What is this weird 'after-image' sensation that I am feeling?

Post date: 2020-03-30 15:02:17

Over the last few days in lockdown I have been noticing something weird whereby certain activities that I am do which require periods of intense focus (like puzzling or gaming for example) seem to creep into my visual field at times when I am not doing them. Has anyone else ever experienced this or have any explanation for what is happening?

The last time I noticed this was a period like ten years ago when I was playing a certain FPS game for a few hours a day, that when I was going to sleep at night, I would get these after-image flashes of the gun explosions etc, but this is a bit different...

It's really hard to explain properly though... It's very similar to having a song stuck in your head - i.e, you aren't hearing it like it's actually there, but you can still 'hear' it. In this case, I'm not actually seeing puzzle pieces in my visual field, but sometimes out of nowhere I'll experience the sensation of finding a piece a putting it in place, or 'seeing' a particular piece in my visual field the same way you hear a song in your head. It's super abstract and fleeting, sort of like before you fall asleep, but I'm wide awake...

Part of me feels like this is a stress reaction, as I've always had a very 'sticky' brain/body - Like after a day of swimming or at the beach I'll have moments where I feel in the water last for at least a day or two, and I also get earworms stuck in my head while trying to sleep, especially if I'm stressed out. That said don't feel particularly over-anxious out right now, despite the global circumstances.

I'm really just curious more than anything - does this happen to anyone else? Are there any explanations out there?

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