Memory is a powerful thing. Some people can remember the full names of all their childhood friends and others can’t remember where they’ve parked their car five minutes ago. When you’re on the latter side and seem to forget information that you feel should be very easy to remember, it reduces your self-confidence and can make you feel like you’re losing your mind.
And, if you have an extremely difficult time with your memory, it can be an added stressor as you may worry about getting Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. People afflicted with these types of conditions struggle with remembering everyday things such as how to get dressed or hold a fork.
The best thing you can do for yourself to avoid any recall issues is to constantly work your mind and bolster your memory so that it stays sharp and functional.
Here are seven ways to help you do just that:
1. Limit your alcohol consumption
Alcohol has a way of making you forget things that you’ve done. Sometimes you can remember with a little bit of prompting from friends and other times you’ve completely blacked out and can’t remember anything despite the video footage your friends so proudly show you the next day.
Not only can your memory of that particular night be forgotten or distorted, your mind is often fuzzy the day after a night of excessive alcohol consumption. Your body is sluggish from all the toxins you’ve put in it and you may have a hard time concentrating.
For these reasons, it’s best to limit the amount of alcohol you consume. There’s nothing wrong with a glass or two here or there, but anything more than that can rob you of some very precious memories you may wish you had the ability to recall.
2. Deal with stress
When you’re tense and anxious from whatever is happening in your world, you may notice that it’s harder to remember basic things, such as where you put your car keys or where you set your morning cup of coffee. You mind is everywhere except where you are at this moment in time.
When you feel edgy, take time to do something that brings you peace. Go for a walk or meditate. Call a friend or read an uplifting book. When you let the stress out of your mind, you leave more room for your memory to take in what is going on around you and you’re better able to recall it later when you want it. Here are 15 fun ways you can relax and de-stress.
3. Exercise
Research has shown over and over that there is a very strong link between physical health and mental health. The stronger your body, the stronger your mind. That is why it is so important to take care of your mind as well as your body.
Commit to working your heart and muscles on a regular basis. Aim for some sort of cardiovascular exercise most every day and try to do some strength training 2-4 days a week. Doing so will help you not only look and feel better, but it will also increase your ability to focus and improve your memory recall.
4. Use associations
Your mind is bombarded with so much information on a daily basis. With television, radio and internet, you’re constantly being fed new, and often useless, information. So, if your mind doesn’t feel the information is important, it just throws it out. That means that you sometimes lose things you want to remember.
If you want to commit something to memory, you need to let your mind know that you want to save it. One of the best ways to do this is by taking the time to do an association. Compare what you want to remember to something you’d never forget and you’re more likely to commit the information to memory.
For example, if you meet a woman and her name is Betty, you may find similarities between her and your Aunt Betty so that you remember her name the next time you see her. Or, if you’d like to recall a particular recipe, you may compare it to one that is similar that your grandmother used to make so you can easily remember the ingredients.
5. Quit multitasking
One of the biggest reasons people have a difficult time recalling information is because they simply aren’t paying attention when it’s presented. If you’re busy texting or surfing your email it’s no wonder you can’t remember what just happened. Your mind isn’t fully engaged in the present.
That means that if you want to boost your ability to recall information, you need to stay in the moment. Concentrate and focus on what is happening before you right here and now so that your mind can process the information. When you do this one little thing, it can make all the difference in the world for your memory and ability to recall important information.
6. Put things in groups
Remembering things like social security numbers and license plates can be difficult. That’s why you’ll get better results if you break them down into groups. It’s easier to remember three or four different sequences than it is to try to recall a total of seven or ten number or letter combinations.
7. Leave yourself reminders
If all else fails, learn to write things down (as in lists or just reminder notes) if you want to remember them. Doing this works for you in a couple of ways.
First, it helps commit it to memory. It’s like putting it physically on paper cements it into your mind making it easier to pull up at a later point in time.
Second, it allows you to get it out of your mind and on paper, leaving room in your memory bank for other important information. When you’re continuously going over everything you don’t want to forget, you take up a lot of mental space that could be better used on other tasks.
Finally, it helps you remember if you do, in fact, forget something that is important. Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, you just get sidelined with other life events. However, if you have a reminder written down, it can jog your memory and remind you of what you wanted or needed to do.
The ability to recall information is a precious thing. It helps you relive pleasant moments and makes life easier to navigate. So, take the time to protect and bolster your memory so you enjoy life and all it has to offer for years to come.
Maybe i might remember more than i used too if i try these methoods