We all have off days from time to time.
But running the risk of getting fired from your job because you keep forgetting your commitments is especially frightening.
So, too, is being unable to solve routine life challenges without a huge amount of effort.
Some days you’re so fearful and overwhelmed, you have no choice but to let the tears come. Then you dry your eyes, blow your nose, and carry on.
I get it. I’ve been there. So I know that you don’t have to live your life being forgetful and unfocused.
Let me explain.
The Common Root Cause Of Forgetfulness and Inability To Focus
Most people don’t realize this, but these two symptoms have a common root cause: poor quality of sleep.
How can this be?
When you consider that even in the short term, a lack of adequate sleep can:
- impair your judgment,
- affect your mood,
- undermine your ability to learn and retain information; and,
- increase your risk of serious accidents and injury,
you see how poor sleep can easily lead to chronic forgetfulness and inability to focus.
In fact, Harvard’s Division of Sleep Medicine tells us that “the cost of poor sleep is much greater than many people think and may have profound consequences for our long-term health, resulting in:
- an increased risk of chronic disease,
- obesity,
- diabetes,
- cardiovascular disease, and
- early mortality.”
So a major medical facility urges us to treat sleep as a priority, rather than a luxury, as this may be an important step in preventing a number of chronic medical conditions – including full-on burnout.
Sleep is important because it’s the only time your body has to recharge and recuperate. When you get too little restful sleep, your ability to concentrate and remember can be affected.
Are You Short-Changing Yourself On Sleep?
A survey by the National Sleep Foundation revealed that over two-thirds of women associate their sleep problems with stress. Yet, over half of the women polled said that sleep is the first thing they give up when they get overscheduled. Sound familiar?
Even when you’re looking for ways to create more time in your busy schedule, the last thing you should sacrifice is sleep. Making sure you get good sleep is the key to healing your forgetfulness and inability to focus.
The Key Is To Prioritize Your Sleep
When I couldn’t focus or rely on myself to remember important tasks, the key step I took to bring myself back was re-prioritizing my sleep. When I did, my brain fog and forgetfulness improved. I was able to start living my life again.
My favorite way to get a restful night’s sleep is to practice relaxation techniques. You deliberately relax your body so that relaxation becomes a habit, easing your entry into sleep.
These techniques include:
- Meditation
- Imagining you’re in a beautiful place in nature
- Listening to a guided relaxation audio recording
- Scanning your body (focus on relaxing each body part starting at your feet and working your way up to your head)
- Thinking about all the things in your life that you are grateful for
I use relaxation techniques like guided meditation, guided imagery, and body scans to get more optimal sleep. I also plan in advance what time I will go to sleep. I set the intention of getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night and then set an alarm to remind me when it’s time to get ready for bed.
I offer additional tools to assist you in getting a restful night’s sleep in my Deep Sleep Blueprint: A Magic Rest & Relief Formula. Click here to get the Deep Sleep Blueprint free.
Why not show yourself how much you love yourself by putting your own self-care first? When you prioritize yourself, you can then be the great mom, wife, partner, boss, daughter, and sister that you desire to be.
Is It Time To Take Action?
Pause for a moment and ask yourself, with all good intent, if you may be sabotaging your health.
If the answer is yes, take some time to reflect on how you can re-prioritize your well-being. There’s no reason for a bright, vibrant woman like you to live your life as less joyful and capable than you truly are.
It may be time to make a change – and aren’t you worth it?
Don’t let chronic forgetfulness and inability to focus get the upper hand.
And if you need a helping hand, here’s where to find me.