashes in my mind,maybe it's because my Si is still underdeveloped.

 

[Kumori]

I can recall perfect images of things I've seen in the last 5ish minutes, and sometimes I can recall images of things I saw more than a year ago. I also tend to assign an atmosphere (so to speak) to actions, thoughts, words, places, and other things of the same atmosphere recall that in me.

 

[Waterstiller]

I like visualizing things as I am going to sleep, willingly sinking deeper and deeper into a scenario until it picks up enough momentum to be a dream. I did this when I was a child, and just rediscovered it. It can also be a good way to choose at least some of what you dream about without needing to be entirely lucid.

 

[Decaf]

I like visualizing things as I am going to sleep, willingly sinking deeper and deeper into a scenario until it picks up enough momentum to be a dream. I did this when I was a child, and just rediscovered it. It can also be a good way to choose at least some of what you dream about without needing to be entirely lucid.

I do that on the opposite end. When I'm dreaming and wake up on the weekend I often close my eyes and envision the dream again, allowing it to play out. Unfortunately because I am awake, if not fully lucid, it doesn't have the same energy or seeming realism of a real dream. Eventually I get bored and get up.

 

[Jordan~]

I really envy the ability to visualise at will. I don't even think I get anything else heigthened in exchange - maybe I can conceptualise better than most, or invent more detail about things; I don't know. I'm still not sure that I'd choose it over the ability to draw well, though - I really envy artists.

If I wake up during a good dream and I can remember it, I try to extend it to its proper conclusion in my mind. I wish I could record dreams.

 

[Artifice Orisit]

@Jordan~
Try doing creative things late at night, I can't draw well unless it's midnight. Don't know why that is; it may have something to do with fatigue causing a function switch or something.

 

[zxc]

I love the early hours of the morning; 1am-6am...

Just thought I'd say that.

 

[Calamedes]

Hahaha I still sleep on US EST for some reason, meaning that I actually go to bed around 7am here :P

I'm usually thinking quickest around midnight-3am.

 

[Jordan~]

I love early morning, too. I get a really weird mood, and I do tend to be more creative. Poetic language just flows out of me.

 

[Calamedes]

lucky bastard. I don't get poetic language; I get physics theories :P

 

[Agent Intellect]

i always feel my most creative at work, for some reason. i guess its because my work isn't very mentally stimulating, i spend the whole day with my head in the clouds thinking about all these different books i'd love to write and stuff, but then by the time i get home where i could actually put things into practice... well, i'm sure you all know the rest.

 

[Decaf]

i always feel my most creative at work, for some reason. i guess its because my work isn't very mentally stimulating, i spend the whole day with my head in the clouds thinking about all these different books i'd love to write and stuff, but then by the time i get home where i could actually put things into practice... well, i'm sure you all know the rest.

Two words for you... Google Documents. I go to it all the time at to put down notes about what I'm thinking about that I can reference at home. Granted I still don't very often, but at least its a steady building process instead of feeling like I'm too lazy to accomplish anything.

Maybe what we all really need is to get rid of all the stuff that keeps us from being bored at home.

 

[Calamedes]

If I got rid of all the things that keep me from being bored, I wouldn't be here. What's worse is that this is the ONLY thing I'd have to let go :P

I actually found that dancing is a good way to de-stress and recollect. Despite our natural inclination to NOT move, I find that if you find a song that varies greatly in tempo, beat, and energy, (i.e. El Tango De Roxanne from Moulin Rouge is my favorite for this), just find a large, empty space and go. It's also a great place for inspiration, I found. Once, I was thinking about the Higgs field and finally understood a lot of what it's about and generated a simple mathmatical theory on it... and I haven't had any college+ level physics.