eli5 why do we “forget” long practiced skills after a period of time of not using said skills? and how can we regain those skills

Question

i noticed that after the holidays my math plummeted and teachers told me its because of the break i took… why does this happen and how can i regain those skills acquired prior to the break

In: 356

Answer 1

Use it or lose it, pretty much. Pretty sobering and discouraging especially for my area of interest (language learning). Once I start a new language the old ones slowly start fading away, even if I was already at a fairly advanced level in them. There are ways to maintain but it requires plenty of practice (meaning: time investment). The good news is I never completely forget but it does take a bit of time to get back up to speed.

My first time living abroad, I came back home *stuttering* in my native language. It was a horrible feeling–like how can you fail in your native language!?!? But apparently you can start forgetting it after being away long enough. I got rid of the stutter eventually but it took a couple of months.