Fibro Fog: External Memory Aid

'Fibro fog' is a term used to describe cognitive problems associated with Fibromyalgia. Memory problems or concentration issues associated with fibro fog can lead to forgetting your words, losing your train of thought and/or getting distracted. You may have trouble staying focused on the task at hand or forget to do it entirely. External compensations (or memory aids) for cognitive problems are plentiful and I'll share some of the ones that I learned below in hopes that they can help you too!

1. Use a calendar - Phones come with calendars to conveniently add in important appointments and events. They will remind you when something is scheduled for that day and time. However if you're old school like me you use a physical calendar that hangs in a place where you'll see it (mine is in my kitchen). I find that I better remember things when I've written it down with pen and paper. I often just take a picture of my physical calendar on my phone to remind me of my obligations on the go. Use what works for you.

2. Use an agenda - Likewise you can plan your days with an agenda.

3. Jot down notes - Write your thoughts down on a notepad. My late step dad used to carry around a small notepad in his shirt pocket for precisely that reason! You'd be chatting with him and out would come his notepad and he would start scribbling down information! I try to carry as little as possible when I leave the house or I'd definitely use this one myself.

4. Leave things in one common place - This has been a huge help for me. For instance I have key hooks right when you come in the front door. The first thing that I do is hang up my keys because if I put them down on a surface I'm likely to forget where they are. I'm great with my keys but not so much with my ear buds that I often leave laying around and can never find them when I need them!

5. Make a checklist - You can use this to remember chores or create a shopping list. Checking off the items that need to be done one by one can lead to greater productivity and a feeling of accomplishment. I've read that the perfect to-do list never has more than 5 items on it. Adding too many items to your list can lead you to feel defeated if you can't accomplish them all. It's better to finish those five things and have to add another one afterwards. I would put the most important and time-sensitive one at the top so it gets done first. Just remember give yourself some grace. If you're having a bad pain day don't be hard on yourself if you can't get everything done. Tomorrow is another day.

6. Leave yourself a voicemail - Call your home if you have a messaging service and leave yourself a voicemail to remember an important tidbit that you need to jot down when you get home.

7. Medication boxes - Use a medication box that is divided by compartments (days of the week) and furthermore by times of the day (am/pm) if you have lots of medications and/or supplements to take over the course of the day. This way you're not left wondering if you've forgotten to take something important.

8. Voice recorder - Free voice recording apps can be downloaded on smart phones or go old school and get an small recorder that you carry around with you. Use these to record yourself saying reminders or ideas that you'd later like to recall.

9. Program phone numbers - Program phone numbers into your phone so you don't have to remember them off by heart. Make sure you have all of the important ones that you use regularly.

10. Use a Smart Watch - Smart watches can be programmed to set off reminders and they link to your cell phone so you can set an appointment on your phone's calendar and have it go off on your watch! I use a meditation app called "Balance" and I can set it to send me reminders to meditate at certain times of the day. My watch goes off every afternoon at 1:30 with a nice little reminder that it's time to practice. My smart watch also has this amazing feature that if you misplace your phone in the house you press 'find my phone' and it makes the most annoying beeping sound and flashes it's light on and off. I use this regularly when I can't find my phone!

11. Use a dry eraser marker - If you have stuff in the washing machine that needs special care; if you need to hang it to dry or check for stains that may not have come out in the wash, have I got a hack for you! Use a dry eraser marker on the top of your machine (works for my white coloured machine) to make a note about what's in that load that needs to be dealt with before going to the dryer. Just erase afterwards with a cloth.

12. Keep a meal plan visible - This can look like a paper with notes on what is planned for each day, a chalkboard with a weekly menu or I have a magnetic dry eraser board that attaches to my fridge. Having the day's meals written down will not leave you wondering what you wanted to have that evening for supper. It can also help tremendously in making a grocery list if you can see what meals are planned for the following week.

13. Set alarms - I live by alarms! I have an alarm that goes off at 8:30 every morning to remind me to take my morning pills. I often forget and that alarm is a lifesaver! I also keep ongoing alarms to remind me to move my car from one side of the street to the other on street cleaning day, to remind my kids to leave for their swimming lessons and most importantly, to start to wind down at 9:10 every night. It may sound silly but if I don't set that alarm I'll often get really into a tv show and realize that it's 10pm too late. At 9:10 my tv goes off and I start my bedtime ritual (tidying up, doing a face care routine, brushing my teeth, taking my medications and getting a massage from my wonderful husband, etc.)

14. Have a system for your email - It's so easy to get overwhelmed with all the emails that come into your account every day! I have found it helpful to unsubscribe to anything I no longer want or don't find value in. From there I 'star' emails that are really important and have to be dealt with but can't in the moment. That way if I accidentally drop them into another folder other than my inbox I can still find them. I also delete or move emails to appropriate folders when I'm done with them so I can easily find what I'm looking for. Picking a specific time of the day when you check your emails can help with remembering to do it in the first place.

15. Think in terms of days of the week - My beloved Nanny (my late grandmother) used to do certain chores on specific days of the week. It may seem very regimented but I can see how that would be a great memory jog. If every Tuesday and Sunday are laundry days than in theory you never forget to do laundry!

People are so inventive when it comes to finding ways to jog their memory. Please feel free to send me a note sharing your favourite tips and tricks to remember and I may include them in a future blog post. Please send your name and city of residence or if you'd like to remain anonymous please tell me. You can find a form for getting in touch under the 'contact me' page of my blog. I can't wait to hear from you!