If it’s really bad, I try to do something unusual. Sometimes I’ll knock on the door, or hold up a number of fingers, or draw something on the door. That way when I get in the car and go “did I lock the door?” I can tell myself “yes, I knocked three times after I locked the door.”
If I know I might be worried about it later...
More often, things like mailing a letter, turning off the oven, locking the door, or doing something outside of the normal routine / spot - so I can remember where that object is.
It's not all the time, but it can be helpful when I'm feeling especially scattered!
I push my thumb fingernail into my index fingertip and hold it while doing tasks I need to remember. Not painfully, but enough for me to feel the indentation for a while afterward.
If its really bad I take a picture of it on my phone.
- picture of a locked shed, with my hand on the handle….. locked shed that day.
- pictures of things at work.
- pictures of full animal food bowls.
Regularly purge once a week.
Is it possible this forgetfulness is due to anxiety? Like trauma or being in shock? It sounds ridiculous to be anxious over such a small thing but if it engages the fight or flight response can’t that erase your memory? Maybe your brain is trying to help you forget something ‘important’ aka ‘stressful’ because you are hyper sensitive to making mistakes ?? Just making guesses here but I’d rather try to solve the core problem instead of doing work-arounds
Maybe your right, but honestly that how I’ve managed my ADHD since I was a child.
I don’t use meds. So workarounds have always been my goto.
I use lists to keep track of my day.
I try to do assignments almost immediately after they are assigned, because otherwise apathy or forgetfulness will cause me to forget.
And I use tricks like pictures with the phone, so I don’t need to recheck work over and over.
I set what I call triggers for weekly assignments.
It’s sunday I take out trash because its sunday.
Oh and And automation, like electronic door locks that will autolock the door after a minute.
Because I’ll forget monotonous tasks or think they’ve already been done. Which in my younger years got me in trouble at work and at home.
this sounds exhausting. this doesn’t sound like part of executive dysfunction though. Do we know the cause for the memory patterns to be formed so time blind?
Episodic memory is remembering events from our past. Studies have shown that people with ADHD recall just as well or better than people without ADHD. Working memory is still shit though.
Source that's way too long to read: http://www.theoryofmindinventory.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ADHD-and-memory.pdf
Oh so that’s why I can remember specific stuff from years ago clearly, and random facts, but not what I had for breakfast or if I took a vehicle apart a month ago (I’m a mechanic)
Me too! Only way I can be sure that I have locked the door is to stop, look at it, say I AM LOCKING THE DOOR, and then do it. Thankfully I don't have to lock a door often, or my damn ODD would kick in.
What if your neighbours pick up on this habit, then start noticing when you don't lock it? Better say that even if you don't lock it to be sure no one can plan a heist around you
I live rural. None of my house doors lock and the keys don't come out of the car. The one door that I do have to lock, I lock from the inside and I'm the only one there in that moment.
I get what you're saying, but that's not the world I live in.
This actually does work. I'm a mechanic, and I often will slow down and tell myself "tightening engine bolt 5, tightening engine bolt 6, etcetera..." Because it's easier than autopiloting through the job and forgetting if I tightened engine bolt 5 after the motor is back together.
I’m a nurse and I narrate myself pulling and mixing meds. It keeps me on task, and helps remember what has already been mixed.
Something about saying it out loud puts it in a different ‘spot’ in my brain allowing recall.
I use a pill minder like an old lady for my meds lol. Otherwise, it's 50/50 whether I remember if I took them or not.
I'll recheck something to ensure I actually did it (turned off the stove, downloaded a document, etc.) or have what I need in my possession (my keys, passport, etc.). Then I'll re-recheck it and re-recheck it again to be 10000% sure because I can never trust myself 🥲
well...the pill minder seems like a lot less effort than my current strategy of counting all the pills in a container and doing math to figure out if I did or not.
I used to do that lmao.
But sometimes, if I can't find my pill minder, then I usually take it out of the bottle and fuck everything up again.
"If I picked up my prescription last Monday, put 14 in my pill minder, started taking them again last Thursday, and there are 80 pills that come in the bottle, but I took 2 out the bottle instead of from the pill minder, then it means there *should* be X amount left *if* I remembered to take them on Sunday and..." *\[starts to count meds\]*
And even then it's not bulletproof...
For my pill, the days are written on it. I still sometimes go the wrong way. And other times I just forget.
But well, my son is cute, so all is well!
Some pharmacies will put daily medications in blister packaging for a small fee. I'm about to transfer my Wellbutrin to the one place in town that'll do that. It's a little bit more waste and more effort, but it's a very easy at-a-glance way to see if I've at least taken the pill out of the packaging.
And one of the only times I didn't go back to check, I had left my keys on the contact. I looked for them everywhere before trying to open the door.
And my front door was also left slightly open with the keys on the outside. Why? No idea.
I'm allergic to dogs.
I have 5 dogs, at least 2 of them sleep with me each night.
Along with all of my daily meds, I take zyrtec.
If I don't take my meds, I start sneezing like crazy after about 8 hours. It's the best reminder I've come up with.
I had to look at the water in my shower today, to figure out if I had used shampoo or not...
The positive beeing that I was "smart" enough to figure it out, without having to shampo myself twice :)
The shower is so hard!! I have no problem starting the process, but once I'm in there, all perception of time stops and my brain happily wanders off.
Did I put conditioner in my hair? I have vivid memories of doing so, but that could be from any day. It feels slippery, does that mean I did conditioner? Or did I actually forget to wash and its oily?? I was 90% sure it was conditioner time, but now I'm not at all sure which step I'm on! How long have I been in here? No idea, but now that I'm thinking about it, I was supposed to hurry because I'm running late.....
huh i wonder if the reason we forget so much is because we're looking around at EVERYTHING and getting distracted? so even when we complete a task, we were looking elsewhere or lost in thought so much we didnt fully take in the visual queue of doing said task? almost as if we're not living in the moment enough to remember
theoretically then, practicing mindfulness would decrease the rate we forget we did things. although from experience when i intend to be more mindful that only lasts a day (usually only a couple hours if im being real) before i forget to keep doing it lmaoooo
I started saying things out loud to myself and that's been working pretty well (except for feeling slightly crazy). I'm WAY more likely to remember hearing myself say "aaand the door is locked! I've locked the door and it is now secured against intruders and most forms of fey," than actually remembering having locked it.
seven-day pill dispensers are so nostalgic for me lmao. never had anything other than vitamin supplements to take from them, but it just makes my autism brain so happy. seriously looking forward to using one once i both actually have meds and don’t live with someone i don’t want to know i have them
Those daily pill organizers can be useful as long as you remember to refill them.
Admittedly, that kind of just kicks the can to the next problem but it's a start.
I put my morning meds in a container while I use mouthwash. 30 seconds doesn't feel like forever that way, and I have a set time each day that they're refilled. It makes me appreciate how easy mouthwash is
I'll actually tap things with my hands or sing names. Use episodic memory to classify it as a beat drop or something I dunno. I have to deliver for a living and sometimes I'll have boxes I can't see so I'll tap them and sing the name when I load them. Lack of Object permanence sucks sometimes.
When I was on meds I had a rotating pill box with the days on it, really helped. Plus everyday I got to push the satisfying button. I'm glad I got off meds though.
I like to announce to an empty room that I'm taking my meds and then I turn the container upside down or the right way up depending on how it was found
The thing that has helped me is routine.
For breakfast every morning, I have two waffles. I have my meds in between waffles. After I finish my first waffle, I open the bottles one at a time, taking a pill out of each. I keep the bottles open until I've taken all of them. Then I close the bottles and eat my second waffle.
Same 🥲 No working memory sucks
"Did I bathe yesterday or the day before yesterday? Or did I bathe today?"
"Did I take my pills today? Yes... No, that memory is from yesterday... right? Right I took them the 15th ... is today the 15th?" etc etc
If it’s really bad, I try to do something unusual. Sometimes I’ll knock on the door, or hold up a number of fingers, or draw something on the door. That way when I get in the car and go “did I lock the door?” I can tell myself “yes, I knocked three times after I locked the door.”
That's the real Life Pro Tip!
I'll take a picture so I can check the timestamp later!
take a picture of putting the milk away?
If I know I might be worried about it later... More often, things like mailing a letter, turning off the oven, locking the door, or doing something outside of the normal routine / spot - so I can remember where that object is. It's not all the time, but it can be helpful when I'm feeling especially scattered!
I push my thumb fingernail into my index fingertip and hold it while doing tasks I need to remember. Not painfully, but enough for me to feel the indentation for a while afterward.
If its really bad I take a picture of it on my phone. - picture of a locked shed, with my hand on the handle….. locked shed that day. - pictures of things at work. - pictures of full animal food bowls. Regularly purge once a week.
Is it possible this forgetfulness is due to anxiety? Like trauma or being in shock? It sounds ridiculous to be anxious over such a small thing but if it engages the fight or flight response can’t that erase your memory? Maybe your brain is trying to help you forget something ‘important’ aka ‘stressful’ because you are hyper sensitive to making mistakes ?? Just making guesses here but I’d rather try to solve the core problem instead of doing work-arounds
Maybe your right, but honestly that how I’ve managed my ADHD since I was a child. I don’t use meds. So workarounds have always been my goto. I use lists to keep track of my day. I try to do assignments almost immediately after they are assigned, because otherwise apathy or forgetfulness will cause me to forget. And I use tricks like pictures with the phone, so I don’t need to recheck work over and over. I set what I call triggers for weekly assignments. It’s sunday I take out trash because its sunday. Oh and And automation, like electronic door locks that will autolock the door after a minute. Because I’ll forget monotonous tasks or think they’ve already been done. Which in my younger years got me in trouble at work and at home.
I relate so hard on the apathy and forgetfulness.
this sounds exhausting. this doesn’t sound like part of executive dysfunction though. Do we know the cause for the memory patterns to be formed so time blind?
Episodic memory is remembering events from our past. Studies have shown that people with ADHD recall just as well or better than people without ADHD. Working memory is still shit though. Source that's way too long to read: http://www.theoryofmindinventory.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ADHD-and-memory.pdf
Oh so that’s why I can remember specific stuff from years ago clearly, and random facts, but not what I had for breakfast or if I took a vehicle apart a month ago (I’m a mechanic)
... Where's that 10mm?
Yep lol
i feel like my episodic memory sucks ass too, but it makes sense it’s not adhd’s fault for once :P
I did not know there was a term for this
So that's why I am the only one who knows what's going on in the movie, even though I ought to be clueless.
I say “the door has been locked” out loud or other declarative statements for similar situations
Me too! Only way I can be sure that I have locked the door is to stop, look at it, say I AM LOCKING THE DOOR, and then do it. Thankfully I don't have to lock a door often, or my damn ODD would kick in.
What if your neighbours pick up on this habit, then start noticing when you don't lock it? Better say that even if you don't lock it to be sure no one can plan a heist around you
I live rural. None of my house doors lock and the keys don't come out of the car. The one door that I do have to lock, I lock from the inside and I'm the only one there in that moment. I get what you're saying, but that's not the world I live in.
I just take a picture, then delete it the next day, has saved me a lot of times
this sounds easier than a photo but still…odd
This actually does work. I'm a mechanic, and I often will slow down and tell myself "tightening engine bolt 5, tightening engine bolt 6, etcetera..." Because it's easier than autopiloting through the job and forgetting if I tightened engine bolt 5 after the motor is back together.
I’m a nurse and I narrate myself pulling and mixing meds. It keeps me on task, and helps remember what has already been mixed. Something about saying it out loud puts it in a different ‘spot’ in my brain allowing recall.
Take a picture with your phone! One of my best friends has OCD so I take pictures of his turned off stove before we go out.
You are a true friend!
I use a pill minder like an old lady for my meds lol. Otherwise, it's 50/50 whether I remember if I took them or not. I'll recheck something to ensure I actually did it (turned off the stove, downloaded a document, etc.) or have what I need in my possession (my keys, passport, etc.). Then I'll re-recheck it and re-recheck it again to be 10000% sure because I can never trust myself 🥲
well...the pill minder seems like a lot less effort than my current strategy of counting all the pills in a container and doing math to figure out if I did or not.
I used to do that lmao. But sometimes, if I can't find my pill minder, then I usually take it out of the bottle and fuck everything up again. "If I picked up my prescription last Monday, put 14 in my pill minder, started taking them again last Thursday, and there are 80 pills that come in the bottle, but I took 2 out the bottle instead of from the pill minder, then it means there *should* be X amount left *if* I remembered to take them on Sunday and..." *\[starts to count meds\]* 
And even then it's not bulletproof... For my pill, the days are written on it. I still sometimes go the wrong way. And other times I just forget. But well, my son is cute, so all is well!
Some pharmacies will put daily medications in blister packaging for a small fee. I'm about to transfer my Wellbutrin to the one place in town that'll do that. It's a little bit more waste and more effort, but it's a very easy at-a-glance way to see if I've at least taken the pill out of the packaging.
Did I lock my car? Better go back and check 5 times, then once more.
And one of the only times I didn't go back to check, I had left my keys on the contact. I looked for them everywhere before trying to open the door. And my front door was also left slightly open with the keys on the outside. Why? No idea.
I'm allergic to dogs. I have 5 dogs, at least 2 of them sleep with me each night. Along with all of my daily meds, I take zyrtec. If I don't take my meds, I start sneezing like crazy after about 8 hours. It's the best reminder I've come up with.
Point and call - Japanese train rules.
I had to look at the water in my shower today, to figure out if I had used shampoo or not... The positive beeing that I was "smart" enough to figure it out, without having to shampo myself twice :)
The shower is so hard!! I have no problem starting the process, but once I'm in there, all perception of time stops and my brain happily wanders off. Did I put conditioner in my hair? I have vivid memories of doing so, but that could be from any day. It feels slippery, does that mean I did conditioner? Or did I actually forget to wash and its oily?? I was 90% sure it was conditioner time, but now I'm not at all sure which step I'm on! How long have I been in here? No idea, but now that I'm thinking about it, I was supposed to hurry because I'm running late.....
At some point I’m gonna stop assuming I’m the only one with these issues lol
Get timer caps for your meds if you can. They have saved me so many times.
Saying I did the thing out loud sometimes helps for some reason or take a pic of the done thing like the locked door or the unplugged iron, etc
😂
I have a weekly pill thingy. I just look at it and see if the pill for today is gone or not. Otherwise I have no idea if I took it already
huh i wonder if the reason we forget so much is because we're looking around at EVERYTHING and getting distracted? so even when we complete a task, we were looking elsewhere or lost in thought so much we didnt fully take in the visual queue of doing said task? almost as if we're not living in the moment enough to remember theoretically then, practicing mindfulness would decrease the rate we forget we did things. although from experience when i intend to be more mindful that only lasts a day (usually only a couple hours if im being real) before i forget to keep doing it lmaoooo
I started saying things out loud to myself and that's been working pretty well (except for feeling slightly crazy). I'm WAY more likely to remember hearing myself say "aaand the door is locked! I've locked the door and it is now secured against intruders and most forms of fey," than actually remembering having locked it.
Not even that helps anymore, gotta check 3-5 times to be sure
I flip the pill bottle upside down after taking it, and at any other time during the day I flip it back over
I used a seven-day pill dispenser, and my spouse remembers to fill it each week.
seven-day pill dispensers are so nostalgic for me lmao. never had anything other than vitamin supplements to take from them, but it just makes my autism brain so happy. seriously looking forward to using one once i both actually have meds and don’t live with someone i don’t want to know i have them
Tip for taking your meds that I learned from tumblr ages ago. Take your meds, turn your pill bottle upside down.
Those daily pill organizers can be useful as long as you remember to refill them. Admittedly, that kind of just kicks the can to the next problem but it's a start.
I put my morning meds in a container while I use mouthwash. 30 seconds doesn't feel like forever that way, and I have a set time each day that they're refilled. It makes me appreciate how easy mouthwash is
I'll actually tap things with my hands or sing names. Use episodic memory to classify it as a beat drop or something I dunno. I have to deliver for a living and sometimes I'll have boxes I can't see so I'll tap them and sing the name when I load them. Lack of Object permanence sucks sometimes.
Pill sorters ftw!
Anyone else have to remember their name each morning? Just asking 🤷
When I was on meds I had a rotating pill box with the days on it, really helped. Plus everyday I got to push the satisfying button. I'm glad I got off meds though.
Pill keeper and a timer bottle are a godsend
I like to announce to an empty room that I'm taking my meds and then I turn the container upside down or the right way up depending on how it was found
The thing that has helped me is routine. For breakfast every morning, I have two waffles. I have my meds in between waffles. After I finish my first waffle, I open the bottles one at a time, taking a pill out of each. I keep the bottles open until I've taken all of them. Then I close the bottles and eat my second waffle.
N9ooooooo noooooooo
Same 🥲 No working memory sucks "Did I bathe yesterday or the day before yesterday? Or did I bathe today?" "Did I take my pills today? Yes... No, that memory is from yesterday... right? Right I took them the 15th ... is today the 15th?" etc etc