I wish I knew if my brain is really not as sharp and creative as it used to be, or if I just have rose-colored nostalgia glasses about my brain in the past.
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I wonder if I have always had ADHD but youthful energy and fewer cares made coping easier. Or if what I think is ADHD is just the onset of middle age. Or if it's just the consequences of grief and loss these last five years.
My emotional control is better than it has been at any other point in my life. My memory, however...
I used to devour whole Robert Jordan novels in a weekend. Ask me how many books I've finished in the last year? I can count them on one hand. But is that cognitive decline, or distraction?
Just yesterday a 90 year old (sharp as a tack) parishioner told me, “if you know you’ve forgotten something you don’t have to worry about Alzheimer’s but if you don’t realize you’ve forgotten, you may very well have it. I just wish I hadn’t have broken my back 20 years ago, I’d still be driving.” 😅
These are questions so many of an ask, especially if we had a parent with dementia.
So many things can affect memory, like fatigue, stress. A tired, stressed mind is overtaxed. You're a parent of littles, the very definition of that, and more than likely at the root of memory change at present.
Not a scientific answer by any means, but a lot of Alzheimer's patients start taking more notes about things. They might not even realize they're doing it.
When my grandma moved into assisted living, my dad found all sorts of little notes tucked around her apartment for trivial things
I’ve read more since leaving twitter. I don’t think that is a coincidence. And I don’t think Twitter is the problem so much as I can only do so much. So removing Twitter freed up some brain space for reading.
Maybe you just aren't operating in hyperfocus as much. The emotional control gains might mean that you don't need the hyperfocus defense strategy as much
I think it's about cognitive load. My brain feels slower in the past three-four years too. Is it a low-level long COVID (versus the kind that gets diagnosed), I've wondered? or... and this is the thing that seems more likely to me... is it just that three kids take up an awful lot of mental space?
cause when my wife and I get a mental break from the kids, it's AMAZING all the things we think about!! that silence is a big difference from the usual noise.
I only have one kid (teenager now, yikes!) and one dog, and I feel this deeply. I love my kid and love being a dad, but it costs more than money to be a parent.
I'm have a Libby hold on a Robert Jordan book. It will be the third time I've checked it out. I'll finish it one of these days.
I think it's just a stage in life. We are busy. We are overwhelmed. Everything is crazy. It will pass (or we will be able to read the books in Heaven, I guess?).
I've been convicted of late that too much of my brain space is getting spent getting sucked into SM check-ins, or gaming, or other distractions because "I'm tired." Once the fog is cleared by putting it all down and choosing longform material, I snap back. Worth a shot.
I think it's stress more than anything. It's hard to concentrate on a pleasurable activity like reading when the country is falling apart and it appears evil is winning. I've read a lot less this past year, too, but decided to be off SM on weekends now so I can read more.
I have found I can get through books just fine if I’m willing to put down all my electronic devices. They’re just too habitual. (I still read a lot of books. But it’s a challenge for sure.)
I think as we get older, our brains are so stuffed with information we start dropping some of it. And of course children take so much time & energy, other things slide. Don’t be concerned until you start forgetting the names of your kids. You’re fine!
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I used to devour whole Robert Jordan novels in a weekend. Ask me how many books I've finished in the last year? I can count them on one hand. But is that cognitive decline, or distraction?
Or do you forget that you've forgotten things?
So many things can affect memory, like fatigue, stress. A tired, stressed mind is overtaxed. You're a parent of littles, the very definition of that, and more than likely at the root of memory change at present.
When my grandma moved into assisted living, my dad found all sorts of little notes tucked around her apartment for trivial things
I think you’re right, this is a major contributor. As much as I love my little (and not-so-little) bundles of chaos…
Sometimes when multiple kids are interrupting me at the same time, I joke that my kids are like ADHD on top of my existing ADHD.
I think it's just a stage in life. We are busy. We are overwhelmed. Everything is crazy. It will pass (or we will be able to read the books in Heaven, I guess?).
But also, changing tastes.