Are you currently carrying out the role of mother? Well, carrying out the role of a mother is not easy. Together with father, mother must take care of, raise, and educate children. Not only that, as a mother you also have to be willing to reduce your intelligence a little.
How come? Reporting from Very Well Family, a woman's intelligence is likely to decline after becoming a mother. This condition is known as mommy brain. One of the signs is easy to forget alias forgetful.
So, based on a study conducted by the University of British Columbia showed that motherhood has a permanent impact on a woman's cognitive function. This cognitive function itself greatly affects a person's ability to learn new things, remember things and events, and make decisions.
Then, what causes the decline in women's intelligence after becoming a mother or mommy brain? Still reported from Very Well Family, let's see the following explanation.
Cause Mommy Brain
In addition to the University of British Columbia, Nature Neuroscience also conducted research related to this mommy brain and found that mommy brain still affects women's brains, even though they gave birth two years ago.
This is due to decreased gray matter brain changes in women. Quoting from Simply Psychology, one of the important roles played by gray matter is processing information.
With the decline in the function of gray matter in the brain, it means that women's ability to process information will also decrease. That's why, your intelligence will decrease after becoming a mother.
However, the researchers assume that this change is one way the brain adapts to women's new roles as mothers. The brain reduces gray matter functions to improve other functions, such as social cognition or the ability to feel empathy for others. That way, mothers can give love and affection to children.
How to Overcome Mommy Brain
Although it sounds scary, but actually mommy brain is not dangerous, really and can be overcome in the following ways.
Making Notes
This method may seem inconvenient, but it is quite effective in overcoming the mommy brain that often makes you forget. You can make a note of what must be done complete with time. If you don't want to be complicated, you can put a memo or an alarm on your cellphone. More practical, right?
Make a To-Do List
In addition to notes, making a to do list can also prevent you from forgetting something. Make it out of whatever you are going to do tomorrow in detail. However, don't make the to-do list a benchmark for your daily activities. Because, you have to adjust also to the baby's schedule, which sometimes likes to change.
Take Time for Yourself
No matter how difficult or busy you are, it's important to take time for yourself every day. Yes, even if it's just a scrub or scrolling through social media, the important thing is that there is time for you to let go of your responsibilities as a new mother without worrying about the baby, house, work, or anything else that requires your time and attention.