Memory oddities

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My memory for words is stronger than my memory for numbers. Also, during a football game, I can remember the names of the players printed on the jerseys vs the names of the players and their numbers printed on the jerseys.

Integrating words and numbers together for me does not come naturally.

Neither does aspects of chemistry when numbers are mixed with letters from the Periodic Chart.

I have always described my memory like swiss cheese. Really solid in some areas, but with some really big holes. I think it's because of my ability to totally zone out and go into a sort of disassociation when I get stressed out. My anxiety will allow me to pay hyper-vigilant detail to everything to a point, but when I go into sensory overload, it just shuts off. I think that's pretty normal for us.. but I haven't read anything specific on that.

I also have the tendency to be really removed emotionally from my personal memories... especially the more painful ones. I've always had a hard time "looking" like I feel what I feel when I recall them, so people think I'm not really affected by them, but I am... it usually just gets expressed on a really big delay (up to a day or so) and comes out on something/someone else really inappropriately. It irritates me, but now that I know that's part of this, I'm easing up on myself about it.

I remember every single detail, of my past and every emotion that I felt, dating back to when I was 2, back in 1976. I have emotional flashbacks, if I see a small child, getting in trouble, for having an accident, in their pants. I get emotional flashbacks, every time I walk past an Elementary School. I get emotional flashbacks, when I hear certain, unexpected Beatles songs, on the radio. I also get them, when I hear children getting verbally abused in Wal-Mart, for having meltdowns, that are even worse, when I see the parents spanking those very kids. The thing that helps to get rid of them, are my favourite songs, and a cup of tea.