Emily - Week 13 - Forgetting Memories
What is your favorite memory? A question I was constantly asked, yet I was never really sure how to respond. I’ve always found it hard to remember things from a long time ago, but also things that happened recently. I know many of us struggle with this, and it’s definitely been a big issue I’ve been trying to fix myself. I must admit, sometimes it’s extremely difficult to recall past memories from elementary school and before, but I feel like that applies to most people. Maybe it’s because I have a bad memory and can’t even remember what was on my psychology test last week. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been repressing these moments in my mind, and shifting them to the unconscious.
Most people can’t remember painful or disturbing moments in their lives, yet I find myself forgetting almost anything and everything. I wonder what life would be like if I had a perfect memory, or if I didn’t have to try so hard to think about what I learned. There’ve been so many moments where I studied extremely hard on a subject and still failed the test (including in this class), which made me seriously question my capabilities and brain power. Am I just not smart? How on earth did I forget everything I reviewed last night? I couldn’t keep these pestering thoughts away as I wondered why I was struggling so much on an exam that everyone else aced. I’m still working on improving my cognition to aid my memory in academics…
It took me a while to learn how to deal with the pain of forgetting, especially the moments that were so meaningful to me and those I loved. Yet I know it's inevitable to recollect every single instant in my life, and no matter what I do, I may just never be able to find them again. It’s truly bittersweet to think about, but I know everything that I’ve been through will always stay with me, even if it means digging into my camera roll from 5 years ago to remember what I did to my best friend on her birthday.
Memories hold such a special place in each of our hearts, and without them, we wouldn’t be able to learn from our past mistakes or grow as people. Yet not everyone has the luxury of being able to keep all their memories safe. When someone forgets something, whether it’s important or insignificant, they may begin to feel like they’re losing a part of themselves. That’s why I always document each fleeting moment in my life, even if it’s something as simple as getting boba from my favorite tea shop for the 3rd time that week.
Hi Emily, I’m so sorry to hear this! In my opinion, being forgetful of painful and disturbing moments is actually a good thing. If you can’t remember the moment, then there’s no need to ever overthink something or feel bad about it weeks later. However, I completely sympathize with your point of view. I can’t imagine how disappointing it is being unable to remember childhood memories. Especially not being able to remember meaningful moments with the people you love or milestones in your life is definitely sad. The best advice I can give in your situation is to just live in the moment. The best thing you can do right now is to make the most out of your situation. Instead of constantly feeling sad over not being able to remember, which is a COMPLETELY valid feeling, simply enjoying every present moment would help. Even though you wouldn’t be able to remember it, you would feel reassured by the fact that the moment DID happen, and that it was a joyful one. I wish you the best of luck dealing with your forgetfulness, and hope your memory improves over time.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, I totally relate! I definitely have an enormous amount of forgetfulness which leads to me forgetting deadlines, memories, information; almost only the stuff I need to remember. I have put myself in a lot of sticky situations by not remembering deadlines, and pissing off a lot of people in the process. Even when I try to account for everything, something is bound to slip through the cracks, including memories as well as academics. Friends that have moved, along with family members who have passed, I seem to forget their voice, and my recollections of them often fade away. Especially in elementary school, so many things I would want to remember are lost, and your blog has definitely encouraged me to take more pictures, which I suck at. Forgetfulness is something I also struggle with, and I would really hope that it might get better over time. Some advice I have is to maybe document these memories in a journal after it happens, which will also help you practice your writing skills :). I hope you find a way to hold on to these memories, good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Emily. I find it funny that our blogs are quite similar, which honestly made me worried when I first saw it as I felt like I would seem unoriginal. But when I read yours, I definitely felt different from when I read my own blog. When I read my own blog, I mostly talk about my smaller instances of forgetting, and how inconvenient and embarrassing that is. When I read your blog, however, I feel the pain and shame that comes from not just small things but long-term memories as well. Hearing about the pain that comes from forgetting core memories from long ago felt heartbreaking, and I love how you managed to turn that plain sad thought into something melancholy. While I cannot personally say I feel as strongly on topics like these (anymore, at least), I do understand the feeling of feeling stupid after forgetting something you just read. Overall, this was a really relatable blog. Good job!
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