I just walked into the living room. I have no idea what I’m doing here. But I do know ALL the words to the song that Alexa is playing on my Dot. How is that even possible? I think you will agree that memory is a funny bugger. I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, as my Mom struggles with memory issues. And I worry that I will head down the same road some day. My Dad always said “read and play word games and you’ll keep your memory strong.” And his memory was pretty good right up until he passed. So Bruce and I do the Wordle and play The Connections every morning. I try to memorize my to do list and then not look at it when I get to work. But I know there’s more I can do. So I’ve been researching tricks to improve your memory and putting some of them into practice. If you want to help your memory, you can do these things too.
One of The Best Tricks to Improve Your Memory Will Actually Improve Your Overall Life
Memory experts agree that no trick in the book is better for memory than the big three: eating well, getting enough rest and reducing stress. When we eat fresh, wholesome foods, keep a fairly consistent bedtime and do our best to reduce the stress in our lives, our overall health is better. And surprise, so is our memory! That’s one of the biggest win-wins there is.
Paying Attention Is A Simple Trick to Improve Your Memory
Bruce is usually going in 10 different directions at once. I tease him about “active listening” all the time because when you are multi-tasking it’s really hard to pay attention fully. He sometimes misses things because he’s not really paying attention to one thing at a time. Scientists say that you can’t even make a memory if you’re not paying attention in the first place. So maybe you didn’t forget it at all? Maybe you never encoded the memory because you weren’t paying attention? Perhaps you are listening to someone, but thinking about what to say next or something else entirely? If you want to remember things better practice focusing on them in the first place. It’s one of the simplest tricks to improve memory.
Say It Loud… Say It Strong
I’m thinking of the old, Carpenters song, Sing, as I’m writing this. (Click the link for a turn nostalgic). Because when you say things out loud you give your mind a better chance at making and remembering a memory. I was in advertising sales when I first got out of college. I met so many new people every day. It’s where I got in the habit of repeating someone’s name several times after meeting them. “It’s nice to meet you Mary.” “How long have you owned this business, Mary?” Thank you so much for spending time with me today, Mary.” You get the idea. The same can be said for anything else you want to remember. You can say it to yourself, your partner or the cat. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you say it out loud. It’s a great trick to improve memory.
Give Yourself A Challenge Every Day and Improve Your Memory
Daily memory challenges are a great way to improve your memory. My new thing is to recall the Wordle words for the previous three days. (SKIER, MINUS and PAPAL, if you’re wondering). I win that one. It’s just a little thing, but it’s a challenge to memory and that’s what matters. Maybe you try to remember how to spell a new word you just learned.Or remember what it means? It’s brasserie for me today. I know it’s a casual-style, French restaurant, but I’ll admit, I forgot how to spell it. So forgetfulness wins half of that one. But if you give yourself regular memory challenges, your memory will get better and that’s the whole point.
So get out there and remember good things… like love and ice cream…and Paris! If you’re up for more self-improvement topics, check out my previous blogs: Subtle Ageism and What To Do About It and How To Protect Yourself From Cyber Crimes.
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