We live in stressful times. Stress has a wide range of negative effects on the body including compromising physical, emotional, and mental health. Another area that suffers as a result of stress is memory. Everyone occasionally struggles with forgetfulness and poor memory can be frustrating. Here are some ways to boost your memory.
General changes
Genetics, diet, and lifestyle have a role to play when it comes to memory. You can’t change your genetics, but you can adjust your lifestyle and diet. Here are some lifestyle changes to make for better memory.
Healthy diet: eat your fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Decrease sugar intake: sugar is linked to many health issues including cognitive health decline. Lifestyle: 7 Healthy Alternatives To Sugar
Decrease alcohol intake: alcoholic beverages can negatively impact your memory.
Take fish oil supplement: improves memory, especially for older people. Lifestyle: 8 Health And Nutritional Benefits Of Fish
Sleep: poor sleep is linked to poor memory. 7 Ways To Fix Your Sleep Schedule Especially For Those With Irregular Sleep Patterns
Get organized: the more clutter you have around you, the more distracted you’ll be, and the lower the likelihood you’ll retain information. Lifestyle: 8 Ways Clutter Affects Your Mental Health
Meditation: it’s relaxing and soothing, and helps improve memory. Health And Fitness: 7 Positive Effects Of Meditation
Practice mindfulness: incorporating mindfulness techniques like being present and paying attention keeps your mind from wandering and improves memory.
Exercises to boost memory
Recall testing: memorize a to-do list, grocery list, phone number, or something similar. Do it frequently trying to add items that are more difficult and challenging. Test yourself randomly throughout the day or week.
Switch hands: switching your hands when doing ordinary tasks like writing, eating, or brushing your teeth highly increases brain activity because using your non-dominant hand is hard, and it presents a challenge.
Visualization: try to visualize scenes as vividly as you can. For example, when reading a book, picture the scenes, when you’re planning to go somewhere, like the supermarket vividly picture the scenes you expect to see like the aisles, the products you’ll select, and more. Visualize the things you want to remember.
Practice eating with chopsticks: using chopsticks requires hand-eye coordination which stimulates the brain and improves recall. If you don’t know how to use them, now is the time to learn. If you already know how to use them, try using your non-dominant hand.
Play crossword puzzles: simple crossword puzzles can stimulate the brain and improve memory.
Play chess: games like chess, checkers, and sudoku help keep the brain fit.
Play card and board games: they decrease the risk of cognitive impairment in older adults.
Complete jigsaw puzzles: completing jigsaw puzzles activates many brain functions including perception, mental rotation, working memory, and reasoning.
Repeat it out loud: to remember something you just read or heard, say it out loud.
Learn a foreign language: learning a foreign language will sharpen and rejuvenate your brain as you stretch your memory to remember new words and grammar rules. 5 Advantages Of Learning A New Language
Listen while you read: one study found that people who read a book while listening to the accompanying book retained the information better.
New hobby or sport: taking up a new hobby can help relieve stress and protect your brain from ageing and related cognitive decline. Learning to play a new sport is challenging, requiring you to use your body and mind simultaneously which improves your memory by slowing the signs of ageing. The Mental Health Benefits Of Having Hobbies
Use all your senses at once: try activities that require you to use all your sense at once. It stimulates your brain and improves your memory. One such activity is taking a cooking class, you use your sense of smell, touch, sight, taste, and hearing.
Do things with your eyes closed: try doing your chores with your eyes closed. The monotony of the task means you can do it with little thought. When you close your eyes, it forces your brain to rely on your senses to accomplish the task which triggers the brain to use different neural pathways. It stimulates your brain and improves overall cognitive function and memory recall.
Do things backwards or upside down: for example, wearing your watch upside down challenges your brain which helps with memory.
Tell stories: telling stories stimulates recall as you try to recount important details. Storytelling is so good for memory that it’s used to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s.
Space out your learning: if you’re trying to learn something new, space out your learning sessions throughout the day. Cramming is a highly ineffective way of learning.
Remember to challenge yourself by trying all manner of new things.
Check out
Brain Food: 8 Foods That Promote Mental Health
Entertainment: 5 Games That Help Improve Your Brain Function
Games You Should Play With Your Children And Their Benefits
