Having Memory Problems?

Do you find recently that you struggle to find words or names? Are you having trouble focusing, thinking, planning, and getting things done? If so, you are not alone. It is highly likely this is a result of pandemic-related stress. Research indicates that stress can impact part of the brain called the limbic system, which is overactive during times of negative emotions and stress. What is going on is that when we experience negative emotions or stress, the part of the brain responsible for executive functions fails to communicate well with the emotional part of the brain.

Since it looks like the impact of the pandemic is not likely to go away anytime soon, it might be a good time to learn techniques that can help reverse this negative cycle in the brain. One easy thing you can do is to learn to label your emotions. When you feel an emotion start to arise, see if you can name it. For example, ask yourself, "What am I experiencing? Do I feel anxious, worried, or stressed?”. This technique is called affect labeling and it will help activate the brain's executive function, which is in charge of things like planning and thinking. When we engage our prefrontal cortex or executive functions of our brain, we slow the activation of the limbic system.

Your mindfulness practice can be a crucial strategy in reducing stress. The reason mindfulness effectively helps us manage our stress is that much of our stress originates in worrying about the past or the future. When our attention is focused in the present, we activate the executive functions in the prefrontal cortex, reducing emotional activation in the limbic system. We now know that you can practice focusing your attention in the moment while you are doing most routine activities and even when you are exercising. I encourage you to not passively accept that what you are experiencing is inevitable. While we can't change many things going on around us, we can take charge of how we respond to these events. The following are a couple of mindfulness exercises you might try to help reduce your stress.