Brains | Health And Wellness Tips

Secrets on how to make memory better

It will start with some small incident like forgetting the birthday of a colleague. Then you will start to forget the birthdays of people close to you. After that, it will be the turn of the directions to your favorite restaurant and then god forbid, you will forget your own keys inside your home. We all suffer from moments of forgetfulness but sometimes, things go worse that you find ways to make your memory better.

Although we are not all blessed with a photographic memory, there are ways to at least improve what we are given and make us a little less forgetful. This is especially true with people who are already growing older. As we age, the neurons in our brains also age. Some die while others perform slower than usual. This is why people who are older have faultier memories than their much younger counterparts.

But hey, as mentioned, there are ways to improve memory. Here are some of them:

1. Use visuals or sounds
Depending on what kind of learner you are, people can either use visuals and sounds to remember something. For instance, if you are trying to remember a to-do list, all you need to do is stare at the paper and you will be able to see in your mind the list. There are people however who need to hear the list of their to-dos before they can remember everything that they have to do. To find out which technique will work for you, try remembering how you memorize in school. Do you read the words silently or read them out loud?

2. Use associations
Our brains also need help when it comes to remembering things. The easier we make the remembering task for the brain, the better it will be able to remember the information. This is where associations come in. Associating information with things that we already know or things that we can see is a technique that has been utilized in improving memory. For instance, have you heard of mnemonics? When memorizing a set of words, we often take the first letter of that word and then form a sentence or words from those letters. Associating the word that we are trying to memorize with the first letter makes it easier for our brain.

3. Visualize it
Do you ever wonder why photographic memory is the term use for people with really excellent memory? This is because people who really memorize well or have great memories do not see one item or one information when committing them to memory. They see a picture of the words in group. For instance, a person with a grocery list will usually memorize the items one by one but people who learned to improve their memories will memorize it as a whole. They will look at the list and visualize it as a whole until they can see the list in their minds eye.

4. Eat right
Another important way to improve memory is to check what you eat. Your diet will factor a lot in your ability to memorize things. Eating nutritious foods will help your brain perform better and faster. This is especially true when eating known brain foods like tofu, milk and fish.

There are many ways to make your memory better but the most important thing is to commit to the task and promise to improve it no matter what.

Reasons why you should improve your memory

Memory is important. We use it in our daily lives but often we take it for granted. Not many people realize the important function that memory has in our lives. But this should not be the case. Having a great memory is vital to our survival. Thus, it is important that you take steps to better your memory. Here are some of the reasons why you should:

1. It defines who we are
The memories in your lives define who you are. Try erasing all your memories and you will not have a sense of who you are. It is the experiences that we have in the past that will determine who will be in the future. Without a memory of the past, we will find it hard to go forward in the future. We will have to start building relationships again and have a sense of who we are like what we did when we were still growing up.

2. It helps us learn
We use our memory to learn new things and develop new skills. Memory is actually important in school where we need to memorize a lot of information in order to pass our subjects. Memory is the one what we rely on when it comes to examinations and recitations. But memory is not just for memorizing. Knowledge is also acquired with the use of memory. We learn to do things because of our brains work.

3. It helps us with our jobs
Although we will not be answering examinations when we are on the job, we need memory to help keep up with our schedules and the meetings that we have had with people. There are professions who rely a lot on excellent memory. You need it as a secretary when you have to be on top of your boss schedules. You need when you are a journalist especially in remembering statements that your interviewees have made. You even need it as the owner of the company. You need to remember all the products that you are manufacturing, the capital that you used and the income that you get for the second quarter of the year.

4. It helps build relationships
People who easily remember the names of people are seen as much warmer and more intelligent than those who cant remember names even on the same night. This is why personal relations employees are trained to remember names on an instant as this shows respect and appreciation for others. When people remember our names, we feel a sense of importance and we in turn forward those feelings of good will to that person.

Having an excellent memory also helps people remember birthdays. This is especially true with men who usually forget dates of anniversaries and birthdays. People who remember special dates come across as more thoughtful and more caring as opposed to those who forget all the time. Even if remembering birthdays are not really a sign of love or a measure of love, people still see it that way.

Memory is actually a reflection of our mental processes. Having excellent memory usually means that you have great brain power. Thus, when you are making an effort to better your memory, you are also improving the way you think. And with that, you dont really need so many reasons.

How can I Improve my Memory?

The memory is very precious to us as it is a window to the events that have taken place in our lives. It can be frustrating though when you remember something that occurred 20 years ago but not what you need to pick up at the store this afternoon. May people wish that they could improve their memory. There are many ways of going about doing so rather than just being frustrated or upset over the situation.

Before we talk about how to improve your memory, we need to cover the ways in which materials are learned. As you hear new information or you are exposed to a new experience your mind has to decode what has been sent to you. It is going to interpret it in a given way. If you are focused on this aspect of things then your brain is going to file that information away.

It is as if you opened a file cabinet and dropped the information inside of it. When you are ready to retrieve that information your brain will pull it back up for you just like if you were to walk up to that file cabinet and take out the file you had previously placed inside of it.

You may remember earlier times when your memory was very sharp yet you took that for granted. The fact that we dont continue to exercise our brains and to look for new ways of thinking can lead to our skills not being as effective as they once were. Take a dancer for example. She may have spent years perfecting her moves but then stopped doing them. While she still knows about dancing she isnt going to be able to get out there and perform today as she was once able to when she practiced every day.

Pay attention to what goes on around you and you will improve your memory. The problem is that when people are talking to us we may only be half listening. We may be focused on something else that needs to be taken care of. Learning to focus on what is going on now will help you to store it for retrieval later on.

Try to make new information familiar by including it with information that you already have. Remember that there are many different forms of learning out there so find one that is best for you. Some people need visual aids in order to really be able to remember things later on. Others just need to hear it to be able to benefit from it. Find out what your learning style is and then make that a strength you continue to work with.

Take the time to ask questions or to do your own research when you arent familiar with something. It may seem like it is over your head right now but if it is explained in a different way you may be able to grasp it. If you do more research on the topic you can expand your knowledge and that will help you to make sense of what needs to be remembered.

If you really need to remember something, explore it in your mind several times. The more you engage in repetition the more it will be engraved in your mind for you to recall later on. There are some methods that can help you too such as word association and visual aids. Take advantage of what is out there that you can easily work with.

PPPPP

Word Count 589

What you Eat can Improve the way that you Think

It is often said that we are what we eat, but did you know that pertains to your brain activities as well? What you eat can improve the way you think as long as you choose the right types of foods. First, it is very important to remember not to skip breakfast. Too many people do so including children. It results in the brain not being able to perform at its optimum level for the morning.

Your diet needs to consist of foods that contain plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids. They are going to increase your stamina on an intellectual level. The main sources of Omega 3 fatty acids include fish, flax seed, and hemp seed. When you need a pick up of energy and brain power during the day, reach for a handful of nuts. They are going to give you the burst of energy and creativity that you need to get through the rest of the day.

Consuming large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way for your mind to be able to process information. They offer plenty of antioxidants in them that will remove toxins from your body. Replace those drinks that are full of sugar with plain water or green tea as well. The way that you will feel both physically and mentally when you make such changes is unbelievable.

There are certain types of foods that you want to avoid as well. They will slow down you brains ability to function as well as it could. Two of them that many people consume large quantities of include alcohol and caffeine. Do your very best to either avoid them or to only consume them in moderation.

Avoid consuming too many processed foods as well. They may taste good but they are full of ingredients that really arent good for your body. Make sure you take the time to read labels. Find out what certain words on packaging means so you can identify what it really is. For example there are many different terms used to mean sugar so make sure you know what is in the food that you consume.

Taking a daily multi vitamin is a good idea as well. This can help to ensure you get the daily recommended intake of various types of Vitamins. These Vitamins are necessary for your brain to function at its very best. Should you find that you crave foods that arent good for you, at least try to cut back on them. Then you wont feel deprived and at the same time your mental well being wont be compromised.

When you body is lacking essential vitamins and nutrients it is harder for you to stay focused. It is also going to affect your mood and the actions you take throughout the day. When you eat the right foods your mind will be very healthy. You will have less stress and be able to concentrate on what needs your attention.

It is never too late to take an inventory of what you eat. Chances can be made that dont result in you feeling like you are starving or missing out on great tasting foods. There is no reason why eating healthy has to taste terrible either. There are plenty of great recipes online that you can try out. A certified nutritionist can also help you to get on the right track.

PPPPP

Word Count 576