I think I have a problem with my short-term memory....help?!?

Question

Lately, I've been getting real bad memory problems. It's mainly at night when i'm praying by my bed, my mind will slip off when i'm thinking about a topic like school, then I try to get back to praying and I forget what I was praying about. I feel really bad, but it seems like I can't help it. It also happens when I try to concentrate in school and let my mind wonder or something. Later on, I can usually think back and remember all that happened, including what I was thinking about then forgot and everything.

Are there any tips, any vitamins or SOMETHING I can do to try to stay on track? School DID start this wednesday, so i've been totally off my game. And I know I probably need more sleep, but i've been taking sleeping pills and have gone to sleep almost instantly, and when I calculate the hours it's around 8. So, yeah....anything?!?

Answer 1

Have you been under a lot of stress lately?

It sounds more like you are dissociating rather than it being a memory problem. Do you have "lost time" where you can go for minutes or even hours and not remember what you did? Do you misplace things like keys often? This is dissociation; you're not thinking about what you're doing.

This can usually be helped quite easily:

http://www.mindfulness.com

mindfulness is about concentrating on the here and now. It takes practice, but try it for a few weeks. It will probably help.

Dissociation happens to everybody; it can become a problem if you are stressed out and do it all the time.

  Hope this helped. =)

Answer 2

You need to relax.  You have a "cluttered mind", not a memory problem.

There's a lot going on in your head this time of year, and your brain is always multi-tasking, even when you pray, so you easily slip into another thought pattern without realizing it.

If you think its bad now, wait till you have a husband, children, and probably a job, all demanding prime processing time in your brain.  You will learn to manage this situation.

I make notes of things I have to do, think about, decide about, look into, or get rid of.  It's kind of like an auxiliary memory and it helps alot.

You are perfectly normal...just a very busy young lady right now, and stress magnifies the problem.  As you mature, you will get better at managing your memory resources, so relax and enjoy the ride while you can!!!

Answer 3

See a doctor. You might have slight ADHD.

A lot of people have it, just concentration issues.

Don't feel bad.

...and now that I re read it, your mind just might be full. School starting is exciting.