I also have great difficulty remembering names of people and things. I always try to have a pen with me and will right things like the name of someone or the call sign of the plane I’m launching on my hand so I can remember them. One nice thing about being the military is everyone wears a nametag.
I've always said people should wear nametags around me.
"Labels" are covered on that linked site too. Names just don't make sense, there's no logic or flow as to why things are called what they are called. None of my senses tells me this girl should be called Jennifer. The best I can do is try to associate new people with other people I know by the same name.
I’ve found I can suppress reacting to other things but it sometimes leads to a 1000 meter stare where I’m looking right through the person I’m trying to pay attention to. It also causes me to find lyrics in songs distracting which is why I prefer instrumental pieces and songs in languages other than English. That way the vocals just become another instrument and don’t dominate the music.
Yep, yep, yep. I sometimes phase out when I'm doing the 1000 m stare. It like I heard what the person said, but I totally forgot to react or acknowledge, it isn't until later that it registers.
Stimulants also have a positive effect on me generally helping me focus. I also found certain anti histamines helped me weed out distractions but also had the side effect of causing my brain to feel “clouded.”
I've also had some anti-histamines which cause some sounds (like the beep of the intercom at work) to make me feel like I just jumped out of my skin. I just try not to take the stuff unless I'm really suffering.
I also found that an adrenaline rush helps bring focus to the world which made me an adrenaline junky. On the positive side of this I’ve learned to give myself an adrenaline rush just by thinking about things. It’s allowed me to take control of complex situations on many occasions leaving people amazed that I could “keep my cool” and make decisions completely chaotic situations. Like the “time dilatation” people often experience during a car accident only I can make it happen when I want. It’s like stepping out of time and looking in at what’s going on from a bird’s eye view.
I don't know if I've ever really had an adrenaline rush. Maybe I have, and just don't know it. I love roller coasters, and rides like that.
I know exactly what you mean about the time dilation. I impress people that way too. I've analyzed my thought process after an event like that. It isn't so much that it feels like time slows, but that all input is weighed and sorted, and the best outcome is selected in a blink of the eye. Most of my day is spent quickly sorting through meaningless stimuli, it has to be done quickly or else I'd get bogged down. Just because the situation changes and all of a sudden stimuli is of the utmost importance doesn't change the speed at which I deal with it. I think most people when faced with a situation with a large number of attention demanding items just can't sort out what to deal with first. That's every day life for me.
However, the downside of the adrenaline thing is that driving, especially in heavy traffic, is a huge chore for me. Use to take me hours to unwind after driving home from day shift. Boy do I love being on 2nd shift now.
While I do enjoy driving, and can do amazing things with a car. It take so much out of me, I'm completely drained by the time I reach my destination. No matter the speed everything feels like a 200 Mph race. I'm lucky enough to be able to walk to work, and most places I need to go in town. I only drive at most once a week, sometimes I even skip one, and catch a ride.
