The worst is when you get to the point where you’ve read the same passage so many times that you know all of the words in it, in the correct order but they have been totally divorced from all meaning and are just a series of unconnected words
Traffic jam of words in my head, all waiting to register
Real talk: is this a legit sign of adhd (ie if you relate to this should you start gathering evidence from other data points?) My wife and majority of my friends from my 20s have been diagnosed in the last few years as adults, as well as my elder daughter (and the younger one literally can’t hear if she’s reading, so i have my suspicions…)
And then this is literally me irl…
This, on its own, is not a sign of ADHD and can be explained by other mechanisms.
Here are a few alternative mechanisms:
- Maxing out your cognitive load. We can only think so much, so if you think beyond your capabilities, you get overwhelmed and can’t think well. This happens to everyone, regardless of whether they have ADHD or not. Check out Sweller’s cognitive load theory. He has some talks online.
- Adenosine buildup. This is a molecule that gets produced while you think. Your brain slowly gets filled with this molecule and it is one of the ways in which you end up feeling tired. You can actually trick your brain into thinking there’s no adenosine; you can drink coffee! Coffee fills your brain with caffeine, which crowds out adenosine. Caffeine, over time, will leave your body, but adenosine will only leave when you rest. That is why reading can feel difficult late at night and easy after a good night’s sleep.
This is certainly one explanation but also birds of a feather…
I came up with a phrase, “in this sentence I only understand words”. Sometimes it’s down to “only letters”.
Gets me an odd look every once in a while.
Me when I find a “new” meme that is funny… And find out that I already upvoted it
I know the feeling!
Though, I started recently to have less of it. I started reading for things I need to read on my standing desk, which makes it much easier to actually move in process of reading, which my brain happier, apparently. Also, I can just jump on and off reading in progress (and walk around room), with same result. Definitely recommend using a standing desk in such a way, if you have trouble focusing on reading that you have to do.
