No Stupid Questions

I'm doing it reading these comments right now

I've reread so many pages and chapters because of this, sometimes even restarted books entirely

It's normal if you have dylsexia/ADHD <3

I used to read a lot more, and I do remember this happening, but it happens a lot for me now with podcasts. I'm a big podcast junkie and I will often find myself going down a rabbit hole of thought and realizing I have no idea what they're talking about anymore.

who are you and how do you know me

We need a new r/adhdmemes over here

This happens to me a lot. I have ADHD.

I'm pretty sure I have undiagnosed inattentive type ADHD so this is the story of my life. One word could send my brain on a journey of other related things even while I'm still reading the words. I have to reread so much.

It's not even just books for me. I can watch a movie a second time it's like watching a whole new movie. Like I completely missed half the plot and most of the details. I can also watch 100 episodes of a TV show and realize that I don't know the main character's best friend's name (the best friends who had 30 focus episodes and appeared in 86 of the 100 episodes).

I'm sure it's normal for everyone to do occasionally, but if it's debilitating/all the time it's probably something like ADHD. I cannot even read a book but I can listen to an audio book. I might have to rewind it a lot but it's better than actually reading.

ADHD aside, you need to ask yourself if you like it, if you're really interested in the content shown, if maybe your mind is distracted in something, or you're worried/uncomfortable in the environment you are in and the likes. Have you read How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler? the author explains that we learn to read just on a surface level, leading sometimes to problems like you express. He then teaches how to approach a book in a way that you squeeze the most information and knowledge from it, even if its just a fiction book; and in the process, remember everything that you read even after finishing it. What works for me is: give a conscious effort to concentrate in what you're reading, but don't stay in the same page, don't even read a sentence two times. See if you concentrate better with music; I have ADHD and when I read books I need to listen to three diferent playlists to concentrate. Finally, following the first thing I mentioned, giving a conscious effort is exhausting to the brain so when you realize you can't concentrate anymore just leave it and start again the next day where you left it, you will notice that your brain will stand more and more all the work out you're giving it.

I do this pretty often, though usually it's a sentence or line here and there. of course sometimes books are just written that way and the meaning comes later.

It's a bit of an ADHD thing and you get better at reading with purpose as you go. I used to barely take anything in and I can see books in my list that I've read but remember almost nothing about, try to read with conviction, take it in, imagine it as it happens, your comprehension will improve as you go.

Usually happens because I start thinking about something else without quite realizing it. I do the same thing with podcasts sometimes, too.

All the time dude, ADHD sucks lol

It happens. I usually take that to mean that either I'm distracted by other things, or I'm stressed, or very tired. Sometimes it just means it's time to go to bed.

I do mostly audio books partly because of this. My reading is mostly monotone, I read so slow, and Ill have to start over sometimes because of what you explained above.

Audio books have amazing voice actors if you get a good one, they can also have sound effects, and they're much easier for me to absorb.

I don't know how normal it is, but I have ADHD and I have it all the time. My mind will just wander about until I'm at the end of the page and then I'll realize that I have not read anything.

This happens to me too pretty randomly. 99% of the time I read for pleasure and actually pay attention, but sometimes when I'm reading a book I'm not interested in or something else is on my mind I read the words but can't absorb them. Could read a whole book like that and not be able to tell you what it was about.

It's called being neurodivergent xD

I've absolutely read a book, thought it was a bit predictable, got to the end and realised I've read it before 🤦

Oh ya. I'll read 3 pages and be like "wait what did I just read?" Then go back and re read.

This is a common issue with people who have ADHD. Source - Diagnosed at age 7.

Not just with reading, personally I have this problem with hearing, more so than with reading. If I'm not actively concentrating, stuff really just goes in one ear and out the other, bypassing the brain competely. This is why I can't multitask while listening to podcasts or audiobooks, because it just becomes white noise.

Used to be the case for me, I used to love reading books when I was younger but the stories never stuck with me because I was too used to reading quick. Nowadays I read much slower but I appreciate them so much more!

This happens to me all the time, often I'll zone out until the end of a paragraph before I realized what's happened. Nice to know it's fairly common, I've always chalked it up to aphantasia or adhd

We are human. Humans just zone out sometimes. We just need to keep going until we understand

No ADHD here (well none that's been diagnosed at least) and I'll often have to go back and re-read a few paragraphs or pages because I didn't actually absorb what was going on.

Happens to me too. First post on Lemmy! When I was younger I’d read whole books in a couple sittings. Stephen King, Michael Chrichton, LotR - I read a lot. Now with tech job and kids, I don’t find as much time as I used to, and my attention span isn’t what it used to be after years of Reddit and interrupt-driven IT work. Reading one book, a chapter a night, out loud to the kids is about all I manage most days.

I have ADHD (extra-spicy type) and this is a super normal symptom for me. Also happens with movies and tv.

YUP.

Though I’ve learned a couple of things that help me over the years:

1. I put my finger on the page and allow my finger to set the pace of my reading rather than just using my eyes. This helps my eyes stay focused on the words and not get distracted.
2. I purposely don’t re-read if I get lost. I’ve found reading to be more of a chore as I’ve gotten out of school, but books are too great to just not read. So instead, I read on my terms; which means “no wasting time on re-reading”. I find I that I pick up the plot points later via context… except in Red Rising…. Pierce Brown loves to throw crap into the narrative that wasn’t telegraphed earlier in the text and it’s really jarring.

This used to happen to me a lot before I started using an e-reader. I found that if I put the font on the 'open dyslexia' font and bump up the print size significantly, this rarely happens anymore. It's strange since my eyesight is 20/20 so I don't have a problem seeing the words, I think it might be that seeing all of the other text on the page ads eyestrain and distraction.

Try it out! It might help.

All the time. I end up taking a while to read through a book even though my reading speed is pretty good because I'll read through 3 pages and realize I wasn't comprehending anything lol

I've found taking notes in the margins or highlighting interesting parts helps for me. I do the same thing w ebooks as well!

This is why I have a hard time getting into or even reading books in general. I just... stop processing.

I reread a page for the 7th time and wonder what the hell I just read because I can't remember any of it

Worst part is when you keep trying and get into a loop and can't understand the words

It happens a lot if I am distracted by anything or can't get into the material I'm reading. I've had to reread a lot of chapters.

My wife has dyslexia and she can read the same book five times and every time it's different. Kind of awesome, to be honest

Sounds like adhd kicked in and you were off in your head. Ever trying listening to white noises while reading?

Yeah, it happens to me every time I read a book. Hell, for any media for that matter. It's quite annoying, I wonder if there's a way to fix my retention

That happens to me, but I usually interpret that as a signal that I should do something else, like listen to music. I also have the problem where I forget the book after I read it. It helps to write some quick notes after reading.

This happens to me when I read when I'm tired.

On the other hand, when I'm excited by what's going on in the book my brain wants to skip ahead.