Worried about things I forget ... :(

[bighenry]

Hi all.

I was wondering if anyone else gets this, or am I flying solo?

I've developed a nasty (nasty, nasty) habit of worrying about things I've forgotten. Given the amount of stress hormones swamping my system, it's pretty usual for me to forget stuff. Post forgetting something, the thoughts go thus:

"I'm feeling upset -- why?"
"What was I just thinking about?"
"Dammit, I can't remember."
"What if it was something important? What if it was something I should worry about, like how I'd figured out some way anxiety can hurt me?"
"Gotta think hard to work out what it was ... "
(etc, etc)

Then I end up spending hours desperately trying to work out what I was thinking, invariably without success, inevitably making myself very anxious.

I guess the thing I'm worried about, having spent months and months and months researching every angle of anxiety, is that I've worked out some theory of how anxiety can hurt me which no-one else has. Then promptly forgotten it. Pretty irrational, I know, but it seems to be where I've ended up.

Does anyone else think something similar? If so, any tips on how to stop? Is it a question of practising saying to yourself "you can't know everything -- you have to trust the doctors that they know what they're doing."

Guess there's no magic bullet for this kind of thinking, but just wondered if anyone had any thoughts?

Many thanks,

Henry

[sophieunderscore]

I'm kinda like this...

"oh god i've forgottten something again"
"it's obviously a brain tumor i'll just try really hard not to forget"
"oh poo i've forgotten something again I can't control it... must be a brain tumor..."
*panic attack*

:(

[doddy]

hi big,

what a interesting post, think we have all been there with this one, i use to think i couldnt remember as i had brain damage from a fall i had, worried myself studid about it to be honest.

anyways, do u remember what your memory was like before you started worrying about it?? to be honest i bet if you stopped ten people in the street and asked them what they have been thinking about 10 minutes ago nobody would remember...i asked my brother the other week, "ehat were you thniking about just now?" he looked at me and said..."dunno, cant remember..." so its human to not remember what we were just thinking about and thats the best way, thoughts just come and go, probably the best thing i did was say so what if cant remember, whats the worse thing that can happen?? i forget something....so what.

you to bother me too so i know what its like but to be honest as your anxiety drops so does your concentration on your thoughts....its a nutural process.

andy

[rachy_babyx]

I can completely relate to this post i'm exactly the same. i go along thinking about something then i'm suddenly aware i've lost my trail of thought have a huge panic attack and next thing i know i think ive got something wrong with me

i think so much about everything that its no surprise i forget little things really. i forgot my brothers number the other day and that was a huge panic attack afterwards.

i just tend to think if i remembered everything i think i'd probably get bored with myself and realise how dull i truely am, at least forgetting i can live in my bubble lol

i hope this helps and trust me your not alone on this one
Best of wishes
Rachelxxx

[bighenry]

Ha, yeah -- I've actually managed to forget the name of my better half before. Gotten around this problem by calling her 'hunny' all the time now, although causes me problems when introducing her ... :S

I know what you mean, Rachel -- I think *so hard* about everything, then try and hold on to all these thoughts for fear of forgetting them, that it simply becomes exhausting.

Anyway, guess I've come to the conclusion that I really can't juggle all the balls; I've gotta put some faith in things being ok. Can be a little tricky to do in the middle of an anxiety attack, though.

Good to know I'm not along, though Thanks for the replies!