Sometimes I forget to think

Sometimes I find myself in the middle of a game having 90% of my time, making automatic moves which are pretty bad. Has this ever happened to you? How do you force yourself to think between moves? Obviously you can make a lot better moves if you use your brain

Sit on your hands.

I try to think, but nothing happens.

Me too.....you are not alone Ivandh  hahahahahahaha

Sometimes I see black clouds coming out of my ears too!  pufffffff

I suppose you're lost. It's not a kitchen

Telling myself I will play just one quick blitz game is often the result of black smoke in my kitchen.

Problem is it never ends up being just one...

Yeah Guesso.....is not the kitchen.....hahahahahahaha  ughhhhhh  

It's time to stop smoking sweetheart.

hahahahahahaha  I don't!!!!  hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Have there been any studies that study rating fluctuations over time

and the player's fluctuating state of mind and outside circumstances?

lol.  I've burnt a few meals / let them get very cold by thinking... just 1 game of chess.

Like when that rice you were boiling turns to mush... how long was I gone?  lol.

I've heard players at my club, before they make a move say "I know this is a mistake but..."

Yeah part of that is humor, but I think part of it is honest.  You know when you're not trying your best with a move.  Like when you said you can tell you're making automatic moves.  It's a habit you have to develop and as you notice speed games don't help.

If you're trying to develop that habit, and it's not working, then I don't know.  See a sports psychologist or something :)  But if you're only playing bullet and blitz you're not trying yet.  Play slow games and try to take pride in every move.  You should be able to say "no matter what my opponent does I believe this is a strong move.  I've looked at his reasonable replies (capture your move, attack your move, ignore your move, etc) and I believe it's still strong."

Stop and think just like my nick :D

Thinking and i wake up wondering..What happened?  

I think you play too much. Try watching the games of good players at chess.com. Before you play a game, watch a few games first.

I hate it when it happens to me. It has cost me quite a number of games.

When I try to think, another part of me says, "Don't waste your time. The answer is obvious. Just make the move already."

"Wait .. wait. What if I miss something and my calculation turns out to be wrong."

"Rubbish! Look at his face. He is worried about the move you are going to make."

"He's been putting that face since the game started. I don't think that is a worried expression. It's more like a I-m-gonna-crush-your-skull-and-eat-your-brain look."

"Or it could be the my-opponent-is-too-dumb-to-make-his-move look."  

"Hey! Insulting me means insulting yourself. You are me, remember?"

"Right .. right. But still even that chick can tell you that it is the right move."

"But she isn't even looking at us. How can she tell the move is correct?"

"She doesn't need to. She knows the move is right. She can tell by the look of your face."

"How can she know my expression if she hasn't even turned her head this way? DUH! You know what? This is stupid. I doubt she is a chess player. In fact, I don't think she knows chess at all."

"Why do you say so?"

"Well, if she knows chess then she naturally would get curious and would have been here watching the game."

"It doesn't prove that she doesn't know chess. She may know how to play but not very interested in in the game. Or she could be busy.."

"Hmm... It's true."

"What about that grumpy old man?"

"What about him?"

"His hair looks funny."

...

I end up wasting my time and making my move without proper thought. That's how I lost some of my games.

I wish I could forget to think sometimes, it's better than forgetting to think all of the time.

And wafflemaster, the thing I hate most is when I've spent 15-20 min on a move I know is a mistake - but I can't find a better move or plan. Sometimes I feel like I just don't understand chess 

Provided by one that calls himself guesso!