Must read facts about Busy Lifestyle Syndrome (if you have time)
In recent days I may or may not have done some of the following: Worn two different shoes for the large part of a day (in public); forgotten to pick up my son from school at the right time; missed a good friend's birthday; couldn't recall my daughter's birth year (she's 2); or stared blankly at someone way too long when they asked what my last name was. Okay, I've done all those things and plenty more, but as bad as it sounds, I may not be losing it. Instead it seems I have a case of Busy Lifestyle Syndrome.
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It's a real deal, or at least a condition affectionately coined by researchers who are attempting to help people like me and probably you. Not so surprisingly, it seems all the Facebook, Twitter, e-mails, and IMs are messing with our minds. So researchers have set out to study the problem and hopefully find help so we don't really lose our minds (or our children) in the process.
Yes, some Scottish scientists are trying to find a cure for ditziness, absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, and just plain old frazzledness (which may not be a real word, but it describes my typical state pretty well). One of them told the BBC:
What we are referring to should not be confused with the serious memory loss that is often associated with early onset dementia. This study is aimed at those who are constantly losing their keys, forgetting people's names, or misplacing their glasses rather than anything more serious.
They seem to think that a small dose of the Alzheimer's drug memantine could help, but it has never been tested before for other purposes like this. And that's where I start to have doubts about this new hope to help me.
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Do we really need a drug for this? I mean, what about just slowing down, or doing some brain teasers here and there? I'm as much of a sufferer of this syndrome as anyone, but I'd rather take some steps to stop the madness myself (maybe actually using the restroom without taking my iPhone just in case) rather than resort to popping pills so I can further the frenzy. There are plenty of other conditions and diseases on which it seems their time and money could be better spent.
So good luck to the researchers, but I think I'll buy some more Post-It notes or perhaps some strings to tie around my fingers to see if I can't manage on my own. And really, as embarrassing as some of my behavior is, I'll soon forget about it anyway.
Do you have "Busy Lifestyle Syndrome"? If a cure came in a pill, would you take it?
Image via e-MagineArt.com/Flickr
Written by Julie Ryan Evans for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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