Expert: Sharon Crandall - 12/5/2009

Question
Dear Expert,
I am an 18 year-old girl concerned with my absentmindedness. This hasn't been a problem with important tasks, because I write them down.  

However, I also frequently misplace objects, and when I am looking for those objects, it takes me a while, and I often overlook them even as I search for them.  Sometimes I have to remind myself what is it that I am looking for. I would place them in odd places even if I've reminded myself many times where they need to go.  I also often forget I have an object in my hand.  

I also have false memories about routine actions.  For example, I often forget to wash my face because I remember washing it; the memory turns out to have been from the day before. Yesterday, I was about to bring along a banana as usual to eat for breakfast as I headed off to class.  As I was walking to class, I noticed that I didn't have my banana with me, and vaguely remembered that I had eaten it...until I returned and found the banana on my desk.

I've always felt extremely frustrated after spending so much time looking for them.  In high school, I was pretty notorious for repeatedly losing and finding my textbooks-Now, I'm more concerned because I am a premed student, and am questioning my abilities to practice medicine in the future.  How can I trust myself if I don't even know what I am doing?

Is this an attention problem? Memory problem? A problem at all? Is there a way to improve this area of my life, and pay more attention to what I do?

Answer
Hello.

Without seeing you, I am not sure what the problem is but I can tell you that genius types, often can't hardly keep their practical life together. A famous author, who was a genius, had a wife who had to keep track of everything for him. A very intelligent person is off in his/her mind and just does not notice a lot of things like you are describing.

If you have wide-spaced eyes that means that your eyes take in a lot of different things. You see the overall picture but do not see what is right in front of you very well. This personality has to write everything down and force himself to focus on the job at hand.

It could be either or both, that is causing you problems.  A doctor would probably give you medication but medications are addictive, usually, and also I think would eventually detract from your intelligence.

I will say, that one thing you can do if it is wide-spaced eyes, which is the trait of Wide-Tolerance, then any exercises you can do to focus on what is right in front of you can help. Also keeping track of how much time it takes you to do certain tasks and using timers, concentrating on doing things faster right in the moment--those things sometimes help you learn to focus more on what is right in front of you.

Also, your brain accepts what you tell it and so you can also repeat affirmations frequently, whenever you think about it such as; I always remember what I have done and what I am doing. Always state it in the positive. Do not say, I never forget but say I always remember.

Otherwise, as you go into your career you will have to have a good assistant, to help keep you organized and on top of things and that is okay.

Listen to your gut feeling as to what I have said and see if it helps. Let me know what you think and we can go from there.

Sharon Crandall
www.personalityconsultant.com