Why do I do this, does anyone else do this, and how can I stop doing it!

[Misak]

I'm not actually expecting anyone to be able to answer my questions but I'm incredibly frustrated with myself and wondering if there's something wrong!

This weekend I watched a really thorough documentary about the events leading up to 9/11, the political aftermath, the USA's response, the rise of the Taliban, the US occupation of Afghanistan, its subsequent withdrawal etc.

I found it easy to follow - fascinating, instructive, informative, heartbreaking, frightening etc. But, despite this, I've already forgotten so much of it and struggled to explain it all to one of my dc. It's like I watched it 2 years ago, not this weekend. I'm seriously wondering if I have some sort of mild cognitive impairment.

Does this happen to anyone else? And, as an aside, does anyone have recommendations of other programmes on the subject that I can watch (and immediately forget!)

It would be really funny if she replied that she couldn't remember how many!

If it’s a sudden change I’d be going to my GP. But if you’ve always been like this, then it’s less of a worry. I’ve always had a terrible memory for many things and I can’t actually remember quite a lot of my life. I’ve come to the conclusion, because of other things as well, that it’s adhd of the inattentive type.

This is me: I'm trying to learn about a specific topic, it's something that absolutely fascinates me, and despite that, I can only read a page or two at a time.

It's retaining facts I struggle with, and I realise I'm skim reading and not doing the actual work.

My brain feels like a sieve; it's very very frustrating!

I think that must be me, I remember things cery well when learned as a story which is one reason I think I did so well at history, but I have to keep refreshing knowledge on statistic facts to retain them.

I do it with faces. I can remember the face, I'm thinking of the face, but i can't remember the bloody name.
(Or its the other way round )

At school our history teacher wouldn't let us take notes during lessions because she said we wouldn't be listening properly, we had to write down what we could remember right after she'd finished her subject for the day (she was actually a very good speaker so was worth listening to.)
To practice our recollection of the facts she told us to listen to the Six O'Clock news and write down as many of the subjects they'd discussed as we could remember. (This was many years ago, before the news started to drone on for three-quarters of the program about a single subject.)

I used to be like that till I started getting B12 injections.

Same! I devour books, love reading, and as soon as I finish a book I’ve enjoyed I’ll recommend it to a friend or pass my copy on. But ask me a week later what it was about, or even if I have read it, and I could give you at best an unreliable answer. Definitely couldn’t tell you the names of any characters or their relationships. My husband reads all the Greek myths and tries to tell me about them but I’ve literally forgotten the beginning of his sentence by the time he reaches the end. That could be something else though tbf. It’s possible I’m just not listening.

Privately?

Oh this is me. I spend hours listening to podcasts about history and politics which I love and mostly understand but can't remember much about them a day later 😞

@Misak can I ask what the 9/11 documentary was please?

Thanks for further replies, the Ebbenhaus Curve theory sounds interesting (I think that's what it was called).

The documentary was Turning Point:9/11 and The War on Terror (on Netflix).

@harriettenightingale thank you for the Cold War Turning Point recommendation. And @VintageFollie for the podcast suggestion.

Someone mentioned not being able to remember much about their life and that really hit a nerve.

I can only remember my early years very vaguely but I always put that down to me having chosen to forget them - it was a pretty traumatic upbringing from the age of about 8 - 18.

Don't remember much of my 20's but I put that down to partying too hard.

Don't remember much about my 30's which I put down to being knackered having 4 dc under 5.

I could go on but there's a definite theme here isn't there ...

I have ADHD, and I could have written your posts! If my wife and I are binging something over a few days then she has to give me a recap of the previous episode that we watched literally the day before. That can sometimes spark some memories, but I still find it difficult unless I'm watching a recap (so there are pictures to aid my memory instead of words).

I also forget things like the contents of a conversation - I can tell you where I was at the time of the conversation, what I was wearing, how I and the other person/people were standing or sitting, what song was playing in the background...you get the jist. But cannot tell you what was said!

I find my longer term memories much like yours, too. I was like this because xyz was happening (usually stress related). It wasn't until I learnt more about ADHD that I understood why it happens.

Hopefully the replies here will give you some food for thought, @Misak . It is very tiresome!

I only remember things which I think are important to remember, the rest I just let go.
My husband remembers everything, which I feel is weird…. 😂

I actually watch films and say to DH "I just watched such-and-such film while you were out, it was really good, you should see it" and he'll say "yes it's good - we watched that together a few years ago" 😂