Evoking Emotions
(100%) |
Emotions surrounding or triggered by the experience of memory problems |
Frustrated (59.2%) |
I think it’s the frustration of having those moments, and then having to recover from it.
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| Embarrassed (53.1%) |
Well, I get embarrassed. I’m trying to remember, when I’m in a social situation I am following the conversation, but because my mind starts, like I said, shot gunning ideas, sometimes I lose track of what the social situation is and I’ll insert something that is kind of off the beaten path, and then it kind of stops conversation, and I don’t like that.
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| Annoyed (51.7%) |
We want to talk about so-and-so, I can’t think of the name. It seems like in everyday conversation I almost come up against a wall, at that moment, and maybe 10 seconds later it’s right in my mind. It’s just constantly annoying me that common names … I just can’t come up, right when it’s time to say it.
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| Worried (44.9%) |
I can sense I’m all anxious about the overall idea of having problems with memory I think partly because my entire life, memory has been a plus for me. I’ve always really been able to remember things, rarely forgot things, so any of these little quirks or cracks in it are anxiety-producing.
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| Upset (34.7%) |
I think the most upsetting about it [memory problems] is I don’t know of any way it will get any better.
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| Surprised (22.4%) |
I had prepared all that data which I wanted to tell this new doctor, and I wrote down the date, and yet, on the day, I forgot. That was a shock to me. My goodness, I didn’t forget this type of thing before, but I forgot.
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| Sad (18.4%) |
I know it can’t be fixed and I know it’s not going to get better. I know I just have to deal with. It’s discouraging. It’s sad.
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| Overwhelmed (10.2%) |
I miss a deadline but I kind of forget about it even though I’m working on the project and all of a sudden I realize this is due tomorrow so it causes added stress and extra work to get things done or I have to ask for help and sometimes that’s hard to get.
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Fearing Future (71.4%) |
Fear of what changes in memory may mean for the future |
N/A |
… I guess everyone, at my age especially, and…so many people that have dementia or Alzheimer’s is that the worry about, “Is that going to happen to me?” You know, what impact that’s going to have on me financially and with my children.
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Undermining Self (71.4%) |
Memory problems inflicting damage to impressions of self and perceptions of abilities |
Self-doubt (53.1%) |
It takes me a step back. I’m … I don’t think I have the confidence that I used to have.
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| Frustration at self (40.8%) |
Sometimes I get concerned about it, but usually I just get pissed off at myself. Like something really stupid, I should remember this, why can’t I remember it, you know?
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Adjusting Thinking (83.7%) |
Strategies used to lessen the emotional impact of memory problems |
Optimism (73.5%) |
I’ve learned over the years that I try to keep my thinking positive… I think about that and then I think okay, there’s no point in being negative about this or there’s no point in worrying about something over which I have no control.
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| Comparing to others (51.0%) |
We all suffer from the same problem of words that we know perfectly well that usually are the names of people or places just drop right out of your memory. You’re looking at someone at the table. If it’s a good table of six, you have one big memory bank going, and so usually someone can fill in the word you need. You, of course, do it for them. If you see that look on their face, like, ‘Oh, God, where did they go?’
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| Planning ahead (36.7%) |
I’m very careful. I don’t trust myself to remember anything. I do everything … I write everything down. Keep notes.
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| Acceptance (30.6%) |
There doesn’t seem like an awful lot you can do about it. Maybe you can go to a memory exercise or something like that, but it’s not like you can go through a lot of exercises, or assure yourself that this medicine here is going to solve the problem, or something like that, or take the memory shot, then you’ve got it all solved.
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Normalizing Problems (65.3%) |
Viewing memory problems as normal in context |
Aging (59.2%) |
I think it’s part of the normal aging process, and I’m sure as I age it will probably get even worse.
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| Busyness (22.5%) |
Sometimes when you have a lot of things you’re doing, you know, I think that factors in. There are times that I tend to be like … I’ll be vacuuming and then, somehow, I’ll get distracted by something else. Not that I forgot I was vacuuming, but I think sometimes doing too many things at once.
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