Fearing devastating mind diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's, it’s understandable you may be fearful of losing your memory. Instead of being afraid, why not take steps to daily exercise your mind and memory, just as you would your physical body. Unfortunately, you can’t just add a memory chip to your brain for a quick memory upgrade. Because the human brain is so complex, it takes much more effort than upgrading your computer harddrive.
Think Positive
The first step to improving your memory is to be positive. Although many people believe they have a bad memory, it just isn’t so. Chances are, they fail to work on their memories, believing the lie that they just can’t remember as well as others. True, as you age your brain fill ups with data. But even if your “computer gets full” with age, that’s not an excuse to believe your memory is bad. If you catch yourself thinking, “I’m bad with names,” replace it with a positive thought such as, “I can remember names.” In other words, don’t talk yourself into a poor memory. Just exercise it more.
Use Association
Even if you haven't realized it, you’re probably already using association tricks to remember names and facts. For example, let’s take remembering where books of the bible are placed. Although you may know that the New Testament Epistles of Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, and Colossians are at the back of the bible, maybe you have trouble with their order. However, just by thinking of the phrase, “General Electric Power Company”, you can remember how they’re placed without straining your brain. What’s more, if you ever took piano lessons and had to memorize musical chords, your piano teacher probably shared phrases such as, “Every Good Boy Does Fine”. (The five main lines of the Treble Clef, E-G-B-D-F).
In other words, you’re building using associations and links to trigger your memory. Because of this simple process, even people with normal brain operation can vastly improve their memories. By applying this technique, you’re using what’s called “mnemonics” or building a memory palace.
Get Creative
Being creative to improve your memory isn’t as hard as it seems. It’s simply thinking of a picture in your mind that connects bits of information together (usually something silly or unusual). Let’s say you want to remember that your granddaughter’s birthday is on February 13th. Because your granddaughter is such a loving child, who can’t wait to smother you with kisses, think of how February 13th is one day before Valentine’s Day and you just can’t wait to hug her.
Eat Well and Take Care of Your Body
You can master all the tricks for a better memory, but if you don’t receive proper nutrition or eat the wrong foods, your memory will still suffer. A few good brain foods include fish oil and foods rich in omega oils are excellent. Also, eat plenty of fish as well as fruits and vegetables, as well as take 100 percent multi-vitamins with vitamin B. On the other hand, avoid foods high in sugar as they increase inflammation of the brain.
Finally, reduce stress. Besides being bad for physical problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, high stress also hinders your ability to think and remember. A few ways to reduce stress may include anything from getting more sleep to balancing your work and leisure activates. Take more breaks during your workday. It’s just as important to give your brain a “time out”, as it is to exercise it with board games and memory tricks.
Venice Kichura - Venice Kichura is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of subjects. She holds a special passion for topics relating to art and ...
