Psychologists have a technical term for this syndrome ... the chronic brain fart! ;-)

Indeed! Chronic. ; )

Our brain is an organic computer. Just like any other computer, there is only so much room for storage. Less important memories are deleted to make room for the more important ones. The theory is that if we do not examine what we know on a daily basis, then it is not important to continue knowing it, which is why the oldest of memories are the first to go. The more we learn now, the less we know about our childhood. It's the short term to long term memory system we have developed over the millennia. We automatically prioritize information as we take it into short term memory. The less important information gets dumped before it ever makes it into intermediate term memory (my term not an official one as far as I know). The more important the information is to know, the further into long term memory it goes so that we won't forget it until something more important overwrites it. This is why we cannot remember every single detail of every single moment of every single day of our lives.

I have been able to remember a lot of things that other people don't, because I reminded myself constantly. I remember every spot and stripe on a cat we had 20 years ago, because it was an important part of our family. However, the older I have gotten, the more I realize that I have forgotten details of my childood that other people remember. A lot of what I do remember is tied forever to the photographs that I still have. In other words, I remember those moments only because I look at the photos and deliberately remember them. Otherwise, there's nothing beyond the age of 5 that isn't in some picture. Currently, I remember things because I know where they go and remind myself at least three times that they are where I put them. If I forget to do that, then somebody was touching my stuff and I just might have to go incredible hulk on their butt, even if it is right where it belongs. LOL.

In other words, Angel, practice memory techniques in which y

hmmm.. when stressed and under pressure thinking becomes more and more difficult and you are more likely to mess up simply because of all things on your mind. i have had this happen sometimes when my mind is busy elsewhere i tend to forget things and it takes a minute to let it come back. although i think that its not so much as we don't have room. its just that we have things that our in our head now and less usefully information kind of compressed and archived back in there and it takes a minute to get them back out. sort of like a zip file lost in a directory under useless info. more or less what i'm saying is more immediate information is in the open and less relavent information to you is stored away. your keys and your papers and stuff are important sure but is the location of these items really important to you or do you have other things such as financial needs stressing in your mind. no one can focus on everything so we tend to get a bit set on a certain set of problems and the rest is all compressed back in there for later use when there is room for it to be floating around. although i think this happens to everyone at one point or another forgetting things and losing track. its trying to keep things together under pressure and stress. its like trying to multi-task with an over abundace of things to do at once. sounds to me like you need a vacation to give it some rest. anyway its annoying to forget but your memory must not be that bad because you would forget that you forgot so i would happy that you remember at all and your not starting over every 10 - 30 seconds because your brain can't hold any information longer than that. could you imagine trying to do something? or even ask a question?

Now this is a perfect analogy Pan. The whole file lost in a directory. It is similar to Polgaras thoughts above and I think you are both on to something. This is the same phenomenon my daughter with DS experiences. She learns things but because the file system doesn't always respond to incoming commands, the information can't be retrieved when she wants it. It makes perfect sense that life overload can produce this same thing in us! No I can not imagine only remembering for 10-30 seconds. Life would be chaos at best, dysfunctional to say the least. Good answer.

I was just reading up on menopause today (bored at work) and those things sound really familiar to what I was reading.. you may want to check into it... there are over 100 symptoms for menopause (and I'm sure that is not what you wanted to hear.)

OMG, don't even go there EC = ) no, can't POSSIBLY be that. NO NO NO! Thanks for answering.

I do not necessarily agree that memory decreases with age, I believe if you keep your mind active you will not have this problem, however with you situation you might want to check with your doctor, you stress may be a big part of why you are forgetting things and just getting the stress under control may be all that is needed at this point. good luck.

Thanks Norcha, and perhaps you are right, I don't think this is particularly age related. I think my mind is just too full of things

Yes I know what you mean. I think you could be onto something.

However I wish to add something to that theory. I don't think our brains actually discard the information, I think it just "reorganizes" it. Kind of like deleting without emptying the recycle bin.
Here's how I support my theory: whenever someone reminds you of that forgotten information, that name that's just on the tip of your tongue, the plotline of that book that you just can't remember, you automatically think "oh yeah" and it all comes flooding back.
I think it's just filed in a different folder.

Yes, good point Polgara! I think you're right. Dumping the information was a bad choice of words. I do believe it is more a case of hiding the information away. Storing it somewhere that it gets temporarily lost.

Stephen King uses that example in Dream Catcher.

i have this problem pretty bad myself. i must say that i think a lot of mine is due to me taking a lot of medicine. most of what i take will alter the mind and i have to be very careful after taking them. i've been through all of that you've mentioned. but yes, stress will definitely cause your memory to behave up. one thing that i found that helps is to take time out for yourself. get off to yourself, window shop, go to the mall or airport and just people watch, or meditate. some you time.

Good advice Rayne, Me time is something I lack. I have plenty of time alone but I wouldn't exactly call it me time. I usually use that time to organize my thoughts, try to cross a few to do items of the long list, think about what I've forgotten or didn't get to during the day, think about who is counting on me for something next, etc. etc. The exceptions to that are usually my QnA time or my reading time. Both are things I won't give up!

Oh to be that young and forgetful again! ;-)

I think that I had similar concerns about that age, it worried me for months that I was "going senile". Then I came to the realization that I had always left my keys in an odd location, left my wallet in another set of pants, locked my keys in the car, ad nauseam.

Einstein was indeed on to something. As we age, time APPEARS to accelerate. Why? because our cumulative memory contains more and more accumulated data through which we have to sift.

If you examine he number of times you lost a checkbook or misplaced your keys when you were younger, you will probably discover that the frequency of occurrences have probably not increased over a given period ... but your total number of occurrences has increased.

If anything, at my age, I lose things with less frequency than when I was much younger. All, that is, except my mind. ;-)

nice answer Scott. I like the acceleration theory. My father had one very much like it. And you're right... Losing things is not a recent problem that has never occurred before. Things like that happen to all ages. I do notice it occurs most often when I have a lot of things on my mind at once. It is as though I operate on standby while my mind is on fast forward. Ever driven to work without even being aware of the drive? You pull in, shut off the car and realize that you drove all the way through town, and have no recollection of doing so because you were preoccupied with other thoughts? One day a few months ago I took my daughter to school. I pulled into work, shut off the car and got ready to go into the office when I heard her say no in the back seat and realized....WAIT....something isn't right here. There she was setting in the back seat with her backpack looking at me like I was crazy but I had simply gotten in the car, started thinking of all the things that needed done that day and driven to work on auto pilot. It is the same route minus one left turn. That's what stress can do to ya!!

I have memory problems, i was concerned about it once or twice but i also learned to accept it...I thought it was due to drug abuse. I always wonder if it will come back, i am only 29. I memorize numbers but only because i would forget a date or phone book.

Thanks Angela, good to know Im not the only one with memory malfunctions = )

I read something on this once, and it explained that forgetting small things is not anything to worry about, but, not realizing your forgetting things is where the real problem is. For example, you may go into a room looking for something and forget what it is, but if you go into a room and don't remember you were looking for something that's the problem.
You should be able to keep your mind sharp by doing crosswords, learning new things (like taking a dance class learning different steps), or reading.

Hi skoosha, what an interesting name. Thanks for the answer. I have to admit I have found myself in a room asking myself what the heck did I come in here for? But if what you read is true, Im probably doing ok...

Everyone goes into a room for no apparent reason at one time or another. It happens.

If you are stressed than all those other trivia things are lowered in importance and interest. In a way you can think of it as if the brain has put those things on low priority threads that may in fact time-out and return no or erroneous results.

Some of the symptoms of stress are the same as depression including so-called tunnel vision. If you are worried about your kid you aren't going to be sharp on movie trivia or shopping lists.

Our brains deal with priorities and the state of our bodies, fatigue, general health etc also influence how it works.

Remember, we are really talking not about the brain but about the mind which is a mostly unknown process or processes of the brain.

Talking about mind not the brain. Never thought of it that way Chi Chi. That makes me feel a bit better. My brain is still in top form! It's my mind I'm losing! Wait... how does that make me feel better = )
I do agree that stress mirrors depression in many ways. I am a person who rarely looks at the negative side of things. I'm pretty laid back, and basically a happy content person. I anger slowly, I don't hold grudges, I accept that people are all human. But, I have experienced that stress related depression. It boggles my mind since I am basically happy so it always confuses me when I experience it. Yet there have been times in my life when I literally did not want to get out of bed. I wanted to pull the cover over my head and stay there a week. Those days or few days at a time it is all I can do to function because everything seems monumental, overwhelming, and I can't seem to feel anything but tired tired tired!! luckily those days are few and far between but I have had them and each time I can connect them to a period in life when the stress level was huge or I had just gone through an extended period of stress that had finally lifted and I was "crashing" so to speak. Desperate for recovery and desperate for the world to hold off from making even a single small demand of me!!

I do have scatterbrained moments Angel...have had that since birth I do believe.

As far as the symptomology of it all....it could be just hormones...could be just a bad couple of weeks (due to stress yes)...could be something more persistent if it continues to worry you.

I do believe the brain can only take so much. Too much "imput" can definitely affect "output".

Take some time for yourself....relax every night....make notes on important things if need be.

I think you are going through something quite normal...at your age women go through what is called Pre-menopause...and your hormones do a great big "shift" in anticipation of upcoming menopause...it definitely can affect brain functions! It's not permanent....just irksome!

Good luck Angel...no matter what...you have a beautiful mind...who needs car keys and pieces of paper anyways?

OYE! Again with the menopause talk! = ) Trina, Trina, Trina, can you not see I am in a fragile state here? Losing my mind and all. Need we heap hot flashes and such on top of it?? lol Oh, ok, I concede. It COULD HAPPEN. It MIGHT BE. it is POSSIBLE. = ) I do love you for your answer. A beautiful mind. The sentiment is mutual my friend. And yes, who the heck needs car keys!? My world is a happy place! = )

Don't worry! You are a long ways off! I'm sorry to distress you...(wishes she could give you a cup of nice herbal tea and a free pass to a day spa....)

Hey..that might actually be a good idea....get yourself some pampering Angel...its always fun and clears the mind. I had a prenatal massage when I was 9 months along with Trey and it really helped! I still lose my car keys though. ;)

Every day of my life. But I have a disease that causes it, MS. But there are so many other factors that can cause this, Stress, like you said, poor diet, lack of quality sleep and about 1000 other reasons. I would recommend for you to see you doctor. I also recommend getting plenty of rest limit as much stress as you can, improve your diet and take muliple vitamins. All this helps me.

I am there with you Doreen, I have MS as well dx in 7/05. take care

All good recommendations Doreen. I don't think I'm ready to see a doctor over it yet. It's more frustrating than it is a serious problem. I think stress is a big factor and I think lack of sleep, I'm a night person so sleeping hours are not as long as they probably should be, I never remember to take vitamins and my diet isn't as wholesome as it use to be when I had plenty of time for cooking and focusing on healthy organic foods. I've probably shocked my system crazy with the lack of sleep and all the fast food or short cut meals I throw in!

I had no idea that Doreen and Bearsbrat also have MS. It's like a support group on QnA!. I loose words, jumble numbers and times, and basically just have continual brain farts all day long. At least I know what it is from, but if you don't know, it is very scary. Get some rest, de-stress. If that doesn't work, time to see the doctor.

I will funkimi! Isn't it incredible how many kindred spirits and people with commonalities we meet here on QnA!? It is just too cool. Good to see you again.

Welcome to old age!

By your age, most people have already had many small strokes. Most are never noticed because of the parts of the brain affected, the redundancy in our design, and the ability to heal. In your case, some neural paths may have been damaged but it sounds like repairs are underway.

You mentioned stress. This creates some preoccupation. A person who is under stress is mentally distracted.

Remember that you are in good company. Even Albert Einstein has been reported to have had memory problems.

old age? at 41? come on now surely your joking! as for the rest of your answer i agree but please take the old age comment back!

OK. Late middle age. ;-)

If you use the "three score and 10", our youth ends at 23 years, 4 months of age. Middle age extends to 46 years, 8 months.

Whatever age you want to define "old age" beginning, I hope we will both be here so that my welcome stands.

Yikes! Old age, menopause, what is with this talk? lol, Im still a young wild thing at heart!! And Dang it, my body WILL learn to believe it too!
I think middle age is much later in life these days with the longer life expectancy and all... you know, like 60. 60 is when I will hit middle age. Heck at 40 I thought I was just hitting my peak!!! Late middle age? = ) oh no... I think not.
Thanks for answering my question. I have always admire Einstein and others like him who were so unique and yet also had their oddities. I like that in a person. So it is good to know his memory short circuited frequently despite all that brain power!

I turned 60 just over a month ago. What were we talking about?

YES! i have the same problem ,i have to write everything down but really I dont think its all that unusual.I do think we have a lot of useless info floating around and it takes up space that we could use for something more important,also it is true that the more stress we have the more we forget and the more responsibility we ahve the same happens.there are foods that are called brain food for a reason but i couldnt tell you exactly what they are except for vegetables, make sure you are getting plenty of those.

yes mami, all kinds of useless information floating around! There are times in my life when I simply shut things off. I refuse to read the paper, watch TV, or some days even listen to the radio. And that is huge for me because I love music. But in today's world, something is coming at us at all times. Sometimes its just more than a brain needs! And yes, more vegetables. I use to be nearly vegetarian, eat organic foods, do yoga. I was pretty focused on all of that but those things take more time than you realize and life keeps going faster and faster...... I just need to refocus, learn to say no to the rest of the world, and smell the roses a whole lot more!!!