Losing very important things-feeling frustrated and angry with myself

[psychokitty]

I feel so upset, frustrated and in despair.

I am in an awful predicament.
My licence registration renewal is due - but I lost my licence card. In order to get a new one I need a number of pieces of ID...one of which I also lost.
I went to get a replacement for this ID card....no problem...using my passport as ID.

The awful thing is - I cannot find my passport now!
I remember putting it away after using to replace the ID card.....and am trying to remember if I had it when I got home (I have a vague memory of having it, but it could just be hopeful thinking).
I am desparately looking for it around my house now.

I live in a country with a very low crime rate so don`t think I was pickpocketed....but where could it be?

I am not a child. I am 40 years old and a mother, but I still cannot take care of things!
If I don`t have my passport I cannot get my licence renewed...so I will no longer have a licence. I don`t think I have enough ID left to renew my passport...and I live in a foreign country so I NEED a passport. I have lost too many passports, so am subject to a HUGE fine if I lose another one.

I am soon going to cease existing if I lose any more pieces of ID.

I don`t really have a question...just wanted to post where someone would understand how I feel.

[Shmeepod]

I lost my passport too. I'll have to do something about at some point, but I haven't had to use it for a while so I'm just kind of hoping that it magically appears one day.

[OnlyMe]

I keep wishing someone would invent a thingy where I could put little tags on everything important which would tweedle when I pushed a button on a plate glued to my wall. Kind of like finding my phone handsets, but for everything.

[Driver]

Originally Posted by OnlyMe

I keep wishing someone would invent a thingy where I could put little tags on everything important which would tweedle when I pushed a button on a plate glued to my wall. Kind of like finding my phone handsets, but for everything.

Wouldn't be too hard to set such a thing up yourself. You just need some RFID tags, some proximity readers, and a computer to keep track of everything.

Such a system is on my "someday/maybe" list.

The company I used to work for, made similar systems, but on a larger scale.

[wsmac]

Sorry to hear of your predicament.
I'm not sure if you are a visitor to Japan and that's why you need your passport so badly, or if you are Japanese... eh, that didn't make much sense.

Anyway, I think you are correct in that you are at a place where others can understand what you are going through in their own way.

I have long tried to find the perfect lockbox or other container in which to store my important papers, yet I still lose them from time-to-time.
I actually found my old passport while digging through boxes today looking for something else.
At first I thought it was my current passport, so now I'm wondering if my current passport is somewhere I can find it.

Well, back to you...

What if you had one bag, satchel, wallet, purse, to put just your important papers in?
I'm thinking that once you find your passport (I'm sending good vibes your way ), you could collect all forms of I.D. that you do not need to carry on your person everyday, and any supporting documents, and other important papers, and put them in a particular bag which may zip shut or fasten reliably by some other means.

Then find one particular place in the house to keep this bag.
Since there is low crime in Japan, perhaps this bag can hang out in the open somewhere?

For me, when I do something like this... in order for it to be effective.. I have to keep trying to ingrain in my mind the bag... it's contents... and it's personal place where it resides.
I have to establish a repeated pattern of recognition about these things in order for them to become ingrained, just like I know where my toothbrush will be, etc.

Hope this helps a little

[Addelerious]

I had lost my passport when I moved and I thought my ex has stolen it to drive my crazy. Found it about 6 months later. I am constantly losing things and I share your frustration. I have missed Dr. app'ts because I couldn't find my car keys and I constantly lose my:
1. purse
2. keys
3. checkbook
4. cell phone
5. Palm
6. To Do list

The good news is I've never lost my kids when they were little!

As for the important papers, I finally bought a home safe to store them in. Just make sure you get one that uses your fingerprint or a code so you don't have to worry about losing the key!

Good luck!

PS. You could try pendulum dowsing using a map of your house. This has worked for me, but you have to practice.

[Irishguy]

Hi All,
This is my first post.
I'm glad this thread exists, as I'm wondering if memory issues are a common problem for adults with ADD/ADHD?
If so, were you always a bit forget, i.e. from Childhood, or is this something that really presented itself in adulthood??
All opinions welcome. We're a diverse bunch eh? Ha.

I.G.

[Driver]

Originally Posted by Irishguy

I'm glad this thread exists, as I'm wondering if memory issues are a common problem for adults with ADD/ADHD?

Yes. Memory problems are very common to ADD'ers. We can easily forget things from 5 minutes ago. Some individuals can suffer from false memories too.

[chartreuse]

Originally Posted by Driver

Wouldn't be too hard to set such a thing up yourself. You just need some RFID tags, some proximity readers, and a computer to keep track of everything.

Such a system is on my "someday/maybe" list.

Don't bother. Such a system is already on Big Brother's "soon/definitely" list.

In the not-too-distant future, every single product will have an RFID tag which carries a unique identifier. Whereas a bar code identifies the type of product (say, a can of Diet Coke) the RFID tag will identify the SPECIFIC can of Diet Coke, and, unless you bought it anonymously (which is not going to be an option too much longer), the system will be able to identify it as the can of Diet Coke YOU bought two days ago, and from a greater distance.

BTW, y'all can thank WalMart for pushing the development and implementation of this system...

[chamaleon]

Am constantly losing things which is a worry! I have specific places for stuff now so i will NOT lose it.

even lost my yoga towel last night....lol

[captivagirl]

Hug.

I am in the same boat.

I need to renew too and can't find my current. I called and was like, "But you have my picture already. Can't you just bring it up on the computer and see that it's me??" I got a no ma'am. I'm not a ma'am.

I can't find my oldest daughter's birth certificate. We keep it in the lock box. I SWEAR I gave it to my husband but he SWEARS I didn't. I need it to enroll her in school bc they are holding a spot for her for Kindergarten in the new charter school and they need it middle of next week.

I can't go and get a copy of it at the Vital Stats office bc I need MY identification. They won't accept my expired passport (it's been a few years) at either place.

I misplaced my keys and spent 3 weeks looking for them. I don't drive right now bc issues with depth perception so I really didn't NEED them but still. Where were they? In the pocket of my dress coat. The ONE place I didn't look.

I had a catchall near the door but my husband didn't think we needed it bc HE didn't put HIS things in it and I don't know where it is.

It's so frustrating. I hope you are able to get what you need. I am gonna continue searching the house getting increasingly frustrated until I find it.

It been one of those weeks. I can tell you what I did 10 years ago and where everyone sat in my 8th grade class (and this was in the 80s) but I can't tell you where my ID and keys are or what I did 3 days ago.

[pgirlkhh]

If it makes you feel any better - I had been carrying around my passport as an ID (I just kept putting off getting a new state ID - which I had also lost), and the day before I was supposed to leave for an international vacation, I lost my passport.

I couldn't go and was out hundreds of dollars. Like you, I couldn't go get a new passport, because I had no form of ID (I could have used a birth certificate and SS card, but I didn't have those with me at the time either - are these an option for you?).

Anyways, just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that I understand your frustration. All we can do is shrug, try not to let it get to us, and try yet another system of organization that might stick this time. Hope all your identification woes are resolved, from one currently-not-existing person to another!

[Lola]

I can relate too! I always lose appointment letters (not that I remember to go anyway) and the other day I found one in the exact same place I had looked for it the day it was needed! Yet, things I'd rather not see again keep popping up. I'm 36 and still have my slip of paper with exam results on it! A reminder of why I wish I was diagnosed and treated as a child

[chellechelle]

i forget obvious thigns all the time and i hate doing it. i think my boyfriend gets very angry over this. i jsut hate feeling like i am so stupid for doing it.

[Tabbycat]

I somehow managed to lose a portable GPS. I did find it eventually, but how bad is it when you lose an item that's supposed to tell you where you are?