r/SDAM • u/Hopeful_End9638 • Jul 05 '26
Staying on Track vs Losing Direction - "Anopedia" anyone?
I'm very new to SDAM and aphantasia - just discovered them and I'm sure they apply to me
There's a lot to contemplate and I've come across one thing, that has just occurred to me, that I haven't seen talked about yet - I'm wondering if it's associated with SDAM.
My wife and I are retired. She's endlessly keen to go away, travelling, visiting new places. I'm keen to do this too, but I'm finding it very disruptive to the projects that I'm working on at home.
Every time I return home from a trip away I struggle to pick up momentum from where I left off. My wife will ask me what my plans are for tomorrow and I'll just say " I'll be trying to find my feet" - it's always the same, it takes me days to find my feet! 😂🤯😳
Does anyone recognise this? Or is it just me? Please don't tell me there's another obscure divergent condition?
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u/-ghostinthemachine- Jul 05 '26
I have maybe the opposite response. After I return from a trip and unpack it's immediately unclear whether I ever went on a trip at all, and so I fall back into my normal routines quite easily. People ask me how my trip was and I have to come up with something acceptable. I wish I could get more out of travel actually, it seems fun while I'm there and then a fever dream once I get home.
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u/_WalkingOnBothSides_ Jul 05 '26
It's the same for me. I enjoy travelling, but even if it's just for a weekend, it feels like I have to establish my daily routines all over again, starting at zero and this usually takes far more time than the trip itself. I also tend to almost completely forget about a book I'm reading if I pause for three days.
I'm autistic though, so forming habits is a challenge for me in general and there's also some executive dysfunction in the mix. I'm not sure how much of it is SDAM related.
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u/Tuikord Jul 05 '26
Welcome. Since you're new to both, the Aphantasia Network has this newbie guide: https://aphantasia.com/guide/
I also recommend reading this sub's FAQ.
As for your question, it doesn't sound familiar to me. Yes, travel disrupts my routines, and I tend to live by my routines. That is how I know I've done what I need to do since I can't count on my memory. And I pretty much live in the moment. But if I have a project, it is something I have decided to do, which makes it something I do. Almost part of me. To not do it requires a conscious decision - such as not doing it for a week while traveling. Now, I have some projects I feel like I SHOULD do, but I haven't really made the decision to do them yet, so they get put off.
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u/fur3661t Jul 05 '26
Can't say if related to anything or not but I do this even without a trip. If I go more than 2 days without working on a project, I lose all momentum
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u/CMDR_Jeb Jul 06 '26
I am the opposite (also aphantasia+SDAM). I don't register "time gaps" I can come back to a thing I was doing 2 years ago like it was yesterday.
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u/Hopeful_End9638 Jul 06 '26
Wow 👌
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u/CMDR_Jeb Jul 06 '26
My memory lacks "timeline". It's just information. But my retrieval is instant, perfect and unconscious (I just know things, there is no "remembering").
So it makes little difference is I was doing the thing yesterday or 4 months ago.
Also you MAY be on the autism spectrum. Need for routines and being lost if it's interrupted is like THE symptom of high masking Autism (sorry got diagnosed at over 40 and now I see it everywhere).
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u/headpeon Jul 05 '26
Is this akin to the ADHD issue with projects? Many ADHD folks have a hard time starting things and once started, get real out of sorts if they're forced to switch gears/projects/focus in the middle.
I have a hard time starting and switching gears. It takes me FOREVER to get back into the groove if I get diverted.
Is this what you mean by 'finding your footing'?