Memory is a wonderful attribute of being human. It makes us who we are since we use it to retain knowledge about our past experiences. Without it we would not be capable of learning new skills and retaining information necessary to become a productive member of our world. To help deal with the frustrations that come with a declining memory, we have provided some practical and easy tips to follow.
Pay careful attention to what you want to remember to ensure the information is retained in your long-term memory. Distractions, such as music and television, prevent you from paying the required amount of attention to the material. Failure to concentrate will result in the information being lost and not committed to memory.
If you are having memory problems, try taking fish oil. Recent studies have shown a link between problems with concentration and memory and a deficiency in Omega-3 fatty acids. One of the best Omega-3 sources is fish oil. You can either take the oil in the liquid form by the spoonful, or opt for fish oil pills instead.
A great way to improve your memory is to focus your attention upon the material that you are attempting to study and memorize. Since attention is a major component of memory, it must be employed to move information from short-term memory into long-term memory. To make sure you give your undivided attention to your study material, remove distractions such as music or television from your study environment.
Using mnemonic devices is an excellent strategy for improving your ability to retain new information for a longer period of time. Mnemonic devices aid the memory in a fashion similar to how shorthand helps writers. An information is associated with a word or an item that functions as a trigger for your memory.
The more difficult the information is, the harder it’s going to be to retain, so you have to break down tough information into smaller tidbits. Breaking the whole down into segments and then reassembling them in your mind not only allows you to retain the memory, but it also creates a road map to allow you to recall the memory.
In order to improve your memory, be sure that you exercise on a regular basis. It is proven that exercise makes a person more alert, which in turn, helps you to absorb and keep information in the mind. Also, when your mind is alert, it is easier for it to take mental pictures.
If you have a hard time remembering to do important things, you may want to leave yourself a voice message. Looking at your phone and seeing that you have a message will help to remind you that you have something important thing to do. Text messaging is another convenient reminder technique.
Build consistent study times into your schedule. To build your long-term memory, you need to fight the urge to cram. Cramming information will place it in your short-term memory, and it will easily fall to the wayside once the information is used. To really commit something to your memory, develop daily sessions where you study it with real focus. Keep it consistent, and you will soon find the information is with you for the long haul!
Putting information into categories will help you to remember it later! Everything has a category and compartmentalizing things in your memory by category can give you much greater recall. For example, chicken and hot dogs on your grocery list go into the category of meat and milk and water into beverages and so on.
Use mnemonic devices to improve your memory. A mnemonic device is any rhyme, joke, song, or phrase that triggers memory of another fact, such as the abbreviation Roy G Biv, which tells you the colors of the spectrum. The best mnemonic devices are those which use humor or positive imagery, as you will have an easier time remembering them.
When you’re having trouble remembering something, like when you’ve been studying for too long and can’t focus on the information anymore, try getting outside and taking a walk or jog. This will help you clear your head and get more oxygen pumping to your brain, thus letting your brain work at a higher capacity.
If you find that you are losing things as soon as you set them down, try dedicating a spot to them. Make sure that you are putting your keys in the same spot every day. Make a spot for your glasses or the book you are reading. If you make a habit of putting everything in its place, forgetting where they are won’t be a problem.
If you have a list of words that you need to remember, try putting them in alphabetical order. Our society has already categorized many common items into alphabetical lists, so it is a pattern that your brain is familiar with. As a result, when you alphabetize a list of words, your brain recognizes the well-known familiar pattern and has an easier time recalling them at a later date.
Repeat things out loud. Whenever you learn something such as a name, you should say it out loud. Repeating the information aloud reinforces the information you just learned, making it easier to remember later. Whether you are by yourself or with others, do not feel embarrassed, and say it a few times.
Things are easier to remember if they have a special meaning to you. Think about why you need to memorize the information. For example, if you are going shopping, ask your self why. It could be for your child’s birthday, and thinking about that will help you remember what you need to buy.
We all want to have the most accurate memory possible, but as time goes by some of us are affected by memory loss. In addition, Alzheimers disease has become increasingly common, and there does not seem to be an effective treatment at this point. Research has made some advances, but the exact cause is still unknown. Whether you have lost some of your memory as a symptom to an illness or just due to the natural aging process, the above-mentioned tips will help improve or even sharpen it.
