Does anyone else feel that when someone is talking to you, the words that are coming out of their mouth doesnt even really hit your ears, just goes right over your head? In other words, do you feel that your "brain" is talking too loud (thinking to yourself out loud) that you honestly cant hear what anyone is saying to you wether it be from across the room or face to face or even over the phone???? I feel that if someone is talking to me face to face, i either am not really paying attention even if i am looking right at them, or i instantly forget what they just told me....Ryan (hub) i guess asked me to do something and i heard him...just didnt process it and i completely forgot until he reminded me in a louder tone.........
i forget almost instantly what someone has given me any kind of information....i almost have to write anything that may be important down on paper so that i wont forget later..i blame this on why i failed so many tests and paper in school.
let me know if this doesnt make sense.......................:confused:

AeRo6AnGeL That makes perfect sense to me. :)
It's part of my daily life hearing without really hearing.
Forgetting right after hearing something.

So I have come up with ways to work with that.
Like you I write everything important down.
And if my minds so busy and someones talking to me.
Rather then let them continue to talk and not be heard.
I'll stop them in the beginning and say sorry my mind was elsewhere.
Can you repeat that?
And then I hyperfocus on them and give them the attention they deserve.

When I'm hyperfocusing on a task.
And my partner comes up and just starts talking to me.
I am only aware of sound coming from him that has broken into my hyperfocus.
So I just put a hand up and he will stop and give me that minute I need to change gears and really listen to him.

When people know you care about what they have to say.
And you show them you really do want to hear them and respond back.
They are incredibly kind and understanding of that.
But most importantly I work hard at being as present as I can and hearing them 9 out of 10 times.

AeRo6AnGeL:

Hello there. I must say that there was nothing in what you typed here that did not make sense. :o I almost had to write down your name before I made this reply. I have always done this with others. What is most embarassing is when you are talking with another person and when the conversation ends. . . you ask yourself "What did I just say??!!" I totally know and understand what you said and I am with you all the way. I have never thought of putting my hand up and stopping the outside person till I am done with what I am doing at that time. :confused: But what about when I am not listening to myself?? :foot:


Thanks for reading....... Fast Talker.:)

i have to concentrate (as best i know how to...) really hard and put a lot of energy into listenting so what people are saying to remember it, and usually after someone has said something i forget it and only remember that i was "supposed to remember something".

and sometimes i forget that i'm supposed to be listening and i can just hear but i walk along and look at stuff and think of other things. i remember distincly doing this about 5 weeks ago to my boyfriend who was telling me about something, and stopped talking and said something else and i said "oh sorry i forgot to listen" (i didnt know what else to say........ and it had been at lear 5 minutes that he was talking practically to himself).

Does anyone else feel that when someone is talking to you, the words that are coming out of their mouth doesnt even really hit your ears, just goes right over your head? In other words, do you feel that your "brain" is talking too loud (thinking to yourself out loud) that you honestly cant hear what anyone is saying to you wether it be from across the room or face to face or even over the phone????

I yes !!!! ........... :rolleyes:

Yep, this rings a very familiar bell for me also. But I have found that it is so much worse when I am under alot of unusual stress & am very tired. There is 1 difference though.....I lose the piece of paper I write things down on.
BlessedLady

Yes, I think we can all relate to you, Aero. But here's what I don't get-- I can understand not being able to concentrate on what someone's saying, or just hearing, but not listening. What I don't understand is that many times, I'll have a conversation with someone, and completly be zoned in-- I make appropriate remarks, and can follow along.....but then, 10 min later, I have NO IDEA what we just talked about-- I rememer snipits of the conversation, and the general idea, but if someone asks me to repeat a convo. I just had with someone, I can't. So when I was zoned in, was I really not concentrating enough?? Or do I just have a pathetic memory??? I don't get it.:eyebrow:

You mean everybody doesn't do this?

But here's what I don't get-- I can understand not being able to concentrate on what someone's saying, or just hearing, but not listening. What I don't understand is that many times, I'll have a conversation with someone, and completly be zoned in-- I make appropriate remarks, and can follow along.....but then, 10 min later, I have NO IDEA what we just talked about-- :eyebrow:
Thank You for letting me Know that despite what my Grown Children say, that it's not just me ! ! ! ! ! !
BlessedLady

lol....happycat, sometime before, i had said exactly what u wrote to my dr and he gave me a memory test...he said something like "ok im going to tell u 3 objects, and later on after our conversation i will ask you what they were again" so he told me something like red ball, green shoe and blue hat. then he told me to count backwards from 100 by 7's. YEAH OK. i didnt make it that far. its hard even for a math wiz to do that. its like saying the abc's backwards on the spot. well i failed that part of the test..then he reminded me he was going to ask me what those objects were....and i said "what objects??" he told me to go see a neurologist. i never did. because i forgot. until now. dang.

LOL--That's too funny! Actually, when I got tested for add, I went through this 6 hour test, and one of the things we did was similar to what you did--- My doc would give me a string of 20ish random words, and I had to remember which objects he had mentioned, in no particular order.....my memory came in at the 20th per centile :-/ Which he said had to do with my attention... but then, after doing the same string of words two more times, we went on to some other test.....and then 15 min later, he made me repeat the string of objects... and I scored in the 95th per centile--lol--so I guess if I go over and over information, I can keep it in my long term memory-- otherwise, it's out the door:D

Lips are moving.......Oh crap!I cant answer,Ill just nod.Gosh,I hope they dont realize I didnt hear a thing in the past 5 minutes!!!!!!Just nod and smile Brandi....Nod and smile.

That it???

My problem is that when someone is talking to me and I hear a certain word it go off in another direction (thinking wise), and then something else clicks and im thinking about something else. This goes on thru the whole convo and then im like huh? My husband gets mad. I think sometimes he really believes im ignoring him. But im not. I can't help it. I try to stay focused in a converstation, I just can't.


I also would lose focus during school. I hated the classes where it was an hour of lectures. I dreaded having to go to those classes! No wonder I did so bad in Science.

i almost have to write anything that may be important down on paper so that i wont forget later
I have to write down what my husband wants from subway, or any fast food place for that matter. (he gets the same thing from BK/Subway ect.). If I don't, by the time I get there I have no idea what it was that he wanted. He always tells me what he wants. Im like get the paper cause I'll forget. LOL

lol I find that I just have to try be super over organized to just somewhat do what other people do... I have message bored, white boards, thumb tacks and sticky notes... its a lot more work, but I get a lot more done...:D :D :D

I used to rely on lists like 24/7!!!! It became a big part of my life since I was 16. I am now 21. I feel at some point, you have to give your brain some credit and the fact that you recognize that you are frequently forgetful is a big step in itself. Someone once told me that there is a HUGE difference between hearing someone speak and actually listening. I didn't understand that concept until now. It may seem silly me being so young and all, but I feel like I need to take charge and rely on myself and not some silly list to remind my brain for me. We are smart ladies, we are smarter than average. I find that when someone is approaching me to have a conversation, I quickly take a look at the person to deem just how important it really is. Everything is important with the people you care about, but for example, your boss spatting out information to you might make you more nervous than your average lets say friend, husband, or mother. With those people, you can relax your brain, let your AD/HD run rampant, and ask again if you need to. When your boss approaches you, it is VERY helpful if you tell yourself right away, "Okay Mary Sue, this is important, pay attention!!" Then while he/she is talking to you, try to understand what he is saying to you. Pretend it is a reading comprehension test and pick out the topic, body, supporting statements, and conclusion. I know it seems complicating, but it is actually VERY easy once you try it a few times. Not to mention, it makes paying attention more fun. Look directly in that person's eyes and linger on every word as if that person is going to die if you don't lol Then, ask questions during. Some people might get frustrated with the interruptions, but will not actually deter into "This girl is stupid" mode because it lets him/her know that you are interested in what they are saying. Try to understand the process of the conversation like a math problem. It is okay to analyze it like a poem or a sonnet. I hope this makes sense. It might seem really difficult to do, but I try to treat a conversation like I am REALLY interested in it like a hobby of mine and I always end up remembering it. It is also helpful if you silently make up analogies or create pictures in your mind to associate them with his/her words. :)

Lips are moving.......Oh crap!I cant answer,Ill just nod.Gosh,I hope they dont realize I didnt hear a thing in the past 5 minutes!!!!!!Just nod and smile Brandi....Nod and smile.

That it???
Oh my gosh! That is sooooo true!

I love it when I'm with my family and at a drive thru. They seem to think that I can remember every order that they are telling me all at once. Information overload!!!!! I have epilepsy as well as ADD and have been thru those tests also. When they told me I would have to repeat back the list, I kept running it thru my mind till the exam was over. I guess it may be repitition (sp?) because I always get them right. But when I go to the store for one or 2 things, I have to write it down.

Oh well, I love my ADD......it makes me just as abnormal as the rest of the world! haha

Dawn :D

Well, if somebody is talking to me and I end up tuning them out, it means that they're probably very boring anyway, so I don't really care when I do that.

I have a hard time listening to anyone who interrupts me form something I was doing. My brain wants to stick with one thing until It gets to a stopping place, before clueing in. That meants that I sometimes miss the first minute or so and have to ask for a recap...
As for everyday tasks...I'm glad I can't remember all of the things I've forgotten. I hate lists, but will use postit notes for really important tasks. If my computer and cell phones ever die at the same time, I'm shot. I use their organizer tools all the time.

I have a hard time listening to anyone who interrupts me form something I was doing. My brain wants to stick with one thing until It gets to a stopping place, before clueing in. That meants that I sometimes miss the first minute or so and have to ask for a recap...
To the doll who started this threat... yesssssssssss! I can so relate to everything you wrote!

Jaycee, I constantly have to ask people to start over when they interrupt me from balancing my checkbook, reading, or just anything that I am *lost* in.

I just joined this forum today, and I am so glad. I have felt so alone and such an oddball... especially having just moved to a new state where no one knows me or understands me.

Whew!

Kim