Does anyone experience ADHD in this way ?

information
adhdlife
#1

-I feel like I can not process/internalize what a person is saying if they are speaking to me directly. Most of the time I try to look away from their face while they are talking to me so i can try to focus on what they are saying. How do you deal with this?

-When a person talks to me directly I zone out. When I say I zone out I don’t mean that I start day dreaming, I mean I completely stop thinking and I have no recollection whatsoever of what the person had said or even if they had something in the first place. It’s like my brain is completely blank or I had fallen asleep for that part of the conversation.

  • I wake up sometimes and for the whole day I can’t do anything. It’s like I’m locked in some mental paralysis. Those days I just try to sleep or stare at the wall. I want to get up and do work, but my brain is totally in capable or doing it. I have the motivation to do it, but its like my brain is incapable of cooperating with me.
#2

Absolutely! This happens ALL-THE-TIME! I don’t know why, but I can’t pick up on everything that someone is saying to me. I am definitely processing the words slower… sometimes I may even try to recall the words they said so I can repeat them in my head to actually comprehend what they are saying.

I also do the look away thing… I didn’t think about how that may allow me to better focus on what they are saying, but I most definitely do that, as well!

I always hate particularly in a formal setting, like a classroom, where I ask a question… and don’t “hear” the answer.

#3

This happens to me, too! I just transferred to a school that does three- 10-week terms in an academic year rather than a traditional 16-week semester.

The turn around on assignments are crazy! In a given week, I might have 200 pages of reading and 15 pages worth of writing to do. This week, I had to do a group project in 3 days, which is just insanity.

I had to actually explain to my professor that there are bad days where my brain just won’t corporate, and suddenly a seemingly easy assignment that shouldn’t take me more than 2 hours turns into an ALL day event.

Note: so sorry for commenting twice, I read your comment in 2 parts… ohhhh ADHD

#4

So sorry for a 3rd post… my mind must be working overtime today. To answer your question “how do you deal with this” honestly, I do one of two things.

In a professional setting, I actively focus ( like think to myself with that inner voice ) “ Look at them” and do active listening techniques such as nodding my head and saying “mhmm”
This may not be helpful all the time, but in an interview, it works and is appreciated.

In a friend situation, I look away and focus on what they are saying… that seems to be more valuable to people who want to connect and be heard.

I don’t know if this helps, but I hope there is some value or comfort within all of these responses

#5

Depends on what the topic is. When I’m talking to a friend and it’s about peronal matters, I may tune out on occasion and miss the details, but being in a one-on-one situation actually helps me regain my focus. At a lecture or something, consider me lost forever when that happens.

In college, I used to phase out and then ‘wake up’ because a change of pattern happened, like the prof asking a question or something. I remember one prof in particularly who’d ask something like “who can think of an example of this” or “what do you think they concliuded from this” and when nobody’d answer, he’d fill the awkward silence in the room by repeating and varying and reformulating the question but never elaborating on what “this” was. I could have helped because I usually came well-prepared (he did good classes, apart from that, and the reading material was a blast) and most always knew the answer, but I just couldn’t figure out the question.

#6

This is part of why I sought a diagnosis. I just couldn’t get anything started anymore at the time. With the saved-up money running out, it felt like crashing into a wall very slowly.

It got better both with the treatment and with getting more structure and planning into my days.

#7

Mental paralysis is a great phrase… I’ll have to start using that. I often call it brain fog, but paralysis would probably get the point across.

In short, absolutely yes. To everything. I just got diagnosed a year ago at 26 years old. My entire college career I spent in my own head, telling myself to listen, but never taking in the words. I struggled in social situations because I’d get frustrated when I couldn’t keep up. Definitely can’t look people in the eyes when they’re talking. I’ve incorporated the smile and nod, mmhmm, and laugh when they laugh.

I sometimes have days where I feel completely blank… almost empty. It’s impossible to explain how it feels to others. It’s like I’m feeling everything and nothing at once, and all I want to do it fold my clothes, but I can’t lift my body. It’s so strange. So yes, I often lay around. Not necessarily sleep, but just avoid conversations and distract myself.

Strategies… well, honestly, I didn’t break out of this until starting my medication. My days were usually just a toss up of whether or not I would be productive. Medication comes with its own array of challenges, but it helps to lift the fog and at least I can identify the problems.