My whole life, my long-term recall of events has been poor. Once something is beyond approximately 5 years out, I often forget many events that other participants remember (don't you remember when we went to X and saw person Y). I don't think of these things as too substantial, because they're genuinely not that critical to remember, but other people have commented about my really poor memory in the long-term. In the short and medium term, and when I need to remember something (e.g., for exams, for work, etc.) my memory is normal or even above-average when I make an effort. However, I would like to improve my ability to recall things in my personal life. One technique I'm considering is journaling to become more reflective, and perhaps to serve as a reference.
My main theory for why my memory is so poor is I often become very immersed in other things. I have moderate anxiety, and have sometimes internationally focused myself in work or studies either due to that anxiety (as a distraction/coping mechanism) or because of it (when I have a particularly high workload). In other times, when I am very relaxed, such as vacations that I have taken even 5+ years ago, my memory recall is quite good.
After reflecting on this a bit, I was thinking journaling (perhaps on a weekly basis?) may help me become more reflective on what I've been doing, and better retain memories of getting together with friends, family, etc.
I'd appreciate any advice on journaling practices, or other practices which may help towards my goal. Any sort of medical evaluation of my memory isn't really feasible now, due to poor insurance and my financial situation (however, I also tend to think these practices would be more focused on assessing my short/medium term memory anyway). |
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