Last Updated on June 20, 2021
As we grow older, we would tend to be more forgetful. But being forgetful can also be a sign of a more serious oncoming problem such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Researchers are trying to find the link between lifestyle, diet, outlook with these diseases. Many such theories are available on the web – in which you can read further. Here, I would like to offer 2 possible causes of forgetfulness- mental and emotional:
1. Restlessness
2. Remorse
Restlessness
When the mind is restless and not centered, it’s strength weakens. We may notice that on days that we run around like a headless chicken, we would tend to forget important details. Some people may appear calm and collected- but in fact, they could be thinking and worrying about things all the time. Restlessness and worry are very closely interconnected.
The world today is fast paced. We are consider incompetent if we are slow in completing our tasks. Often our minds literally spin trying to do this and that- years of overtaxing and overuse… but insufficient or inability to relax and calm down may lead to some parts of our brain cells starting to degenerate.
Keeping simple organisation systems – well you can go through books and seek advise from friends but in the end, you need to figure out on your own the best methods that suits you. They need not be expensive- but it should take your mind off from worrying that you may be forgetting something.
Remorse
In mind body connection, when we feel guilty and remorse about some past events, we would tend to not want to think about them. We would do our best to banish these thoughts from our consciousness or be in denial. Outwardly, we may look more calm and composed but on the inside, we are trying not to think about certain issues that may be eating away in us.
Perhaps it is something bad that we have done when we were young and ignorant- by banishing a problem or guilt away instead of dealing with them. Unfortunately, the strange thing about life is whatever we try to run away from would come back and haunt us. Still, if we have chosen not to dealt with the issue, the years of denial may result in forgetfulness- on daily tasks like where the keys or items are placed….something seemingly unrelated to the real hidden issue.
Because we want to forget- so the mind does us a favor and start to forget. It is so real that certain part of the brain can also suffer degeneration.
Calm down, relax and let go
The thing about life is that- often, it does not turn out the way we have envisioned it to be. Along the way we make mistakes, and we need to learn to forgive ourselves for them. We can make amends through doing in the best of our abilities not to repeat the same mistake in future with others. At the same time, we can also use our new found wisdom to benefit others.
For example, the daughter who broke her parents’ heart because she was such a rebel (and could not make amends because her parents’ had passed away) can look into brightening up the lives of other seniors and dedicating what she is doing in her parents’ memory.
We can choose to grow or harm ourselves with a past misdeed or mistake. In the grand scheme of things, everything happens for a reason. Do whatever we need to do and let whatever future outcome be…to happen by itself.
Also we cannot move forward by looking at the rear view mirror. Soon, this too shall past. And when it does, let it go and focus on the present.
When we let go, we would feel and look lighter, internally we are more composed and focused. The carefree and joyful mind would not be weighed down with so much of mental baggage.
With the mental space freed up, the memory would improve because awareness of present improved- ie when the keys are placed in the third drawer, the mind is not mulling over some past event- the mind was present and mindful of the placement of the drawer keys. So, would be easier to recall, don’t you think?
