My earliest memories of getting lost date back to kindergarten. I lived across the street and around the corner from the school, a 2-3 minute walk at the most. However, I was unable to find my way home on my own. And as I increased with age, my ability to navigate, did not.
My philosophy on why it was so hard for me to find my way around is this: if I had to find my way independently for the first time, and I had directions, I was more likely to be successful. Not gauranteed, but more likely. However, if I did not idependently find my way, if I was following someone or just riding in the car, my "brain did not learn the way." The next time I had to make that trip, I would remember very little about how to do it, even if I had made that trip several times.
The good news? Things got better for me. Much better. Though navigation is still not a strength of mine I have found ways to adapt so it does not limit my life. First, whenever I am going somewhere new I try to leave in plenty of time to get there. Stress/anxiety tends to disrupt my ability and think logically about how to get from here to there. Next, I get directions- from online, from friends, etc. Finally, I tell people, in good taste, that I have a poor sense of direction. For example, my group of friends that I go out with know that I have a harder time finding my way around. Letting them know that has been helpful because it takes the pressure off me to help navigate and if I give bad directions or something goes wrong we can laugh about it, etc instead of me feeling embarrassed.
A challenge does not necessarily mean it is a limitation. Remember that.
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