Reading the room

[Lovinit]

I’ve listened to adhd podcasts about reading between the lines or reading the room. I noticed for me with people who don’t know me very well when I say things they think I’m joking or being sarcastic when I’m not. Anybody else have this problem

[HadEnuf]

More often, they think I'm being literal when I'm pulling their leg so hard it should come off and fly across the room.

[Daen]

Yes; I think at the severe end it becomes a separate thing called Semantic Pragmatic Disorder. Being literal in the understanding and use of language is also very common in people on the autistic spectrum.

[happy_kitty]

I don't have that specific problem but I do struggle with reading the room and such. I have problems with oversharing/giving personal information to near-strangers, and I'm not good at taking a hint.

[Lovinit in reply to happy_kitty]

I do the same thing too

[RemarkablyCraz in reply to happy_kitty]

Yes, I also tend to disclose everything to anybody. I just openly overshare.

[RemarkablyCraz]

I once had a co-worker say to me that she didn't think that sometimes when I talk, I must not know how I come across. That totally caught me off guard. Nobody has ever said that to me before and now I'm very self-concious about it and wonder how many others have thought the same thing.

[Lovinit in reply to RemarkablyCraz]

What did she mean by that? Did she give you an example? My friend Jordan knows me very well and he knows I never would say or do things to hurt someone’s feelings but apparently he told me basically that I will say something to someone that other people would be thinking but not say to there face. Does that make sense. He’s saying I say things to people that isn’t nice and can hurt there feelings. I say was I see and feel from the heart. I guess I’m so used to an analyzing and critiquing myself all the time I honestly felt when I tell people something that they may feel hurt about I thought they would appreciate knowing and so the can change or improve on it.

[RemarkablyCraz in reply to Lovinit]

I really have no idea. I know that sometimes I do have a tendency, as you said, to immediately say what I feel and I can be cynical sometimes. I, too, am constantly criticizing myself and often take things very personally. It could be that she just misunderstood whatever it was that I said. However, since then, I've been self-conscious about things that I say.