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Newsletter for August 2010
Memory
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. 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)
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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