JoJoisms

Tips for the Memory Impaired

Written By: JoJoisms - Mar• 16•16

DoohickeyMany chronic illnesses or even other chronic issues can cause brain fog.  If you’re like me, you’ve had a time or two (THOUSAND) when you couldn’t remember what you call something.   

“Hand me that…THING over there.”

“What thing?”

“That BLUE thing.”

“Which blue thing?”

“That light blue thingie that you use when your hair’s wet and you want to…OH, I’LL GET IT!”

If you’ve ever struggled to remember your best friend’s name, what you call pants, or the title of the guy who prescribes your medication, then this post is for you.  Here are some tips for the Memory Impaired.

  1. If you can’t remember your friend’s name, take a page from the Southern Hospitality Committee and call them: Sweetie, Dear, or Honey Lamb.
  2. If you can’t for the life of you think of what you call something you need, use the term: Doohickey, Thing-A-Ma-Jig, Whatchamacallit, Thingie, Thingamabob or Thingamawhatsit.
  3. If you are hard pressed to come up with the term for when 60 seconds, 60 minutes or 24 hours has elapsed, use the term: while or later on. 

I find it helps to find the humor in difficult struggles we go through.  Laughing is so much better than the alternative.  Life with chronic illness can be difficult and stressful, isolating and can even wear you down.  I’ve seen it wear away at people until they question their choices, their lives and even their faith.  But God knows you hurt and He is working in your life to ease the pain and isolation.  I like to think I’m here to help Him with that.  

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Do you have any other tips for the Memory Impaired?  Share your wisdom for the Brain Fogged Masses in a comment here!

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13 Comments

  1. #1 is my favorite! My daughter just started elementary school and with so many new moms to meet I can hardly ever remember names! I’m going to start calling everyone hun. LOL!

  2. I rely heavily on #2 🙂

  3. JoJoisms says:

    Great idea, Sweetie! LOL

  4. JoJoisms says:

    That one is my favorite, too, Ali!

  5. JoJoisms says:

    My son told me “Member before you REmember and then you’ll never forget.” I guess that’s the real problem. I never “member” in the first place which makes it hard to REmember in the second place.

  6. It’s amazing how stress affects our brains and makes us forget the simplest of things. I use #2 very frequently…it’s almost scary.

  7. JoJoisms says:

    I actually spent 3-5 min trying to remember my last name once and I’ve been married for 29 yrs.

  8. Rebecca says:

    Down here is the South everyone is Doll, Sugar, Honey, or Darlin’. Maybe it’s all the Sweet Tea that creates this brain fog coping mechanism? My son wrote on our “Grateful” Board (a dry erase board we use ) that he was grateful when I can complete a sentence! Isn’t he precious…

  9. JoJoisms says:

    LOL Too funny, Rebecca! Thanks for sharing!

  10. Shelly Johnson says:

    Everything has become a thingy. You know, that thingy. Like your blue one! Whatchamacallit is prob my next most used followed closely by doohicky. The other night I was trying to tell my husband to put his cpap on, but what I kept saying was put on your seat buckle. I frequently do tell him to put it on in the car. Now I’m thinking I will end up telling him to put on his cpap while driving. Im glad he was asleep when I told him. He didn’t say anything. But after about my third attempt to get him to put it on I realized what I was saying and gave myself quite a giggle.

  11. JoJoisms says:

    Thanks for sharing that, Shelly. Too funny. I once told my son I was looking for the Avocado Juice. I meant Almond Milk…and the fact that I was looking for it in the closet was an added giggle.

  12. Carson says:

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  13. JoJoisms says:

    Thanks. I don’t think I’ll be allowing guest posts here as the blog is about my own journey and the humor it brings. But thank you!