imagining life events

[Cavernio]

When you're anticipating an event or meeting of some sort in your life, are you capable of properly imagining the occurrences of that event? Or do you predict things by knowledge and thinking rather than by imagining? My anticipatory imagination is super inaccurate, and this seems to make sense to me since imagination simply defines things so much more that of course it would be less accurate because it's trying to predict more. But it occurred to me recently that maybe I'm just really bad with this sort of anticipatory imagining than other people.

[JohnRedWolf87]

Do you imagine things in said event being a lot worse than they end up being in reality?

I do this all the time.

[Cavernio]

No, I tend to not imagine a lot compared to the amount that other people tell me they do, period. I have imagined horrible things happening, but even then it's not about, say, when I'll be sharing news to someone. It will very occasionally be like 'what if they got hit by a car and died' sort of scenario, meaning it's completely unlikely to happen, it's nothing I know that will occur.
You know, I'm not even sure I've -ever- done what you said in regards to an event that I know is going to happen, like telling someone news, doing a job interview, etc.

[andy-o24]

I find myself playing out scenarios in my mind such as dialogue between myself and someone else. The closest I get to imagining an event would be to play out a scenario in my head with exceptionally positive outcomes. If I think about an event it is usually *logical* and more realistic. Is that what you're talking about?

-o24

[Mollocephalus]

I do that very often and can anticipate in every little detail what happens if i do x or if the other person does x, even on the slightest emotional level. This has helped me tremendously over the years as i was able to anticipate and avoid potentially dramatic outcomes with certain people and in certain conversations.

[koga939]

Sometimes I do it, but I get creeped out when I think about something that's scheduled to happen and I can't think of what it would be like, or when I can't even see myself in that event. But whenever I do think about what could happen, it never goes that way. Not even close. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

[Cavernio]

Originally Posted by andy-o24

If I think about an event it is usually *logical* and more realistic. Is that what you're talking about?

-o24

Possibly. I myself wouldn't characterize it as being more realistic or less realistic, but it's definitely more logical or rational...which I suppose makes it more realistic in a sense. It's like I'm thinking about the event and what might occur as a result, but it's one or more steps removed from visualizing it. I can think about it, but I don't put myself in that place. I wouldn't call thinking about what's going to happen as me being imaginative, because I am capable of imagining in detail what may happen, and that's just not what I usually do.

I find that when I do tend to imagine things, I'm in a specific 'I want to be social' mood, and I'll play out, as often as not, scenarios that will never happen. It's a good mood to be in generally.

I don't do what mollo does really. Part of it is that I have a hard time imagining or remembering emotional states to the point of experiencing them.

[Spenner]

I could live my entire life through a flight of imagination, it's not hard at all to do for me. I don't think this is at all a unique quality.

For the most part I try to simplify my imaginations to just pictures of me properly performing an action, knowing that whatever happens next is something I need to wait to observe.

[Toxophilis]

I do this is often as possible so that my anxiety doesn't get in the way. I don't usually agree to plans if they're less than a day in advance because I like to have enough time to think about things I would say or do in detail, and they usually go according to how I want that way.

[Cavernio]

Thinking too much about how something will go is a good way to keep me anxious, I don't do it. Planning a lot in advance is a good way to get me to break down.