Are Late Stage Pandemic Restrictions Messing With Our Brains?

[OneEyedDiva]

This was one of the articles in Pocket that I received by emailed today. I have some of these brain "symptoms" and frankly I had started to worry. In a way it's good to know it's not because I'm in the early stages of dementia! This article blames all types of forgetfulness on the lockdowns. Do you find your brain isn't as sharp as it used to be pre-pandemic?
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/...cket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

 

[Becky1951]

Thank you for posting this article. I've been so forgetful lately and not being able to remember the name of some everyday items it's been scary.

 

[officerripley]

Yes, thanks for posting; I've been worrying about my memory lately too. And the fact that the neighborhood we live in is lonely anyway--we're on 1 acre lots--was getting to me even before the Lockdown and of course once that started, no way of finding other ways to socialize in person. Thank goodness for the internet (espec. SF) and Zoom meetings but I miss in-person contact with others so much I feel like I can't stand another minute of this sometimes.

 

[MarciKS]

I've been forgetting things more as well. What bothered me the most was one evening I was about to leave work and I was looking forward to doing something when I got home and then I remembered the event was cancelled. I was so disappointed.

I will lay down a set of potholders at work and a few minutes later I can't find them and I look where I swear I laid them and they're not there. They're in front of me and my brain isn't even registering them. It's as if my brain is recalling the place I left them before instead of last. I get sidetracked or distracted super easy and forget what I'm doing. I get some strange looks sometimes from co-workers.

 

[Keesha]

Yes but I’ve been blaming it on the medication I’m on. One thing I have noticed lately is that I actually really enjoy meeting others on my walks with the dogs and others seem to be much more receptive to me. Before I’d try and avoid people where I don’t that much any more.

Another difference I’ve noticed is that people seem to want to talk to me more. When I take my girls to the groomers, she’ll talk for a long time when I go to pick them up. People on my walks are stopping and striking up conversations about our dogs , the weather or some other small talk type topics. Normally I’d shy away from this but lately I haven’t been. Oops! I said that already.
I forgot !

I think maybe it’s a combination of others being cooped up and me being on medication that is actually working for me. Plus I stopped using cannabis, which has changed my perception quite a bit. .... lol! Yep! Duh! Of course it has.
I’m glad I stopped.

 

[Sunny]

My memory and concept of what date it is have definitely been affected. Every day feels pretty much the same, in the absence of regularly scheduled events. Last night I almost forgot to get on our family's Tuesday night Zoom meeting, something I always look forward to. I just forgot that it was Tuesday! I did get there late, and they were all worried about me. Felt pretty dumb, just saying, "I forgot it's Tuesday."

I can't wait for this to be over.

 

[MarciKS]

I think because we are just vegging out all day with no set purpose our minds are on vacation without us. I have to work at remembering which Saturday it is to recall if I need to sign off on my time card so I can get pd. the following week.

We're bound to be forgetful with nothing to do but hang around.

 

[Pinky]

Every day is like the next .. Groundhog Day

 

[Aunt Bea]

 

[MarciKS]

I like how he's in his jammies. LOL

 

[ProTruckDriver]

I will lay down a set of potholders at work and a few minutes later I can't find them and I look where I swear I laid them and they're not there. They're in front of me and my brain isn't even registering them. It's as if my brain is recalling the place I left them before instead of last.

I have had the same happen to me a few times. I would be looking for my coffee cup or something and I can't see it and it's right in front of me on my desk. I would ask my wife if she seen my coffee cup or something and she would say it's right here on your desk. This has happen to me with other things too. It gets kind of scary.

 

[SetWave]

Thankfully, I do not have Covid but I am definitely suffering pandemic fatigue.

 

[Don M.]

Between this pandemic, and the Winter weather, the last few months have been somewhat trying. I got my 2nd Covid vaccine this morning, and my wife is scheduled for hers next week. By early April we intend to start leading a more normal lifestyle....mask included.

 

[JonDouglas]

Maybe people are waking up to the idea that the brain needs sensory and tactile stimulation to keep healthy.

 

[Don M.]

Maybe people are waking up to the idea that the brain needs sensory and tactile stimulation to keep healthy.

The Brain is much like a Muscle....If you don't use it, you lose it.

 

[SetWave]

Maybe people are waking up to the idea that the brain needs sensory and tactile stimulation to keep healthy.

Agree. Conference calls and Zoom doom lack so little. I much rather prefer face-to-face in-person contact. But, will patiently wait until it's okay to crawl out from under the bed.

 

[Aneeda72]

I see no difference, but then I have always been rather scattered brained, and was diagnosed in my late fifties, with a type of dementia usual to adults who had been abused children, according to the neurologist and research, our brains don’t grow correctly.

But, @Don M. I thought you already kept yourself rather isolated before the lockdowns so if you are having increased other age memory issues I would talk to your doctor. This question should really be answered by those that self isolated before the lockdowns to be accurate. IMO.

I rarely remember the actual date, because I don’t really need to remember it, and with our reliance on digital watches, cell phones, radios in the car, etc, those aides all add to this not needing to remember the date that is constantly in front of us.

However, I ALWAYS know when the pay checks are due to come. It’s a special talent people who have been poor have.

 

[StarSong]

I haven't noticed being more forgetful.

My occasional difficulty tracking days and dates came about when I retired, and became really terrible early in the stay-at-home period.

Improvement came in leaps and bounds when we formed a pod with our daughter's family and started getting together every weekend, and I scheduled a Zoom session with friends every Wednesday. Regularly scheduled weekly activities moor people to the calendar. Otherwise, as @Pinky said, everyday is Groundhog Day.

@Sunny, half an hour before my Zoom session, Alexa is programmed to call out: "Get ready to Zoom."

Generally speaking, I find Alexa to be invaluable for little reminders around the house, whether for cooking, moving laundry from one machine to the other and then folding it, taking meds at the same time every day, keeping doctor and other appointments, or even performing chores that I keep forgetting putting off. She's a gentle nag that doesn't get irritated if I ignore her.

 

[Aneeda72]

I haven't noticed being more forgetful.

My occasional difficulty tracking days and dates came about when I retired, and became really terrible early in the stay-at-home period.

Improvement came in leaps and bounds when we formed a pod with our daughter's family and started getting together every weekend, and I scheduled a Zoom session with friends every Wednesday. Regularly scheduled weekly activities moor people to the calendar. Otherwise, as @Pinky said, everyday is Groundhog Day.

@Sunny, half an hour before my Zoom session, Alexa is programmed to call out: "Get ready to Zoom."

Generally speaking, I find Alexa to be invaluable for little reminders around the house, whether for cooking, moving laundry from one machine to the other and then folding it, taking meds at the same time every day, keeping doctor and other appointments, or even performing chores that I keep forgetting putting off. She's a gentle nag that doesn't get irritated if I ignore her.

Alexa does my spelling and occasionally corrects my pronunciation, I find her very rude at times.

 

[StarSong]

Alexa does my spelling and occasionally corrects my pronunciation, I find her very rude at times.

When you tell her to set a timer for a minute and a half and she'll say, "Timer set for one minute and thirty seconds, starting now!"

I reply back, "Stop correcting me." Sometimes, just to be a bi***, I'll cancel a timer 3 seconds before it goes off. I make her do all that work tracking the time, then swoop in and deny her the joy of showing off her skills.

 

[SetWave]

"lack so little"??? That should be lack so much! See? It has gotten to my poor little peabrain.

 

[Don M.]

I see no difference, but then I have always been rather scattered brained, and was diagnosed in my late fifties, with a type of dementia usual to adults who had been abused children, according to the neurologist and research, our brains don’t grow correctly.

At least you recognize your issues....the Next step is to try to do something about it.

But, @Don M. I thought you already kept yourself rather isolated before the lockdowns so if you are having increased other age memory issues I would talk to your doctor.

Yes, we are a bit "isolated"...living in a very rural area. However, due to this pandemic, our visits and interactions with the kids/grandkids have been substantially reduced. We like to go to the casinos at least once a month, but that, too, has been reduced. Other than these lacks of personal interaction, our lives haven't changed much over the past year. If that translated into "memory issues", in your mind, I would suggest that you review the first sentence in your post.

I rarely remember the actual date, because I don’t really need to remember it, and with our reliance on digital watches, cell phones, radios in the car, etc, those aides all add to this not needing to remember the date that is constantly in front of us.

However, I ALWAYS know when the pay checks are due to come. It’s a special talent people who have been poor have.

 

[Gaer]

Glad you said"late stage pandemic"! Hope so!

 

[officerripley]

I got one of these perpetual calendars & put it next to my sink:


I hope it'll help me to stop missing appointments (as long as I can remember to change it each morning, sigh).

 

[Aneeda72]

At least you recognize your issues....the Next step is to try to do something about it.

But, @Don M. I thought you already kept yourself rather isolated before the lockdowns so if you are having increased other age memory issues I would talk to your doctor.

Yes, we are a bit "isolated"...living in a very rural area. However, due to this pandemic, our visits and interactions with the kids/grandkids have been substantially reduced. We like to go to the casinos at least once a month, but that, too, has been reduced. Other than these lacks of personal interaction, our lives haven't changed much over the past year. If that translated into "memory issues", in your mind, I would suggest that you review the first sentence in your post.

Well, when you said in post 13 that the last months had been trying, I thought you were referring to the subject of the thread “trying” in terms of memory, silly me, thinking you would be talking about the subject of the thread.

In your next thread you mentioned exercising your brain, thought you meant YOUR brain. Apparently you think it’s everyone else’s brain that needs help. . In any event, glad you have decided to mask up, but your using a mask does surprise me.