Whoa, I've been having this exact problem for years and it's been troubling me, especially in my new job. I keep needing to ask people to repeat themselves unless I'm facing them, focused on them, and within a short distance of them. We also use earpieces at work and I'm sometimes struggling to hear what I'm being told through them. It can cause embarrassment.

I've never been diagnosed with ADHD nor do I have any diagnosed hearing problems. I've always wondered if its just related to my shy personality or if I have poor active listening skills, but your comment made me think that I should speak to someone about it.

[–] SuiXi3D@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

So, fun fact: the human brain cannot multitask. Some are good at switching tasks quickly, their minds well adjusted for doing so. Others, like you and I, have trouble switching tasks quickly. It’s not something you can train or get better at, it’s just a quirk of how your brain developed. There’s no shame in it, either. But now that you’re aware of what the issue is, you can take steps to work around it.

Talking to a mental health professional is a good step, but be wary of getting put on any drugs. Sometimes the best thing you can do is be aware of any issues and work around them. That being said, for me, a stimulant is the perfect solution to some of my ADHD related issues, others are deeply ingrained behaviors that need to be trained out.

No drug is suddenly going to solve all your problems. They can help with aspects, but be wary of side effects. Not just physical ones, either.