After I came home...
I felt like I was in a dense fog
I couldn't focus
I'd forget I was doing laundry
I'd forget food on the stove
I wasn't very good at interacting with people
I couldn't remember what I did the previous day
And that still happens. Less and less, but it still happens.
A traumatic experience can cause a great deal of stress in your body.
This makes an impact on the functionality of very important parts of your brain that are strongly associated with memory.
Hippocampus: Major memory center that gives us a way to learn by comparing past memories with present experiences.
Amygdala: Helps us process fear-based memories (i.e. You burn your hand on the stove, you know not to do that again)
Memory loss is a natural survival skill our body has to help protect us. After understanding that, it's important to recognize it and learn how to heal from it.
With memory loss and PTSD, I am trying to find ways to help me function better throughout the day.
Patience. Lots of patience and grace with myself.
I forget less when I have more structure in my day.
Gently ask friends to be patient with you because you may forget things.
I keep a schedule in my Google calendar of upcoming events. The hardest thing honestly is remembering that I have a calendar. I have to remind myself that I can't trust my memory. I have to remind myself to reference the calendar because it knows my plans better than my mind is capable of right now.