Does anybody else worry constantly about their memory??

[Guest]

Hi,


I'm new to this site, but have had this problem for such a long time, I have been under Doctors/Psychiatrists for years and was misdiagnosed with having depression, but it was only after reading into anxiety/depression, that I realised that I was suffering with Social Anxiety and as a result of how it makes me feel leaves me feeling depressed and worthless.


I feel like I have 3 problems rolled into 1 and wondered if anyone can relate to how I feel.


Ultimately I feel like I have a major problem with my memory where I cant remember much from my past. I struggle to think of the right word(s) to describe things, i.e. what I have been doing, my thoughts, etc. Then when I do speak it very often comes out wrong and jumbled. Then I have the constant worries of not knowing what to say to people and that if I do speak my words won't come out properly and I might not be able to think of what to say. Even when speaking to people, i'm always concentrating on myself and making sure I say something interesting or appropriate, that I don't actually take it what they are saying.


When I tell my Doctor/Psychologist, they are never too worried about my memory and think it is the anxiety that makes me feel this way, because I am putting myself under so much pressure to appear normal and things like conversations that are supposed to be natural aren't because I rehearse what I am going to say beforehand.


Does anybody have any solutions of how you stop focusing on yourself and being so self conscious so that you actually take in what is happening around you??


I am so scared that I am losing my mind and I am only 26.


I am currently thinking of seeking help with hypnotherapy as I don't know what else to try, even though I have seen feedback which suggests it does not help, but I feel like I don't know what else to try. I have had CBT in the past, but couldn't concentrate enough to take it in.


I feel like my whole life is a blur and I constantly test my memory, trying to think of when certain things happened, etc, I just want to feel relaxed and at ease with myself for once in my life.


Please help me.

 

[Alex]

My memory has not been the same since I was on medication, but I have been off it now for a few years and it is getting better. From what I recall, depending on the medication it can make you drowsy and to forget things, it also slowed me down in what I did, how I reacted and also my general memory, It was very frustrating, but knew it was a side effect.


I do write things down and keep a journal of my exact feelings, sometimes I write several times a day. It helps me to think and to recall things, plus my articulation levels were reduced, so it helped me to express myself without having to speak to anyone. I would say don't be too anxious about it, but try not to overthink. Write things down and then each week read what you wrote and it will help your memory increase gradually.

 

[Robilas]

I think that anxiety can definitely affect your memory, but it's not a big deal, since it's probably only depending on your condition. If your therapist agrees that there is nothing to worry about you should do the same since he is way more qualified than me and you. I'm not telling you that it's easy because let's be honest, it's not easy at all. Probably being too self conscious is the biggest cause of my anxiety, but I deeply trust therapists and doctors, and you should do the same.


If you are on medications feeling drowsy is a common side effect. When I was on medications studying was almost impossible because I kept forgetting things that I read the day before. Try to find some solutions for your problem, like using a lost of post its like I did.

 

[lexinonomous]

My memory is surprisingly very good. I tend to remember every single detail of every situation I'm in. It drives everyone around me crazy because sometimes they will remember things differently, but I'm always there to remind them of what actually went on. One of my biggest fears is not being able to recount certain situations. I would hate to lose my memory, but I know that one day it's a huge possibility. I can't expect my memory to stay forever. With old age, I'm sure my memory will dwindle and I won't be as sharp as I used to be.


When thinking about losing my memory, I become anxious. Sometimes this effects the way I remember things. I will be thinking about the idea of losing my memory so much that it causes me to forget what's going on around me. I'm pretty sure that if I were to constantly forget things, it would encourage my anxiety attacks.

 

[pwarbi]

It's a tricky one to diagnose I think, as with some people medication DOES have an effect on their memory, but at the same time if you are anxious anyway, then your memory could be something that you are just adding on to the list of other worries you are thinking about. As we get older anyway our memory can start to decrease naturally, and if a doctor or therapist says that they aren't worried about your memory and in their opinion it isn't being affected, I think it's maybe just something that you have to rely on the experts with and just go with it.


While it's true that it's only us that knows our own bodies, at the same time hen dealing with anxiety then it's often best to rely on the professionals to tell us hat's going on otherwise we will worry about things that simply don't need to be worried about.

 

[WorkAtHomeGal]

I have been having problems with my memory for a long time. This was before I started taking medication though. It is to the point where I need to use a planner, and make notes even for small things because sometimes I will forget. My memory has also caused the habit of me checking things before I leave to make sure stuff is okay, that could be linked to something else though. I can remember some of my past but not much of it. And there are things up to a week ago I cannot remember well if at all. I never told my doctor about it kind of scared too.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I also have this fear constantly, I'm 21 and I have a terrible, terrible memory. Sometimes is really hard for me to remember important things, mostly things that I have seen in school, and that makes me feel like I'm not even learning, even though I know that hardly and ar the end of the day, I do. So... I'm not the most appropriate person to tell you how to stop concentrating on you and start to thinking and focusing about the things around you, since I'm self conscious 90% of the time... I'll try to figure that one out.

 

[redpanda]

I'm not sure how I missed this thread! I worry a lot about my memory and I'm very sensitive about it . I think it stems from two issues. First, I was in an abusive relationship and was a victim of gaslighting. I began to question all of my thoughts and memories. I still worry that I'm mis-remembering things...or I worry that someone is purposely misleading me again. The second issue is that I know my mom has memory problems. I worry that I'm going to have the same issue. The idea of forgetting important people and events terrifies me.

 

[lexinonomous]

I have a fairly good memory. I tend to remember everything that happens, or at least the important things. It's hard for me to imagine a world with a bad memory. I don't know what I would do if I lost my memory. I suppose it wouldn't mean much to me, if I didn't remember losing it. Every one in a while, I will fear the idea of losing my memory. I really fear not being able to remember the things that have happened to me. I would hate to wake up one day and find myself forgetting the things around me.


Although it is a fear of mine, I don't find myself dwelling on it. The only time I think this would bother and worry me is if I saw signs of me forgetting things.

 

[djordjem87]

I actually worry about my memory a lot. I have a good IQ, around 144 and I was always very good with memorizing things. It was easy for me to do that. I remember clearly the things I did when I was 3. Recently I was under a big stress and I just started to loose those strings of memories. I read about it and it turns out we remember everything but we are not recollecting all the things we remember. I was doing some exercises from the book and I actually managed to improve my memory. The author of the book is Tony Buzan and he has written several books on the subject of memory. A really nice reading indeed.

 

[rz3300]

Well I am not sure if I worry about it constantly, but there are several times throughout the day when I will question whether mine is starting to go or not. The worst part, at least for me, is that it is a mix of long term and short term memory. I think that I would be okay if it were just short term memory, but having to struggle to remember moments that you really should, and that you notice other people do, is tough sometimes, and it really makes me worry. We also have a large family history of dementia, which certainly does not help build confidence.

 

[stephonline]

Yes! Now that I have been having a lot of panic attacks I am suffering from short-term memory loss like crazy. My boyfriend will tell me a story and I can not remember any of the details or what we were talking about. I read that it is due to stress so my brain will only try to remember vital and imperative information. Everything else is just filler that my brain is trying to get rid of.

 

[tonitoni]

I worry about it too! I used to have a sharp memory - memory like a steel trap - until I got depressed more often. Now I can't remember a lot of the facts I'm supposed to memorize, which causes me more anxiety. Stress really rewires our brain I think. It makes it function less optimally than usual.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I also used to have a very sharp memory. I rarely wrote things down, and was able to recall things such as the birthdays of co-workers' children and other things that weren't really pertinent to my life. That was before Fibromyalgia. Nowadays, I'm lucky if I can recall why I walked into a room, what I had for dinner the night before, or whether I paid a particular bill. I know that my brain is often so busy worrying about whether things will happen that it doesn't seem to have the capacity to also remember everyday things.


One trick I use is to consciously focus on what I'm doing, because it helps me to remember better. Incorporating as many senses as possible also helps make the memories more vivid. For a while there, I was having an issue with losing my car keys, but I started slowing down, taking a deep breath and thinking about what I was doing. It also helped to create a specific place to put the car keys, and always putting them in that one place, so I always knew where to look. If I do something when I'm distracted, there's a good chance that I won't remember doing it, so concentrating on one thing at a time helps me.

 

[Corzhens]

I have this problem about my memory but I'm not much worried. My husband is the most worried. Often in our conversation, my husband would take issue whenever I would fail to remember something. Like yesterday, we were in the car and he said that they will go to the wake of his colleague who died the other day. After an hour in the traffic and so many other topics discussed, that mention of the dead colleague came into fore again. I asked who that colleague was and what was the cause of death. My husband got angry because I have forgotten what he said an hour before. He is worried about my memory. In fact, he asked me to ask my doctor about the maintenance medication for my hypertension if it can interfere with my memory. There are countless of instances when I would fail to remember trivial things and it angers my husband (that anger is his defense mechanism to camouflage his fear). But I am not really a forgetful person, just memory lapses maybe.

 

[Roscas]

This is my new concern. I have noticed the past year or so that I keep missing out on something. Where I put my eyeglasses when it is right on top of my head; where I left my phone or cigarettes; I just took out something and forgot where I placed it seconds ago; I was saying something and right in the middle of my sentence I forget what I wanted to utter; not remembering the name, the title, more so the date; asking the same question after a few minutes because I thought my son did not answer only to be told I just asked and that he replied. There are moments when I feel I spaced-out for a few seconds.


These occurrences made me start thinking if (1) this is part of added years on my maturity; (2) I am developing Alzheimer disease; (3) I am not using and exercising my brain enough - I used to do cross-word puzzles as a hobby and was really good enough to often complete the puzzles. It does worry me. But I am not letting anxiety take the better of me. The fact that I am aware of the changes is a plus factor for me to try to do something to delay my memory loss.


I deal with what I've got and what I can at the moment.


I know it can be debilitating to some who are now suffering from different memory-related illnesses and my heart goes to them. I just hope they can find support - physical, emotional, psychological, financial and moral support as they battle and struggle to survive the illness. I would not want to lose any of my memories and my mind's capacity and capability to store more. I do not want to forget the memories I have of my love ones, my life - good and bad, ups and downs. Memories are part of who I am.

 

[Sarah8924]

My memory sucks. I haven't ever found myself worrying about it yet but what I have found to help me is a handful of blueberries every morning and 400 mg of magnesium. It has done wonders for my memory loss.

 

[OutOfSpoons]

I, too, have started to have a major problem with memory. The other day, I legitimately forgot how old I was, which was very frightening. I've also thought that it's 2017 already a couple of times. I hate it because my life honestly feels like it's blur, and I feel like I can't grab onto what's going on very well, if that makes any sense. Most of my memories are very vague flashes, and it seems like the only information I actually really store is really basic information about everything. Like, I remember what my name is, and I can pull up vague flashes of most of my memories, but other than that, I pretty much only run on short term memory. Almost like a computer with a ton of RAM but not a lot of hard drive space.

 

[Jasmin Cottontail]

I'm sorry to hear that. I know it's hard to be in that situation because I also tend to have short term memory lapses and I don't actually worry until I've read this thread. There are cases that I forget things in a snap like for instance, I will go to the bedroom to get something but when I reach the bedroom, I will be stuck for like a minutes or so and will wonder what am I doing in the bedroom, if I have any agenda in the first place as to why I am there. Then I will go back to where I was and there are times that I will remember the thing that I was supposed to get in the bedroom, yet there are times that I won't. So I think it isn't that big deal and I thought that most people experience that as well so it didn't bugged me.


Well my advice to you is you can try seeking professional help so you know how they can help you and what are the medications that can be done while it's still early.

 

[janemariesayed]

Depression, anxiety and PTSD can all bring on a bad memory. I suffer from it myself and my Doctor has confirmed that my bad memory is because of it. Taking a B12 supplement could help or foods rich in B12.


The problem is that my bad memory doesn't bother me as such. It is other people who it bothers and then it is that which bothers me. If I am forced to remember things I don't want to like for example going to a job interview. Something quite innocent like a question such as 'provide an example of where you overcame a problem, given the chance what would you do differently?'


For me, this question, although it is about a work situation does not prompt my mind to remember about any work challenges. It just makes me think of the traumatic events and then I get anxious and stressed and start to have a panic attack an hour later.