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??

Yes I have it too, I have a freckle on my right index finger so I look for that, or do the L shape with my finger and thumb. It appears to be a common issue

I have this too. What works for me is to think of the word laser.
the L is on the left and the R is on the right.

I had to wear Rings on my Right hand when I was learning to drive so when tbe instructor said take the next trifht I could just glance at my hands!
Absolutely ridiculous! 🤣

Writing is not much help for me. I would normally write with my right, but if my right hand is busy (eg using a mouse) and I pick up a pen in my left, then I'll use that hand. (or sometimes I'll swap the mouse to the left and write with my right)

So both hands feel right to hold a pen. If you asked me which hand to write with, I would find that hard to answer.

Me too, and actually the whole concept pisses me off.

Regular conversation in our house…

’The left side.’
’My left or your left?’
’The fuck do I know what counts as your left and my left?! THAT FUCKING SIDE!’
’Er, that’s the right side…’
’SAYS WHO?! I thought it depends who’s fucking looking at it!’

It’s all far too arbitrary for my liking. Keeps changing. Makes me very grumpy.

Me too!
And despite having a pretty numbers focused job, I still don't "know" my times tables... I can recite them no problem, but an on the fly "whats 7 x 5?" would cause me to panic!

@FeralWitch or when I'm looking at a picture of a group of people and it says "From L to R..."
I'm thinking is that their left IN the picture or mine looking AT the picture?!

The whole concept of cardinal directions confuses me. Apparently there are people who can follow instructions like head south from the Church or North on the M1.... I am not a compass, so I can not!

Me too, I have great difficulty with left and right. Apparently as a small child I was ambidextrous until I went to school, so I think its just not a thing my brain recognises.

I'm dreadful, especially in pressure situations like when my partner is driving and I'm directing him 🤣 he finds it so frustrating that I get it wrong all the time but it sends me into a blind panic

Are you left-handed?
I am and have similar problems telling left from right. I always thought it was the result of being a left-hander trying to get by in a right handed world.
For example my instinct is always to turn to the left, but in my head I think it's the right, because that must be how everyone 'normal' , i.e. right-handers, sees it.
So for me, left is right...

I wrote L and R on my thumbs for my driving test. In a previous test I went the wrong way up a one way because that wasn't the Left he meant, he was meaning the real Left rather than the Right Left I have in my head. I used to totally panic when I heard the directions being issued and just drive like a crazy person. A discreet wee letter and some beta blockers sorted me out.

My dh can't understand how I don't have an instinctive understanding of direction.

I was reading and writing very early and never had difficulty with that but I struggled with learning left/right and telling time.

It's the words that don't come easily, not the concept of left and right. I drive in both the UK and US without difficulty (I have to do both quite a lot and can drive myself to Heathrow, fly to the US and and get straight behind the wheel without confusion iyswim) but if I'm navigating and dh is driving I indicate with my hand rather than rely on saying left or right. If I'm driving I also have to repeat google maps directions to myself to ensure I don't forget or get confused.

I'm left-handed and if I have to, say, carry two cups of tea that look the same, I hold mine in my left hand.

At the optician I'm one of those people who hesitates.

I’m right handed

My DH has this. I think it's connected to ADHD. He's a great driver though and has no problems with spatial awareness (unlike me, but I don't have any problem with L/R 🤷‍♀️)

Oh my goodness, NSEW makes no sense to me though. Makes me feel dizzy to think of it.

Has this been posted already…

Hold both hands out and point with each index finger. Now stick your thumbs out at a right angle.

Your left hand is in the shape of an “L” 😇

I do this all the time!

Like this

My left thumb has a different texture so I check that when I need to be sure.
If someone says inside/outside lane for driving instructions I totally can't process it at all.

I have this too. I’m not too bad with my own left and right although it does take a bit of thinking but i get completely confused if I have to think about someone else’s left and right or if someone says to look at the right of a photo or similar.

I blame the Hokey Cokey-it always confused me when the people opposite didn’t mirror my left and right hands!

Are you married?

Of so, your wedding ring is probably on your left hand (some cultures and countries do wear on the right hand but left is most common). That’s how I remember it.

This is your left hand
You can tell because your thumb and finger make an L

I am dyslexic and have the L/R issue.

My driving instructor believed more females had the issue than males. But I wonder if that is more to do with then playing football and following instructions like 'dribble with left foot'

Following Satnav is fine go by the arrows.

Giving directions in the car we get on much better with my side / your side odd but it works for us.

When you make a right angle with your thumb and index finger of your left hand, it makes an L shape. Useful tip for kinaesthetic learners (learn best through movement)

Cross post @KnickerlessParsons ! Like your name btw!