Cognitive/Mental Health Fears

[Matty_G 18]

Hey everyone! Glad to see the site is back up and I hope everyone is doing well. Last year I had probably the worst year I've ever had in terms of Health Anxiety and this site and it's members really helped a lot 🙂

This year I feel like I'm doing much better than last, but I noticed that while I'm not so much focused on physical symptoms this year, I've really been giving myself some anxiety over my cognitive/mental state. Lately I just feel like my memory is crap, like I can't quite remember names of things as easily and lots of stuff gets stuck on the tip of my tongue - where I really need to take a minute and focus to recall. Generally just not feeling as sharp. Also I notice myself paying less attention to conversations sometimes (I'll also add that I'm 32). Anyway just wondering if anyone else here goes through the same thing? I just feel the spiral brewing (The "what if I have dementia, or cognitive decline, or what if the SSRI's are doing something to my brain" type of thinking. Just looking for guidance to stay away from the dark mental traps. Thanks in advance

 

-Matt

[MARC 431]

When I get overwhelmed or stressed the same thing happens to me sometimes, so I think what is happening to you is not a big deal. 

[Ashleyspicer84 84]

I’m 34 and I’m doing the EXACT SAME THING. I’m starting to worry if it’s Alzheimer’s or something. I stumble over words, forget things constantly, and just generally can’t think right. I will go to the grocery store and forget and then remember three times why I’m going down an isle. It’s driving me nuts. My husband says it’s just from stress and he does the same thing so i don’t know. I think I’m going to start doing brain exercises and see if that helps any. I also seen a commercial for a memory booster so I might try that too. 

[Matty_G 18]

On 1/3/2020 at 1:22 PM, Ashleyspicer84 said:

I’m 34 and I’m doing the EXACT SAME THING. I’m starting to worry if it’s Alzheimer’s or something. I stumble over words, forget things constantly, and just generally can’t think right. I will go to the grocery store and forget and then remember three times why I’m going down an isle. It’s driving me nuts. My husband says it’s just from stress and he does the same thing so i don’t know. I think I’m going to start doing brain exercises and see if that helps any. I also seen a commercial for a memory booster so I might try that too. 

Hey Ash,

It’s funny that you mention that your husband says it happens to him also because my wife tells me the exact same thing and that it happens to her as well. I think it really is anxiety and stress, and I end up hyper focusing on it to the point where every time I need to remember something I have a mental note to pay attention to it, which creates a loop (something that I’m extremely familiar with having anxiety). I’m glad you replied, because the odds of two people in their early 30s having mental decline are virtually impossible, but the odds of two of us having anxiety and this being a symptom is much much more likely.