I find it so fascinating how folks process information differently.
Timelapse of podcast editing
As a podcast editor, I am in a world where most people are great at processing audio information. With ADHD, this hasn’t always been easy for me. In fact, I get overwhelmed with phone calls and when people list off what they need from me because my brain gets easily overwhelmed at that. Especially if that’s the only thing that I am made to focus on.
Isn’t that funny? I’ve been listening to podcasts for close to 10 years now and I didn’t understand in the beginning why I was able to listen to podcasts and retain information and then repeat it to other people! But, it turns out, it was because I was usually driving while listening. I needed the double stimulation (driving AND getting information) in order to focus and concentrate.
I realized this is one of the reasons I enjoy editing podcasts so much! I’m getting the information and enjoying a podcast, but at my own pace (I speed up podcasts when I’m listening and when editing) and I also get to take out the things that would distract me the most— random noises, awkward pauses, and a lot of the extraneous words used when people are speaking and trying to think of what they actually want to say.
After editing for 4 years, I finally noticed that when I’m speaking to people in real life, I automatically want to speed them up. I finish sentences sometimes for my husband and kids and people I feel generally comfortable with. It’s definitely not my way of interrupting, but as soon as I realize what people are trying to say, my brain goes into Thesaurus mode for them in order for them to finish their thought and move on to the next — because once a conversation becomes predictable, I’m easily bored.
By the way, this is something I generally try to work on. Usually, I think it’s helpful to give people the words they may be looking for. I was a journalism degree and have basically worked in Communications fields my whole life, so I don’t mean to brag, but I know a lot of words 😂 Is that a weird flex to say?
But, really, I just want to get to the information fast so I can have fun processing it in my beautiful ADHD brain. Because, as much as sometimes it can torment us, sometimes our brains way of processing and over-thinking and noodling things can be a fun way to spend an afternoon, whether it’s writing, talking about it, or even just letting information sit with us while we process the emotions first before we start searching for a solution to the physical problem.
Over the years, as one of the ways I found to cope with the traits associated with ADHD, before I was even diagnosed, was to make lists for myself. I have always been a writer and I feel most comfortable expressing myself in writing. Handwriting has always been especially good for me, since the extra physical act of handwriting what I want to do seems to cement it into my brain better.
This is why I can’t read books without taking notes in the margins (sorry to anyone I’ve lent books to that has to sift through them). I find my brain does well processing information and laying out information in a tactile way.
Some people can do awesomely beautiful mind maps and I once spent an entire session at a conference just looking at a mindmap someone next to me was drawing in a sketchbook of the presentation. There were gorgeous boxes for quotes, arrows leading from one idea to the next, cutesy drop shadows and fun fonts. If you’re one of these people, oh my goodness, please always sit next to me so I can admire your work. Try not to judge my own notebook filled with hastily written chicken scratch, boxes that are askew, and arrows seemingly pointing to themselves sometimes.
For the most part, my brain loves processing information in outline form. It bores me sometimes because I’d love it to be more pleasing to the eye, but honestly, my hand is usually scribbling so fast that aesthetics fly out the window in pursuit of just getting an entire thought out. And then adding little details to that thought.
One of my favorite feelings is the Hyperfocus in front of a Google Doc outline that I am getting idea after idea and my thoughts are organized in a way that might actually make sense to someone who doesn’t live in my head.
My husband just started therapy a few weeks ago and I feel like he has someone to verbally process what’s going on in his life. It’s funny, he’s a wonderful writer, but he sometimes does better talking through his thoughts. His therapist even told him it’s because the brain makes different connections when speaking, as opposed to writing.
I really do believe that for many, podcasting has been a form of therapy. I know it helped me to have a weekly check-in when I was doing Hate to Weight and talking about my Weightloss/Intermittent Fasting journey. The accountability, alone, was a big thing. But also talking through a lot of the reasons behind the self-sabotaging behaviors. I was lucky to have an ADHD co-host so we basically picked each other’s brains on a weekly basis.
I want to know how others process information. It’s fascinating to me how other people’s brains work and I’m finding I get less joy out of being the “weird one” in the group and more excitement when people open up to me about the workings of their brains. I don’t know if commenting on blogs is cool anymore, but if you’re so inclined, let me know how you like processing information in the comments or over on Instagram
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