Re:Caireaan's blog on September 12th 2012... http://www.blogster.com/caireann/brain-farts
Doors
"Do you ever walk into a room with some purpose in
mind — to get something, perhaps?
— only to completely forget what that
purpose was? Turns out, doors themselves are to
blame for these strange memory lapses."
Oh
dear Caireaan, here comes an essay in reply because I found this blog so
interesting, but...
I
have been doing a lot of thinking on this very subject. I noted that young
people, simple souls and children don't have this problem. Doors may also have
something to do with it but what I found on doing some continual experiments on
myself ( something one can do when living by oneself in the middle of nowhere)
that it comes about by thinking of something, or more than one thing more
emotionally important and they have a greater priority in my head which
drowned/de-valued the thing I had intended to do as I walked towards it. And
this was because as we get older our heads fill with more and more
interesting 'stuff.'
.
And
as we get older many of our actions have become so familiar they are done either
with habit or on instinct and without any conscious thought. When I am cooking
my hand reaches for the salt and uses it. I know exactly where to put my hand to
get it. But if I'm cooking when on holiday I have to consciously stop and think
and look for the salt's position. When I come home from the holiday I stop in
confusion for a day or so when I go to reach for the salt because I actually
have to think and see it until it again becomes instinct. And why is it then I
don't forget if I have already salted something because my head is always
thinking of other things simultaneously now? Because, I noted, the brain from
my constant repetition starts to form patterns in doing things. I don't have to
think about it, the salt always goes in at a certain stage of cooking as did the
stock as will the final tasting that all the seasonings etc are balanced just
before serving.
.
It
seems as we age the body takes over the 'boring' stuff so that our brain and
emotions are freed up to do more interesting things.
.
More
experiments: when I get into the shower I note I first wash my left arm, then my
right arm, then to the neck and down to the rest of the body. I have at times
consciously changed the order to break the habit just for fun, but it is not
comfortable.
.
I
know about living in the moment. I can do it when doing something I need more
concentation for, like mowing the lawn...but most times now it is much more
interesting to play in my head and if I have to go into the bathroom four times
before I remember it is because I want to turn the hot water cylinder to on/off
, so be it. At the very least it is good exercise *grin*
.
And
the western world increase in alzheimers is maybe because we note we're getting
forgetful of why we 'came into the bathroom' and we start to worry that we're
getting alzheimers and it's the worry of getting alzheimers that actually
starts creating the problem?
.
.
.
