Memory Problems

[hungryghosts]

Do you struggle to remember outerworld happenings, experience time blindness, forget skills, or have other memory problems? How do said problems interact with your plurality, if at all? (For example: forgetting tasks when switching, new headmates not knowing outerworld life info, and so on.) How do you manage those problems?

(They don't necessarily have to be caused by a dissociative disorder - memory problems from ADHD or that just don't have an identifiable source are relevant here, too.)

Comments

[hungryghosts]

[Lark] Reddit crosspost: https://old.reddit.com/r/plural/comments/1qc0enu/plural_questions_memory_problems/

[pheonix_system]

We do have some memory issues. We've often looked at the clock only for it to be hours later than we expect it to be, which we can't tell if it's hyperfocus leading to time blindness or time loss. We also have come to realize that if we're asked to do something after we finish doing X, we basically have to drop everything and do it right then as we will not remember after we finish X, even if it only takes a few moments. And then there's Mercy who can't remember anything bless his heart. He's literally turned the shower off and stepped out only to realize he never used any body wash or shampoo 3 times. There was also another time not to long ago when we showered and got out only to realize we had no actual memory of showering, despite knowing we had.

We often ask each other to help remind us to do things (but they often forget too), and are still working on figuring out ways to manage these problems.

[seraphikiss]

antonio

time blindness is basically our life 24/7.

we have gone over 15 or so hours just writing or playing games, and when we look at the clock it feels like we’re living in 5x speed, like fast-forwarding time in the sims.

we also have memory gaps, and things can get lost in translation. we have had alters misplace our important documents for months only for another alter to remember where we put them.

it’s less than ideal and really inconvenient but ever since we started using dreamwidth we’ve had an easier time with memory tracking. we used to keep a physical diary but writing is hard for us due to our limited motor skills. typing is easier, so we use a diary online.

sometimes we’ll remember to do something, but then someone will switch in and we’ll draw blanks. it feels kind of like a wall is put in-between what needs to be done.

[foggerss]

We do have some memory issues when it comes to remembering recent events before we come into front! But it's not like a huge issue, as normally we carry everything in between switching(-groups). It's an easy fix bc all we usally need is a quick reminder or recall and we're good.

Though. There has been a time where new members had no memory of what was going on or of our past, which usally isn't the case. Telling them got them to remember the events though and the important info they missed

[beepbird]

We do sometimes deal with memory problems- tasks getting done with no idea when they happened, objects going missing because someone else had very different ideas about where it makes sense to put them (and not knowing where that might be), forgetting what we did recently, etc.

In the long-term sense, a lot of our middle and high school home life is scrambled or hazy, and we had to ask external people when things happened to build a timeline of what happened when. We have also had a few surprise memories emerge as we've become able to process them- a thousand little things that we forgot happened at all. We generally seem to either remember the big picture or the fine details, but not both (without putting in effort to clear it up, anyway)- or it feels like our memory is gated behind someone externally prompting us. I won't remember that I can remember something until someone else gives me a nudge about it.

We've largely learned to cope with it by asking inside for a catch-up immediately after noticing a switch, which fills most of the gaps, but it can still be annoying at times. What one person thinks isn't important enough to pass along is someone else's "why didn't you tell me that?"

We also keep a journal of daily events: one entry a day. We can generally fill each other in when trying to note down the events of today. Yesterday and further back is when that starts to break down. The daily journal gives us a reference point to work with.

Otherwise, a lot of other communication tools are also memory supports. Mood and switch tracking can tell us a lot when paired with the daily journal ("I know you were upset recently- what upset you, and when? Well, we had a distress score of 7 on this day while you were in control, so let's see if the journal mentions something upsetting on that day- yep, there it is"). A whiteboard for talking to each other works for reminding each other to do things or asking about something you've forgotten. A calendar is always useful.

When all else fails and we need some idea of what we've done in the last few weeks, we scroll through our phone's camera roll. Sometimes there are clues in the photos about what happened.

[beepbird]

Gah, same on "I need to do this now or it'll never happen!" Sometimes sending ourselves a text or email about it works (as long as I don't read the text/email, the notification will stay there- so the next time we use our phone, the reminder will be sitting there), but we still need to do it as soon as we see the reminder or it'll be gone.

[pheonix_system]

We should try that. That could be helpful for stuff we can't do right away..
(Currently sitting on needing to do laundry, clean the bathroom, and schedule two appointments, but always remembering at the worst of times)

[beepbird]

We also make use of our pocket journal for jotting down quick reminders, though it works best if something is not too urgent. It is an A7 journal that very literally lives in our pocket for this sort of thing.

[lb_lee]

Miranda: because online computers are bottomless pits of distractions (we start with email, and then RSS, and then next thing we know hours have passed) I have taken to keeping a stickypad next to our computer and writing little to-do lists on it, so when I go to the computer, there’s a handy little paper list!

I really like lists.