lost my keys

[Shadow Nexus]

hello all.   I took a simple route to from home to one place and back again. I know where I was at all times, I think. My full key set are missing. I’v notified the building and the general police for the building. It’s just a big black hole in my memory where they were last. The memories from one day to the next blur together.

I need help, expert and other. I’m baffled.

 

 

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[Patte Rosebank]

Oh, that sucks!  Correction: It blows dead bears.

Were they work keys or personal keys?

Funny how you can’t REmember something you didn’t “member” in the first place, isn’t it?

How to prevent it from happening again?

For me, I have to stick to a system. I carry my keys on a carabiner, that’s always clipped into my purse (and I always use the same cross-body organizer bag). If I have to unclip the carabiner, I wait til the last moment, then clip it back into its proper place immediately after use. If I don’t, I’ll freak out as I try to find my keys. I remind myself of that mad panic, whenever I’m tempted to not follow my clip off-clip on rule.  It’s one heck of an incentive to stick to my rule.

Another approach is to use a clip-on keychain with a spring-loaded chain. You stretch it out to use the keys, and as soon as you let go, the keys snap back into your purse, pocket, or belt-loop. Unfortunately, I’d play with the sproingy mechanism without thinking, and I killed 2 of them. Pulled it out too hard, and snapped the spring. That’s why I switched to the carabiner.

Or, you could have multiple sets of keys in various places. But if you lose a set, and your address is on them, anyone could find them and use them.

Or, you could put so many jangly keys on the keychain, that people hear you coming a block away, and if you drop them, there’s a huge crash. My mom uses this technique.

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[wiredonjava]

lol, good ideas! Don’t forget about that great War Amps program where you give a donation and they give you a tag for your keys and in the event of a loss, hopefully a decent person finds them and puts them in the mailbox. Once they are sent to War Amps, then because you were so generous already, they have your name on file that matches the serial number and they send them to you!

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[Shadow Nexus]

Only put one key on each key ring. Only bring out the one you need. It gets ironic. I was having problem with locks jamming, so replaced them two weeks before I lost them. So, I will have to change the locks, again. :p

I write essays on many deep philosophy issues, combining physics, social issues, psychology, international relations, history, cosmology, astronomy, etc. Each are complex with many large issues and small details. I often work with as many as five at once or more. Any normal person would go insane trying to think at that level, understanding multi-faceted hyper-complex problems. I can do any subject on that list(and more) without a breaking a sweat.

Yet, way to too often it’s, “Where the (bleep) did I put them?”  Whatever that item is… (rolling eyes) Driving back, often half-way home, saying to myself “Not again, you absent minded (bleep).”

 

 

 

 

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[Patte Rosebank]

Here’s the device I use:  www.niteize.com/product/S-Biner-KeyRack-Steel.asp

It’s a carabiner-keychain that clips onto your belt-loop, a zipper-pull (inside a purse, if you use one), or whatever. Each key easily clips onto a small “s-biner”, which clips securely onto the main unit.

It’s easy to unclip each key as I need it, then clip it back onto the main unit, which stays clipped in place. Or, I can clip that little s-binered key onto another zipper-pull or belt-loop, if I only need that one key, and leave the rest of them on the main unit, clipped in place.

My work keys, flashlight, and signalling whistle are on a similar unit, always clipped to my belt-loop when I’m at work, and clipped inside my purse the rest of the time. When they’re clipped in place, I don’t need to dig for them.

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[dithl]

@larynxa I do the caribiner thing too. A big huge one with lots of keys on it. Plus a key hook just inside the door, they get hung up there as soon as I walk in. It has worked like a charm for eight years – haven’t lost my keys in that time. (Note to Universe – I am NOT bragging, please don’t make me eat that one, too!)
On the other hand, I have done a great job of losing the spare set of keys to our other car. 🙂

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[susank]

Hi Filmbuff and everyone else,

The key thing!! So sorry about this – hope you’ve found them. Want to comment on something else you mentioned in your post, the black hole in the memory. My husband (not ADHD) can always mentally re-trace his steps and find the thing he lost. I can only rarely do that because of the memory thing. Don’t know the physical reason (can anyone out there enlighten us?) but I can only remember things if I really concentrate – and we all know about ADHD and concentration.

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

Some good ideas here. There is a device that you can buy that will help you locate them using your cell phone. It’s called a ‘Tile’

Amazon has them but they’re out of stock.

Wish I’d bought one when they first came out. I lost my keys three weeks ago and my wife and I have been sharing hers since then. This weekend we will be doing an exhaustive search of the house. Because the first 5 searches turned up nothing!

 

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[nellie]

I have misplaced many a set of keys over the years, oddly they always turn up eventually at the bottom of some bag or a coat pocket and, like those above have mentioned, the black hole memory issue has prevented me remembering how they ever got there in the first place. I’ve also tried most of the prevention strategies mentioned above as well and for the most part they work. That is until I’m in some sort of frazzled, rushing mental state and POOF, they are gone again. So perhaps that is part of the issue, not forcing oneself to be aware of the moment. All good in theory, but how the heck can you force yourself to become present in the moment when you are not present in the moment? Keys are not the only issue, I’m sure we can all  recount a list of other items that have also disappeared in the same manner as those darn keys!

Incidentally, I’ve been wondering about the Tile locator gizmo, ,but what happens when you can’t find your phone either? 🙂

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[shutterbug55]

@filmbuff,

I have several friends that are OCD. After watching them for a while, I learned quite a lot about how the affliction works. I borrowed a page out of their playbook. I keep my keys in my pocket. When I am done with the keys, they go back into the pocket. When I change my pants they go into the new pocket. Every time. Always. It is what I call “Applied OCD”.

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[Galadriel724]

I do the same thing with the carabiner clip. I only have my house key and car key on it. Last week I was getting my oil changed (1000 miles past due but whatever) and I had to take the car key off the clip. Misplaced the house key for a day, then the car key for a day. My boyfriend let me take the extra emergency key that we have for my car. He monitors that key if I have it, which is annoying even though I actually asked him to do it…. I did find it eventually.
I missed a CPR class once because I couldn’t find my keys. The keys were on the hook next to the one that I kept my keys on. I wrote a blog post about it, but have since taken the blog off of public mode due to my job being more high profile. There is a chance it could get googled. It is a great post though, imho….
I’ll see if I can link to it or copy paste it in a reply after this one. Just shhhhhh. Don’t tell any neurotypicals about it.

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[Galadriel724]

I was able to copy/ paste the blog post mentioned above. I couldn’t link to it without making it public and searchable again….
It is called:
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE: BEING OF HIGHER IQ YET FUNCTIONALLY RETARDED

I don’t know whether to laugh, shake my head, get really scared, or angry… Welcome to my world, and today a bit of my hell. My ADHD can impair me to the point where the fear sets in. I get so scared of so many things when this stuff happens.
I had CPR class today at 8am. I work nights and bedtime is about 6am when I’m home. After about 1am I couldn’t take my sleep meds because they zonk me for a good 6hrs- would’ve slept through the class.
So I stayed up- would have been like sleeping all day if I hadn’t. I made sure I knew what clothes I would wear. I made a list of all the things that one would bring to a CPR class. I put them in my bag, which goes on a bin by my door. Usually. Keys go on the red hook. I usually remember to put this stuff where it goes, although it will never be automatic- get rid of launch pad and I’d chuck my bag somewhere different every day.
I do the best I can, and almost just wrote how badly I want things to work, or explained all the reasons someone could want it and not just do it. Sounds like BS. I wouldn’t believe me. Really, does it matter? “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” I think Ben Franklin said that…If shit doesn’t get done, it doesn’t matter how much I tried, you don’t get credit for trying.
So after prepping and doing everything but making a specific list or generalizing the knowledge into a list of things to bring EVERY time I go out, I figured I’d gotten set up very well.
Until 7:10. I grabbed all my stuff, my keys- wait. STOP. Where were they?
I remembered cleaning the night before for hours and seeing them but not where. I searched everywhere. Then it was too late to go to the class. Called a friend to vent, but ended up in tears, as some people just don’t understand I didn’t mean to lose the keys.
Asking me why I didn’t put the keys away where they were supposed to go repeatedly and forcing me to admit that I was lazy is mean.
The conversation via text lasted 3 hrs. I looked for the keys the whole time. I was out of cigarettes, food, and was really really hungry. But I couldn’t go get food without keys.
I was unable to meet my own needs and that scared me badly. Things have been getting worse ever since I had a concussion 2 yrs ago, and I don’t know if it’s from that, but it feels like its getting worse and worse and I am not trying less.
Then as I walked towards the stairs I saw this

(IN ORIGINAL BLOG POST THERE IS A PICTURE OF MY KEYS HANGIMG ON A HOOK. NEXT TO THE HOOK HOLDING THE KEYS WAS A RED HOOK, WHICH IS WHERE TO KEYS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PUT.)

I did put the keys back, and I forgot that I had done what I was supposed to do. I looked on the red key hook. That in my mind is the place the keys go. Note the lack of redness on this hook. Red hook was 18 in away. I didn’t think to look. Because the keys go on the red hook, and this one did not exist in my mind. Because it’s not red….
And keys only go on the red hook.

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[susank]

Bless your heart! As I read this, I could feel my stomach clenching up! There’s nothing that upsets me more than losing things – and of course I do it all the time – though not as bad as I used to, because of the strategies I’ve learned. Your descriptions of all the preparations you went through to be on time really tugged at my heart. Yes, it’s awful that people don’t understand how hard it is – you’d like to explain it to them, but what would you even say. And for me, I just get tired of hearing myself explain – just sort of tired of the sound of my own voice.

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[That Guy with ADHD]

As much as I have tried to create a routine for storing my keys, wallet, glasses, etc. I still seem to amaze myself with the number of subconsious ways my brain can break from a tried and true method like a carabiner or key hook.  I used to keep my carabiner on my right front belt loop for easy access but from time to time I find it on my left loop after panicking that I had lost them.  I would search every pocket of every piece of clothing I wore for the past week only to find it out in the open.  Can the brain selectively deny images it sees or other senses like touch or sound?

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[Fochaosed]

“panicking that I had lost them.  I would search every pocket of every piece of clothing I wore for the past week only to find it out in the open.  Can the brain selectively deny images it sees or other senses like touch or sound?”

Well, I have lost my glasses for hours at a time… couldn’t remember where I put them down. I could remember that I was wearing them earlier, retraced my steps, but still can’t find them. Until someone else points out they’re on my head. I had pushed them up on my head to read something and that action never even registered.

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