Daily Struggles Only Left Handed People Will Understand

Scissors- arts and crafts can become difficult

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Left handed people often face unique challenges, in a world designed primarily for right handed people. One of the main struggles left handed people face, is using scissors. The majority of scissors are designed for right handed people, making them uncomfortable to use.

Notebooks- adding more stress to schoolwork

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Spiral-bound notebooks can be difficult to write in, without bumping into the spiral. Unfortunately, this is another common struggle for left handed people, and follows them into their adult life. A lot of these struggles begin during their time in early education.

Writing- being left with constant smudge marks

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Smudging ink or pencil lead while writing, especially with your hand moving across the page, is one of the most frustrating struggles of all. Again, this is a struggle that follows left handed people into their adulthood, especially if they have an office-based career.

Computers- desktops are disastrous

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The majority of computer mice and trackpads, are designed for right handed users. This means that left handed people have to face struggles with technology, as well as the traditional methods of communication e.g. writing. This particular struggle is common with the use of desktop computers.

Musical instruments- you'll end up hitting the wrong note

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As well as working, certain hobbies can be difficult for left handed people, such as playing (certain) musical instruments. For example, guitars are one of the most popular musical instruments to play, but they are typically designed with right handed users in mind.

Kitchens- the same level of stress as a professional kitchen

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The layout of many kitchens are optimized for right handed cooks. For the majority of over hobs, the controls for the temperature are on the right, sinks will typically have draining boards on the right and cupboard handles are placed for the convenience of right handed people.

Can openers- probably best to just opt for an electric one

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Can openers, especially manual ones, are often designed for right handed people. Left handed people commonly struggle to use can openers, making them potentially unsafe. Operating a traditional can opener can be awkward, annoying and unnecessarily dangerous.

Desks- no chance for rest

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Right handed desks within the classroom and/or workplace, can be uncomfortable and awkward. This is due to the general design of these desks, which allow for the right arm to rest, which isn't much use to left handed people. These desks also provide right handed people with additional support.

Seating- constantly bumping elbows

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Elbow bumping with right handed people when eating, reading or writing is a lot more common than people realize. This will typically occur around a crowded table, especially during a left handed person's education e.g. pre-school, kindergarten, grade school etc.

Pens- the biggest struggle of all

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As mentioned previously, writing is one of the most common struggles for left handed people. For example, writing with certain styles of pen, can lead to smudges and ink-stained hands. Fountain pens are probably the worst style of pen to write with, due to the unique flow of ink.

Golf

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Another hobby that can be affected by being left handed, is golfing. Left handed golfers typically find it more difficult to find suitable clubs and equipment. The majority of golf equipment is made for right handed golfers, and left handed equipment can be extremely costly.

Power tools

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D.I.Y is yet another activity that left handed people struggle with, as the controls on power tools are usually designed for right handed people. This can make any kind of construction work overly difficult, and increases the stress surrounding certain D.I.Y.

Ring binders

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Ring binders can be cumbersome for left handed people to use, as the metal rings can get in the way of their file organisation. If they are writing on paper, within a ring binder, their hand will consistently bump into the binder rings. This can reduce the quality of the writing.

Video games

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Surprisingly, many video game controllers are not ambidextrous. Some of these controllers, include: XBOX, Playstation, Oculus and Nintendo. These controller designs make gaming a lot more restrictive for left handed people, leaving them feeling forgotten.

Keyboards

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Using a computer keyboard, with a numeric keypad on the right, can be inconvenient. This is a common struggle for left handed people that work within office-based jobs, especially accounting, business planning and architecture. This layout of keyboard can be disorientating.

Cans

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Opening cans with pull tabs can be tricky for left handed people, as the shape of pull tabs are ergonomically better for right handed people. Pull tabs can range in size, shape and difficulty (when it comes to opening them) e.g. canned food tends to have thicker pull tabs, in comparison to canned drinks.

Languages

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Learning certain languages can be a struggle for left handed people. This is common for languages that read from right-to-left, such as Arabic. This kind of struggle won't affect every left handed person, but for the people it does affect, it can reduce the quality of their writing, reading and speaking.

General skills

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Left handed people may find it more challenging to master certain 'right handed skills', such as using a computer mouse. Some left handed people try to train their right hand to be dominant, in order to master these skills, and reduce the levels go stress surrounding these tasks/activities.

Watches

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Traditional wristwatches often have their dials on the right, making it more difficult for left handed people to adjust their watch settings. There are some companies that create watches with dials on the left hand side, but they tend to be on the more expensive side.

Baseball

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Baseball is another sport-based hobby that can be difficult for left handed people, as baseball gloves for left handed players are less common. This doesn't mean that you should give up on this passion, if you're left handed. There are ways in which you can overcome this kind of struggle.

Scoring paper

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Scoring paper with a paper cutter can be pretty tricky for left handed people, as the measurement lines and blade are situated on the right hand side. The layout of paper cutters can lead to wonky edges of paper, missed sections of cutting and paper cuts/general nicks.

Printing

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Inkjet printer controls are typically on the right hand side, which can be confusing and frustrating for left handed people. Printers can be confusing to use, especially with the range of functions that modern printers provide. This is just worsened by the main controls being on the right hand side.

Whiteboards

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Writing on a whiteboard, whether it is electronic or not, can be challenging for left handed people. This is due to board's surface being designed for right handed users. With electronic whiteboards, the surface can be overly sensitive to certain touch, whereas traditional whiteboards can end up with smudged writing.

Dry-wipe markers

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Linking back to the previous point, left handed people typically struggle with using dry-wipe markers. This style of pen is primarily used on traditional whiteboards, and dry differently to standard pens. The majority of left handed people end up smudging their writing whilst using a traditional whiteboard.

Opening doors

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Opening doors with right handed handles, can be less intuitive for left handed people. It can feel awkward for left handed people to use a door with handles on the right, as their right hand is not dominant in any way. It can be a real struggle when the door is heavy as well.

Pressing buttons

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Some power buttons on devices are placed on the right hand side, which can be frustrating for left handed people. If a device is being installed, or needs some kind of repairs, it can be unnecessarily difficult to test the operation of said device (especially if you are working alone).

Getting dressed

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Yet another everyday task that left handed people (sometimes) struggle with, is getting dressed. For example, jeans often have the closing of the zipper on the left, so this blocks a left handed person from using their dominant hand to fasten their jeans.

Swiping credit cards

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Swiping credit cards can be an awkward experience for left handed people, as the terminal will have the card reader on the right. This can lead to left handed people having to use their less dominant hand, and/or swiping their card in the wrong direction.

Using measuring jugs

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Measuring jugs are a standard piece of kitchen equipment, and are used pretty frequently (whether you're baking or cooking up a storm). The majority of measuring jugs will feature two-to-three different measuring increments e.g. ounces, millilitres, grams etc. These are difficult to read for left handed people.

Taking photographs

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With the progression of modern technology, the majority of people primarily capture photographs on their cellphones. However, there are some people that prefer to use digital cameras, and/or have a career based in photography. For left handed photographers, this can be difficult, as the main operative buttons are on the right of the camera.