Strengthen your cognitive skills and learn valuable tips for increasing your memory capacity. While it may seem that there is nothing you can do to strengthen your memory as you age, there are actually a number of strategies you can adopt. This will ensure that your mind stays sharp, no matter what situation faces you and no matter how long you have lived.
Psychologists have found that one way for people to keep mentally sharp is to play games that are challenging on a mental level. It’s similar to how you keep muscles in shape by exercising. By regularly challenging your brain, you will improve your memory, focus, and concentration. Good games include things like crossword puzzles, chess and word challenges. Scrabble is a good, fun daily challenge.
If you really want to perform an exercise that helps you remember things, then simply write them down. The act of jotting down an idea increases blood flow to your brain, and stimulates formation of memories. Simply maintaining a diary, or compiling detailed logs can help improve your memory, and enable you to recall information when you need it.
Consume more fish regularly. If you struggle with remembering things, try consuming more Omega-3 fatty acids. Try adding it to your diet in the form of a pill.
Associating newly-learned information with mnemonics helps improve retention of that information. Try mnemonic devices when you are trying to remember things, this works the same as shorthand. By associating a bit of information with a word or item, you can make the correlation that helps you recall it at a later time.
One good way to keep your mind limber is to stay active within your social circles. This works to keep you alert, and your spirits high. If you’re feeling alone or downhearted, your mind isn’t as stimulated, and your brain doesn’t get the workout it needs. If you have stimulating conversation with your friends, this helps give you a strong mind, which leads you to better memorization.
Focus on anything or anyone you really want to remember. If you aren’t one hundred percent focused, then your mind may not retain the full memory. Really think about what you are hearing or seeing. Use any downtime in the information stream to think over some of the ideas and commit important ones to your memory.
If you have something you need to remember, try associating it with a humorous phrase, song or mental image. Using humor will make remembering things entertaining, so they will be easier to remember later.
Negative Thoughts
Sadly, many people begin suffering from severe memory loss as they get older. One of the best things that can be done to aid in memory loss prevention, especially in demented patients, is prescription medication.
For memory improvement, rid yourself of unpleasant or negative thoughts. People who entertain negative thoughts or undergo lots of stress will have a greater inability to remember things than people who are positive or are less stressed. Discuss stress-relieving methods with your physician.
One memory improvement technique is to teach other people about something interesting. This means you should talk to others about the exact thing that you are trying not to forget. By doing this, you will be reinforcing the memory, and keeping it fresh in your mind.
Exercising can prevent memory loss. Exercise brings better circulation, which means more oxygen to keep your brain functioning well. Since your memory is tied to your brain, keeping your body healthy in general can help your memory stay strong. Exercising is also a good way to avoid getting certain conditions that affect your memory, such as diabetes.
Even if you are not in school or college, it is crucial that you continue to learn new things. If you don’t study new ideas, you don’t exercise brain cells that contribute to memory. Just as you lose muscle if you don’t use it, you may find yourself having problems with your memory if you don’t keep it in practice.
A good way to have a good memory to recall information is to picture the things you want to remember and then recall them. When studying for a class, for instance, pay special attention to the charts and graphs in the textbook. Also look at the photographs. You could draw your own graphs and charts to assist with your memory, too.
Try to have faith in your own abilities. Many people think memory diminishes as they age. Memory loss comes with age, but it is not an unavoidable symptom. In fact, stressing about possibly eventually losing your memory can actually do a number on your mind and hurt your short-term memory. If others begin to question your ability to remember things, you may find yourself doubting your capabilities, too. When you think positive and think you have a good memory then you can help yourself stay positive and sharp.
Utilize planners and calendars. A day planner is a great place in which to jot down things you need to remember. Draw up a schedule and check it at regular intervals to see how you’re doing. When you write things down, it helps your mind remember them. Your brain doesn’t have to remember as much, and these things are handy and helpful in case you forget.
Religiously use a calendar or personal planner. Day planners are very useful to help organize your mind. Make a schedule for yourself and refer to it occasionally. When you keep a schedule like this and pay attention to it, it will aid your mind overall. You don’t always have to depend on your memory for everything and your planner will reduce the stress about important dates and times.
Sleep an adequate number of hours per night. Studies have found that if you want to hold on to your memories, you need a sufficient amount of sleep. If your concentration is impaired, it may become difficult to store events in your long-term memory.
One way to more effectively retain information you need to remember is to consciously link the new information to something you know well already. If something in your short term memory is associated with something you’re very familiar with, it’ll be easier for you to recall it. Doing this will also make it easy for the information to move from your short term memory to your long-term one.
Fish Oil Supplements
Eat foods that help your brain perform better. Monounsaturated fats are essential for a healthy brain. Avoid trans fats, and instead focus on sources of healthy fats such as fish, nuts, and flax seed and olive oils.
Keep your mind sharp by taking fish oil supplements each day. There is evidence suggesting that the omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil supplements can improve memory. It is important to get the proper dosage, so you should consult a health care professional before you take any new dietary supplements.
Classical music has been known to help with memory improvement. Classical music is soft and soothing, and can help relax both your body and mind, thereby improving memory. A good time to play this music is in a relaxing bath, perhaps with candles burning as well.
You need to focus entirely on the subject matter when studying. Humans need to store information in their long-term memories if they want to recall it at a later date. You won’t be able to store anything in your long term memory unless you’re completely focused.
To help you remember a new person’s name, find a way to associate them with someone else of the same name. You might also choose to link their name and face with those of a celebrity. By making the connection with the new face and a familiar name, the next time you encounter the new individual, the link should readily come to your mind.
If you allow yourself to create and abide by a daily schedule that breaks down your task, it will be easier to retain new information. This helps information settle in the brain, which helps retention. Experts agree that people who employ this method over high intensity cramming will remember much more of what they learned.
When studying, make sure you dedicate yourself to learning about that topic, and don’t allow yourself too many distractions. Information that is learned must be transferred to long-term memory if it is to be recalled for more than a few seconds. You will have a difficult time committing information to memory if you do not focus exclusively on learning it.
By using the above advice, your mind will be ready for all of life’s challenges. You can accomplish so much more in life with a sharper mind and quicker memory reflexes. By using this information, you can be a more effective person.
If you’re struggling to remember something, try coming up with a mnemonic device. To use this technique, pair something you know with the information that you are trying to remember. Mnemonic devices often make use of songs, jokes or rhymes. It is an enjoyable method to improve someone’s memory, and it can take away the frustration related to studying.