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Everyone can take steps to improve their memory,
and with time and practice most people can gain the ability to memorize
seemingly impossible amounts of information. Whether you want to win
the World Memory Championships, ace your history test, or simply
remember where you put your keys, this article can get you started.
Scientists believe that exercising your brain can create a cognitive
reserve that will help you stay sharp as you age.
1. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve.
Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their
memory is bad, that they are just not good with names, that numbers
just slip out of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and
vow to improve your memory. Commit yourself to the task and bask in
your achievements - it's hard to keep motivated if you beat yourself
down every time you make a little bit of progress.
2. Keep your brain active. The brain is not a muscle, but regularly
exercising the brain actually does keep it growing and spurs the
development of new nerve connections that can help improve memory. By
developing new mental skills-especially complex ones such as learning a
new language or learning to play a new musical instrument-and
challenging your brain with puzzles and games you can keep your brain
active and improve its physiological functioning.
3. Exercise daily. Regular aerobic exercise
improves circulation and efficiency throughout the body, including in
the brain, and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging.
Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, and can thereby improve
your memory uptake, allowing you to take better mental pictures.
4. Reduce stress. Chronic stress, although it does not physically
damage the brain, can make remembering much more difficult. Even
temporary stresses can make it more difficult to effectively focus on
concepts and observe things. Try to relax, regularly practice yoga or
other stretching exercises, and see a doctor if you have severe chronic
stress.
5. Eat well and eat right. There are a lot of
herbal supplements on the market that claim to improve memory, but none
have yet been shown to be effective in clinical tests (although small
studies have shown some promising results for ginkgo biloba and
phosphatidylserine) . A healthy diet, however, contributes to a healthy
brain, and foods containing antioxidants- broccoli, blueberries,
spinach, and berries, for example-and Omega-3 fatty acids appear to
promote healthy brain functioning. Feed your brain with such
supplements as Thiamine, Vitamin E, Niacin and Vitamin B-6. Grazing,
eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals,
also seems to improve mental functioning (including memory) by limiting
dips in blood sugar, which may negatively affect the brain.
6. Take better pictures. Often we forget things not because our memory
is bad, but rather because our observational skills need work. One
common situation where this occurs (and which almost everyone can
relate to) is meeting new people. Often we don't really learn people's
names at first because we aren't really concentrating on remembering
them. You'll find that if you make a conscious effort to remember such
things, you'll do much better. One way to train yourself to be more
observant is to look at an unfamiliar photograph for a few seconds and
then turn the photograph over and describe or write down as many
details as you can about the photograph. Try closing your eyes and
picturing the photo in your mind. Use a new photograph each time you
try this exercise, and with regular practice you will find you're able
to remember more details with even shorter glimpses of the photos.
7. Give yourself time to form a memory. Memories are very fragile in
the short-term, and distractions can make you quickly forget something
as simple as a phone number. The key to avoid losing memories before
you can even form them is to be able to focus on the thing to be
remembered for a while without thinking about other things, so when
you're trying to remember something, avoid distractions and complicated
tasks for a few minutes.
8. Create vivid, memorable images. You remember information more easily
if you can visualize it. If you want to associate a child with a book,
try not to visualize the child reading the book that's too simple and
forgettable. Instead, come up with something more jarring, something
that sticks, like the book chasing the child, or the child eating the
book. It's your mind make the images as shocking and emotional as
possible to keep the associations strong.
9. Repeat things you need to learn. The more times you hear, see, or
think about something, the more surely you'll remember it, right? It's
a no-brainer. When you want to remember something, be it your new
coworker's name or your best friend's birthday, repeat it, either out
loud or silently. Try writing it down; think about it.
10. Group things you need to remember. Random lists of things (a
shopping list, for example) can be especially difficult to remember. To
make it easier, try categorizing the individual things from the list.
If you can remember that, among other things, you wanted to buy four
different kinds of vegetables, you'll find it easier to remember all
four.
11. Organize your life. Keep items that you frequently need, such as
keys and eyeglasses, in the same place every time. Use an electronic
organizer or daily planner to keep track of appointments, due dates for
bills, and other tasks. Keep phone numbers and addresses in an address
book or enter them into your computer or cell phone. Improved
organization can help free up your powers of concentration so that you
can remember less routine things. Even if being organized doesn't
improve your memory, you'll receive a lot of the same benefits (i.e.
you won't have to search for your keys anymore).
12. Try meditation. Research now suggests that people who regularly
practice mindfulness meditation are able to focus better and may have
better memories. Mindfulness (also known as awareness or insight
meditation) is the type commonly practiced in Western countries and is
easy to learn. Studies at Massachusetts General Hospital show that
regular meditation thickens the cerebral cortex in the brain by
increasing the blood flow to that region. Some researchers believe this
can enhance attention span, focus, and memory.
13. Sleep well. The amount of sleep we get
affects the brain's ability to recall recently learned information.
Getting a good night's sleep a minimum of seven hours a night may
improve your short-term memory and long-term relational memory,
according to recent studies conducted at the Harvard Medical School.
14. Build your memorization arsenal. Learn pegs, memory palaces, and
the Dominic System. These techniques form the foundation for mnemonic
techniques, and will visibly improve your memory.
15. Venture out and learn from your mistakes. Go ahead and take a stab
at memorizing the first one hundred digits of pi, or, if you've done
that already, the first one thousand. Memorize the monarchs of England
through your memory palaces, or your grocery list through
visualization. Through diligent effort you will eventually master the
art of memorization.
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Related Tags : Brain, Memory
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