Forgetting things and checking them frequently

[Dillon]

i don’t know about y’all but I have a tendency to forget things that I’ve already done or things I have not done

For instance I will leave the house and lock my front door, a few minutes later I have to check and see if I had lock it not once but twice. How does someone forget something like that haha

When someone wants me to do something I will get right on it but then a few minutes later I forget what I’m doing and I tend to ignore the task at hand for a while until someone had asks if I had done whatever it may be such as laundry. Being forgetful like that does not happen all the time but I’ve noticed an increasing trend of it lately.

I also have toads that have been living under my backyard patio for a few years and with me having two dogs I’m always going on the backyard every 30 minutes or an hour at night until 10:30 pm to make sure the dogs are not playing with them which they have before. They haven’t mess with them lately but I’m constantly checking to see and that should not be something I need to worry about.

I feel like as if I’m going insane sometimes checking things frequently that I think I forget and that also worry me which should not anyway. I’ve noticed I’ve been more confused in doing things lately maybe I’m tired who knows or it’s just an aspie thing who knows....
Has anything like this happen to y’all?

 

[kay]

Do you have a lot going on right now? If you have stressful events going on in your life, good or bad, or are recovering from a very stressful and busy time, that will effect your memory. This sorta thing happens to me because I think my brain is just having to do so much work that it has to give up some other things. Wish I could pick what it chooses to let go.

What I do is go to bed, think of something I was suppose to do, panic, get up to check and then find that I already did it. Which is better than when I just forget. Sometimes I haven't done something, like water the bunnies (don't worry anyone, I am not their sole caregiver, I have backup) Once last year I forgot to lock my car, but I remembered the next morning, right before my SO came in the bedroom to tell me someone got into my car during the night. The more I have going on in my life the harder it gets. Last year was bad. This spring was terrible. Things have been a bit calmer recently and I am doing a tiny bit better between bouts of severe anxiety. Anxiety will mess up your memory, too.

What about these toads the dogs like to bother? Are they particularly cute? I like toads.

 

[Dillon]

Do you have a lot going on right now? If you have stressful events going on in your life, good or bad, or are recovering from a very stressful and busy time, that will effect your memory. This sorta thing happens to me because I think my brain is just having to do so much work that it has to give up some other things. Wish I could pick what it chooses to let go.

What I do is go to bed, think of something I was suppose to do, panic, get up to check and then find that I already did it. Which is better than when I just forget. Sometimes I haven't done something, like water the bunnies (don't worry anyone, I am not their sole caregiver, I have backup) Once last year I forgot to lock my car, but I remembered the next morning, right before my SO came in the bedroom to tell me someone got into my car during the night. The more I have going on in my life the harder it gets. Last year was bad. This spring was terrible. Things have been a bit calmer recently and I am doing a tiny bit better between bouts of severe anxiety. Anxiety will mess up your memory, too.

What about these toads the dogs like to bother? Are they particularly cute? I like toads.

No nothing stressful or anything like that which is good, no anxiety either. I tend to have one of these zone out moments where my mind feel like it’s wondering off so instead of doing what I need to do I’m concentrated on another thing that’s less important. Also I’ve been doing important multiple things in the short amount of time but then there would be something in the middle I feel like I’m forgetting.

Yeah, these toads are quite interesting they are Gulf Coast toads I believe?
I feel like I’m getting off topic for a bit but hey why not.

 

[kay]

No nothing stressful or anything like that which is good, no anxiety either. I tend to have one of these zone out moments where my mind feel like it’s wondering off so instead of doing what I need to do I’m concentrated on another thing that’s less important. Also I’ve been doing important multiple things in the short amount of time but then there would be something in the middle I feel like I’m forgetting.

Yeah these toads are quite interesting they are Gulf Coast toads I believe.

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Glad things are low stress at the moment. Those are the cutest toads! Friends it seems. Do you do anything to keep them hanging around? Gulf toads are something I won't have in my backyard and I really like those little stripes down their backs and sides. You are in Texas, right? Seems like you posted that somewhere. Oddly I don't know exactly what kind of toads we have around here, though obviously we do have toads in Missouri. And I like them, but I can't remember their names. See, I have a bad memory.

 

[Dillon]

Yep and there’s a female hanging around. I have a small kitty pool for the dogs for them to swim in and every year there would be tadpoles in it tons of them.
I think Gulf toads are mainly dominant in the southern U.S. since it tends to be warmer down here .
I would have no idea either but if I did knew what toads you had I would probably zone out and forget haha.
And yes I am from Texas, at least I never forget that lol.

 

[SusanLR]

I lived in Missouri many years before moving to Florida and I can't remember the toads we had there.
I'm into frogs as pets here. I let them live in the pool cage area with my potted plants.
I keep water bowls out for them, (keeps them out of the pool), and give them super worms made for small reptiles to eat.
They are so friendly and eat from my fingers. I could write a book on the secret life of frogs.
They are the Cuban Tree Frogs.
I don't recognise those Gulf Toads. The poisonous ones here are the Bufos as they emit a poison
from glands on their neck if animals try to mess with them.

Getting back to the OP, stress, depression or a lot of different things going on can cause forgetfulness.
Sometimes the need to check and recheck is a bit of OCD.
Age starts creating more forgetfulness too. You're not at that point yet though.
One of my little guys:

 

[Progster]

Yes, that happens to me quite a lot. I'm very absent-minded and forgetful. Cooking is dreadful: I often start something and then forget about it or become distracted, and only remember the cooling when I smell burning coming from the kitchen...

 

[WereBear]

I will not remember doing something if it is part of "automatic pilot." Like when I commuted an hour to school, I would not remember the drive It's one road with no way of getting off or making a turn until the end.

Did not need brain. Brain not recording.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Yeah, I'm very forgetful.
When I'm leaving for work in the morning, I have to make sure that I've turned off everything at the wall that I've used, make sure the windows are closed or at least locked on vent, close the kitchen door and make sure I've locked the doors behind me.
When I'm in by myself at night, I'm often up and down to check whether I've locked the doors and closed the windows and turned everything off.
The other night, I'd turned the bath on, completely forgot about it and only realized when I went in the bathroom and found it centimeters from overflowing.

It's a real pain.

 

[Streetwise]

i don’t know about y’all but I have a tendency to forget things that I’ve already done or things I have not done

For instance I will leave the house and lock my front door, a few minutes later I have to check and see if I had lock it not once but twice. How does someone forget something like that haha

When someone wants me to do something I will get right on it but then a few minutes later I forget what I’m doing and I tend to ignore the task at hand for a while until someone had asks if I had done whatever it may be such as laundry. Being forgetful like that does not happen all the time but I’ve noticed an increasing trend of it lately.

I also have toads that have been living under my backyard patio for a few years and with me having two dogs I’m always going on the backyard every 30 minutes or an hour at night until 10:30 pm to make sure the dogs are not playing with them which they have before. They haven’t mess with them lately but I’m constantly checking to see and that should not be something I need to worry about.

I feel like as if I’m going insane sometimes checking things frequently that I think I forget and that also worry me which should not anyway. I’ve noticed I’ve been more confused in doing things lately maybe I’m tired who knows or it’s just an aspie thing who knows....
Has anything like this happen to y’all?

yes since I had a nervous breakdown and worse since I was locked out ,my brain seems to be trying to stop me from doing that ,I can feel that I don't want to be panicking all the time it makes me so tired .

 

[Wolf31]

Constantly! Like at work, I have to check that I put the key back at least five times, have to check the gates to the animal pens a minimum of twice, and when I am the last one to leave the house, I have to check the door 2 or three times. If I don't do it, then I get stuck with anxiety.

 

[Loren]

I don't experience forgetfulness, generally speaking, but I do have OCD and have noticed that when social anxiety rears it's head, I worry quite a bit, which seems to, inevitably, trigger or perpetuate OCD symptoms, one of them being a compulsion to check.

In my case, I experience ruminating or obsessive thoughts about whether I have said or written something wrong, incorrectly, could cause a person to feel badly, or if I have said or written something foolish, or exposed too much of myself. I will ruminate about such things, which leads to constant checking of what I wrote, or playing back in my mind in continuous loops, what I had said, or, how an interaction or conversation went, or could be perceived. I also go through periods where, while reading literature, a novel or other, I experience compulsions to reread a sentence, repeatedly, as if I may have missed a word, or, if if it was something I had written, I will begin to worry I have miss-worded something that could lead to the reader misreading, misinterpreting or misunderstanding what I meant.

I have to make sure everything is in order, straight, nothing at an angle, not even in my peripheral vision, and I can have intense urges to straighten said object, and if I don't act on the compulsion, I am often, unable to move on to my next task, or whatever I had needed or planned to do, as the need to straighten or realign the object will consume my mind, until I straighten it.

I am fortunate in that the symptoms I experience come few and far between, and, I have gone years at a time, without having them, for the most part.

 

[Dillon]

I don't experience forgetfulness, generally speaking, but I do have OCD and have noticed that when social anxiety rears it's head, I worry quite a bit, which seems to, inevitably, trigger or perpetuate OCD symptoms, one of them being a compulsion to check.

In my case, I experience ruminating or obsessive thoughts about whether I have said or written something wrong, incorrectly, could cause a person to feel badly, or if I have said or written something embarassing, or exposed too much information about myself. I will ruminate about these things, which leads to constant checking of what I wrote, or playing back in my mind in continuous loops, what I had said, or, how an interaction or conversation went, or could be perceived. I also go through periods where, while reading literature, a novel or other, I experience compulsions to reread a sentence, repeatedly, as if I may have missed a word, or, if I had written the text, I begin to worry I have miss-worded something that could lead to the reader misreading, misinterpreting or misunderstanding what I meant.

I, also, have to make sure everything is in order, straight, no angles, not even in my peripheral vision, and feeling strong compulsions to fix or straighten, and if I don't act on the compulsion to straighten the object, I cannot move on to my next task, or whatever I had needed or planned to do, because, the need to fix or straighten the object will consume my mind and prevent me from moving forward until I have straightened the object or fixed the situation. Throughout periods of childhood, I experienced other sorts of compulsions, such as facial movements and a vocal tic-like compulsion of sorts. I am fortunate in the sense, that my symptoms come few and far between, and, I have gone years at a time, without experiencing symptoms.

Although you may not have anxiety, OCD or similar, you may find relief through the practice of mindfulness techniques, or, listening to music, or, a podcast of particular interest, as forms of relaxation and redirecting thoughts, while you are in process of winding down, or, trying to fall asleep. Otherwise, taking a quick run/ engaging in some form of vigorous exercise, even for just a few minutes, can have a resoundingly positive effect on one's mental state.

Since you brought that up when I have a social anxiety episode I forget what I’m suppose to be doing the rest of the day getting upset with myself, but I get right on it the next morning.

Also I’m real detailed oriented I want to make sure something is perfect such as a project, on a certain job or whatever. I notice I tend to miss some small details no one else notices so I would go back over and correct them or get it the way I want to. Whatever I’m working on I feel like it should be the best it can be.
Even though I don’t have OCD since I’ve been test for it and doctor can’t find no signs of it I feel like that sometimes but then I heard it’s just part of the aspergers. There are some things I’m learning everyday about it that some things I can’t believe it’s part of.

 

[Loren]

Since you brought that up when I have a social anxiety episode I forget what I’m suppose to be doing the rest of the day getting upset with myself, but I get right on it the next morning.

Also I’m real detailed oriented I want to make sure something is perfect such as a project, on a certain job or whatever. I notice I tend to miss some small details no one else notices so I would go back over and correct them or get it the way I want to. Whatever I’m working on I feel like it should be the best it can be.

(I just realized that you had edited/added to your comment, after I read and responded) : ). The same is true for me, in that, I am, extremely, detail oriented, and I always do things to the very best of my ability. If I realize that there is something that I can improve or perfect on a project, I cannot simply leave it as is, and will go back and make the applicable adjustments.

 

[Judge]

OCD indeed. It can be quite draining at times...more so than social anxiety concerns.

Yet a common comorbid condition to ASD as well.

 

[Loren]

OCD indeed. It can be quite draining at times...more so than social anxiety concerns.

Yet a common comorbid condition to ASD as well.

In terms of myself, social anxiety can occur more frequently, and with more intensity than OCD, and while you're right, that OCD can be quite consuming, social anxiety has impacted the course of my life, more profoundly. Particularly, of late, as the result of being deceived/betrayed by a workplace predator, over several months. I have experienced social anxiety on a daily basis, in some shape or form, since the occurrence, although, I am presently putting measures into practice, to prevent anxiety from snowballing out of control, and I have been challenging and conquering fear I can experience. I have rambled off topic.

 

[Judge]

In terms of myself, social anxiety can occur more frequently, and with more intensity than OCD, and while you're right, that OCD can be quite consuming, social anxiety has impacted the course of my life, more profoundly. Particularly, of late, as the result of being deceived and betrayed by a workplace predator, over the course of 9 months. I have experienced social anxiety on a daily basis, in some shape or form, since the occurence, although, currently, I am putting preventative measures into practice, in addition to challenging and conquering fear I experience in social situations. Yipes, I have rambled off topic.

Agreed, when it comes to traits, behaviors and comorbidity we're apt to experience them to varying degrees.

Though from my own perspective I live with my own OCD 24/7. That I cannot escape it, even when alone. Something I cannot personally claim when it comes to my social anxiety, which to trigger inherently requires the presence of another person.