It is easy to say that you have a poor memory and leave it that way, but a strong memory can be developed in a number of ways.
There are some small tricks and ways to cheat the brain, but if you are looking to improve the grades of your exams, maintain a better organization of your life or simply want to improve your memory, the first and most important thing will be to improve The health and vitality of your brain. .
If you feel that you were born with a very poor memory, but there is nothing you can do about it, yes there is! The brain has an excellent way of adapting and changing throughout life, forming new neural pathways, improving existing connections and adapting and reacting to how you use and affect your mind.
1. Sleep
We often treat our brains as if they were not part of the body, as if healthy (or unhealthy) habits did not affect our thinking. However, nothing could be further from the truth and a healthy lifestyle will improve our thinking processes, including memory.
Sleeping is one of the most important activities for the health of your brain and you want to give it to the rest it needs to function to the fullest. The period of time will depend on your age, height, diet, etc., but in general adults need between 7.5 and 9 hours per night, and adolescents need about an hour more than the average.
Keep in mind that this must be a real dream, this does not include lying in bed trying to sleep, or even (as some people may think) sit watching YouTube videos before bedtime. We also do not sleep 100% of the time since we fall asleep, as there are often distracting aspects during the night. Consider getting a sleep monitor to see how much real sleep you have each night, it may surprise you!
Also, keep a regular sleep schedule. Try not to use televisions, tablets, phones or computers an hour before bedtime and drink less caffeine. A more stable sleep schedule will make you feel better and greatly improve your ability to remember and concentrate.
2. Keep stress at bay
Chronic stress destroys brain cells and will damage the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in the formation of new memories and the recovery of the old. Stress, unfortunately, is often part of modern life in school, college and the workplace, although it can be effectively managed when you recognize it for what it is and keep you and your responsibilities in order.
-Avoid leaving things for the last minute. It can be a good method of motivation, but you will pay for it in the way your mind organizes itself. Worrying about the action is not good for you or the quality of your work.
– Take frequent breaks. One way to manage your workload a little easier is to divide it into several smaller parts. Just try to avoid using this as an excuse to do less work.
-Express yourself Instead of forgetting your feelings, talk with others about what you feel, failing that, express yourself artistically: write a poem, paint something, write a song or whatever you prefer.
-Do not do multiple tasks. It’s hard enough to do one thing right at a time. Avoid trying to do too much at once.
-Medit Taking some time of the day to gather your thoughts and achieve some peace has real medical evidence of success. You can start with meditation through a variety of applications and books that are now available. You just have to leave 10 minutes aside each day to start using it.
– Set realistic expectations, including your free time. Do not assume too much, it may be easier said than done, and it comes with practice, but knowing how much you can do while remembering to leave some time for yourself is an incredibly valuable way to combat stress.
3. Maintain a healthy diet
Sleep, diet and exercise are the keys to a healthy lifestyle and brain, and therefore, memory.
We all know what constitutes a good diet: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats (such as olive oil, nuts, fish) and lean proteins. The hard part is sticking to it and not stressing too much if you make a mistake. Remember this: if you are aware of the foods you eat, you are doing better than the vast majority of people.
And if you fancy a snack, look for some fruit. Your body will thank you.
4. Maintain a good work / life balance
An excellent way to combat stress is to dedicate personal time to yourself, while maintaining a good structure for the work you have to do. This means that your brain can relax and your cognitive function will improve enormously.
Every time people think about the first time about activities to develop the brain, people can think about crosswords or chess, but going out with friends and going to see a movie, along with other easy hobbies, can improve your memory a lot.
Humans are very social animals and we do not benefit mentally if we are alone for a long time. Crosswords and brain training improve mental function, but the best brain exercise could be interacting with others.
Having friendships and supportive relationships is really vital For a healthy and functional memory, and like any success in life, having good friends depends on giving them time and commitment.
5. Laugh often and from the heart
Laughter can actually sometimes be the best medicine, since it involves the brain in multiple ways, releasing serotonin and, in general, making you feel better.
The realization that you can laugh is also a very good way to frame what is happening to you or what is happening around you. No matter how bad things are or how hard they feel, someone somewhere has made a joke about it that will make you feel better about your situation.
Listening to jokes and trying to discover double senses is also a good way to get your brain involved and improve your creativity. You can help him think more broadly and make associations more freely.
Therefore, do not take anything too seriously; enjoy your time with others and ask people funny stories, you may remember them in the future.
6. Give your brain to workout
A more familiar way to strengthen your mind is to challenge it.
During childhood, we constantly develop and test our brains in new ways, learning and developing new neural connections. But once we have learned the ‘basic’ things and we are all so familiar that we really do not have to think too much, our brain requires more stimulation to keep developing.
Like physical strength, mental strength requires consistent development and challenge: if you do not use it, you lose it. Therefore, the more you learn and challenge your existing thinking, the better you will be able to remember new ideas.
But how do you know if the activity will be worth it? Here are four elements of a good activity to improve the brain:
-It teaches you something new. If you’re doing something you’re good at, you’re not really going to get much better. This means that at first you will not be good and it can be uncomfortable, but follow it by trying; you will develop very fast.
-It’s hard. Good activities require your full attention at all times and will increase your concentration.
-It is a skill in which you can continue to improve. It is often best to start with an activity that is easy at the beginning and becomes progressively more difficult the more you learn. Maybe learn a new language or a new musical instrument?
-It’s gratifying. It should feel good to learn! Achieving goals is satisfying, especially when you have devoted your attention completely. By enjoying it, you are also more likely to conform and continue to challenge yourself.
7. Do not avoid the gym
Physical exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise, such as running, cycling or swimming, actually increases the amount of oxygen that reaches your brain and, therefore, reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Exercise will also reduce stress and improve chemical function within your brain.
If you choose to exercise in the morning, you can really help start the day and, therefore, it will have a big impact on the way you approach your work from there. Or if not, short breaks in the day to walk, or some push-ups can invigorate your brain if it begins to numb.
There are also some exercises that will directly improve your brain function, especially those that require strong hand-eye coordination and strong complex motor skills. In addition, exercises that involve both the use of the arms and legs are especially good at reducing stress in the long term, since they make you feel more comfortable with your physical limits and allow you more control over your answers when you face something stressful Team Sports such as football, basketball or hockey are very good for this kind of thing.
8. Treat any health problem appropriately
There are all kinds of factors that can affect memory and that is why there are many ways to improve it. But it can be difficult to identify them all. Therefore, if you are ever worried about a health problem you may have, especially if you feel that your memory has deteriorated recently, you should seek professional medical help.
It is not just dementia or Alzheimer’s disease that causes your memory to fade, also heart disease and some of its symptoms like high cholesterol and high blood pressure; diabetes; hormonal imbalance; medicines; depression and many others.
Again, consult professional if you are aware of one of these.
9. Be Practical
As we have seen previously, a good memory is the consequence of good habits. And although all the above tips can help you improve the reach of your memory, or to do well in your next exams, or better yet, to improve your organizational skills, you must apply these ideas to your work.
-Pay attention. You can not learn something if you have never concentrated and you will never be able to remember it. It takes at least eight seconds of concentration to transfer something to memory, so look for a quiet place and pay attention.
-Make use of your senses. It is easy to remember things if they invoke a more familiar and powerful sense. Listen to music, focus on what you can smell or taste, the colors you can see, the textures you can feel. Recite it rhythmically to yourself or even read it out loud.
-First, focus on the basics. For complex issues, check the basics first, instead of choosing random themes. Practice explaining to someone else in your head in a direct and simple way.
-Build about what you already know. By associating new information with things you already know, you can create an understanding much faster.
-Ensaya information. The more times you remember the information, the more likely it is to remain in your memory. At consistent scheduled times, check what you worked on before. This is a much more effective strategy than doing it just a little before.
10. Use memory tricks
Also known as mnemonics, these memory devices almost trick your brain into remembering things, and are often used in professional memory contests. But keep in mind that they often require as much work as regular study.
-Visual image. It is easier to remember a word or idea when you associate it with an image in your head, especially positive, colorful and three-dimensional images.
-Acrostic. Invent a sentence or sentence in which the first word of each letter represents what you want to remember.
-Acronym. If you want to remember several words or ideas, take the first letter of each of them, then form a new word and remember this. When remembering the acronym, it should be easier to remember the associated terms.
-Rima: Poems and songs are easier to remember than normal text, as they maintain an expected rhythm. The jokes are also easy to remember for this reason.
-Partition / division. Fragment or divide, such as the way you remember your phone number, helps you digest large amounts of information better. For example, to remember the phone number 0775854961, you can think of it as 0775 854 961.
– Loci method. Imagine a route that is familiar to you, for example, from your home to school. Then, on the way, place strange objects that represent the things you want to remember. When you want to remember, make the tour in your head and remember the strange objects and what they represent.
