Left and Right confusion all my life!!

[Strawberrycream1]

I’m in my forties, held responsible jobs including managerial roles, I’m pretty level headed sensible and organised, but for the whole of my life I have never been able to remember my left from my right!!!
I have tried all sorts of ways to remember, I know about the L shape with your hand etc but I want to be able to just say to someone ‘oh yes you go first right etc’ when asked for directions, or be able to follow directions.

Why oh why can’t I remember, I can remember other things? Is anyone else the same, I have a total block on it and can’t figure out why??

Practice.

I had difficulty telling my left from right in my mid-20s. I took up some sports as hobbies and quickly learnt as I was training with others.

28% of the population apparently.

I worked as an optician for years.
I would say at least 50% of people I saw would hesitate before looking left or right as requested. And Half of those would comment they really weren’t sure.
In my (anecdotal) opinion, it’s very very common.
By contrast, mine are perfectly reversed having used the right and left of the person facing me for decades before retiring!

Im the same OP but I am marginally better than my OH who cannot for the life of him put the right indicator on when I say either left or right, wrong every time

I think he is dyspraxic but I havent got any other symptoms

I also dont know my alphabet unless Im working through it out loud, so I couldnt tell you what letter comes before another one, unless its the first few (abc etc)

I also dont have a very firm left/right dominance in terms of my hands even though Im not ambidextrous and was told thats linked to people not being able to know their left and right. Dont know how true that is

Hold up both hands, forefinger outstretched and thumb at right angles, one makes an L, that's your left hand!

Me too! but with east and west. I've just accepted that it will never come instinctively and have to really think about it. Am 60.

I can do left and right.
I cannot follow any sort of exercise or dance class unless the instructor is facing the same way as me ie has their back to the class!

I also have this problem. If I have to say left or right under pressure without thinking, I get it wrong more often than I get it right.

I am left-eye dominant but right-handed. I once read that this can cause problems with right and left. I am not dyslexic or dyspraxic. www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-to-know-about-eye-dominance

Me too. Luckily, I went to Catholic school so I know my right hand is the one I bless myself with. I'm very nervous about using satnav because of it. If I'm going somewhere new I look at a map to figure it out in my head before I go. Obviously I turn the map upside down if necessary.

Oh I have this. Left and right. Hot and cold tap. And don't get me started on the cooker hob controls

Plus north south east west. When people say it's a south facing garden I'm like how do they know this. And I'm a well educated professional. I also have never been able to grasp tuning radios and I struggle with padlocks. But I'm really good with mental arithmetic. Go figure.

I do this.

Never met anyone else who does.

Same.

Especially when being DHs copilot: next left. Left! You missed the turn!!! Oh, it was a right.......

Me too. Even struggle when asked if you sleep on the left or right of the bed. Is that as you look at it? As you are when lay down in it? Left of partner or right of partner?
Also, after the first right or left instruction the rest just jumbles in my brain. Even the voice on the sat navigation confuses me after the very next left/right. Much better with past the pub, over the bridge, next to the school, by the church etc. I can easily visualise that.

Thanks everyone, I don’t feel so much of a weird or strange person anymore.

Same here - know it if I think for a minute but if someone said Turn Right and I had to do it straight away, I could go either way! I was told mild dyslexia too - I also transpose numbers in my head sometimes.

You're not alone! I'm in my late 20's and still have to do the letter L thing with my hand!

I'm the same....previous optical job and was fine until then. I actually couldn't understand people who struggled with their left and right. And then my brain had to work the other way round at work and that was it for me. I still struggle now, years later! I use the L shaped hand method!

I have to pick up an imaginary pen and think right when I am working out L and R sides. I thought that everyone did this but now realise they don't.

The more symmetrical the two lobes of your brain the harder it is to just 'know' left from right instantly and accurately.

On the plus side I can do joined up mirror writing which makes a good party trick.

Me too. I'm dyslexic. Very mildly but it's the bit that causes me the most hassle. Without spellcheck I'd never have survived.

I've had pretty high flying jobs but I can't give anyone directions or navigate for someone. It's a huge blank spot. No techniques work. I'm very clever in an academic sense but you'd never know if you watched me trying to explain to someone how to get to my house

Makes trying to do dressage tests hilarious. Even with someone yelling instructions I just can't compute.

I have my watch on the left hand and bracelet on the right. I use that to remember and after many years of doing it my brain only takes seconds to figure it out. It's still not instant or automatic though.

I do this too!

I always have to really think about which hand I write with. If i'm navigating while my husband is driving I do sometimes make mistakes with it. I don't know why I can't just 'know' it.

Neither my mum nor I can do it. Which is great because we navigate with hand signals. Doesn't interrupt the constant nattering.

Anyone else I have to say, "just signal, if you use words I will go wrong".

ADHD here if it's relevant.

I have this too! It's like dyslexia but for left/right 🤪