In My Head, Math is a Doodle
My brain glitches over whether to say hundreds or thousands. It’s as if I can’t associate the words with the numbers. It’s embarrassing. I feel like a child.
The other day Don sat down at the table with a paper and pen, and we talked numbers.
He wrote:
100 = This is one hundred.
1000 = This is a thousand.
12,000 = This is twelve thousand. . . and so forth.
Suddenly I was a young teen at the kitchen table in Independence, Ohio with my ever-patient father, who tried to help me with my homework by explaining a math concept for me. To him, it was simple, but I didn’t get it. I wouldn’t get it. Ever. That’s what my brain told me: “You will never understand this,” and big tears started rolling down my face because my brain throws up roadblocks when it comes to math. Poor Dad looked dumbfounded.
I think Don worries I’ll flub up one day and somehow we’ll lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a fear of mine, too.
Verbal Processing and Number Confusion
Dyscalculia is a learning difference that affects a person’s ability to understand and work with numbers, most commonly associated with doing calculations, estimating quantities, or remembering math facts.
Yet I’m good at figuring out complicated yardage for sewing and calculating the layout of a multi-opening mat design in picture framing, so I know I possess real-life math skills. So, what gives?
In my case, the glitch happens mainly in speech, which suggests the issue is verbal processing or retrieval of number concepts, rather than a core math disability. My brain momentarily mixes up verbal labels for numbers, especially under pressure or distraction, which understandably happens to peeps with ADHD.
The Creative Mind’s Quirk
Apparently, lots of articulate people struggle with number-word phrasing, especially under pressure. English doesn’t make it easy with weird exceptions and shorthand (like “twelve hundred” for 1,200 but not “twelve thousand hundred” for 1.2 million). It’s inconsistent and not everyone’s brain is built for perfect recall in real time.
This quirk in how the brain processes or retrieves verbal info, especially around numbers is common in people who are otherwise very strong in language or creative thinking. Aha. Now that makes total sense.
My brain is wired for creativity, pattern-making, and big-picture thinking. Numbers, especially when they’re abstract or verbal, can feel like they’re written in a different language from the one my brain naturally speaks.
The good news?
Creative brains are also amazing at building visual and intuitive systems. Here are a few tricks I recently discovered that I’m eager to try:
Rephrase: always say numbers in full, at least while practicing. Instead of “twelve hundred,” say one thousand two hundred. Instead of “fifteen hundred,” say one thousand five hundred. This builds mental clarity and reinforces the number’s value.
Sticky Word Associations: Link the number to a mental image or concept: “Hundred” = smaller stuff (like groceries, invoices, smaller goals). Thousand” is for big stuff (like money, house prices, populations). So, when you say, “twelve thousand,” think: That’s a big number. House money. When you say, “twelve hundred,” think: Smaller, everyday budget.
Visual Anchor Trick: Think in digits first, then speak.
When you hear “twelve hundred,” picture 1,200 in your head. When you hear “twelve thousand,” picture 12,000—notice the comma shift. Mentally check where the comma is placed.
Meanwhile, if you hear me mess up my numbers, just tell me it’s okay. I swear I know math—just don’t make me say it out loud.