Do you do things so automatically that you forgot you did them?

Ruth n Jersey

Ruth n Jersey

Well-known Member
Location
Northern New Jersey
This is different than forgetting to do something. Things get so repetitious you just forget.
Every morning I fix my vat of coffee,4 Sweet and Low and creamer. Sometimes I need to check to see if the empty wrappers are on the counter.
Drink the coffee and a few seconds later check to see if I finished it. I always have.
I change my birds seed and water and check again to see if I did it.
Flush the toilet. did I flush the toilet? check and see. Yes I did.
I think I need to change my routine.
Anyone else do things so automatically that you forgot you did them?
 

A doctor told me once that this sort of thing is often a sign of stress, distraction and overload, which I think a lot of us are dealing with right now.

At the time, I was dealing with terrible stress and anxiety on two fronts, and I mentioned to him that it worried me that sometimes I'd get home and wouldn't actually remember the details of the drive home (during which I'd been rerunning the events of the day and what I'd managed to get done or not, whether I could get it all done or not and what the godawful results would be if I couldn't). He said it was a common reaction to just having too much on one's plate, and that 90% of what a person does every day is done on autopilot anyway and not to worry overmuch about it.
 
These are small tasks that can be done without paying much attention, such as turning a key or flipping a switch. If I'm thinking about something while leaving the house, I often have no memory of locking the front door. But it's always been locked when I returned. And in movies, it's usually, "Did I leave the oven on?"

I once put a big pan of water on the stove, but got distracted while waiting for it to boil, and forgot I was hungry. So I drove to a nearby store for a quick purchase. On the way out of the store, suddenly and with considerable terror, I remembered the stove. Everything was fine. I did not find the house on fire. But the pan on the stove was red-hot and glowing brightly enough to read by.
 
Y'know, I couldn't remember for the life of me, if I'd sent an email invitation to Donald Trump for a game of table tennis......so.....I sent him possibly another invite.....I think I've sent him 7 or 8 or 9, and I'm not sure if he's responded......I'd better send him another......perhaps he's as forgetful as me. 😊
 
Butterfly said:
A doctor told me once that this sort of thing is often a sign of stress, distraction and overload, which I think a lot of us are dealing with right now.

At the time, I was dealing with terrible stress and anxiety on two fronts, and I mentioned to him that it worried me that sometimes I'd get home and wouldn't actually remember the details of the drive home (during which I'd been rerunning the events of the day and what I'd managed to get done or not, whether I could get it all done or not and what the godawful results would be if I couldn't). He said it was a common reaction to just having too much on one's plate, and that 90% of what a person does every day is done on autopilot anyway and not to worry overmuch about it.
Click to expand...
I am happy to hear this. The other day, I decided to make stuffed cabbage in the crock pot. Hour later, I go back and feel the lid - it's cold. So, maybe I didn't set it right, so I turn the knob. Another hour goes by and I check it again. The lid is cold. I jump to the conclusion that the crock pot is broken. Duh - no - I never plugged it in. SAD. And, my dinner was two hours late.
 
Wren said:
I usually forget my iPad is on charge, always mean to unplug it before going to bed, but nine times out of ten there it is, fully charged and still plugged in the next morning....
Click to expand...
Be careful.It should stop charging, but you never know!!
.
OIP.on0pH3l4_JUsCOSGsxox1wHaD4
 
raybar said:
I once put a big pan of water on the stove, but got distracted while waiting for it to boil, and forgot I was hungry. So I drove to a nearby store for a quick purchase. On the way out of the store, suddenly and with considerable terror, I remembered the stove. Everything was fine. I did not find the house on fire. But the pan on the stove was red-hot and glowing brightly enough to read by.
Click to expand...

You're very lucky. My wife did the same once and the end result was, no kitchen, living room, sun room, and dining room. Of course, the rest of the house was smoke and water damaged to say nothing of the holes in the roof the firefighters had to make. ☹
Aftermath of the kitchen.

DCP_0830.JPG
 
Ferocious said:
Y'know, I couldn't remember for the life of me, if I'd sent an email invitation to Donald Trump for a game of table tennis......so.....I sent him possibly another invite.....I think I've sent him 7 or 8 or 9, and I'm not sure if he's responded......I'd better send him another......perhaps he's as forgetful as me. 😊
Click to expand...
Yup.
 
I turned a pot of boiling eggs to cherry - the eggs exploded - what a mess... But sheesh, to think how much worse it could have been! (see squatting dog's image above). I guess my forgetting to plug in the crock pot was a good thing - late dinner, but at least I remembered to unplug it when done! Since I just started cooking from scratch again, it does worry me that I have these cognitive short circuits /-; Maybe I'll go back to microwave meals!
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
This is different than forgetting to do something. Things get so repetitious you just forget.
... I change my birds seed and water and check again to see if I did it.
... Anyone else do things so automatically that you forgot you did them?
Click to expand...

I will sometimes prepare the birds' food and fail to put it in the enclosure, because my coffee is ready. Somewhere around 10 AM, they lose patience with me and their squawks bring me back into focus - I have set it on the table, in their line of sight... I feel so guilty!
 
The saddest part of that fire, was after they told me that they had re-sealed all the remaining smoke damaged wood with some kind of white sealant, that I'd be good to go on a rebuild. I spent a lot of time and money to completely rebuild the house (insulation, new wiring, drywall, carpet, roofing, etc) only to find that there was no way to get rid of mold. Drove us out of the house that following winter when the windows were all shut up, and I was forced to sell at a tremendous loss, after disclosing the mold issue. :mad: Knowledge is power... wish I'd known how badly mold can affect so people. (for instance, my wife) ☹

rebuild.jpgkitchen.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top