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The Idea of the Week
Are you always forgetting? Dr. Tracey Marks explains how It may be a Working Memory Problem in this 7-minute video.
People with ADD/ADHD may struggle to remember things (11-minute video). It’s not that they forget because they don’t care. Rather, they are working with a different capacity for working memory or their they are working on empty so they have a harder time letting things sink in.
Jessica from How to ADHD shares her experience with constantly forgetting things in her life, the impact it had, and the emotional experience of forgetting. Often, there is an accompanying sense of shame, guilt, or embarrassment when forgetting things that seem easy to remember, such as a colleague’s name.
Our last resource is for parents of ADHD children. If you find yourself wondering, “Why does my ADHD Kid Always Forget, even though I just told them to do something two seconds ago?” then you will want to check out this resource from Dr. K at HealthyGamerGG.
Dr. K first outlines the processes at play in the ADHD mind that help us understand the child’s experiences, such as:
- a dysregulated limbic system (timestamp 05:35),
- attentional problems (07:29),
- and the parents’ timing of the request (09:19).
Then Dr. K shares tips to address the challenge, including leveraging their understanding, explaining if needed, and implementing the structure before the child begins the first task.
The Practice of the Week
Some tips from Dr. Tracey Marks and Jessica’s videos are included below. Let’s begin with 6 strategies for remembering to do tasks.
- Use cognitive offloading strategies, such as writing things down. Now, you may not need to remember the task, though keep in mind you will have to remember where you put the items.
- Keep a notepad with you. Or reference your notes app on your phone.
- Use your senses as a cue to remember things. Leverage your sense of smell and taste to create associations with a task.
- Leverage contextual cues, such as a sticky note on your coffee maker if you drink coffee every morning, or placing papers in front of your door so your partner asks you about it when they return home.
- Set up automated reminders on your phone and schedule them to notify you at a specific time.
- Alternative reminder apps on your phone include scheduling on your digital calendar or setting an alarm.
- Another step you can add when you set the reminder is to categorize reminders by urgency or importance.
- For recurring projects, create a checklist for each step. For instance, writing this newsletter is a weekly project, so I keep a checklist of actions for each newsletter.
- Couple cognitive offloading strategies with routines and structure. For instance, if you use the strategy to write things down, make a habit of using the same notes app or bringing a notebook with you. Create a habit by setting a recurring reminder on your phone.
When someone is telling you a story, it can be difficult to remember all the details until the point is made. So, how can you follow along?
- Ask them, “Can you give me a hook to hang this on?” That is, ask them what the point of the story is so you can associate the details with the point.
- Try visualizing their story. Imagine it like a movie in your mind, or like you are creating a storyboard.
- Ask the other person, “Are you looking to vent, or is this something you want me to remember?”
- Write down what you want to say. When you’re listening to someone talk, you may forget what it is you want to say, or focus so hard on remembering that what the other person is saying does not sink in. Write it down, and explain that you are doing it so you can listen and not interrupt them.
- Explain your processes to others. If you need to take notes, explain that you are taking notes to help you remember later.
News of the Week
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The Thought of the Week
Wishing you a peaceful week!
