13 practical strategies to improve memory
On a previous article from Psychology and Mind We have already explained that memory is a very complex process in which we not only archive memories and sensations mechanically as if we were a computer.
Human memory is closely linked to the emotions that memories produced in their day, as proposed by psychologist Gordon H. Bower. But, in any case, that we are able to remember many details of our past we also need our brain to be in top shape.
- It may interest you: "10 tricks to improve your brain health"
Trained memory, effective memory
The memory it is an intricate mental process by which we store thoughts, memories, skills, and experiences.
If we are able to take care of our cognitive functions, we will be able to enhance the capacity of our memory to retain data. This is especially interesting for people of a certain age, who suffer a slow but progressive deterioration of their cognitive abilities in general and of memory in particular.
Habits to train memory
To improve memory (in the case of young people) and to delay its deterioration (for the elderly),
there are different habits and strategies that help us develop our memory capacity, as well as to preserve it and make it more efficient. To do this, it will be necessary to follow some simple training guidelines.In the case of older people, there are often many cases of symptoms (more or less obvious to family members) of memory loss. These symptoms can be normal and age-appropriate, but in other cases they can be serious and require professional diagnosis. In this type of more severe cases, it will be necessary to put yourself in the hands of a specialized doctor, in order to get a diagnosis and treatment (if necessary) indicated.
The dangers of not enhancing memory
If in our daily routine we do not exercise our memory, we may begin to notice that we are less able to remember specific data and perform tasks in which we used to have skills enough. As in any other aspect, not exercising your memory is the easiest way to gradually lose it.
But there is good news: if we exercise it a little every day, we will improve it and enhance it. Constant and sustained learning over time helps us create certain habits and positive cognitive mechanisms for our memory. Memory skills can be developed if we are patient and persistent.
Keep your memory in good shape
Basic healthy habits to strengthen our memory
Healthy and balanced diet. Rich in vitamins and minerals and omega acids. Control cholesterol and saturated fat. Moderate the consumption of processed meats and industrial pastries.
Sports practice. Among the many benefits of exercising regularly is to keep our mind strong, and that improves our memory.
Stay away from sources of stress. As much as you can, try to remove yourself from sources of stress and anxiety. You can resort, if you have time, to practices such as yoga or Mindfulness if you notice that you are usually too nervous.
Connect with other people. Living in solitude makes our brain settle and work little. On the other hand, if you have an active social life, we will promote the coming and going of ideas, conversations and emotions, and this helps our memory. In addition, the fact of being in contact with friends and acquaintances allows us to have our brain occupied in remembering data and listening and understanding our interlocutor. This is very beneficial for memory.
Get out of the routine. Your daily activities (going to work, cooking ...) are not enough to adequately enhance memory. As we have time, we should try new activities that attract us and develop some of our skills. The most recurrent: chess, practicing a new sport, going to social gatherings, reading books ...
Routine memory strategies that can help you
Dispense (or almost) from your agenda. If you are a busy person and you need a personal agenda where to write down the commitments you have, it is understandable... but you should try to remember the appointments with your memory. Okay, it may seem a bit risky and you may want to not totally skip your schedule. But in the medium-long term, this habit will improve your memory capacity. This advice is also applicable to shopping lists: it is preferable that you do not do them and that when you go shopping you make your purchases "from memory".
Travel as much as you can. If we leave home and explore corners of the planet that we did not know, it makes our brain discover new sensations and retain new data. That helps our memory to exercise a lot.
Organize friends' meetings. Any excuse is good: have a coffee, go to the movies, play a board game... all opportunities to socialize positively influence your memory. As I have mentioned before, remember that when you are with your friends you exercise your brain, counting anecdotes, discussing controversial topics or playing games and doing any activity jointly.
Be a friend of books. Reading regularly is a great way to boost your memory (among many other benefits). Regardless of the type of reading you like the most, you should know that the challenge of reading a book helps your brain to be awake and greatly stimulates your memory. It is also interesting to discuss the book with a friend or family member once you have finished reading it, since this will force your brain to recapitulate what you have learned.
Take a look at the little things. In your daily life, be it at home, in the office or walking around the city, you should know that there is a world of small details that are waiting to catch your attention. Observe and ask yourself about them, your memory will thank you.
Routinely exercise your memory. If you are one of those who write everything down, you may have to change your strategy and try to remember things without help. Names of people, phone numbers, restaurants we want to go to ...
Try to remember on your own. If you turn to Google every time you doubt about any data, your memory will not be properly exercised and you will lose an opportunity for your brain to develop the ability to retrieve data or information.
Test yourself with new technologies. In the 21st century, we are permanently surrounded by technologies and gadgets. It is not uncommon that, on occasion, we feel that we do not remember how to install a program on our PC or how to find a specific application on our smartphone. The easy thing may be to go to YouTube and look for a tutorial, but the most positive thing for our memory is that we try to remember how we managed to get by the last time. With patience, it is likely that we will connect the dots.
Some conclusions
The essential thing when exercising our memory is to be constant and carry out exercises and habits routinely. In this way we will improve our short-term memory, which is the one that is most often impaired as we get older, and is the one that can be altered in years. cases of dementia or Alzheimer's.
If you exercise your memory with these simple strategies, you will notice that you can remember much better.
