Besides changing our normal way of life, it appears the pandemic might have also impacted our memory. When it comes to recalling exactly when something happened over the last two years things are a bit fuzzy for some of us. Head of Psychiatry at LSU Health New Orleans Dr. Rahn Bailey said general anxiety can impact cognition.
“We have empirical data showing that it absolutely has an impact, both short and long-term, on our ability to remember, to capture data-based incidents, and to kind of move forward with them,” said Bailey.
Bailey said is COVID responsible for increasing our anxiety ranging from worries if you’ll catch the virus to financial anxieties over the last two years.
The pandemic has also forced us to cancel many annual events. Bailey said we tend to link memories with emotional events, like weddings and graduations, and the lack of those occasions plays a part in our recall.
“And I think that the pandemic has hastened that issue because you don’t have the events that very often can lead to positive emotions, but I also think there’s kind of been a merging of the negative events. It’s kind of been a long process we feel like we can’t get out of,” said Bailey.
And while it’s too early to tell if the virus itself impacts cognition, Bailey said we’ll have to wait on research from long-term studies. But if you are finding difficulty remembering things and previous strategies to recall things aren’t working Bailey encourages you to ask for help.
“I have been challenged, as many mental professionals, to find different coping strategies, different maneuvers that are likely to be helpful,” said Bailey.
If you need counseling, you can call the Keeping Calm Through COVID Hotline at 1-866-310-7977.
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