Do you still remember the person you met a few minutes ago? Do you still recall what he/she said? If you say yes, congratulations, you are still aware of what is happening around you. You are mindful and not forgetful as yet. If you say no, then it is time to be more focused on things that are happening right at this moment. Otherwise, you will be forgetful in many things that are happening around you and that may cause stress and panic especially when the information is what you need right at the moment and frustratingly you cannot recall it.
It is indicated that “People forget 40% of what they learned in 20 minutes and 77% of what they learned in six days” (https://www.worklearning.com/2010/12/14/how-much-do-people-forget/). Even young people today tend to forget many things and cannot recall what transpired in their lives a few minutes ago and sometimes they even forget their phone numbers. Most people these days tend to let time pass without really focusing on the events that happened because they are busy and focused on other things.
In my case, I can say that the reason for my being forgetful is because of my aging and that it is almost difficult for me to recall even some names of my friends in the past and sometimes I forget even my phone number. One of the reasons for this is that my mind is preoccupied with other things and I was not focusing on some events that were happening right at the moment.
Another reason is that I rely too much on my smartphone to show me the phone numbers that I need to call. So, being too dependent on devices does sometimes have something to do with my forgetfulness although there are many advantages of having the phone numbers on the smartphones because you can get the information in a jiffy. I do not need to rummage through my bag to get my phonebook. It is easier to just get it from my smartphone.
Another advantage of having the phone numbers already listed on the smartphone is that I can easily send it through my smartphone in seconds and I do not have to copy the phone number and then send it to another person that takes time. I think everybody agrees with me that smartphone technology is by far the best thing that ever happened to this generation and the future generation. It helped us a lot in the way we do things in faster and easier ways.
However, the danger is that we rely too much on this and we tend not to make our brain work to memorize and recall some information and things that are relevant to us. Because we need the fastest way to recall any information, we depend too much on our devices that our mental ability is not utilized at all in most of the things we do.
There are other reasons for forgetting things according to a published online article (https://www.psychologytoday.com/ ) aside from those that I have already mentioned, which may not be aware of such as:
- We concentrate on understanding events in the world and not on remembering them.
“We don't approach new events in the world with the primary goal of remembering them. We appreciate, manage, enjoy, negotiate, confront, praise, love, argue, get through — all ways of understanding.”
- To forget about things “helps us to live with the pains and traumas of life.”
“After a painful break-up, the loss of a parent or spouse, or a very troubling event, most of us find that time eventually eases the pain. But it’s not physical time that causes pain to diminish. Vivid emotional details become less accessible to conscious experience.”
- "Memory is designed to be selective."
"Our memory is usually accurate enough for our purposes—to remember the overall gist of an event and to retain selected images."
- Forgetting has practical benefits and actually enhances some recall.
"There are situations in which forgetting helps you learn: When acquiring a second language, for example, it is useful to suppress the memory of your native language."
Forgetting may not be harmful at times but it is in some ways stressful not to recall some events in our life or things that we have to remember instantly when we need them the most right away. As such, instead of being forgetful, we can also be mindful of the things around us. Mindfulness is “a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356).
This implies that being mindful is the opposite of being forgetful in a way that we are aware of the things that are happening to us right at the moment. We do not have to consider any judgment or interpretation of that event that is happening right before our eyes. Awareness is the important thing. There are several reasons why mindfulness is good for us.
According to Thich Nhat Hanh in this article “Five Steps to Mindfulness,” mindfulness gives us energy that helps us recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives.” Mindfulness, a type of meditation, based on “clinical trials” is effective in various conditions such as stress, depression, pain, insomnia, anxiety, among others (https://www.mayoclinic.org/).
Being forgetful or mindful may be a choice for some but in the long run, being mindful about what transpires in our everyday lives will give us more positive things than being forgetful. Although forgetting is also advantageous when events that are happening to us make us emotionally suffer that we want to forget them eventually.
Aside from being mindful, we can also focus on more enjoyable things such as engaging in physical exercises. Doing so would lead to us being more focused on our physical and mental health. I highly suggest that you own one exercise machine from Flexispot today. One of the best products to tone your muscles is the Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair which gives you two advantages of cycling as an exercise activity while you focus on your work at hand.
It also has some awesome features such as support for your back with the breathable mesh backrest, an adjustable seat height, and supportive seat cushion. As such, it keeps you mentally and physically healthy focusing only on the more positive side of life.
