Hiya Mamas!
Well I've cleared almost 100% of my health problems out of the way. I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency which can cause a surprising amount of problems. I'm still hurting a lot sometimes but I know it will get better. :) So for those of you who work inside in an office like me, make sure to take vitamin D! without it you can't absorb calcium. Anyway...
I really need some tips on how to improve my memory or how to make myself remember things. I have a long and embarrassing list of things I've forgotten in my life and the older I get the more I think that I really need to get better at this. My fiance says I'm scatter brained,and that's a nice way of putting it. In college I couldn't remember a lot of things unless I wrote it on my hand - so, example "Room 2043" would be a class I had to go to. For at least a month I had to keep all my room numbers with me or I wouldn't know where to go. I have a very out of sight, out of mind mentality and not intentionally.
I forgot my insurance card when going to my specialist appointment, which I had been planning for three months! You think I would remember this? Just yesterday, we were leaving to get my pants hemmed in another town... so I leave my pants at home. Luckily we could turn around and go get them since I remembered pretty fast, but it's the simple fact that I don't remember it in the first place!
I feel like there is a memory black hole in my head. Fiance does not understand this at all but I'm so serious when I say if it isn't obviously in front of me (written on the palm of my hand!) I will not remember.
How can I improve this?? I've tried date books, I use sticky notes at work for everything, including remembering to sign back into the work network... but there still seems to be a large amount of things my brain just can't hold onto!
Sorry this was long... This has been a problem for years!
I think the ADD thing is interesting, too. I have anxiety disorder and I'm even worse when I'm not on medication. I get very distracted and confused in large groups of people, when not on my meds, so I do think either I have ADD or my anxiety disorder creates an ADD mind set. I'll probably ask the doctor about it to see if he has any thoughts but you all have great idea :) I wish I had a smart phone now ! Maybe I'll get a tablet to keep track of my stuff... keep suggestions coming!
You could try www.lumosity.com . I haven't tried it myself but I often recommend it to my patients with memory defecits. It has memory and attention games to improve brain function
I'm sorry you feel so forgetful... I really do too especially since having a baby! Not sure if you are techy or not but something that has really helped me is I have an iPhone and iPad. Anything I need to remember I create an event on my calendar and make it have an alarm. This way I remember to take something with me when going someplace because I put it in the notes of the event. The nice thing about iCloud is that everything transfers to other devices so it is on whatever device I have with me. I set alarms for everything. My husband gets the alarms too which is helpful because then he usually asks about it to. I find that once I have it written somewhere I don't worry about it anymore and just trust I will have the reminder when needed. Good luck! I am curious to see other ideas...
I'm sorry you are going through this.
First try & figure out the root of the problem: stress, scattered, not paying attention, head in the clouds?
-Make a dr appt to inquire what he/she thinks it could be
-put anything you need to take w/you by your front door on the ground so you will see it when you need to leave. Put purse & car keys right there too
-use post it notes for important things on your bathroom mirror or front door. someplace you know you will see it for sure
-take one spiral medium size booklet & write things down in there, keep track of things. You can use a page for each day. Cross off what you no longer need to do & transfer to the next page what you did not accomplish today
-keep extra pair of sunglasses in the car. Keep anything you need on a daily basis IN YOUR CAR: bottle of water, extra change of clothes etc.
-when you need to take something with you (dry cleaning for instance)keep it by the front door.
-keep your insurance card in your wallet
-ask your dr about short term memory issues
-exercise your brain. Test your short term memory all the time, daily. For example, when you drive past an exit sign on the freeway see if you can recall it right after you pass it. Do word find games. You can buy a booklet of them at the drugstore. Constantly "test" yourself....what was the name of that movie I just saw a trailer for on tv? Test yourself all day long, every day. It's good practice.
Good luck, hang in there, get a professional opinion & test your short term memory every chance you get.
Get a checkup and see if the rest of you is all right. Tell your doctor about your concern and see what he or she recommends. I've been often told that one type of ADD involves the mind not being quite as organized as it might be. But that's something to ask your doctor about.
When my brain is in creative mode, it doesn't work too practically. When I'm very tired, it doesn't work too practically, either. I find it to be a deficiency not in brain power but in focus. I'm not managing my attention! I never *was* attentive to that location or name or information in the first place, so of course I don't remember it.
I practice making myself focus on what I need it to focus on at a specific time. I play all sorts of memory games and puzzles with myself, and I think it helps (as well as being fun).
As far as writing things down is concerned, I think it's great. There's a story that Einstein didn't know his own phone number. He said, "Why should I know it by heart? If I need it, I can always look it up." I - and I'm no Einstein - always maintain that if God wanted us to keep everything in our heads, He never would have let people invent pencils and paper.
I remember having a lot of problems with this at one point...... a psychiatrist I was seeing at the time for depression (maybe there was a link there?) said that sometimes Ginkgo biloba capsules have been shown to help memory issues....
However... and this was the BIG however.....
I couldn't remember to take the darn capsule!
Memory can be improved by practicing. My mom at 88 is still doing cross word puzzles to keep her brain sharp. I am a list writer and I also make sure everything is in the car the night before. So if I have to go to a playdate, then the tailor, then the grocery store, etc. I put the stuff we need (packed snack bag, pants to be hemmed, cloth grocery bags, water bottle for me) already in the car at night.
I always have all my insurance cards, credit cards, license and discount cards in one big wallet in my purse, as well as tissues,phone, MP3 player, Nook incase I have to wait somewhere, etc. Just to be prepared. Either that or make your car your huge "purse" and keep a bag with lots of pockets that has the stuff you could possibly need. I have a bag with: extra comfy shoes, a raincoat and umbrella, a baseball cap, sunglasses, pen and paper, my old glasses in case I break my current ones, take-out menus from local places, tums, lip balm, hand cream and a dressy scarf.
My husband is like you, but I think he often just goes too fast to actually put stuff into his head, or at least the stuff that I find important. He seems to remember the things he needs to do.
I would also let you doctor know about this. Good luck.
Check out Daniel Amen .. he has some books out and clinics, which might be too expensive to attend.. however, his books look real interesting and discuss brain health and how to improve it... Additionally, do you get Public Television, ours here, ours is called PBS.... lately, he has been on there. I find his work so fascinating. he's worked with numerous people, including retired pro-football players, whom of course from all the concussions sustained, you can imagine their brains have some issues.. Doctor Amen has specific programs you can do to improve memory and overall health..
good luck!!
Since it sounds like vitamin deficiencies have been an issue for you and fixing that has worked with the vitamin D, I recommend trying a good vitamin B supplement to help memory and brain function. Especially since many medications can cause a B deficiency. You have gotten a lot of other great recommendations.
