🧠 Does Repetition Kill Memory? A Quiet Struggle No One Talks About

Lately, I’ve found myself wondering if I’m starting to forget things — not in a scary way, but in a foggy, frustrating way. I’ll walk into a room and forget why I’m there. I’ll open a tab, stare blankly, and think, “What was I doing?” I brush it off, like we all do, but today I had to ask:

Could doing the same thing every day actually hurt my memory?

I don’t mean dementia. I mean that weird feeling where the days bleed into one another, and time feels like it's slipping past me in a way it didn’t before. Where I can remember things from 10 years ago better than last Tuesday. Where I start something I care about, but it’s like my brain goes dull when I try to focus on it.

So, I started digging. And I found out that yes — it’s not just me. There’s actual science behind why this happens. And if you’ve been feeling the same way, I want to share what I’ve learned.

🌀 Repetition Blurs the Edges of Time

Our brains are built for novelty. Every new experience, challenge, or unexpected interaction forces our brain to encode memories more deeply. But when our days become predictable — wake, work, eat, repeat — the brain doesn’t bother saving every detail. It compresses those days into a kind of mental shorthand. The result?

You forget what happened when — not because your memory is failing, but because your brain optimized it away.

This is why a single vacation or a surprise phone call can feel so vivid, but three weeks of normal days can disappear in a blink.

🧱 Monotony Starves the Brain of Stimulation

When you stop engaging with anything new, your brain slips into a passive mode. Repetition, especially when tied to stress or lack of purpose, can reduce neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt, learn, and remember.

I know I’ve fallen into that trap before. Even things I used to enjoy can become routine. And when I stop reaching for something just outside my comfort zone, that dullness creeps in.

🕰️ It’s Not Just Memory — It’s the Feeling of Lost Time

Have you ever looked back on a month and thought, “What did I even do?” That’s a symptom too. When your brain doesn’t lay down distinct memory “bookmarks,” it becomes difficult to separate one day from another. You lose the narrative of your life, and that’s deeply unsettling.

I used to think time was speeding up because I was getting older. And maybe it is. But it’s also because my days weren’t changing.

🌫️ But What If It’s COVID Brain Fog?

Now here’s something I didn’t expect to uncover while looking into this. A lot of what I’m feeling could also be connected to something else entirely: post-COVID brain fog.

And if you’ve had COVID — even just once — that lingering fog you feel might not be just from boredom or routine. It could be biological.

COVID brain fog can mimic or amplify exactly what I’ve been describing: forgetfulness, difficulty focusing, slower thinking, even trouble finding the right words. It doesn’t always hit right away, and it doesn’t always go away quickly. Some people experience it for weeks or even months.

It’s not about intelligence or motivation — it’s about inflammation, oxygen levels, and the brain needing time (and care) to heal. For a while, I thought maybe I was just getting old. But now I realize it might be my brain still catching up from something deeper.

So if you’ve had COVID and you’ve been feeling mentally off? Please know — you are not imagining it. You are not broken. And you’re not alone.

🧠 What Can Help — Whether It’s Routine or Recovery

This isn’t a hopeless situation. You don’t need to run off and climb a mountain or change your life overnight. I’ve started experimenting with small, intentional changes. Here’s what’s helped me:

• Switch up your routines. Even something as simple as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, or walking a different path, forces the brain to pay attention again.
• Learn one new thing each day. A word, a recipe, a concept. I pick a topic and go down a rabbit hole for 15 minutes.
• Talk to someone new or ask a different question. Humans are wired to remember conversations. Even digital ones can leave a mark.
• Practice self-forgiveness. If it’s COVID-related, pushing yourself too hard may backfire. Be gentle with your mind — let it rest and rebuild.
• Move your body, hydrate, eat well. These aren’t clichés — they’re brain repair tools.

💬 If You Feel Foggy, You’re Not Alone

I know a lot of people feel this way but don’t say anything. We think we’re just tired or lazy or getting old. But maybe it’s not that at all. Maybe it’s just that we haven’t been feeding the parts of ourselves that spark and remember and come alive — or maybe we’re still healing from something invisible.

Either way: we are not stuck.

Your brain wants to remember. It wants variety. It wants meaning.

So let’s change one thing tomorrow. Just one.

Let’s make something worth remembering. And yes - I am using some fancy HTML from now on. I like it.