@pennypinchh
It is hurtful though... I can't remember the name of a city in Spain, so now I'm classified as stupid? I hope none of you ever suffer from memory problems, then you will know what it feels like
... I do have memory problems. After a period of severe illness. I was extremely angry after the fact. My husband does not allow me to use the word “stupid” in reference to it, because I would yell it in anger at myself, and in fact, that’s maybe the only forbidden word in our household.
Your brain has neuroplasticity, still, which is why we can keep learning new skills and bounce back from memory loss (barring degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s) but like any muscle, you must not just exercise it, and you MUST exercise it, but actively strain it at times in order to make those new connections, just like if you were building larger muscles at the gym. I struggle every day with my memory loss, but I still force myself to learn things every day, in hopes that it’s helping, in hopes that I’m coming back.
This goes for everyone. The less you “work” your brain, the sooner it will fail you. There are so, so many studies of those who stay mentally active doing better at “fending” off the mental atrophy we associate with aging. I noticed you said you haven’t read a book since A levels. Perhaps it’s the time. Maybe not a book. Maybe start with some magazine articles. Or maybe there is a book that sounds interesting to you. It doesn’t have to be the next great literary masterpiece. Don’t try to force yourself to read what others would. Honestly, it can have someone ripping off a lady’s bodice on the cover. WHO CARES. The point is that your brain is working, it’s making connections from one page to the next, it’s working to connect what you read yesterday with what you read today, and that’s enough.