Many people believe that losing memory with age is natural and unavoidable, but this is entirely untrue. Many studies have shown that those who use their memories more tend to remember more. This means that your mind can retain a lot of information regardless of age if you have trained it to do so. If you just sit back and twiddle your thumbs believing everyone loses their memory over the years, you will probably experience greater memory loss than those that make the effort to work with the following memory techniques on a daily basis.
1. Puzzles and Games
There are many video games now featuring mental puzzles that are designed to stimulate deeper brain activity. When you play these games regularly, you will see improvements in your ability to think clearly and come up with more creative ideas. You can also see improvements in your memory, since you are exercising the mind and keeping it young and active. You may even be able to use some of these games to help you memorize pieces of information you may otherwise forget. Simply think of that information in terms of your favorite mind teaser or game.
Simply working puzzles and doing crosswords may also help improve your memory. Even if you are not directly working with memory, you will exercise the mind and keep your brain active as you grow older. The less you use your mind, the worse you will find your memory.
2. Mnemonics
A mnemonic is a method of making difficult to remember information easier to remember. Rather than trying to memorize the information straight out, you code it into something that is fun or easy to remember. You may create a short story that incorporates the information or may come up with a rhyme for the information. It is easier to remember the story or the rhyme than to just remember the basic information. Try working with this trick the next time you want to remember someone’s name or a number.
Here’s a knuckle Mnemonics:
3. Give It Some Thought
If something just goes in one ear and out the other quickly, you are not likely to remember it. The things you remember are the things you spend time thinking about. You can turn this into a memory technique that is actually very effective. If you want to remember something, spend some time thinking about it. Once you dedicate that time to thinking it through and really getting to the heart of the information, you will be more likely to remember more of the details.
Think of reading a book. If you flip through the pages quickly you won’t comprehend much. If you slow down and think about what you are reading, you will comprehend more.
4. Associations
You can create associations between different types of information. For example, rather than learning thousands of facts about different animals, those studying animals will often learn characteristics for large groups of similar animals. You can do the same by finding similar information already in your memory and adding new information to it. Since the new information is associated with something you already remember, you are more likely to recall it later on.
For example, if you meet someone new and their name is Ruth, you may remember that name by associating it with your aunt Ruth. If you process that person’s name in association with Aunt Ruth you have a clue to remembering their name the next time you run into that person.
These four memory techniques have worked for many others struggling with memory problems. There are other techniques that you may come across with time, but these will get you started toward a healthier mind.
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