Heard on quiz show
but which I think applies to us oldies: give a wrong answer, get it out of your
mind and move on, do not dwell on it. It is so easy to worry about our
mistakes.
A case in mind was
when I was asked the name of a certain president in the WI, I gave the answer
and was immediately pounced on by others because I had got it wrong. I knew
immediately that I was wrong and felt a terrible shame, but I was too slow… the
pounce came before I could do anything about it. Okay, I know the others in the
group had to correct my mistake and I did try to laugh it off and put the error
down to my ageing brain. Actually, in a way I was right, it’s just that I had
the wrong WI in mind!
However:
Coping with my
mistake wasn’t that easy. My mind dwelled on the incident and the embarrassment
I felt. Yes, the matter had to be corrected but the way it was done could have
been better and might have prevented hours of anxiety about where my brain was
going. Young(er) people don’t understand about
As a matter of
interest, I checked ‘forgetfulness’ online and discovered that it could be the
onset of dementia and other alarming conditions that affect the mind, so I
settled on the following extract, on the grounds that I am (usually) perfectly
normal. I can reason things out, I can do things, I can write, I can compose, I
can do jobs around the house (albeit slower than usual), I can cook, feed the
cat, talk to neighbours, enjoy music, read books, and go shopping. Here’s the
extract:
It's completely normal to become a little forgetful as you get
older, however, it can sometimes be a symptom of something more serious, so seek medical
advice if you are in
any doubt.
Memory loss, also known
as amnesia, is unusual forgetfulness. It may affect your ability to recall new
events or to remember events in the past - or both. Memory loss can develop
slowly or suddenly and may be either short term or permanent. It may involve
words, phrases or thoughts only, or affect motor memory - when the ability to
perform certain motor skills (movements) is lost.
Mild memory loss is usually a result of the normal ageing process while more dramatic memory loss is usually associated with
trauma, such as a blow to the head or a condition, such as diabetes or dementia.
Unfortunately, ageing
forgetfulness is something we have to learn to live with and can be dealt with
by writing things down, keeping lists and other reminders. Spur of the moment
errors are not so easy to deal with and neither is the ensuing embarrassment
but we must keep smiling and looking at the positive side of life.
Valerie
