Two days ago, I got an email from a
girl who was pregnant, and wondered
if that might have some impact on
her memory. She was also beating
herself up when she couldn't remember
the things she wanted to.

Here's my answer.

Dear V,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
It might very well be that the hormones
running around in your blood right now
contribute to a poorer memory. My
girlfriend and I are expecting a
baby come October, and my girlfriend's
memory has been horrible for months.

That said, stress also impacts your
memory in a bad way, and it sounds to
me that if you allow yourself to feel
stupid and frustrated when there is
something you cannot remember, you're
giving fuel to the stress.

If you relax, and allow yourself to
forget some things, while at the other
hand you really focus on a few things
that are really important for you to
remember, I think you will find it
helps.

The important point here is to not
stress -- but in a calm and relaxed
manner examine that which you want
to remember. Has it colors? Sounds?
How does it make you feel. Really
concentrate, take your time and come
to know the object, sentence or fact
you want to store in your brain.

Then trust your brain to do its job.
Your brain is a wonderful thing, and
it is extremely good at what it does!
So just let it do it!

Sincerely,
Sten