I do the same thing... I have to do what Mark said and pre-measure everything... I will also do the same thing in the shower with shampoo...

When using the stove, set the timer for 5 minutes. Then, when you walk away, the longest you will be away is 5 minutes. Reset the timer each time it goes off. You can also get a pocket timer and carry the timer in your pocket so you will always hear it.

Premesuring and the timer is great!

I'm going to start a meditation class soon. I'll Write a review.

Other things to calm my brain:

-folding laundry
-petting the dog or cat
-sitting on the couch looking out the window
-resting on the patio listening to birds
-crocheting beads on socks for little girls
-sitting in the sun soaking up some vitamin D for a bit
-short walk
-short nap
-bath

Jace

Oh shoot....of course, thanks Mark, put the timer on, forgot there was one!!

and yes, the shampoo in the shower...did I already do that or what, total confusion, I try to place the bottle somewhere completely different so I realize yes I've already used it.

I also copy recipes then check marked the step i just did so I could mark where I was in the recipe. I know--short term memory!

These are great suggestions. It's so good to know we all have ways of living full and meaningful days.

I've seen you guys mention painting mandalas a few times on here and then today I saw this video and thought it was neat. I've not tried it... I've honestly not been able to get into any of these types of things, but this one does look more interesting than some.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7u7...&feature=share

As for the shampooing your hair issue... the only thing that has worked for me is to immediately shampoo my hair when I get in the shower and leave the shampoo in my hair while I wash the rest of me and then rinse everything at the end. As long as I have shampoo in my hair, I know I've washed it. If I rinse it right after I soap it up, I will end up having to soap it again because I can not remember if I did it or not.

I worked with my OT for months trying different strategies before we finally settled on this one (I know it sounds stupid, but this was an ongoing problem!!). We tried moving the bottle to a different place after using it, but I share the shampoo with my husband and he often puts it different places, so I'm used to it being in odd places.

We tried drawing a smiley face on the shower curtain with the suds after I had used the shampoo (she often uses this strategy with her younger clients) but I found that because our shower is on the small side, it often sprayed off before I was done and then I had no reminder.

We even tried putting the bottle of shampoo outside the shower after using it but then part way through my shower I had already forgotten and would think that my husband finished the shampoo and didn't put in a new bottle and it caused problems that way. Talk about poor memory!

So, just leaving the shampoo in my hair has worked consistently! Sometimes the stupidest, seemingly simplest things can just trip you up! LOL!!

Starr

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who forgets whether I washed my hair. I also used to forget if I had even showered in the first place, but I can usually remember that now.

Brushing my teeth still trips me up, though. I probably brush them like 4 or 5 times a day since I can't remember lol.