Do you ever misplace your keys or your glasses and have to waste precious time looking for them? Here are some hints to help keep your memory sharp.
1) Pay attention to what is important. Create a memory by saying out loud “I’m laying my keys on the table near the front door”. Many things we do during the day do not need to be remembered so we do not need to make a special memory of them but for important things like keys we need to be deliberate.
2) Write it down. Did you just use up the last of the milk or bread or laundry detergent? It is a nuisance to get home from shopping and find you forgot to pick up the very thing you went to the store for. A list is not a waste of time, but is often a time saver.
3) Step up the exercise. Recent studies have shown that physical exercise has a stimulating effect on the brain so even just walking helps the body work more efficiently.
4) Get enough sleep. Everyone has their own schedule, but sleeping helps the body get rid of toxins and extra proteins from the body and irrelevant thoughts from the brain. Even if you rest quietly when you can’t sleep, you are preparing yourself for a new day.
5) Eat well. We all know what is good for us to eat, but often fill ourselves with junk food or sweets that detract from good health.
6) Try not to multitask. Try to select the most important task and complete it before tackling the next task. That way the brain is cleared of conflicting actions and making a memory of tasks that are completed instead of having multiple unfinished ideas to unravel.
These ideas are extracted from an article in the February 2024 issue of Prevention Magazine page 50 by Lisa Sein. I am trying to follow them to improve my own memory.
Margaret S, Education and Outreach Elder
1) Pay attention to what is important. Create a memory by saying out loud “I’m laying my keys on the table near the front door”. Many things we do during the day do not need to be remembered so we do not need to make a special memory of them but for important things like keys we need to be deliberate.
2) Write it down. Did you just use up the last of the milk or bread or laundry detergent? It is a nuisance to get home from shopping and find you forgot to pick up the very thing you went to the store for. A list is not a waste of time, but is often a time saver.
3) Step up the exercise. Recent studies have shown that physical exercise has a stimulating effect on the brain so even just walking helps the body work more efficiently.
4) Get enough sleep. Everyone has their own schedule, but sleeping helps the body get rid of toxins and extra proteins from the body and irrelevant thoughts from the brain. Even if you rest quietly when you can’t sleep, you are preparing yourself for a new day.
5) Eat well. We all know what is good for us to eat, but often fill ourselves with junk food or sweets that detract from good health.
6) Try not to multitask. Try to select the most important task and complete it before tackling the next task. That way the brain is cleared of conflicting actions and making a memory of tasks that are completed instead of having multiple unfinished ideas to unravel.
These ideas are extracted from an article in the February 2024 issue of Prevention Magazine page 50 by Lisa Sein. I am trying to follow them to improve my own memory.
Margaret S, Education and Outreach Elder
RSS Feed