Why Is It Difficult to Remember Things Now?

Lately I have been having trouble remembering recent events.

At first, I didn't give this much thought and soon forgot that I was forgetting things. But then, things started getting worse.

I would go online to search for a certain topic, only to forget what I was looking for as soon as I started typing in the search bar. I would open my book and forget why I opened it in the first place. As someone who likes to boast about her strength in focus, this realisation shook me to the core.

Turns out I wasn't the only one.

Memory loss has become a global phenomenon during the pandemic. According to neurologists, stress and anxiety resulting from uncertainty, trauma, and isolation are accountable for our foggy brains.

Lack of social interactions creates a negative impact on our brains, which affects our ability to remember things. Even if one isn't accustomed to social gatherings and enjoys solitude, repetitive schedules and boredom create the same effect on the brain. Because we're deprived of a change in a scenario, our brains' hippocampus region, which is responsible for learning and memory, has started to decelerate.

Similar to a muscle losing its flexibility after being left unused for a long period, the hippocampus region loses its dexterities if not exposed to stimuli like new ambiences or experiences regularly. The lack of proper stimulations from this region is why we fail to focus and remember recent events.

During anxious situations, the sympathetic nervous system gets activated, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline. This phenomenon is known as the "fight or flight" response which helped us survive through the ages. But during the pandemic, this occurrence is doing us more harm than good.

The constant release of stress hormones alleviates one's stress level which is directly related to mental health disorders. According to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of June 2020, 40 percent of the adults in the US reported to have been struggling with their mental health.

Drawing the line of connection is easy; as we continue to live in stress, we fall into depression and anxiety, our brains take the toll, and our memory cells get destroyed.

To avoid forgetting things, changing one's day-to-day scenarios could be helpful. Take a walk outside, or try to change your interior and move your workstation every once in a while. Make sure every day doesn't seem or feel the same. Take notes so that you don't forget about important tasks.

Experts suggest that this phenomenon of loss of memory and focus is likely to disappear once we succumb to the normal situation. Till then, keep your mental health in check and take a long, deep breath.

References

1. BBC (2020). Lockdown has affected your memory – here's why.

2. The New York Times. Feeling Scatterbrained? Here's Why.   

Sabiba Hossain is a Hufflepuff who plans on going into hibernation every winter but never succeeds. Send her fantasy book recommendations at fb.com/Sabibastro