Tuesday, April 21, 2009
On being forgetful: What's your name again?
Lately, I've been forgetting quite a lot of things. But wait. It's actually healthy to once in a while forget. Huh?
How many times have you encountered someone who gleefully greeted you and chatted with you, and at the back of your mind you were asking yourself who the guy is, what's his name, where you've met him, the sort?Or how often have you had this experience of wanting to introduce a friend to another but can't, because you totally forgot your friend's name?
Or, say you're in a group and the manager of an affiliate company approaches you and not wanting to be rude, you began to introduce your peers one by one but stopped in the middle because you forgot the fifth person's name?
Or while chatting with a friend, you pause midway and began clicking your fingers because you forgot the name of the film actress you were talking about, or the film's title, or that tv program you're claiming to be your all-time favorite?
And how many times have you received a scolding because you unknowingly stood up someone because you totally forgot that you had a previously-arranged engagement?
I forgot. Where are we now? Oh, about forgetting.
Was it my age? Emotional anxiety? Worrying too much? Alcohol abuse? These are all contributory to being forgetful apart from the more serious causes due to Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, depression, dementia, delirium. The medical explanations of being forgetful seemed endless.
Oh dear. I'm dead.
Huh?
An article on forgetfullness I found on the web said: "The brain could not work quickly and efficiently if it did not have the capacity to forget what it determines as irrelevant."
That is why, the article went on to say, most of us have perhaps forgotten what we learned in college algebra.
There's an even more interesting point I found about remembering. It said we remember the more by moving our eyes left to right (not up like you're losing your mind or down like you're belittling someone) at least for 30 seconds. I did try it and I suddenly remembered that I have to cut this post short because I'm already babbling!
The dietician's list of 'brain foods' include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, pechay, berries, plums, red onion, red apples, leeks, cereals, lentils, black-eyed peas, oranges, fish, etc.
I just hope to remember them the next time I go to the market. Oh, I forgot, I did go to the market yesterday.
Or, say you're in a group and the manager of an affiliate company approaches you and not wanting to be rude, you began to introduce your peers one by one but stopped in the middle because you forgot the fifth person's name?
Or while chatting with a friend, you pause midway and began clicking your fingers because you forgot the name of the film actress you were talking about, or the film's title, or that tv program you're claiming to be your all-time favorite?
And how many times have you received a scolding because you unknowingly stood up someone because you totally forgot that you had a previously-arranged engagement?
I forgot. Where are we now? Oh, about forgetting.
Lately I'm becoming forgetful
Was it my age? Emotional anxiety? Worrying too much? Alcohol abuse? These are all contributory to being forgetful apart from the more serious causes due to Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, depression, dementia, delirium. The medical explanations of being forgetful seemed endless.
Oh dear. I'm dead.
But wait...did someone say forgetting is good?!
Huh?
An article on forgetfullness I found on the web said: "The brain could not work quickly and efficiently if it did not have the capacity to forget what it determines as irrelevant."
That is why, the article went on to say, most of us have perhaps forgotten what we learned in college algebra.
There's an even more interesting point I found about remembering. It said we remember the more by moving our eyes left to right (not up like you're losing your mind or down like you're belittling someone) at least for 30 seconds. I did try it and I suddenly remembered that I have to cut this post short because I'm already babbling!
One last point: Eat good food to boost your memory
The dietician's list of 'brain foods' include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, pechay, berries, plums, red onion, red apples, leeks, cereals, lentils, black-eyed peas, oranges, fish, etc.
I just hope to remember them the next time I go to the market. Oh, I forgot, I did go to the market yesterday.
[By the way, have you already subscribed to my feed? If you haven't and before you forget, I'd appreciate if you do it now. Thanks.]
While I was reading your post, tawa ako ng tawa kasi isa na yata ako sa malilimutin din. Nalimutan ko ngang ipost yun hula ko kahapon, and you know ang hula ko is about "....malilimutin" din kaya lang baka sabihin mo na nagaya ko pa ang post mo hahaha (di ko pa kasi natapos nalimutan ko kasi na naumpisahan ko na yun hula ko hehehe). Kung naipost ko sana kahapon yun, tama siguro hula ko ngayon sa’yo. Pero super malilimutin na talaga ako, ang tawag nga sa akin sa forum na pinupuntahan ko ay “dory” (ng nemo) hahaha.
Ipopost ko sana, na nalimutan kong magpasalamat kay NJ sa bigay nyang awards sa kin, ok lang ba naipost ko pa rin yun hula ko about sa pagkalimot ko?? yun ehh kung maalala ko pa uli hahaha. Kakain na nga ako ng cauliflower at cereal para magamot itong pagka "dory" ko hehehe. Salamat sa payo.
Haha! Problema ko rin tlga yang pagiging malilimutin. Tanungin niyo lahat ngkaibigan ko kung sinong naaalala nila pag nababanggit ang ‘memory gap’ at iisa lang ang ituturo nila – ako.
hay ako din... sobrang malilimutin lately! grabe!
Memory loss is due to ageing, tulad ng Alzheimer's disease. But all of us experience memory lapses, dahil sa stress, poor diet and medicine reactions.
Pero meron ding tinatawag na selective memory loss sa karamihan ng mga tao, tulad ng ilang kakilala ko - may mga taong laging naalala ang kanilang mga pinautang, pero nakakalimutan ang kanilang personal na utang sa ibang tao.
Ang mas malala, maraming tao naaalala ang Dyos pag may kailangan at sa kagipitan, pero nakakalimutan naman magpasalamat sa biyayang natatanggap.
Purihin ka Nebz.
for the nth time, nice post kuya!!!
very informative ang post mo at mas na-enjoy ko ung dietician's list kase i'm suffering also from memory loss. madaming part sa life ko ang suddenly nakakalimutan ko. minsan isinisi ko sa anesthesia coz i underwent 2 major operations na, sa ulo pa ung isa.
"bawal ang pork.. beans..." yan ang lagi kong naririnig sa kanila pag nabablangko ako! :(
makakain nga ng fish :(
napadaan lang... this is a nice post at talagang naka-relate ako.
may ganito din akong entry from another account and just wanna share it with you.
http://annavic.multiply.com/journal/item/44/Memory_Span_Of_A_Goldfish
we're on the same boat. hehehe!
hahaha, natawa ako, actually may naiisip na kaagad ako while reading. Okay pa naman ang memory ko except sa isang bagay, kung bakit kada open ko ng alcohol, nakakalimutan kong takpan, hindi lang isa or dalawa or tatlo, seguro, isang daan na. Hindi ko maipaliwanag at maintindihan bakit nakakalimutan kong takpan ang alcohol. hehehe
Pero for sure, wala pang taong di nakalimot. Lahat tayo, im sure may nakalimutan na.
Nebz, ako si Kenji ha, si totskoto...haha!
lagi akong ganyan... nakikipagkwentuhan na ako sa kausap ko but at the back of my mind, im still tryign to figure out kung ano name ng kausap ko... hehehehe
then there's this one time na todo porma pa ako sa pag-alis... naka alis din naman ako.. sakay gn taxi... tapos nakalimutan ko talaga kung san ako pupunta at kugn ano ang gagawin ko... scary...
Excellent article Nebz. You gave some beautiful explanations about our being forgetful.
I always forget the simple things like ballpens, umbrellas, etc. Pati pnyo, lagi ko itong nakaklimutan.
Naniniwala ako na pag tumatanda tayo unti-unting naging makalimutin tayo.. That's the truth..
@the Pope,
Totoo ang sinasabi mo bro about selective memory loss..hay...
As for me, I always have a convenient excuse for forgetting - too much anaesthesia in my system (from 3 caesarian deliveries, an appendectomy and a colonoscopy procedure) - hahaha!
But yes, I do get bothered sometimes at how I seem to forget more now than 3 years ago (my pre-diva existence). :)
Hey Nebz, I would like to share the Certified Blogger Addict Award, more power to you bro.