subject: Forgetfulness Causes and Symptoms and Tips to Cure Forgetfulness or Memory Loss [print this page] Forgetfulness Causes and Symptoms and Tips to Cure Forgetfulness or Memory Loss
There are no well defined forgetfulness causes. Basically, there can be various medical reasons and contributing factors for problems of forgetfulness. If we leave aside the forgetfulness condition in old aged people that results from aging, there are various other prominent forgetfulness causes.
Forgetfulness occurs sometimes when we are inattentive to our surroundings, lost in our own world and thoughts and so if someone says or does something even few moments ago, we may tend to forget it. Sometimes, we are so much distracted and worried about something that accentuates forgetfulness. When these factors are left aside, medical conditions are a major cause of forgetfulness. Let us look into the causes of forgetfulness resulting due to medical conditions.
Depression
Depression often leads to hopelessness and lack of interest in our surrounding things and events, so if you are dealing with, or talking to a depressed person, it may happen that he may forget things very easily. He is consumed by his own world of thoughts that he is unable to relate to the present moment. A depressed person may either linger too much in past memories or may be too worried about the future.
Stress
Stress is inevitable in today's life. However, overstressed people may show striking signs of forgetfulness. Severe emotional and physical stress leading to anxiety and worry are major forgetfulness causes for young people in today's fast paced life. Youngsters who are in a constant state of worry about their career or the increasing competition may take undue mental stress that amounts to forgetfulness in many cases.
Unhealthy Habits
Alcoholism and drug addiction are significant contributing factors for forgetfulness. When an individual is completely drunk, he may never remember what he is told or explained. Similar are the cases of drug addicted people. Brain cells lose their control due to excessive alcohol intake.
Menopause
Due to drastic hormonal changes in the perimenopausal and menopausal phase, women may often complain of experiencing various symptoms like weaknesses and anxiety. Forgetfulness also occurs in perimeopausal phase and it leads to a lack of concentration. Women may face stress and concentration problems during this phase. However, it's just one of the signs and may or may not occur to every women. Also, the intensity of forgetfulness depends on individual cases and past physical and mental health of the individual.
Tips to Cure Forgetfulness
1. Take a "picture". If you're always losing your keys, put them where they go, pick up your imaginary camera, hold "it" to your eyes and "click". You'll know where those keys are when you need them.
2. Chunk. If you have to remember the numbers 2-1-9-8-6-7-5-3-0-9, It would be hard. But remembering (219) 867-5309 is a lot easier. You can "chunk" anything you'd like.
3. Talk to yourself - out loud. When you park your car in a large lot, get out and look around and say (out loud) I'm leaving my car in lot #3, right next to the light pole. (or wherever it may be).
4. Read a lot. If you forget words, you aren't using them enough. Do as much reading as you can and make it enjoyable.
5. Stay Calm. The more anxiety about your memory, the worse it will get.
