Why I Can't Remember Things -- How ADHD Affects Working Memory

Okay admittedly I went on way too long about Wondrium -- oops. I really love their rebrand 😂

I SO wish there was a version of this video for dyspraxia. "how dyspraxia affects working memory" trying to explain my struggles to employers is near impossible </3

Which is why I could score so high on reading, as in ability, but then my reading comprehension scores were always well below average. I can't remember anything I read, nor can I remember things I watch to the point where someone was discussing a major popular movie w/me once & was like remember when? And it was a major part, but I didn't remember & he questioned whether I'd actually seen it or not. So, if you want to discuss a movie I've seen, it's best not to wait too long, or I'm gonna need a refresher on key plot points. And I didn't do well on open-book tests either b/c I can't remember what I'm looking for, can't skim successfully, nothing. I hate tests, but I'd rather just know what's going to be on, specifically & exactly so that I can memorize it & then let it fade away.

Dang sometimes I have 1 slot.

Too fast for my brain.

Very dangerous that you believe that you have a disorder in your brain that precludes you remembering things as a matter of course.

And they say its from smoking Cannabis 😂

I’ve noticed this effects my ability to remember directions, I still get lost even round where I grew up

I’ve noticed this effects my ability to remember directions, I still get lost even round where I grew up

I have adhd and always been terrible at mental math because of this

I just couldn't remember a f**k*ng number, I hate it when I calculate using only my brain, I feel dumb about it everytime😑

This piece is brimming with profound wisdom. A book with parallel content had a significant impact on my life. "Unlocking the Brain's Full Potential" by Alexander Sterling

You mentioned check out this playlist but i didnt see anything

I always thought that I was annoying to other people in class when I kept asking the teacher to repeat the question.
But the other students didn't care. Some guy said to me that the instructor always explained it in a different way. Always revealing more of the answer

"Dad, what's that phone number again?" "I just gave it to you! You can't have forgotten it already." "Well, I did. You know I can't remember phone numbers." I still can't. If I change phone carriers, it takes me roughly six months to remember the new number.

how do i fix it

This explains why i have to write so many notes on pretty much everything. If i write it down it sticks in my head much better.

I cant take living like this much longer i keep forgetting what i was just thinking about and i cant put together what my recent history was because its like my memory gets wiped every time i wake up and nobody understands i dont get how nobody understands that i cant even function recreationally i dont get why im so unhelpable

Tbis is hard core affecting my job and its beyond frustrating

I've consistently struggled with adding large numbers, even with a calculator. My math skills have always been weak. In accounting despite doing everything correctly I had calculation errors. That's whay I would solve everything but I kept my balance sheet as it is without summing up and balancing even while practicing. I was really tired of summing one question for an hour. Similar incidents have occurred frequently, making me question if it's due to carelessness. However, I don't think others stress as much about on the things that I make mistakes, I see even the poor students who never study can calculate numbers well then why not me? I really don't understand what to do 😭

Actuality ill just think about this one thing i wanna look up and1 are 2 seconds later i forget

This makes so much sense, I get frustrated with myself when working as I forget small tasks after JUST thinking about them.

This is screwing me over so hard at work its crazy. In a normal setting its ok but on the clock I'm expected to take into consideration the schedules of 5 other team members and their condition, constant teams notifications, emails in a work personal box, emails in a shared team box, email conversations from clients on the case ticket, schedules for solving their damn problems which can always be different and regular but random phone calls where I have to drop everything. Basic errors are becoming catastrophic as its affecting other people and relationships with clients. I think I have everything in my head for the next hour of tasks but later realize I haven't thought of a heap of things and there's people I haven't replied to which causes problems. Its fustrating as hell.

Ok. Now. How do we solve this issue???

Funnily enough I always personally refer to working memory as the CPU cache rather than RAM since it's more reflective of how working memory actually is in terms of size and duration of storage

...That said, I'm also a CS nerd, so RAM is definitely the go to analogy!

This is why I feel that I might have ADHD, Just describes me to the T.

Você confundiu memória de trabalho com memória de curto prazo, as duas são completamente diferentes, e a memória de trabalho há autores que nem sequer a considera uma memória por ser um gerenciador de realidade, cuidado para não confundir, não leve a mal é apenas uma crítica construtiva

I am diagnosed with adhd,people usually tell me to write thinfs down if i keep forgetting but honestly if either forget to write it down,or write what down.

Lists are also handy for emotionally draining tasks! I was really stressed about showering because it felt so overwhelming, my working memory wasn't cutting it, I was getting really bad sensory overload, and I had a lot of bad memories associated with it. Trying to remember stuff was taking up slots I needed to process my emotions and actually start working through them, and also to complete the task. Having a checklist freed up enough space in my brain that I was able to stop feeling quite so panicked and pay attention to 'the water is warm, that's nice, the soap smells good, pay attention to that instead of the water droplets pelting you' or 'you'll feel so good after this is over, you're doing a really good job, it's ok this is hard because look at you doing it anyway like a champ'.

Does anyone else struggle with remembering what people have just told you in a conversation? Perhaps this is also linked with my difficulty in remembering names?

Can you make a video on how to process information from fast, assertive; knowledgeable, and confident talkers? Personally, its beyond frustrating that I have to seek out videos where the voice is slow, relaxed, and dumbed down. You put me in a "frozen state" lol. I forgot the big words, questions, and articulate perspective I wanted to share... Back to video games

oh my god i think im in love

My grandmother used to always jokingly give my shit about my terrible memory…

If she was still here, I could explain to her how my brain operates in better detail.

In my last ND screening, the abstract and verbal reasoning score came in the “superior” level. Made me top 15%, but my working memory, or Lord my working memory,? Bottom 15%.

I forget everything and it only worsens if my mental health gets bad which happens a lot 🤦🏼‍♀️

I’m also dyslexic AF, have dyscalculia. Those plus time blindness, yeah no wonder I have mental health breakdowns. I come across as highly intelligent because other than memory I am, and then forget everything and people think I just do it on purpose because I’m “too smart to forget”.

Clearly don’t understand the nature of ND…

I get overly nervous when someone is speaking to me whether on my own or in a group. My subconscious is always trying to focus on key words of conversation so I can remember but after the conversation I still can’t remember. I’ve been on meds for years for anxiety which have never calmed my overactive mind& improved my focus. is this my adhd? Will my adhd meds eventually allow me to focus?

Girl!!!!! Your video opening nailed my whole life! I laughed hysterically and felt very seen, thank you so much for that!

The SPEED of her speak is far too fast for people who have working memory problem👎

My daughter asked for a glass of water, so i went to the kitchen and saw the dishes. Began to fill the dishwasher. I opened the hot water faucet to rinse the frying pan, as it takes looong time to get hot. I thought i could spend the excess time going to the bathroom, but on my way there, i glanced into my home office and remembered i was in the middle of something on my computer. Result: my daughter called and asked where the water went and the hot water was still running in the kitchen. So yes, I can relate to this 🙂

Long statement, but I want to share anyways.

I have self-diagnosed myself with ADHD. Sometimes I don't believe it, because I'll hear you stay the symptom and I'll think to myself: "I don't have that," and then immediately realize that I do, I've just created a coping mechanism for that.

For example, I have terrible working memory. But I didn't think I did. It's because I have a really good ability to encode working memory to long-term memory. And so, effectively accurate remember things that were in my working memory. Because I create a strategies to make it a long-term memory.

At least, I had a good ability to encode working memory to long-term memory. As I vented my thirties, and discovered that this strategy doesn't work as well anymore. Am I working memory issues have seriously become a problem. Your channel has helped me discover what that problem is. Thanks, and I hope I can fix it.

but my harddrive AND ram are impared....they both dont work

I'm always like "Ok, I'll make a mental note of that. I'm definitely going to remember this time"

But it's basically like writing something on a post-it and throwing it away immediately afterwards 😂

So no more mental notes for me, it just fills up my working memory lol

I subscribed to you because this video is awesome and you're awesome. Thanks for spending your time doing this. I struggle with short term and long term memory loss.

This is the best explanation of working memory I've stumbled across. Thank you!

My toxic trait is sending apology to manager for missing deadlines

THIS EXPLAINS SO MUCH
It's why I can't remember more than a few numbers at a time

Improving memory with ADHD

I don’t have ADHD but I have an intellectual disability and struggle with working memory that’s why I have to do my dances and maths multiple times before I get it .

Working memory includes remembering to LOOK at the shopping list in your hand when you’re grocery shopping. I’ve gone shopping with a list in hand…never looked at the list…and bought a bunch of items I didn’t need. ..and nothing that I did need.