Correlation between anxiety and bad memory? - Anxiety Support

Anxiety Support

53,070 members49,185 posts

Correlation between anxiety and bad memory?

gunsintheground profile image
8 Replies

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, and was wondering if anyone else with an anxiety disorder (I have GAD) has a really terrible memory or if that is just me? Like- my memory is bad enough that I forget if I tell my friends/family something and tell them it repeatedly, I can barely remember anything from a few years ago or before, I forget where I put stuff constantly and also can barely remember appointments/lesson times at college. I can manage this stuff -kind of- with carrying a small diary with me wherever I go, but I'd like to know if this is common or an individual problem.

Written by
gunsintheground profile image
gunsintheground
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
8 Replies

Hi

It certainly is for me, it gets easier and I remember more when my anxiety levels drop over a period of time.

I think maybe a quarter of my life has been lost in anxiety dream state, of worrying about the future/past etc.

I use a diary too, on my phone with an alarm so I dont forget appointments :-)

Wish you well

B

xxx

angelfaced profile image
angelfaced

I am like this too, i carry a diary with me at all times, also have a calender too and still forget lol.

Paw52 profile image
Paw52

Me too, most of the time I can't remember what I did yesterday. Live in an anxiety fog most of the time wishing it would clear.

Sounds very farmiliar to me too. My memory is so bad i get half way through a sentence and forget what i was talking about or i'll forget what ive just said and when someone responds to me they have to repeat back to me what ive just said. And yes i tell people stuff repeatidly too. It amazes me somedays that i remember to put matching shoes on x If you are like me you will remember unimportant stuff like the nextdoor nieghbours daughters bf buying a tv from lidle for less than £400 four years ago. But remembering my daughters first word or the first time my son smiled is impossible. Which is really frustrating and upsetting. You are not alonexxx

wallflower_fairy profile image
wallflower_fairy

Hi this sounds about right for me as well, I have a bad memory and am really disorganised as well. It makes me feel anxious because I feel as if I'm not in control. I feel powerless. Like others have said at least it's not just us, we're not alone.

I think it can work both ways, I think feeling anxious can make our memory worse as well which makes it even harder to break the cycle.

I hope you're getting the right support and feel better soon.

It's horrible when the people around you don't understand.

Kindest Regards :)

wanderingwallflower xx

Ugliebettie profile image
Ugliebettie

Me too at the very worst of my anxiety I was a walking liability. Not ply had I no memory, I had no word recall, or concentration either. My thinking mind just didn't seem to work. That was one of the reasons I had to stop working - the large reports I used to write once or twice a week with little stress - became literally impossible to do.

sasays profile image
sasays

My memory is terrible. I get the feeling a majority of people just think im not listening, i ask ask them the same questions over and over. If someone has said something mid sentence ill be so busy trying to remember a response when theyre finished that ive either unintentionally missed the end of what theyve said or ive totally interrupted them as i know i might forget otherwise and my mouth has just opened and said what im thinking without waiting my turn.

I can go to the cinema and when the credits roll i remember that i thought it was quite good but i cant remember what it was about or who was in it. The people im with might say blah blah bit was very funny and look at me for a reaction and they dont get one as i dont know what theyre talking about as i dont rememeber anything. I can meet a friend for dinner, get out of the tube and start walking, get lost, not rememebr where i came from, where im going, the name of the tubs i got off at or the name of the restaurant im going to. They have no patience whatsoever for what im going through, i spent a long time staring at a map looking for a road name i had written down and get angry calls to ask where i am and i cant tell them as i dont know and they dont understand why i cant go back to the tube i just came from as i dont know where it is any more. Im almost always late due to my anxiety, which leads people to be rude when i arrive ie not even say hello. I find it hard with old friends as they reminice and i just dont remember anything. I find it hard to make new friends as i cant rememeber if ive met them before and if i have i dont remember anything about them, inc their name. Feel like im living in a cloud and everything misunderstand everything. I get the feeling most people think im miserable and maybe a bit selfish as i dont ever listen or contribute but i constantly worry about people, would do anything for anyone but find socialising really hard as i dont know what anyone is talking about most of the time.

Sorry for the rant, you're defnitely not alone x

sasays profile image
sasays

I also can't remember how to spell words, when i read stuff back i miss some words or letter out entirely sometimes. Its very frustration to witness my own deteriation

You may also like...

Anxiety affecting memory?

longer remember worry me. People saying they can remember being a certain age, I can't remember...

Memories forgotten Due to Anxiety

counselor asked me about me remembering a time in my childhood and I said I can’t remember any and...

Why do bad memories stick.

people have this tendency to remember bad memories for a lifetime, & yet forget good ones in a very...

link between anxiety disorder and loneliness!

panic. anxiety disorder turn into depression. now i dont see the point of living. it felt like i...

Anxiety is so bad tonight 😟

and pains in my back and chest 😟 Literally feels like i'm about to die off