If you suffer from anxiety, you might have difficulty concentrating. Perhaps you’re always losing track of things at work, and your forgetfulness leads to setbacks on projects or confusion with customers. Maybe you’re a student, and you struggle to study for exams and pay close attention in class.
Even when you’re engaging in a hobby that interests you, it’s tough to stay in the moment. You can’t help but worry about things that might happen later, or dwell on past situations where you fear you made mistakes. Yet you wish you could regain your focus and stay truly grounded in what you’re actually doing.
Let’s explore why anxiety and stress can cause forgetfulness.
You’re Focused on the Future
When you’re anxious, you might be thinking incessantly about the future. You might have a deadline on the horizon, and you feel the pressure at work or school. Maybe you’re planning a big event, like a wedding. Perhaps, you’re awaiting a major life milestone, like the birth of a new baby.
Everything you’re anticipating is taking up space in your mind, and you can’t help but worry about these future events. Worrying feels like a way to protect yourself against potential mistakes and harm. But in reality, all it does is pull you away from the present.
You’re Preoccupied with the Past
Alternatively, you may be spending lots of time thinking about the past. Maybe you made mistakes that continue to haunt you. Perhaps you’re convinced that everyone witnessed you commit some kind of minor error, and you wish you could go back and change things.
Fixating on your past distracts you from the present, and as a result, you end up forgetting things in the here and now.
Hyper-Focusing on Minor Issues
If you’re feeling anxious, small problems can seem like huge catastrophes. You may have said something silly at a party, and as a result, you constantly analyze what you said, playing the conversation over and over again in your head.
If you show up to an event, and you realize you’re not quite dressed properly, you might assume that everyone is fixated on your outfit. But as you hyperfocus on minor issues that other people are unlikely to notice, you take your attention away from more pressing matters.
Too Much on Your Mind
Sometimes, anxiety can make it feel as though you’re constantly processing information from all directions. One moment, you’re dealing with stress about a situation that might arise in the future. The next moment, you’re feeling embarrassed about something that happened years ago. You’re also concerned that you’re making mistakes in the present, and you’re filtering all of your actions through the lens of what other people might think.
It’s all too much to process at once. It’s easy to see how you can forget small details when you’re stuck in this state of mind.
Anxiety Drains Your Energy
Anxiety is exhausting. When you feel particularly anxious, you might also experience low energy levels. Sometimes, you may feel so tired and drained that you wish you could simply rest in the middle of the day. If you’re struggling just to accomplish basic tasks, it’s no wonder that you end up forgetting things.
Concentrating requires energy. This is why anxiety can make it so difficult to focus, remember what you need to do, and execute on those tasks. This condition saps your energy, pulling you away from what you need to do.
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If stress and anxiety are making you forgetful, the right anxiety therapist can help you stay focused. Connect with us to schedule a free consultation or your first counseling session.