So I guess my question boils down to if this is something I should seek help about, and if so, where?
A little more specific info about my issue: On a daily basis, I keep forgetting minor things, this is normal, I know. However, I tend to spend hours upon hours asking myself: “What was that thing I forgot?”. This feeling could be a result of a conversation I had and forgot, or just a random thought that went by in my head (even if I didn’t fully grasp the thought and had no time to process it), or the feeling of something I need to do, e.g. chores. I try to tell myself that it isn’t important, which it isn’t, in most cases. I try to distract myself by working out or with entertainment. But I keep having the feeling of forgetting something and it is really upsetting, it can actually stop me from focusing on something more important.
This has been happening for quite a while now. Probably started when I was around 19, and I’m 26 now. Some periods are worse than others, and currently, I’m having a really tough time with this. Multiple times a day, approximately up to 10 times a day, something I “forgot” starts bothering me. This piles up, and at the end of the day I’m almost exhausted trying to figure out everything I “forgot”. A good night of sleep usually makes it all go away, but not always. As far as I can tell there is no correlation between the “good” and “bad” periods.
I don’t see my issue as forgetting things, but rather letting go of them. Is this some kind of anxiety? I would argue that my overall mental health is good, apart from this.
Thanks in advance for any help here.
Thanks for your message. It is very important to reach out for support and talk to someone when we are struggling with something! You indicate that you spend a lot of time thinking about what you might have forgotten and can spend hours each day thinking about all the things you ‘’forgot’’. You find it difficult to let go of the thought that you might have forgotten something, and this can cause you a lot of distress and leads to you feeling exhausted. Your question is whether this is some kind of anxiety, and whether you should seek help for it, and where.
It is good to hear that you have tried some different things like working out or watching some entertainment to hold your attention. It can be helpful to ask yourself why you ruminate on the things you forgot. Are you worried that something will happen if you forget? Try to notice what feelings come up, is there any anxiety or tension?
When something is causing us distress and has a significant impact on our daily functioning it is important to seek out mental health support. You can go to your doctors to explain your complaints and ask for a referral to see a mental health professional. The doctor should be able to provide you with options where you can go for help. A professional can then properly support you after assessing your complaints.
https://www.government.nl/topics/mental-health-services/question-and-answer/help-for-mental-health-problems
If you are interested in doing online therapy. You can ask for a referral at PsyQ, Sol Psychotherapie, MiSi NeuroPsy, Synaeda or i-psy.
Good job reaching out for advice!
All the best,
Martijn
support@niceday.app
support@niceday.app
