How is your relationship with your memory?

[Vindiesel]

I feel at times I have amnesia and ground hog day. More the numb anhedonia/alexithymia type individual. I understand that emotions are what help store humans memories. So if you have dulled emotions then that would mean you don’t keep much unless it is very emotionally biased event. So I extrapolate what I need and throw the rest away. The only problem I see with this is at times I miss or forget pertinent information or I didn’t view it as such so I don’t store it (common from what I read.). It’s like my brain is on constant defragmenter mode cleaning and erasing files. One view I think it is terrible and another I see it as efficiency and practical in relieving waste that is not worth storing.

Anyone else feel this way or what is your relationship with your memory?

 

[autism-and-autotune]

I feel at times I have amnesia and ground hog day. More the numb anhedonia/alexithymia type individual. I understand that emotions are what help store humans memories. So if you have dulled emotions then that would mean you don’t keep much unless it is very emotionally biased event. So I extrapolate what I need and throw the rest away. The only problem I see with this is at times I miss or forget pertinent information or I didn’t view it as such so I don’t store it (common from what I read.). It’s like my brain is on constant defragmenter mode cleaning and erasing files. One view I think it is terrible and another I see it as efficiency and practical in relieving waste that is not worth storing.

Anyone else feel this way or what is your relationship with your memory?

Thank you for bringing this up! I feel that my short-term memory has become worse since my diagnosis. Especially in stressful situations, I just...don't remember anything. I remember the gist of things, but maybe not specific words.

For example, I noticed things were...off..when in college and I just one day couldn't remember dialogue. Normally in my journals exact conversations were written out, but eventually I just wrote, "We talked about this, that and the other thing' rather than direct words.

even at my organ concert last night---much of it is forgotten by me. I remember feeling nervous, and I remember a few specific mistakes and how I felt discouraged about them, but....

 

[Misery]

I lost my keychain once. Just could not find it. No idea where I'd put it. I saw it like just 20 minutes ago, or... er... some number of minutes ago, where was it? Cant remember, argh...

The keychain is 3 feet long and makes a large variety of jingling noises.

Where was it?

I'd hung it on my neck for some reason (obviously, I dont remember why, nor did I remember doing it).

It took me like 10 minutes to figure this out. Could not remember and all the jangling sounds werent making the connection for me.

I hope that answers the question.

 

[tazz]

I miss or forget pertinent information or I didn’t view it as such

This. I remember things like the orientation of the carpet tiles at the hospital, but not what the doctor said. In the book Unmasking Autism it says something about autistic people having to work out the world from the bottom up... like we don't easily focus on the important bits, and instead we kinda focus on everything equally.

 

[Kayla55]

I had memory recall at stage and realised half my life had being a blurry....
So I learnt about different types of memory and fancy names. Tried to have more fun, decide what to me was fun...
Now I'm older and this never ever happened where I can't remember facts or work events. (In past I forgot memories of like you say people n personal) I struggle to keep up with my diary

I did mention something ages ago when someone said prefer to suppress or forget and I said I did that but realised as older that I regret not combating alexythemia.

 

[Kayla55]

RDI therapy build relationships

What happens sometimes when for years we had a birthday but suddenly we realise what a party is and get happy? Was it experience of unhappiness that brought realisation. Is it when you too comfy you don't have space to grow. Do sports we enjoy stimulate us? Is it a type of natural occuring RMI...

www.autismforums.com

 

[Outdated]

I have an uncommon memory, as far as I can tell it never forgets anything. Sometimes recall is a bit shoddy, sometimes I need certain situations or events to trigger perfect recall, but as far as I can tell everything is still there.

Remembering where I put my glasses down a minute ago is different, but as soon as I find them the memory of putting them there returns too.

 

[Luca]

I have an uncommon memory, as far as I can tell it never forgets anything. Sometimes recall is a bit shoddy, sometimes I need certain situations or events to trigger perfect recall, but as far as I can tell everything is still there.

Remembering where I put my glasses down a minute ago is different, but as soon as I find them the memory of putting them there returns too.

I'm the exact same way. People don't believe me when I say this but I can actually remember specific events from when I was a toddler. I also seem to have a photographic memory for some things.
But sometimes I don't remember why I walked into a room at first lol
Trauma can seriously mess with memory. Both making it easier to remember things from the past, and harder to remember things from the present.

 

[Outdated]

I had a very strange episode once. I had lived in 5 different states over the past decade, one afternoon driving home from work my memory vanished. Full amnesia.

I had no idea what city I was in or why I was there, had no idea who I was or how I got there. I was sitting at a set of traffic lights with my right hand indicator going so when the lights changed I turned right and just followed the flow of the traffic trying to work out who and where I was.

After 20 minutes I reached the Westgate Bridge, a rather iconic bridge in Melbourne, and when I recognised that all my other memories began to return, but it was a very scary 20 minutes or so. By the time I got to the other side of the bridge everything was back as it should be except I was headed in the wrong direction to go home.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

A lack of memory can also be a symptom of underlying health and psychological issues. Stress, distractions, lack of focus are more common ones that most people think about. Certainly, those with some variants of autism can experience elevated levels of stress and anxieties, mental exhaustion, mental fog, and if you also have an ADHD component, then even more tendencies to be a bit "scatter-brained" and forgetful. We speak of this thing called "autism burnout", meltdowns, shutdowns, etc. Certainly, leading up to those scenarios is a stress and anxiety response, effecting memory.

Then, there are the health issues related to a lack of exercise, too many carbohydrates, elevated insulin, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, viral illnesses, etc.

Depending upon where you are on the spectrum of associated "risks", then your memory can significantly be affected.

 

[N2k12]

I lost my keychain once. Just could not find it. No idea where I'd put it. I saw it like just 20 minutes ago, or... er... some number of minutes ago, where was it? Cant remember, argh...

The keychain is 3 feet long and makes a large variety of jingling noises.

Where was it?

I'd hung it on my neck for some reason (obviously, I dont remember why, nor did I remember doing it).

It took me like 10 minutes to figure this out. Could not remember and all the jangling sounds werent making the connection for me.

I hope that answers the question.

yep. done that a few times too, looking for my phone, wallet, keys, things like that. and they are in my hands... i have even gone to look for my phone, to write something in the notes app, whilst talking to someone, on the phone...trying to find....my phone. lol

 

[Outdated]

I don't have a good relationship with it....

I have this issue too, it forgets nothing. Writing it all down helped.

 

[Dagan]

I remember everything. I remember things that I wish I could forget, but it's always there. I'm told that I'm a great trivia night partner, and I'm told that it sucks to be in any debate with me based on things others have said and done.

 

[Sasha22]

I don't forget anything I find important. It's like I have a straight line going from my starting point toward what I "want" (or toward the best combination of possibilities as per my perception). What's on that "line" I normally do remember. The rest is satellite info, like a cloud around the straight line. Some of it I remember, or I remember highlights that struck me. A lot of it is kind of a blur, or as though in storage somewhere - maybe if I ever need it, I'll remember. And mostly I remember conversations really well, as well as tones/impressions I had. That's often accurate enough to make up for other shortcomings.

 

[Sasha22]

Writing it all down helped.

I tried several times to write down my story, but I ran for the hills every time - to me it's a bit like fighting the boss in a video game

 

[Gerontius]

My relationship with my memory is-- Oh never mind, I forgot.

 

[MildredHubble]

I lost my keychain once. Just could not find it. No idea where I'd put it. I saw it like just 20 minutes ago, or... er... some number of minutes ago, where was it? Cant remember, argh...

The keychain is 3 feet long and makes a large variety of jingling noises.

Where was it?

I'd hung it on my neck for some reason (obviously, I dont remember why, nor did I remember doing it).

It took me like 10 minutes to figure this out. Could not remember and all the jangling sounds werent making the connection for me.

I hope that answers the question.

I have a 3 foot long keychain too! Precisely because it makes noise. When I was desperately depressed and anxious, I had a habit of losing keys. I would unlock a door and forget to take the keys out of the lock. So they'd be sitting there for anyone to take.

I got my keychain as it allows me to unlock the door and always have my keys. If I forget and walk in without them, my keys, and maybe even the door is coming with me!

It used to be that my memory was so good, I never needed to write anything down, maybe the odd phone number or something, but where I put things, what I needed to do, that sort of thing, I just would never forget. Now my memory is terrible, I walk in and out of rooms, up and down stairs totally unable to recall why. It's quite embarrassing to be honest :-(

 

[Vindiesel]

A lack of memory can also be a symptom of underlying health and psychological issues. Stress, distractions, lack of focus are more common ones that most people think about. Certainly, those with some variants of autism can experience elevated levels of stress and anxieties, mental exhaustion, mental fog, and if you also have an ADHD component, then even more tendencies to be a bit "scatter-brained" and forgetful. We speak of this thing called "autism burnout", meltdowns, shutdowns, etc. Certainly, leading up to those scenarios is a stress and anxiety response, effecting memory.

Then, there are the health issues related to a lack of exercise, too many carbohydrates, elevated insulin, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, viral illnesses, etc.

Depending upon where you are on the spectrum of associated "risks", then your memory can significantly be affected.

I almost forgot to respond to this ha ha.

All those attributes to my knowledge do not pertain to me. Healthy, no stress, I exercise regularly and have always been this way. A very narrow focused memory.

I appreciate all the answers seems a common theme to some degree for everyone yet some have exceptional memory.

 

[Judge]

I'm the exact same way. People don't believe me when I say this but I can actually remember specific events from when I was a toddler. I also seem to have a photographic memory for some things.

Me too. Seriously. But my short term memory can be challenging. Especially when it involves names or people. Or what I had for lunch!

Forcing me to do a periodic "memory exercise" just to keep my mind from becoming mush over time. (Like in over 67 years of age.)

Reciting the following in no particular order of no particular interest:

Gary Collins- "The Sixth Sense" (old paranormal tv show)
Jena Malone (local film/tv actor)
Nicole Kidman (film actor)
Coriander is also Cilantro
Karl Rove (political pollster)

For some reason Nicole Kidman sometimes forced me to recall taking longer than I like. Weird, in that when I struggle to recall her name my mind seems to focus on the letter "L". Not "N" or "K". Go figure.

 

[Metalhead]

My family has told me my entire life that my memory is never to be trusted. Gaslighting like that has screwed me up big time. I am breaking away from that now.