Is my defense mechanism affecting my memory in general?

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When I was younger, whenever something bad, sad, or embarrassing happen to me and I can’t seem to shake the thought out of my head, I try to close my eyes, remember the scene, snap my fingers and convince myself that I’ve forgotten about it. I often succeed. Now I often forget about things that happened a little while ago. I often forget about little trivial things/information when I’m at work or at home. Do you think they have some kind of connection?

asked March 31, 2014

3 Answers

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It's interesting that you are able to block out those moments you don't want to remember. I have no idea whether or not that is healthy, I'm no professional.
As far as forgetting trivial stuff, I think it's different from your method of forgetting bigger things from the past. When you forget bad memories, you are making a conscious decision to forget. You said yourself that you stop what you're doing, and you convince yourself that it's been forgotten.
We are all forgetful from time to time, sometimes it's part of our personality. Very organised, orderly people are often the one's who lose things like keys and wallets, and forget trivial information frequently. There are methods you can use for helping your memory, I suggest googling some. Hope you're well, and feel free to message me anytime if you need a chat xx
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We all forget some trivial stuff. There are plenty of methods to keep us on track, notes, to do lists, maybe-you can you start using them, and see if it stops, then re-asses the situation. Good for you that you developed a trick to stop ruminating on the past. Edit: Oops, Lyndsey said it all already.
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thank you guys. im still analyzing things. stress or depression might be a factor. i often lose focus. i have been researching about ADD. it might be possible.