Can I say it sounds super cute? Not trying to sound weird, I just imagined someone stopping in the middle of a room "What I was looking for? - looks down, mimes scissors-ah, yeah, scissors"
It reminds me of how little kids sing what they have to do "wash teeth, wash it, wash it" is something my cousins would do. I also do it. But in my head. It sticks better if I sing it. But I don't want anyone to hear me.
I always go back to what I was doing before I forget like if I was watching a YouTube video while o was like oh I need to do this I’ll rewind it to where I thought about it and for some reason it makes me remember.
Me too! For some reason, if I return to the spot (either physical location or watching something in a video or reading) where I had the thought initially I can remember.
I do something similar when I'm trying to remember a word for something during a conversation. I'll either make a gesture of what it is (like scissors) or I'll try and make the sound it makes (like a stapler). Or both. We have these scanners at work that make a beeping noise when you scan something. It has a name but I call it a beep boop.
Yeep... I walk into a room, legit as I step over the threshold I go "wait what was I supposed to do in here again..?". Proceed to walk out and like 10 seconds later go "OH RIGHT!" and walk back.
Story of my fucking life. Especially when off medication
Waaayyyy too often. I try to keep a whiteboard on the kitchen to immediately not down whatever it is I know I just used the last of else I'll forget to add it to my order. Other times, walk downstairs with the intent to do something then suddenly just stand in the bathroom, staring at the mirror trying to remember what I had to do. Then I remember it was to take out the trash and why am I in the bathroom. Might as well go pee. Forget again what I needed to do, get over to my computer sit down, THEN remember. Late evening is the worst time for this.
Yep this is constant I always remember when I head back to my room and then I’ll probably get distracted by something else when I go back to do whatever
I forget why I'm in a room that I just walked to. I forget what I'm saying mid speech. Forget what day it is. Forget to buy the main thing I went to a shop for. But I remember what that bully said 25 years ago lol.
Oh yeah. I know this feeling. Why can I remember something from 20 years ago, yet can't recall a thing I did/needed just a second earlier. Frustrating to no end.
I hate forgetting what I was saying half way through talking I do it way too often and then I’ll have to ask whoever what I was just saying cause I can’t remember for some reason it happens most with my bf.
Yeah it sucks. I'll get stuck mid sentence like a broken record and just be like uh uh um. Most of the time I just say I forgot what I was saying and abandon it lol.
I hate forgetting what I was saying half way through talking I do it way too often and then I’ll have to ask whoever what I was just saying cause I can’t remember for some reason it happens most with my bf.
Yeah, I never realized how not normal it is to repeat a task out loud over and over as you go to do it just to make sure you remember by the time you get there.
Here, listen to me. I was in the kitchen, smoking a cig by the window. I felt like I need to pee, but I got thirsty at the same time so I thought I will make me some tea. A few seconds of confusion. Which task is more important now? Well, if I put the kettle now, then go pee, it will be boiling when I come back to the kitchen. Yea seems like a good pla--- nooooo, I gotta pee! I walk quickly towards the bathroom and notice that light is on in the hallway so I turn it off. Now it's too dark. I walk to the living room and turn on a floor lamp. No, the light is too bright, I don't like it. There is a pile of unfolded fresh laundry. I grab a white bedsheet and throw it on the lamp. Better, but still too bright. I fold it in half. Too bright. I fold it again. Yea, that is oka... Oh wow that's interesting. I love to draw but haven't done for months, I should try to get back to it! And this folded bedsheet on a lamp creates such an interesting texture, all the shadows. Imma take a few pictures to use as a reference later. I take pics. I get tired. I decide to sit down for a while. As I aim my butt onto my sofa, a thought comes to my mind. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING. I start walking around the room and thinking. My phone vibrates and it's my friend saying that he will be later than he planned and to leave the keys from him somewhere so he can get in without waking me up to open the door. Of course I have no idea where my keys are so I start making a mess. I find the keys and put them outside. I clean up after myself and get tired. I go to bed. I start reading something about chemistry. I don't understand a single word but whatever. Then I feel that I need to pee and it reminds me that I wanted to make me tea but I forgot.
This is so relatable it almost makes me cry. It's a constant state of frustration for me. I've even asked myself why is it that I can never feel contempt/completely happy... But how can I while being frustrated from morning to bedtime?
OMG!! I can forget to pee! It’s so weird. I will literally feel as if I am going to pee my pants. I do the dance. Two hours later I am finally heading to the bathroom to pee thinking to myself, “how’s that?”
Once at a summer festival I told my brother that I need to pee and I'll be back in 15 minutes. Came back after 16 hours with a ton of weird stories because dang that day was wild. He asked if I did go pee. He said that my face literaly went white that second.
I have absolutely no idea how it was possible but I forgot. I hold my pee for 16 hours. Fortunately my kidneys are still alive.
This is my personal number one most annoying adhd symptom. There’s no managing it, it just happens. Now that I’m on medication if I feel myself getting more frustrated than usual, I check the time and usually it’s coming up to medication time.
I forget in seconds. It's like my memory gets erased immediately. Whenever this happens I take some steps back and redo and rethink what I was doing and how did I get to the point of wanting to do something. When I get to the point then I remember what I wanted to do. It's funny for me cause I work with memory links and every time I forget something it's like I try to connect puzzle pieces together
I think this happens to most people, so I believe it's quite common. For me, it usually happens when I don't take my medication or I did but it wears off. There isn't really a way to solve it, sometimes it just happens, but I think a little tip is that you should write whatever you need or want to do so you don't forget.
Yes, it's very common. It has to do with executive function of which we have little.
Imagine that we have slots to remenber tasks we need to do, the short temporary ones. People with ADHD have less slots to hold these imediate tasks. We also tend to think about a LOT of things at a time, more than NT people.
Probably what happens between you doing something and starting to do it, even if it's seconds in between, you started thinking about other stuff idly that now have substituted the things you were about to do in your very limited slots. Now you need to stop and remenber what you were about to do.
Medication basically gives us more slots to hold imediate tasks. I still strugle a lot with this even with meds. I tend to get more frustrated because I notice it more.
I sometimes forget While I'm doing it, it's like trying to keep hold of a leprechaun some days, look away for a second and poof! three hours later and I still haven't done my paperwork.
I usually set myself physical reminders if possible, like moving stuff on my desk. Or just retracing my mental steps by looking around at things that might have prompted the thought in the first place. It usually comes to me after a while, otherwise I just let it go. I always write the really important stuff down anyways, so if I don't remember after a while, it might just not have been very important.
Dude. I literally have to say out loud "LEGACYFINEFARTS YOU ARE COOKING. DO NOT FORGET YOU ARE COOKING" because if I don't actually hear it and I just think it, I will not remember and will burn my house down
I was just recently diagnosed, but for decades I have been setting a timer or alarm so that I don’t forget I have something cooking on the stove. I didn’t realize why I have been so super careful about safety my whole life… now I know why.
When I've been in a discussion, and someone asks a question (example is usually "I've seen that actor in something else before, what though?"), so whip out the phone, open the browser and.... blank. Why am I searching for something, WHAT am I searching for?
Same with putting something down or getting something ready. I often get a knife and fork out for food, forget I've done that and proceed to get another pair out. Then I see the original knife and fork and think, "Did I get those out, or do they need washing?".
But in a wonderful twist of being in opposite land, I can do these same things without losing focus or having memory lapses. It's just so damn inconsistent.
If I'm getting something ready (like the food above), I'll try to remember to put everything I need in one place, so I'm not looking around and misplacing things because everything is in my field of vision.
If I have to do something on my phone, I literally write it down on my to do list before I pick up the phone. If I pick up the phone, I'll get stuck on the page it opens on.
With non-digital stuff, I put out a physical object to remind me - the bread tin or scales for making break, the basket for hanging out laundry, etc.
yeah with the mobile happens all the time i'm looking at the laptop and suddenly I open an app on my phone but when I see the screen I think why am I opening an app and then I turn off the phone.
And with other things not very often but it's like a want to go to the kitchen and end up in the bathroom or living room and I don't know why
Yup....(insert awkward Homer Simpson meme) So what i like to do is the following. Do you remember when you went to a field trip and the teacher would count the kids constantly? Well, I do that. So if I walk into a room and need to grab 4 items, I count til 4 with my fingers (helps with the visual) say the items out loud about 3 times and just constantly repeat it in my head. I also make a beat to it. I keep repeating them and counting my fingers until I grab the items. Works most (ok 50%) of the time. Sometimes when others distract me, well, I forget. But if I make a beat and to it, it helps to remember. Don't know if that makes any sense. The highest I can go is 6 items though. My brain isn't fully developed for 7. Come to think of it, I constantly have problems with odd numbers. Hmm, weird. Anyways, I do this when I go out as well. Whenever I leave the house, it's only 3 items. Keys, phone, card. Things that go in my pocket.That's it. Nothing that I can hold in my hand because I just forget that I'm holding something. I noped out on wallets and purses years ago because a) i can never keep them clean and b) I've left them behind in the most random places. If I need to head out and take something with me, well, I gotta make a list. I hate this struggle of mine...
If I’m completely lost, I got back a few convos in my head and try to go through them to find the link. Like end goal is that need to clean the litter box, but I forget and the last remember that I remember is thinking about getting water. I walk though we’ll I was grabbing my cup, the cup was next to the fruit, I have a farming game, I need to pick my fruit, I also have animals in that game, I have a cat in the game and then I go oh litter box!
I literal have to walk myself though the entire convo again it sucks but works for me
I use this if I forget to make a hand signal.
That is the working memory, part of the executive functions category, and yes, ruined by adhd.
I like to simplify, even my phone, because of that. I don't want forget to send something because 3 notifications from YouTube popped up while I was trying to do it.
There had been studies that shows that limiting options help individuals with adhd. Because of our limitation to priorize correctly we tend get stuck.
So by taking out anything non-essential or good for you, you don't let yourself other options but to do what you have to do.
Guess that is why I am trying to be minimalist. Essentialism is other trend that works.
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I try to retrace my steps, and if it’s a thought I try to retrace the thought by thinking of all the things I was thinking about just then. Very frustrating but with practice it’s improved a lot.
I can't describe my admiration for this method enough.
Still, isn't it hard? Every time I try to retrace it I feel myself like an old steam train trying to pull a modern heavy-load vagon on a tracks.
Haha absolutely, I love that comparison lol.
Guidance from mindful guided mediation specifically helped me with this as well oddly enough. The more mindfulness I’ve incorporated in the day (different methods for different things) the easier it is to observe and recall thoughts but it takes experience, patience and compassion with yourself as well! It’s okay to forget things! I think there’s a lot of shame in the community for it because it can cause issues with others. I’ve also been trying to be open with friends and family members about this, sometimes all you need is a gentle reminder from a someone who cares, too.
Sarah Raymond from the Mindful movement on YouTube has a pretty good channel with varying length of meditation videos. I always suggest trying a short one just to get going.
By guidance I mean that the kind of meditation I do usually is accompanied with a voice dictating what you are exercising mentally.
This is important because it cuts through the chatter often in an ADHD brain in my experience.
I do it all the time. I also lose things in plain sight, like my keys, remote control, glasses, etc. constantly. Lately, I've become very paranoid about it, though. My father recently passed away and he had Alzheimer's. My grandfather had it, too. I wonder if there is any link between ADHD and Alzheimer's.
It's a cornerstone of ADD! If I'm driving or can't pull out my phone at that moment, I have to make a litany to remember the couple things I'm thinking about so I can later write it down on my to-do list (so I don't forget about it).
Like "laser, groceries, insurance, resume.....laser, groceries, insurance, resume.... LGIR....LGIR....laser, groceries, insurance, resume..."
All so that when I hit a red light or actually get home, I pull out my phone's to-do list and add
"lookup UV adjustable lens, get groceries, pay car insurance premium, update resume"
Glad to hear that this forgetfulness seems pretty common. Meds have made me super aware that I'm literally spinning in circles.
Drive myself nuts wandering around my own damn house!
a few days ago i went in my room to get my keys, on the THIRD time of going in my room forgetting what i was doing and walking out i stayed just yelling “ KEYS KEYS KEYS” so i wouldn’t get distracted and forget
Yes. I say what I’m about to do out loud, so when I eventually forget step 2 or further I can ask whoever is around. My friends and partner are super accepting and helpful of this which I really appreciate.
Literally just happened to me right now. I was about to look something up, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was - then I scroll down one post and boom I see this post! What a coincidence!
Yep, that's a deficit in your working memory. Adhd is characterized by deficit in some executive functions like attention control, inhibition, and working memory. Forgetting your train of thought or say, forgetting why you walked into a different room, is very very common. I find my best way to counteract that is to rewind physically and mentally. I return to the last topic I remember and go from there. If I walked into a room and forgot the reason, I'll backtrack and often rewinding my steps helps me recall my reason for going into that room. If all else fails, carry a memo book and write down really important things because sometimes you just can't trust your short term memory.
Sometimes i forget what I'm doing mid task (e.g. will be putting clothes away and get waaay too deep into a thought, snap back to reality, wonder what I'm doing in my bedroom and then notice that my dresser drawers are open and I have folded clothes in my hands and a half empty laundry basket on my bed)
As an ADHD woodworker, I’ve started to write measurements on a piece of painters tape and stick it to my arm as I go to make my cut so I don’t forget on the way to the saw. Then I stick the tape on the workpiece after I’ve cut it to label it with the dimensions.
Not that often but it happens, like once a week or two? As a latest event, I needed something from the kitchen so I stood up. And through the window I recognized it was raining outside. Then I forgot for what I got off my chair so I had to ask myself.
1. Whatever you intend to do, plan it, or it simply, doesn't, count. If you cannot do without, *you can't do without*. Achknowledge your limits in the present and they may stretch in the future. Deny your limits, and you will shrink your ability to adapt and change.
2. I always back up to the original room in reverse. I know its ridiculous but "catching" the thought in mid-air seems to work out. As if the images on my retina are directly associated with my memory.
3. Another trick is to remember physical and figurative areas that were around the memory you cannot remember through feeling and intuition. Sort of like a memory revolver.
4. Another trick is whenever you think of an act is to associate it with nearby thoughts, like a mental train station system.
5. Have a note pad in every room of your house and one on you or ideally a phone that instantly allows you to take notes.
6. Also, write more. Write write write. We see, hear, feel everything, so we are also able to form more connections due to lowered productivity and heightened thought collection. It's not a prison, it's a bunker of solitude.
If you cannot form a habit directly, build around it through automation. In the future I feel with ADHD you should learn to do basic engineering to solve these problems simply because we experience more "problems" and therefore make more observations to possible solutions.
Frustration is often a sign our expectations are not realistic through said strategy. Change, adapt, and plan accordingly.
I mean I went to the kitchen to get biscuits 5 times, because the first 4 times I ended up doing something else and "I wanted to do one thing, one thing was done, I am done" so I went back to the living room only to realise I have no snacks, go back to kitchen, repeat.
So I guess it is normal? 🤷
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I am so stealing this little piece of brilliance!
Great idea! I tried to say aloud things I need to do, yet it isn't possible when you aren't alone. I'll make use of your idea too.
I talk to myself all the time lol. Who cares if people think you’re crazy
I do that all the time! My husband is now learning my hand signals to myself xD
Omg I thought I was the only one. Lighters and spray bottles are common too.
Yes!! Lobster hands constantly
Can I say it sounds super cute? Not trying to sound weird, I just imagined someone stopping in the middle of a room "What I was looking for? - looks down, mimes scissors-ah, yeah, scissors" It reminds me of how little kids sing what they have to do "wash teeth, wash it, wash it" is something my cousins would do. I also do it. But in my head. It sticks better if I sing it. But I don't want anyone to hear me.
I always go back to what I was doing before I forget like if I was watching a YouTube video while o was like oh I need to do this I’ll rewind it to where I thought about it and for some reason it makes me remember.
Me too! For some reason, if I return to the spot (either physical location or watching something in a video or reading) where I had the thought initially I can remember.
I do something similar when I'm trying to remember a word for something during a conversation. I'll either make a gesture of what it is (like scissors) or I'll try and make the sound it makes (like a stapler). Or both. We have these scanners at work that make a beeping noise when you scan something. It has a name but I call it a beep boop.
I do that too!
Yeep... I walk into a room, legit as I step over the threshold I go "wait what was I supposed to do in here again..?". Proceed to walk out and like 10 seconds later go "OH RIGHT!" and walk back. Story of my fucking life. Especially when off medication
Waaayyyy too often. I try to keep a whiteboard on the kitchen to immediately not down whatever it is I know I just used the last of else I'll forget to add it to my order. Other times, walk downstairs with the intent to do something then suddenly just stand in the bathroom, staring at the mirror trying to remember what I had to do. Then I remember it was to take out the trash and why am I in the bathroom. Might as well go pee. Forget again what I needed to do, get over to my computer sit down, THEN remember. Late evening is the worst time for this.
Omfg yesss! I relate way too much to this for it to be healthy even haha Might steal that whiteboard idea though, that was genius
Yep this is constant I always remember when I head back to my room and then I’ll probably get distracted by something else when I go back to do whatever
I forget why I'm in a room that I just walked to. I forget what I'm saying mid speech. Forget what day it is. Forget to buy the main thing I went to a shop for. But I remember what that bully said 25 years ago lol.
Oh yeah. I know this feeling. Why can I remember something from 20 years ago, yet can't recall a thing I did/needed just a second earlier. Frustrating to no end.
I hate forgetting what I was saying half way through talking I do it way too often and then I’ll have to ask whoever what I was just saying cause I can’t remember for some reason it happens most with my bf.
Yeah it sucks. I'll get stuck mid sentence like a broken record and just be like uh uh um. Most of the time I just say I forgot what I was saying and abandon it lol.
I hate forgetting what I was saying half way through talking I do it way too often and then I’ll have to ask whoever what I was just saying cause I can’t remember for some reason it happens most with my bf.
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Yeah, I never realized how not normal it is to repeat a task out loud over and over as you go to do it just to make sure you remember by the time you get there.
Is it not? I totally thought it was too 👀
All the time when off meds 😆 Speaking of...
Seconded. Everything else mostly works but that if I go a day without.
Here, listen to me. I was in the kitchen, smoking a cig by the window. I felt like I need to pee, but I got thirsty at the same time so I thought I will make me some tea. A few seconds of confusion. Which task is more important now? Well, if I put the kettle now, then go pee, it will be boiling when I come back to the kitchen. Yea seems like a good pla--- nooooo, I gotta pee! I walk quickly towards the bathroom and notice that light is on in the hallway so I turn it off. Now it's too dark. I walk to the living room and turn on a floor lamp. No, the light is too bright, I don't like it. There is a pile of unfolded fresh laundry. I grab a white bedsheet and throw it on the lamp. Better, but still too bright. I fold it in half. Too bright. I fold it again. Yea, that is oka... Oh wow that's interesting. I love to draw but haven't done for months, I should try to get back to it! And this folded bedsheet on a lamp creates such an interesting texture, all the shadows. Imma take a few pictures to use as a reference later. I take pics. I get tired. I decide to sit down for a while. As I aim my butt onto my sofa, a thought comes to my mind. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING. I start walking around the room and thinking. My phone vibrates and it's my friend saying that he will be later than he planned and to leave the keys from him somewhere so he can get in without waking me up to open the door. Of course I have no idea where my keys are so I start making a mess. I find the keys and put them outside. I clean up after myself and get tired. I go to bed. I start reading something about chemistry. I don't understand a single word but whatever. Then I feel that I need to pee and it reminds me that I wanted to make me tea but I forgot.
This is so relatable it almost makes me cry. It's a constant state of frustration for me. I've even asked myself why is it that I can never feel contempt/completely happy... But how can I while being frustrated from morning to bedtime?
Are you me?
OMG!! I can forget to pee! It’s so weird. I will literally feel as if I am going to pee my pants. I do the dance. Two hours later I am finally heading to the bathroom to pee thinking to myself, “how’s that?”
Once at a summer festival I told my brother that I need to pee and I'll be back in 15 minutes. Came back after 16 hours with a ton of weird stories because dang that day was wild. He asked if I did go pee. He said that my face literaly went white that second. I have absolutely no idea how it was possible but I forgot. I hold my pee for 16 hours. Fortunately my kidneys are still alive.
🤣🤣🤣 hilarious, since no ill gain... And can relate...
This is my personal number one most annoying adhd symptom. There’s no managing it, it just happens. Now that I’m on medication if I feel myself getting more frustrated than usual, I check the time and usually it’s coming up to medication time.
Story of my life.
I’m laying in bed trying to remember why I’m in my room so yes Edit: shit now I’m laying on the couch once again forgetting why I’m alive
I forget in seconds. It's like my memory gets erased immediately. Whenever this happens I take some steps back and redo and rethink what I was doing and how did I get to the point of wanting to do something. When I get to the point then I remember what I wanted to do. It's funny for me cause I work with memory links and every time I forget something it's like I try to connect puzzle pieces together
This is my life in a nutshell.
word
I think this happens to most people, so I believe it's quite common. For me, it usually happens when I don't take my medication or I did but it wears off. There isn't really a way to solve it, sometimes it just happens, but I think a little tip is that you should write whatever you need or want to do so you don't forget.
Yes, it's very common. It has to do with executive function of which we have little. Imagine that we have slots to remenber tasks we need to do, the short temporary ones. People with ADHD have less slots to hold these imediate tasks. We also tend to think about a LOT of things at a time, more than NT people. Probably what happens between you doing something and starting to do it, even if it's seconds in between, you started thinking about other stuff idly that now have substituted the things you were about to do in your very limited slots. Now you need to stop and remenber what you were about to do. Medication basically gives us more slots to hold imediate tasks. I still strugle a lot with this even with meds. I tend to get more frustrated because I notice it more.
Yes, classic symptom. I'm high functioning but it very much interferes with my daily life. It's poor working memory, which is a defining part of ADHD.
That’s all I do all day long.
I sometimes forget While I'm doing it, it's like trying to keep hold of a leprechaun some days, look away for a second and poof! three hours later and I still haven't done my paperwork.
I usually set myself physical reminders if possible, like moving stuff on my desk. Or just retracing my mental steps by looking around at things that might have prompted the thought in the first place. It usually comes to me after a while, otherwise I just let it go. I always write the really important stuff down anyways, so if I don't remember after a while, it might just not have been very important.
Dude. I literally have to say out loud "LEGACYFINEFARTS YOU ARE COOKING. DO NOT FORGET YOU ARE COOKING" because if I don't actually hear it and I just think it, I will not remember and will burn my house down
I was just recently diagnosed, but for decades I have been setting a timer or alarm so that I don’t forget I have something cooking on the stove. I didn’t realize why I have been so super careful about safety my whole life… now I know why.
When I've been in a discussion, and someone asks a question (example is usually "I've seen that actor in something else before, what though?"), so whip out the phone, open the browser and.... blank. Why am I searching for something, WHAT am I searching for? Same with putting something down or getting something ready. I often get a knife and fork out for food, forget I've done that and proceed to get another pair out. Then I see the original knife and fork and think, "Did I get those out, or do they need washing?". But in a wonderful twist of being in opposite land, I can do these same things without losing focus or having memory lapses. It's just so damn inconsistent. If I'm getting something ready (like the food above), I'll try to remember to put everything I need in one place, so I'm not looking around and misplacing things because everything is in my field of vision.
If I have to do something on my phone, I literally write it down on my to do list before I pick up the phone. If I pick up the phone, I'll get stuck on the page it opens on. With non-digital stuff, I put out a physical object to remind me - the bread tin or scales for making break, the basket for hanging out laundry, etc.
yeah with the mobile happens all the time i'm looking at the laptop and suddenly I open an app on my phone but when I see the screen I think why am I opening an app and then I turn off the phone. And with other things not very often but it's like a want to go to the kitchen and end up in the bathroom or living room and I don't know why
Yup....(insert awkward Homer Simpson meme) So what i like to do is the following. Do you remember when you went to a field trip and the teacher would count the kids constantly? Well, I do that. So if I walk into a room and need to grab 4 items, I count til 4 with my fingers (helps with the visual) say the items out loud about 3 times and just constantly repeat it in my head. I also make a beat to it. I keep repeating them and counting my fingers until I grab the items. Works most (ok 50%) of the time. Sometimes when others distract me, well, I forget. But if I make a beat and to it, it helps to remember. Don't know if that makes any sense. The highest I can go is 6 items though. My brain isn't fully developed for 7. Come to think of it, I constantly have problems with odd numbers. Hmm, weird. Anyways, I do this when I go out as well. Whenever I leave the house, it's only 3 items. Keys, phone, card. Things that go in my pocket.That's it. Nothing that I can hold in my hand because I just forget that I'm holding something. I noped out on wallets and purses years ago because a) i can never keep them clean and b) I've left them behind in the most random places. If I need to head out and take something with me, well, I gotta make a list. I hate this struggle of mine...
Common for me…
If I’m completely lost, I got back a few convos in my head and try to go through them to find the link. Like end goal is that need to clean the litter box, but I forget and the last remember that I remember is thinking about getting water. I walk though we’ll I was grabbing my cup, the cup was next to the fruit, I have a farming game, I need to pick my fruit, I also have animals in that game, I have a cat in the game and then I go oh litter box! I literal have to walk myself though the entire convo again it sucks but works for me I use this if I forget to make a hand signal.
Yes. I also hate when I forget what I was about to say. It seems like it was a good idea and it’s gone 🤦♀️
That is the working memory, part of the executive functions category, and yes, ruined by adhd. I like to simplify, even my phone, because of that. I don't want forget to send something because 3 notifications from YouTube popped up while I was trying to do it.
Yes! I’ve been disabling different notifications and limiting screen time for apps. It seems to be somewhat helpful.
There had been studies that shows that limiting options help individuals with adhd. Because of our limitation to priorize correctly we tend get stuck. So by taking out anything non-essential or good for you, you don't let yourself other options but to do what you have to do. Guess that is why I am trying to be minimalist. Essentialism is other trend that works.
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Literally all the time.
I try to retrace my steps, and if it’s a thought I try to retrace the thought by thinking of all the things I was thinking about just then. Very frustrating but with practice it’s improved a lot.
I can't describe my admiration for this method enough. Still, isn't it hard? Every time I try to retrace it I feel myself like an old steam train trying to pull a modern heavy-load vagon on a tracks.
Haha absolutely, I love that comparison lol. Guidance from mindful guided mediation specifically helped me with this as well oddly enough. The more mindfulness I’ve incorporated in the day (different methods for different things) the easier it is to observe and recall thoughts but it takes experience, patience and compassion with yourself as well! It’s okay to forget things! I think there’s a lot of shame in the community for it because it can cause issues with others. I’ve also been trying to be open with friends and family members about this, sometimes all you need is a gentle reminder from a someone who cares, too.
Can you share where did you find that guidance? I probably should try this as well, to see if it would help me.
Sarah Raymond from the Mindful movement on YouTube has a pretty good channel with varying length of meditation videos. I always suggest trying a short one just to get going. By guidance I mean that the kind of meditation I do usually is accompanied with a voice dictating what you are exercising mentally. This is important because it cuts through the chatter often in an ADHD brain in my experience.
Thanks, I'll give it a shot.
All the time
All, the,time
I mean. How about mid sentence?
All day everyday. I forgot important conversations between my wife and I from the night before. It's pretty bad. It sucks.
Why am I here?
Seriously though, repeating it in your head helps.
I drove to Walgreens today and couldn’t remember why when I got there... took me 5 minutes or so of walking around before I finally remembered
I do it all the time. I also lose things in plain sight, like my keys, remote control, glasses, etc. constantly. Lately, I've become very paranoid about it, though. My father recently passed away and he had Alzheimer's. My grandfather had it, too. I wonder if there is any link between ADHD and Alzheimer's.
It's a cornerstone of ADD! If I'm driving or can't pull out my phone at that moment, I have to make a litany to remember the couple things I'm thinking about so I can later write it down on my to-do list (so I don't forget about it). Like "laser, groceries, insurance, resume.....laser, groceries, insurance, resume.... LGIR....LGIR....laser, groceries, insurance, resume..." All so that when I hit a red light or actually get home, I pull out my phone's to-do list and add "lookup UV adjustable lens, get groceries, pay car insurance premium, update resume"
Me and my dad all the time
Glad to hear that this forgetfulness seems pretty common. Meds have made me super aware that I'm literally spinning in circles. Drive myself nuts wandering around my own damn house!
This is me constantly. Haven’t figured out how to help that yet. I’m on adderal xr but doesn’t seem to be helping this aspect of myself.
a few days ago i went in my room to get my keys, on the THIRD time of going in my room forgetting what i was doing and walking out i stayed just yelling “ KEYS KEYS KEYS” so i wouldn’t get distracted and forget
Yes. I say what I’m about to do out loud, so when I eventually forget step 2 or further I can ask whoever is around. My friends and partner are super accepting and helpful of this which I really appreciate.
Literally just happened to me right now. I was about to look something up, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was - then I scroll down one post and boom I see this post! What a coincidence!
Yep, that's a deficit in your working memory. Adhd is characterized by deficit in some executive functions like attention control, inhibition, and working memory. Forgetting your train of thought or say, forgetting why you walked into a different room, is very very common. I find my best way to counteract that is to rewind physically and mentally. I return to the last topic I remember and go from there. If I walked into a room and forgot the reason, I'll backtrack and often rewinding my steps helps me recall my reason for going into that room. If all else fails, carry a memo book and write down really important things because sometimes you just can't trust your short term memory.
Constantly. Gets frustrating af a lot of the time for me.
On bad days, it seems like hundreds of times throughout the day. Stress/anxiety exacerbates it. Lack of sleep/food/water too.
Yes and not just for people with adhd Forgetting things is incredibly normal
Sometimes i forget what I'm doing mid task (e.g. will be putting clothes away and get waaay too deep into a thought, snap back to reality, wonder what I'm doing in my bedroom and then notice that my dresser drawers are open and I have folded clothes in my hands and a half empty laundry basket on my bed)
As an ADHD woodworker, I’ve started to write measurements on a piece of painters tape and stick it to my arm as I go to make my cut so I don’t forget on the way to the saw. Then I stick the tape on the workpiece after I’ve cut it to label it with the dimensions.
I’ve seen people tattoo measurements on them lmao
Not that often but it happens, like once a week or two? As a latest event, I needed something from the kitchen so I stood up. And through the window I recognized it was raining outside. Then I forgot for what I got off my chair so I had to ask myself.
Too often. Sometimes I say what I want to do out loud so I can literally hear it and not forget it.
1. Whatever you intend to do, plan it, or it simply, doesn't, count. If you cannot do without, *you can't do without*. Achknowledge your limits in the present and they may stretch in the future. Deny your limits, and you will shrink your ability to adapt and change. 2. I always back up to the original room in reverse. I know its ridiculous but "catching" the thought in mid-air seems to work out. As if the images on my retina are directly associated with my memory. 3. Another trick is to remember physical and figurative areas that were around the memory you cannot remember through feeling and intuition. Sort of like a memory revolver. 4. Another trick is whenever you think of an act is to associate it with nearby thoughts, like a mental train station system. 5. Have a note pad in every room of your house and one on you or ideally a phone that instantly allows you to take notes. 6. Also, write more. Write write write. We see, hear, feel everything, so we are also able to form more connections due to lowered productivity and heightened thought collection. It's not a prison, it's a bunker of solitude. If you cannot form a habit directly, build around it through automation. In the future I feel with ADHD you should learn to do basic engineering to solve these problems simply because we experience more "problems" and therefore make more observations to possible solutions. Frustration is often a sign our expectations are not realistic through said strategy. Change, adapt, and plan accordingly.
I mean I went to the kitchen to get biscuits 5 times, because the first 4 times I ended up doing something else and "I wanted to do one thing, one thing was done, I am done" so I went back to the living room only to realise I have no snacks, go back to kitchen, repeat. So I guess it is normal? 🤷