Where did my memory/retention skills go?

[spooky]

Does the amount of responsibilities you let in your life affect your memory (mainly short-term) and listening skills?

I'm 23 and my life is experiencing a lot at the moment. I have one more semester of school before I graduate, and I'll be moving out of my parents house after that. I'm looking for an internship this summer (i had 3 interviews just last week), I just started dating an amazing girl, I applied to the Peace Corps, I'm involved with 2 clubs (one of which I lead), and I'm trying to get all my school work and projects done. This isn't to show off or to get sympathy, I just wanted to inform you of where I'm coming from.

My problem right now is that I can't remember anything. I can't remember what I've told people. I can't remember what they've told me. I go in and out of conversations. Short-term memory has just gone out the window. I've made some really stupid decisions these last couple weeks completely unaware of my surroundings, and embarassed myself in social situations too. I feel so lost inside my own little world that I've lost touch with who I am, because I don't understand what's going on upstairs. How do I get out of here?

What frightens me most is that this has enough potential to get me fired from an internship position. I should have control over this, but it's controlling me right now. I am aware that this condition will be a continuous struggle, but I also believe I can improve tremendously, because I have done so before in the past.


I was on medications for Attention Deficit Disorder from elementary to high school. I'm not sure if it's even ADD that I'm diagnosed with (perhaps an auditory listening problem?). At this point, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. I'm very concerned and wondering if I should get a cat scan. What do you all think?

Your thoughts and recommendations are much appreciated, thank you.

[Marger]

I wonder: are you really interested in the information, when you fail to remember stuff or listen to others? If not, that could be an explanation. I am blessed with an amazing memory, but usually I have a hard time remembering stuff I don't really find captivating. If you are genuinely interested (and do not just feel you should be) and you still have a leaky memory, some sort of overload could be the case.

Last week I was buying paint supplies with my girlfriend for our new baby room, and because I was so full of thoughts about our plans, that I couldn't really grasp and remember the practical tips we got from the store clerk (my girlfriend did remember them and they turned out to be quite simple, so no complex information). A simple case of mental energy at peak usage and nothing left for storing those tips. If you have more going on than you can handle, you might experience a lot of those overloads.

[ssandra]

Maybe you can try meditation?

It seems that you are busy all the time and running from here to there.. Maybe if you stop between activities and take 15 minutes to think about nothing and focus on your breathing, you "empty" your mind for the next thing so you can put all your focus on that next thing..?

I have limited experience with it, I use this technique (of taking time and focusing on breathing) when I am very busy. It does calm me down. It also seems to help with memory, although I don't use it for that, so that is why I am suggesting it to you.

[colonel]

spooky, how do you feel about your situation in general? How do you feel about what you're doing, the way you've organized your life, all of those projects and how the tie in together?

And I assure you that it's possible to resolve this memory problem without medication, and you don't need to think about ADD or other stuff in order to do so. And at the core, the root issue is not a memory problem either, that's for sure. Our memories work perfectly all the time if we let them do so. We just have to find out how we're preventing it from doing so

ps. And just in general, meditation and regular conscious breathing and relaxation throughout the day, as ssandra suggests, are always greatly effective actions that have great potential. So if you don't already have them in your life, try playing with them.

[SallyMays]

Having difficulty remembering things is normal, when you have SO MUCH on your mind at once. Constant concern wreaks havoc on short-term memory.

[colonel]

It may be "normal", but it's not natural. The mind is capable of remembering pretty much everything perfectly and when it doesn't do that there's always a reason for it. Sometimes it's as simple as that we're not relaxed in the moment we're trying to remember something or that we don't focus on the thing to remember properly. But sometimes there are also deeper meanings that hold important lessons for us.

If you want to see for yourself how much more your own mind is capable of, try installing some beliefs that are more aligned with way higher mind capabilities, like "I have perfect memory. I remember everything I need to remember at exactly the time I need to remember it. I store things in my memory with great focus and relaxation and I maintan both of those constantly, easily." Expand those affirmations as needed and see what you get.
If then your memory still fails you for something, then it's quite probable that there really is a deeper meaning behind it. For example we are very likely to not remember things we really don't need to do, when it's just our mind telling us that we "have to". At least if we believe in something like one's unique path of purpose and passion and choose to walk on it

[Mattyyy]

Originally Posted by spooky

Does the amount of responsibilities you let in your life affect your memory (mainly short-term) and listening skills?

I think so. I second what Sally said - when there's a lot rumbling on in your life at once, it's normal to start forgetting bits and pieces of information. It's almost as if your brain has to decide what's important vs. what's not, so it can make decisions on what info to remember.

I notice this especially when I'm dividing up my attention in between a lot of separate projects vs. just one or two. If I take on a lot, or more than my brain thinks I can handle, I start forgetting little pieces of info that I really should be retaining.

[SireneB]

A few practical thoughts:
(1) make lists, keep notes, etc. Be trendy and haul out an iPhone and tap into it it all the time. Anything to give you the tools to preserve the information you need to make it through day to day until you can get this resolved.
(2) do you take omega 3 (flaxseed, fish oil, etc)? If not - try starting it. I found that had a big impact on brain functions (clarity, memory, etc).
(3) what you are describing could be a symptom of depression - if you think that might fit you, either do some research on that or you might want to see a medical provider. Again, in the distant past, a similar memory issue combined with other issues led to a diagnosis of PTSD, and those symptoms were solved by 1-year course of anti-depressants (although since then I've become less keen on such types of meds, after the initial hump of getting used to them, about 2 weeks, they did help the memory and focus issues markedly).
(4) as another poster mentioned, meditation might help. If it seems like a lot to bite off on your own, try a class of some sort - Kundalini yoga has a big meditation component, for example. On the other hand, meditation might make you more spacy - I've seen that too!

One question - did you quit your ADD meds on medical advice? or on your own? did you taper or do it cold turkey?