countervail247365
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Mar 24, 2026 3:13 AM
countervail247365
3731
709
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OperatorWay
Every time I make up a new associative sticky-memory routine to help me remember that I did indeed do a different routine thing, that new sticky-memory routine loses its stickiness because it too becomes too routine to stand out as memorable... so the double/triple/quadruple re-verifying cycle continues.
Tengenstein
A lot of being neurodivergent and dealing with life is managing your own brain. Have to get a 5AM train thats a 20 minute walk away in the sleeping rain, don't keep coffee or milk in the house. Only way to get the caffiene fix is that pokey little coffee shack. Guess we're walking...
SuedeWilson
Im about to plug my gf's straightener into a smart plug so she can at least turn off the plug with her phone and I don't have to turn around and go back
SpaceForGold
#1 yup. I say “door secure” when I lock a door for the night so I don’t go back and check after getting snug in bed.
nomnamless
Every time I leave the house I have to watch the garage door closed. I then say out loud "Okay it's closed" and then drive away Even then, as I'm leaving, I'll still look at my mirror to check that the garage door is closed
Sorrontis
Fuck yeah, I'll be UwUing all day long
johnspeck2
No. If you do this daily, you then mix the memories and still doubt yourself.
SpaceForGold
The og post so you can see the replies there. https://x.com/dollyqwe1/status/2034253212753224088?s=46
dixxienormus
Unplug it by holding onto the hot part. I guarantee you'll remember that.
nosnowyno
This works for everyone, no neurodivergence required!
chackstar
I swear when I lock the front door for the very same reason.
Yasashii93
If you want to remember that you locked the door turn around 360 after locking it or make some sort of gesture that you don’t normally do.
Works similarly to the weird noise thing but if you don’t want to make weird noises in the corridor of an apartment building it’s a more stealthy method.
HotSauceNCereal
Whenever I have to remember to do something the next day and Im too lazy to write it down, I'll place something on a table or night stand that I normally don't keep there. When I wake up and see it I wonder what is this doing here and remember. It's a simple and highly effective trigger. Example, taking my library card and placing it on top of my wallet.
SwilcO
Same as the old 'tie a string around your finger' technique. But then: "ah, I was supposed to remember something...I wonder what it was..."
Neurisko
We have spots in the house that are only for "to do" items. Need to take something downstairs, upstairs, mail to take care of, etc., they go in those specific places.
FiftyShadesOfCauliflower
Same. When I need to charge my toothbrush, but I don't want to leave it on the charger over night since that's not great for the battery, I put it on my nightstand. On top of my phone so I'm forced to pick it up when the alarm goes off. And then I knock it down instead in my semi-awake stupor and it lands on the cat who is waiting for food and I have to throw out a perfectly good brush head.
Heisanevilgenius
You can usually remember doing something if you say it out loud. I remember when I played Among Us I would always say out loud the names of other crew members I passed by so during the emergency meeting I would remember who was with me. Useful for narrowing down who the impostor is when you're crew, and useful as an alibi if you're an impostor.
PantsAreForTheWeek
I di this for all sorts of safety things. A noise, or just announcing what I'm doing, Makes it stand out that you did the thing.
cousteau
I just talk to myself to remind myself of what I'm doing. My internal brain wiring is a hot mess so I easily lose track of what I'm doing but I have a very good auditive memory so I can "play back" stuff I've just heard. Basically info can travel faster through the air than through my brain :( So yeah, saying out loud "I'm closing and locking the door on my way out" helps remember.
miked854
You guys ever notice wizards never have curly hair?
erinaceus
when i lock my car i always stop and look at the keys in my hand and recite, keys in the hand. that way i dont lock em inside
ArcaneM37
In my house we say "the stove is off" or "the oven is off" out loud whether or not someone else is there to hear it. It works quite well.
TheDaharMaster
I make stupid noises at everything tho
lonosham
Standing up I make a sound, does that count?
Nathanyel
Standing up, sitting down, bending down, literally any physical activity...
blahblahbushes
If you then remember that you stood up, then it totally works.
OmnibusLatinName
It needs to be vocal, not body Rice Crispies. :)
kevbot5000
What if it's both?
OmnibusLatinName
I do often grunt when I bend to tie my shoes so there's that :)
Utecr
I realize I do this. Yeah, I'll do a thing and instantly forget if I've done it, but I can feel my vocal chords have done a silly "Brwooip" noise when I did The Thing, which means The Thing was done.
I dunno if it'll help anyone else, but I stumbled upon this independently and it helps. It's not foolproof, but it's helpful.
BecauseImSparklesBitch
I had to buy one that automatically shuts off if not touched for a while. Because I’m irresponsible.
Icetech3
I say locked when I lock doors at work so I don't drive back after getting halfway home to double check them. It also say off when I turn off my stove because I've left it on twice in the last couple of years. It almost had a fire so that's fun.
CobainsSarcoma
if i make a list and then completely ignore it, did i still make a list?
thesameasyours
I make a noise when I shove a hamster up my ass, so I can remember to take it out.
Swiggy1957
Is that you, lemmywinks? https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1ajU0bHplYmNxcXVzeGJvbnR1cWk1dnN0d3k5NnV4ZDlmYzhtYjYydSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/l0HlM5Q2jr1HsTaPm/200w.webp
JamieSays
OK Richard Gere
number2commenter
I loved you in pretty woman
harleyhank
Funniest comment this year.
MechKelly
Richard Gere?!
Krossis
Do you go fack?
SteadyBread
NO, why top comment
thesameasyours
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1dTEzYzA2NnExY2NiZDZxdG45eWxzcDFmbTBrZWplZWhnMHJ6M3NvMyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/26uflxhP0tpssTA0E/200w.webp
ImAnActionBirb
Jesus christ
BubblesTheFish
Looking around for my hammer when I suddenly remember the searing pain in my ass.
HandBanana1723
Is that you Richard Gere
Icanhearwhatyouresayingandtheanswerisno
Lemmiwinks!
Isorikk
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1bno3N2F5MjR5ZzR3aDB1ODEwengzOGc0NXN5M2UyZ3lzeHJ0aXo2NiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/D8qJlXpO3MVccXZ9mA/200w.webp
DwayneTheCrackJohnson
Thethuth chrith https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1N3lnZW1tNTFncGFpa3hhcmZ2aXRrZm8xYjVoOGdkMmFqMXM4amJjMyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/26uffz8gXKqW0rfdS/200w.webp
FeloniousMonk13
The hamster, on the other hand, remains silent for now
JRaven419
Schroeder's hamster
RavenousMaw
*muffled squeaking*
Tomigami
The hamster, themselves an avid practitioner of Shisa Kanko, bides its time
chiefrunswithscissors
Have you tried making a sound beforehand so you can remember to not stick hamsters in your ass?
yeahhedugit
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1emQ2ZXVqaWI2NWRkbTZ5d202ajgxbWpwM29qaW42eDBjN2w0ZmxidyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/X4YqmJEl6wJoY/200w.webp
SalmonTheWise
And spook the hamster? Never.
ShimmerinStrider
*In Leela's voice* HI YAH!
ApsychicRat
i looked into the japanese phrase cuz im learning japanese and i was curious. its not really as cool when i learn its just a thing they do for safty on work sites (and some might do it at home as well). its kinda like yelling "hot pan" in a kitchen when moving a hot pan around.
ialoneambest
In every kitchen, of every restaurant I ever worked in, about once a shift, some guy carrying a hot pot would say: “Hot stuff! So’s THE POT!”
wheresthetone
Exactly how I heard it
allenvasher3000
I do this when I have to count out things so I'll say the number out loud so I remember how many I did
SpaceForGold
Also a good idea when taking painkillers is to say the time out loud. That way when it’s mid afternoon and you need to take more you can remember how long it’s been.
allenvasher3000
Oh I don't fuck around with medications I'll break the time down and how many I took at each time on a notepad.
aChungusAmongUs
That’s some made up shit… about the Japanese term, right?
Colopty
It's one of those linguistic fantasies that pervade the self help field.
NewCrobuzonCitizen
Not really. Its "point and call". But not "make stupid sound".
JackIsLacking
Considering google states it means "pointing and cLling" and that it is related to the massive gestures used in railyards.... maybe? No clue, it could be a colloquialism, maybe?
mrsdowneyjr
This is what I started doing in my car to make sure I'm in the right gear
JackIsLacking
Calling. Pointing and calling. Stupid phone is always willing to correct fuck to duck, but I mess up calling and it suddenly gets too fucking stupid to correct it...
EnvelopeOfDoom9000
I know a guy who knows a guy who's an amphibious plane pilot. On approach for a water landing, he would say out loud "This is a WATER landing. I am landing on WATER. Wheels UP." and for land "This is a LAND landing. I am landing on LAND. Wheels DOWN."
Every single time, no matter who was with him or if he was alone in the plane.
As a great man once said, "Always make to yell out what you're doing so that your fireteam partner knows the condition and ready state of the system you're operating."
Vter3
I looked it up on Wikipedia and it took me to this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_and_calling "Pointing and calling is a method in occupational safety for avoiding mistakes by pointing at important indicators and verbally calling out their status. It is especially common on Japanese railways, where it is referred to as shisa kanko..."
OnlyWantToSayOneThing
Used in nuclear power, X:"Switch to phase B" Y:"I have switched to phase B" X:"You have switched to phase B"
KaminM
I do this all the time. "I locked my car doors" I say to no one so I don't have to wonder later if I locked my car doors. Same thing with "I took my meds this morning". I once doubled up my ADHD meds before I started doing this and let me tell you, I wanted to fight God that day. If I had consumed any caffeine I might have met him.
cousteau
Cows! 👉 🐄
FiftyShadesOfCauliflower
GasolineRain
Anything that relies on memory doesn't work for me, idk about anyone else. I have OCD that will never let me trust my own memory. I will use my phone to record a video of myself performing a task, panic later, watch the video, look at the timestamp and convince myself it's a technical error and that's actually a video from a different day, and I didn't do the task that day. A silly noise wouldn't cut it for me. I hope something like this helps someone else though!
AtmaDarkwolf
Not the same, but similar to the op and your comment, for stuff that gives me that 'did i remember to...' thinks (turn off stove, lock door, etc) I make a stupid/silly 'poopoodedoo' song/tune as i do it, realizing how silly it sounds to say (Hopefully nobody hears me whisper it when i do this stuff) and then when I have the 'did I remember to....?' thought, I remember the silly cringy tune and remember what was doing at the time.
johnspeck2
Get on meds. Paxil was mine that finally worked. The anxiety is still there, but it gives your brain the power to say “fuck it” and move on.
minqapoc
Anything that relies on making a weird sound doesn't work for me. Tourettes already gives me plenty of that.
jaggcomputing5
Wow! That is horrid. My sympathy to you
spinbutton3
You have a great work around figured out!
GasolineRain
It does okay! I've been solo-ing this without any help for about five years at this intensity of symptoms and have found a way to maintain as much quality of life as possible. I very recently set myself up with a psychiatrist though, as I think I've hit the limit of what I can self manage and I'd like to try to move past surviving into actual living. <3
spinbutton3
Sounds like you've got the winning attitude for making therapy work. You rock and best of luck on your jouney
emu314159127001
More like "memory," amirite?
GasolineRain
100%. I'm also going into perimenopause, which includes insomnia, anxiety and brain fog. Definitely things I wanted to add to the OCD stew :) It was bad enough when my memory was pretty decent.
emu314159127001
That sucks. Plus your memory kinda fades anyway
electronicbovine
Do you write down how many times, upon checking, you actually left the thing on?
GasolineRain
I don't write it down, but I remember. It's only been three times in the last 5 years, which is how long the symptoms have been this bad. All 3 times were early on, for about the last four years I can't think of any occasion that I returned and checked to find it wasn't done. And yet I do have to check, and sometimes 5+ times all in a row. Part of me thinks the third or fourth time, it will have not been done, even though it was done on the first and second checks. Rationality isn't in it :/
crateo
OCD diagnosed and treated here: Are you on medication? It sounds like that would be the best part forward in this case. It worked great on me when I was starting too be unable to function normally.
valen00
If your brain doesn't make enough neurotransmitters, store bought is fine.
GasolineRain
No, I can't get over the knowledge that I already don't take medication because I tend to suddenly decide things are "wrong" or dangerous and stop using them. If I decide my bottle of Advil is suddenly bad, that's not a big deal. But suddenly stopping psychiatric meds with no taper-off can be dangerous and lead to a crisis or suicide. If I know there's a good chance I'll suddenly stop, it seems too risky to start. I only started seeing a professional for this very recently though and I'm
GasolineRain
not... incapable of believing there's a path that could me onto medication, and I'm definitely willing to walk that path. It just doesn't seem like I'm there yet and "alive but struggling" is a lot better than "suicide during a crisis". Seeing a professional has made me more optimistic though and realize my quality of life could get a lot better. Thank you for your reply and I hope you have a good day <3
crateo
If you are with a profession that's already a great step!. In general medication for OCD consists on light antidepressants. Those are really safe and would not cause a tape-off effect like benzos.
Anyway, now that professional counseling is helping you, he/she will know better.
GasolineRain
Having had a suicidal episode from standard SSRIs a long time ago, I'm really wary but still open to the idea if monitored really carefully. My psychiatrist seems excellent and really competent - I feel like I'm in good hands and if we decide to try meds, I think she's got my back. Thank you for your reply <3
silentpat
Same. I had trouble leaving my house for years until I was medicated. I'd go back over and over to check the door.
GasolineRain
I also have to return many times. Not daily, but often. If my job didn't have a flexible start/end time, I couldn't keep it. I'm hopeful medication could work for me in the future, although I am not there yet. I do have a psychiatrist now instead of just trying to do this all solo and I think things will start to improve soon. Cautiously optimistic. Thank you for sharing, makes me feel less alone <3
kraeftig
I have a similar issue but it builds from being able to remember every single time I did it, but not being able to tell which memory's today
tallroses
Yeah this is an ADHD issue for me too.
IGotTheMusicInMe425
I sing a little song that includes the date and whatever shirt I'm wearing on that day!
kraeftig
Smart locks and stuff like that helped because then I could check the app instead of driving back home 5-6 times to check the same door.
cousteau
Wear gloves of a different color each day of the week? (okay this probably was a stupid suggestion)
50m31AW
No, that's a good suggestion for a lot of ppl. Can't remember if you're remembering doing it today or yesterday? If yesterdy was green gloves, and today is blue gloves, that helps. It doesn't solve remembering last week's blue gloves as today's when you haven't done it, but that's ok bc those folks probably need a different solution, or second backup system, anyway
kraeftig
I remember months of doing it, so the color codes like that would only work effectively one time
KR1570F
Is it always the fear that you forgot to do something like lock the front door? And is it always the same fear? Or if you're fairly certain that you did actually lock it then someone will just kick the door in?
GasolineRain
Both. I have specific random things I worry about every single day, including non-rational ones (like that my automatic transmission car will roll away on flat ground if I don't engage the e-brake every time even though it's in park) and rational ones (ovens, heaters, outlets, doors). But also intrusive random fears like your door-kicking scenario. No real successful coping strategy for that one yet (and really only bandaids for the first one)
ImperfectDad
FWIW, I guess it's better for your transmission if you set the brake anyway. I always put it neutral, set the e-brake, take my foot of the brake pedal to let the car settle to the e-brake and THEN put it into park. Car goes ape shit if I try to get out without it being in park... so I never forget that part for sure.
GasolineRain
Also a strong fear that if I don't do things a certain number of times, disaster will fall. Sometimes a specific disaster (car crash, often) sometimes just "DOOM!" If I go back and do it the correct number of times, it generally "works" and averts the doom. So, you're welcome everybody I've saved from the apocalypse every day by tapping my doorframes. *bows*
Feralkyn
Thank you for your service o7
ImAMomWhatsYourSuperpower
I am very sorry you are feeling this way. Sounds very, very stressfull. I don´t know how easy or possible at all, it is to get help where you are located, but I do know, that there are meds that could help. Son of a good friend had similar problems, that are way better with his new medication. I wish you the best of luck.
GasolineRain
Thank you for the kind words <3 I wish you the best as well.