# anybody really slow at processing information



## jbentzen55 (May 26, 2009)

v


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## miminka (May 10, 2009)

I can relate to you in partial. I think when people start talking to me out of the blue, I have a hard time processing it. Like, if someone just came up to me in the halls and said, "I like your coat" or "Where's the teacher?" even though I could hear them perfectly I always ask them to repeat themselves so I don't say something stupid. 

And then if I did reply but I couldn't hear them, I always replay the moment in my head so as to make certain I replied correctly. 

If only people knew what I had to do in order to keep my composure around them...


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## MissSA (Jun 17, 2009)

I know how you feel to an extent. I was very slow at processing information mostly when it came to math, but also other subjects. I remember thinking that everyone was so much smarter and better than me. Everyone else seemed to understand things right off the bat. 

I forget what we were doing, but I had a horrible experience in the fourth grade. It was math class right before lunch and the teacher called on me. I not only freaked out because I didn't understand things as quickly as the teacher wanted, she kept on drilling me and was being extremely impatient. I couldn't concentrate on what was being said, other kids in class were staring at me and the class bullies were laughing and making mean comments. The teacher never discouraged the bullies but just kept on looking at me impatiently. I just put my head on my desk and started crying. I was too embarrassed to go to lunch. 

I dreaded being questioned in class or working together with others because I figured that everyone would realize that I wasn't as smart as them. I always felt as though I belonged in the remedial classes. As a result, I never tried unless something came easy to me. I regret this so much because I haven't accomplished much in life. :|


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## Moon Fire (Oct 15, 2008)

Yes I can understand.

Sometimes it's too much to take in.


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## thelonelyloner (Apr 24, 2009)

I think anybody under the influence of anxiety is slow at processing information, I mean how could anybody not? But some people are slow at processing information because thats just how their brain works and thats ok, its just who they are,


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## Inst8 (Jun 21, 2009)

jbentzen55 said:


> for example i would always be the last kid in school to turn in the test b/c it would take me a long time to read and understand the questions. i'm also slow at reading writing pretty much anything that involves informing or instructing me. as you can imagine this effects many aspects of my life and has the same effect in social situations. like not always quite following what a group of people are saying and being slow in responding and as a result not being able to say what i really want to. i'm also very slow at typing and getting my thoughts out in a way that makes sense (this post alone is taking me like 30 minutes to get out). its so frustrating having this, its like everybody is a cut above you.
> 
> so i'm just wondering if there is anybody else that can relate to me


wow, I have similar problem.. It's the cause of my social anixety disorder. I don't think quickly, and my memory is poor.. I forget easily what I'm saying, even if I'm just a bit nervous. When this happens, I usually panick and start talking incoherent.. I can't even say "Sorry I forget what I'm saying" or something like that.. It's like my brain stops working.. I didn't have this problem when I was younger, I was completely normal like the rest but then for some reason I started breathing irregular.. and my brain didn't recieve enough oxygen.. I think it caused my brain damage..


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## Some Russian Guy (Mar 20, 2009)

LaRibbon said:


> Yes. But in my case it's caused by ADD. This infuriates me no end, because I'm slow at processing but I'm not stupid. I just don't grasp info as fast as others do, and it makes me self-concious. If someone asks me something I have to hesitate and ask them to repeat, I have to read things multiple times, and i'm extremely inefficient at studying.


me is the same


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## AloneAsUsual (Jun 1, 2009)

With me it's when someone speaks to me, I have a hard time processing it. I do better visually (reading instructions) because then I can read them over and over, if need be. Sometimes when someone verbally asks me a question, it seems as if they're asking me 2 different things, and my mind is trying to figure out what they're asking. There are times, however, that visually, when I'm reading something, I'm not sure what the sentence is saying: such as newsmagazines of which I find some of their sentences too long.


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## HeliPilot (Nov 3, 2011)

Does it have anything to do with ADD. (not ADHD) I'm mellow, never hyper even if i drink 5 energy drinks and i've always had a hard time processing what people say to me in conversations and I find myself actually forgetting what were even talking about a few minutes into the conversation... All through high school and to this day going to school to become a helicopter pilot i have the HARDEST time learning curriculum. My whole life I've had to teach myself everything... Not and easy task especially right now with flying... SO MY OVERALL QUESTION, is it an A.D.D thing or something entirely different?


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## radiancia (Apr 6, 2011)

Like some of the other posts...I agree but only verbally. And its not so much that it takes me a long time to process what is being said to me...but Im very slow at reacting to it. I cant think very quick on the spot, so I either say something stupid I wish I hadnt (as its the first thing that pops into my mind and I feel like I need to respond with it fast!), or I "ummm", trying to form my thoughts. I dont know...I need more time than an instant to deal with brand new information and figure out the best way I want to respond to it and Im not good at that at all!


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## shelbster18 (Oct 8, 2011)

I'm like you in that I'm slow at processing information when it comes to reading and writing and responding to people, but not typing stuff. I hate being slow. It can be torturous. Whenever I take a test, my anxiety goes up or whenever I learn something new. It seems like it's just a lot of information to take in all at once for me.


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## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

mardou said:


> I can relate to you in partial. I think when people start talking to me out of the blue, I have a hard time processing it. Like, if someone just came up to me in the halls and said, "I like your coat" or "Where's the teacher?" even though I could hear them perfectly I always ask them to repeat themselves so I don't say something stupid.
> 
> And then if I did reply but I couldn't hear them, I always replay the moment in my head so as to make certain I replied correctly.
> 
> If only people knew what I had to do in order to keep my composure around them...


Yes, this happens to me a lot. Sudden, unexpected comments throw me for a loop! Often ask them to repeat.



AloneAsUsual said:


> With me it's when someone speaks to me, I have a hard time processing it. I do better visually (reading instructions) because then I can read them over and over, if need be. Sometimes when someone verbally asks me a question, it seems as if they're asking me 2 different things, and my mind is trying to figure out what they're asking. There are times, however, that visually, when I'm reading something, I'm not sure what the sentence is saying: such as newsmagazines of which I find some of their sentences too long.


I'm a visual learner. I need to see it for it to make sense to me. Just hearing something doesn't make it sink in. I think that's most of the reason for my phone phobia. I've had jobs where I had to take phone messages and it was torture for me.



HeliPilot said:


> Does it have anything to do with ADD. (not ADHD) I'm mellow, never hyper even if i drink 5 energy drinks and i've always had a hard time processing what people say to me in conversations and I find myself actually forgetting what were even talking about a few minutes into the conversation... All through high school and to this day going to school to become a helicopter pilot i have the HARDEST time learning curriculum. My whole life I've had to teach myself everything... Not and easy task especially right now with flying... SO MY OVERALL QUESTION, is it an A.D.D thing or something entirely different?


It can be. But it could also be Sensory Processing Disorder (see my siggy and my blog about SPD). There is such a fine line between ADD and SPD. I still think that they should fall under the same umbrella of disorders. Many many kids/people have been misdiagnosed with ADD when it should be SPD.



radiancia said:


> Like some of the other posts...I agree but only verbally. And its not so much that it takes me a long time to process what is being said to me...but Im very slow at reacting to it. I cant think very quick on the spot, so I either say something stupid I wish I hadnt (as its the first thing that pops into my mind and I feel like I need to respond with it fast!), or I "ummm", trying to form my thoughts. I dont know...I need more time than an instant to deal with brand new information and figure out the best way I want to respond to it and Im not good at that at all!


I'm not quick to respond either. If there is a group of people, by the time I have something to contribute to the conversation, the topic has changed 3 times! Or someone says something and then we say good-bye, I never think of the witty comeback until the next day. Ugh.


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## Kuhle (Oct 29, 2011)

I'm slow at processing spoken information, especially instructions, but I'm okay at processing written information. Though, I think I could be a lot faster if not for my anxiety and/or depression, since it makes it harder for me to focus on things. I used to be able to read and comprehend things very quickly, but it's become harder now that my anxiety and depression have worsened. 

I do have a hard time putting things in a way that makes sense, though. I have all of the thoughts in my head, but trying to make them make sense to others is difficult for me, so I usually take far longer than I should when posting things. It doesn't help that I have a habit of looking up everything that I'm even slightly unsure of because I'm afraid of looking stupid.


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## Lone Raccoon (Jun 5, 2011)

I feel really dumb lately. Maybe it's all the stress and anxiety.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

Yeah, I have problems processing oral information. Sucks at certain jobs cause people think you are retarded for writing down what they say. At my very first job, the guy was telling me how to make simple things, such as fries and sandwiches. I said let me get a paper and he got annoyed and told me I didn't need to write anything down... I'm not sure if it's bad memory or just a processing problem. 

I've also had people pissed at me when I asked them to repeat something. Sometimes I think it's partially caused my being abroad. Much of the time I wouldn't really understand what people were saying, so I would space out. Now, even though I'm back in an English speaking environment I do the same thing. I'll space out until, I hear something that is important and then I have to ask them to repeat.


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## oxoindigoxo (Dec 5, 2012)

Inst8 said:


> wow, I have similar problem.. It's the cause of my social anixety disorder. I don't think quickly, and my memory is poor.. I forget easily what I'm saying, even if I'm just a bit nervous. When this happens, I usually panick and start talking incoherent.. I can't even say "Sorry I forget what I'm saying" or something like that.. It's like my brain stops working.. I didn't have this problem when I was younger, I was completely normal like the rest but then for some reason I started breathing irregular.. and my brain didn't recieve enough oxygen.. I think it caused my brain damage..


This is totally me. It's been very hard making friends and excelling in school. Also in my relationship. I feel like my bf doesn't take me seriously,because I'm not very smart and it's just hard to learn, listen, and actually stay focused. People think im weird, but in all honesty i just cant stay focused and i hardly remember information!! I try to laugh it off, but it really sucks! I want to get help, but I'm broke, and don't want to get addicted to some pill. I just want to be normal :/


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## russianruby (Jan 29, 2013)

I'm probably the fastest yet most successful test takers known to mankind. I start out by walking into class wearing my rabbits foot while chanting the ancient spells of fortune. I then do 33 pushups while the spells of fortune rain down upon my blood pumping brainflesh. I then continue to sit sown and sharpen my pencil with my teeth because the pencil sharpener brings misfortune (remember that). While the teachr hands out exams I remember to start perspiring fountains of gleaming sweat and draining my dripping shirt into jars to be preserved for future rituals. Once I receive the exam I answer all questions without reading them; all based upon pure faith and intuition received from the gods.


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## nrelax11 (Jun 9, 2013)

russianruby said:


> I'm probably the fastest yet most successful test takers known to mankind. I start out by walking into class wearing my rabbits foot while chanting the ancient spells of fortune. I then do 33 pushups while the spells of fortune rain down upon my blood pumping brainflesh. I then continue to sit sown and sharpen my pencil with my teeth because the pencil sharpener brings misfortune (remember that). While the teachr hands out exams I remember to start perspiring fountains of gleaming sweat and draining my dripping shirt into jars to be preserved for future rituals. Once I receive the exam I answer all questions without reading them; all based upon pure faith and intuition received from the gods.


Awesome, im not the only one that does this O.O


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## Below Average (Jun 11, 2013)

I definitely have the same problem. It makes me feel awful to have to keep on asking others to repeat themselves. My memory isn't the best either so I often find myself walking away from a conversation not knowing what the other person just said. It's especially frustrating at work when I'm asked to do something and after I've already said "yes/ok" I'm too embarrassed to go back and ask again. Also, thank God my coworkers wear name tags or I'd be screwed trying to remember everyone's names.


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## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

Ummmmm..


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## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

Sometimes. I guess. 
I have never figured out how people can have spur of the moment conversations..
It takes me way too long to even figure what to say..


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## Esugi78 (Jun 9, 2013)

jbentzen55 said:


> for example i would always be the last kid in school to turn in the test b/c it would take me a long time to read and understand the questions. i'm also slow at reading writing pretty much anything that involves informing or instructing me. as you can imagine this effects many aspects of my life and has the same effect in social situations. like not always quite following what a group of people are saying and being slow in responding and as a result not being able to say what i really want to. i'm also very slow at typing and getting my thoughts out in a way that makes sense (this post alone is taking me like 30 minutes to get out). its so frustrating having this, its like everybody is a cut above you.
> 
> so i'm just wondering if there is anybody else that can relate to me


I read very slow but it's because I try to understand completely what I'm reading, and whatever I read is usually stays with me for a long time. I respond slow too because I need to think about exactly what I want to say, but it's usually well thought out. Your mind probably just have an uncommon way of processing things, it's not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that you need to believe in your own way of thinking and find a way to make it process faster rather than trying to stick to conventional way of thinking


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## danvssa (Dec 1, 2013)

oh man, this is so me... everything you said, it describes me... but i'm thinking if it has something to do with ADD (attention deficit disorder)? base on my "own" research i have most of the symptoms for ADD. (but not am not yet consulting an expert).


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## Boring Loser (Oct 21, 2011)

Yes. When someone talks to me, sometimes it takes longer than it should for something to "click" with me. I won't see the point of what they are saying until later on.


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## Quatermass (Oct 6, 2013)

Kuhle said:


> I do have a hard time putting things in a way that makes sense, though. I have all of the thoughts in my head, but trying to make them make sense to others is difficult for me, so I usually take far longer than I should when posting things. It doesn't help that I have a habit of looking up everything that I'm even slightly unsure of because I'm afraid of looking stupid.


This is so true for me as well. I can't even remember how many times I started writing something, only to delete it because I can't express exactly what I meant. This used to be a problem in school as well.


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## Grog (Sep 13, 2013)

Yes it takes a while to process and even longer to remember and learn anything


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## Hermiter (Dec 15, 2013)

Yup


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## Lacking Serotonin (Nov 18, 2012)

I can relate, but I've gotten better. I think the faster info processing may come from more confidence idk.


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