How do you get a sense of direction?

<font color="purple"> I have a terrible sense of direction, always did. Oh sure, I know were North, South, East, and West are on a compass or a map or something- but apply it to real life and I'm lost.

I also have the bad habbit of just blanking out and not remembering were to go to get around familiar places too.

It's really a pain in the butt, and my friends poke fun at me for "not knowing were I live" and stuff like that. I just can't really see getting around when I'm an adult and can't find were I parked my car or were my house is (in rare cases) or something like that.

I need help but I don't know if you can fix this sort of thing. </font>

I have the same problem! I'm the type of person who you never wanna ask directions from!

I don't know how to help....but just wanted you to know you weren't alone.

I have a couple of suggestions, don't know if they will help your situations or not.

I find that when I write things down, I tend to remember them better. How about having a notebook with an address and writing down the directions to wherever it is you need to go? You can have some directions coming in from different ways (north or south etc). That way when you get a little turned around you have something to look at right at hand.

The other thing that helps me remember now because I seem to have issues with remembering street names it to watch for landmarks that will remind me of where I am and where to go next. Maybe a different colored house, or a library, or the filling station with the flying horse LOL...anything that stands out as different in the vicinity that can help you remember where you are.

Short of that...how about a gps system???

It sure can be unnerving to feel lost in a place where you feel you should know where you are. I hope you can find some way of helping yourself!


sabby

You need to live in a place with mountains. I never had any sense of direction until living where I could see which way was what by remembering, "The big mountains are to the east and little mountains to the west." Of course that may change when you go someplace else, but it does seem like the big mountains usually are east of the city.

You also have to start attending to your surroundings. I'm bad at that. I don't notice things, and that is probably why I have always had sense of direction deficits. Learning to pay attention to landmarks comes easier to some people than others, but is a skill that can be developed with effort. If there is any particular local area that you need to get to know, then get out and go for walks, ride a bicycle, and just wander around a bit. You get to know it better than when driving or riding in a car.

plan your route ahead of time - use a map

pay attention to the location of the sun in different times of a day if its a fine day. And if you try it out several times , bingo , a big progress you make.

I think a sense of direction is something that your born with, I do not have this skill. Maps are a necessity for me.

don't feel bad honey, i have literally gotten lost in parking lots, been turned into lost and found while mall security tried to locate my husband, and since moving while agoraphobic i would not be able to find my way home if i was suddenly out somewhere alone.

lost

I don't have a sense of direction either. Part of it might be from dissociation but I think just in general, I don't have it inside me. I can read a road map with no problem but even in my own neighborhood, when I come out on the main drag, I often turn the wrong way to get to the place I want to go to. My kids think it's hilarious, albeit frustrating at times. They seem to have gotten their dad's sense of direction thankfully.

My Daddy used to tell me the sun rises in the East, but heck if I don't see the sun rising....

I used a compass, usually a sure thing!

Good luck Kaika