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.

How to start bettering your memory

It will be cool to actually remember all the names of the people we meet or recite from memory all of the books that we have read. But not all people are blessed with a photographic memory that can capture a lot of data. The most that most people can do is to remember about 50 percent of the details in the books that they have read and recall about 10 names in the 50 people they meet. But hey, this does not mean that we should all give up wanting to make our memory better.

Although we cannot actually make our memory as powerful as one with a photographic memory, we can at least improve its processes so that we can recall more names than we usually do. This is especially true with people who are already aging. As we grow older, our memory slips. This is why most of our grandfathers and mothers often forget a lot of things, even our names.

Below are some names on how to make your memory a little bit better. Read on and you might still be able to do something with that faulty memory of yours.

1. Start early
It is important to take care of the brain early on to avoid forgetfulness when old age comes. Brain development starts at a very young age, from 0-3 years old. It is during this time when your brain grows the fastest. Although you may not have any power over your parents actions during this time, you can at least add to their care when you are much older, say 6 or 7 years old, by eating the right foods and avoiding as you grow old vices like cigarettes and alcohol which are proven to lessen memory skills.

2. Commit to the improvement
You should at least be able to commit to the task of bettering your memory. You may not realize it but it is not as simple as memorizing a grocery list and practicing your brain with crossword puzzles and memory games; you will also be changing the way you live your life and the food that you eat. Changing your lifestyle and your diet takes a lot of gumption and self-discipline from you. You will not be able to do it if you do not commit wholeheartedly to the task.

3. Practice
Use your brain. Whether it is something as simple as reading a book or playing a strategy game like chess, exercising your brain will help keep those neurons awake and working. In fact, studies have shown that those who answer crossword puzzles, read or generally use their brains will less likely become senile or acquire Alzheimers Disease. Using your brain will prevent it from being rusty and dusty.

4. Visualize it
One of the most common techniques to improve memory is to visualize words and things. You see, the brain sees data as pictures. It will be easily stored and faster to retrieve if it is seen and visualized as one picture than when it is memorized as numbers or words. For instance, if you are trying to memorize a grocery list, you do not memorize the words. You memorize the pictures of the things that you need to buy. That way, when you go to the grocery store, you will remember to buy that item, bettering your memory in the process.

Ways to better your memory

We all want to have a photographic memory. Just imagine being able to remember every single fact that you have read since you were a kid. You would be a shoo in when it comes to game shows and trivial pursuit games. Besides, havig a great memory will get you through tough times in college. Unfortunately not all people are blessed with such great memory but there are ways to make it better. Here are some of them:

1. Exercise your mind
The more you use your brain, the more it will be better. When it comes to the brain, there is no such thing as drain. If you want to improve your memory, then use your brain as much as you can. Read a book. Answer a crossword puzzle. Engage in memory games that will develop your brains power.

2. Play memory games
There are a lot of games out there that will help you exercise your memory. Log on to the internet and look for memory games that you can play. There is also the game board mastermind and Games of the Generals that will help you improve your memory and your logic skills.

3. Use visual tactics
Most people who have had to improve their memory have used visual tactics to help them remember things. For instance, if you want to remember a grocery list without writing them on paper, all you have to do is visualize your house and associate every part of it with the things that you have to buy. If you need a bathroom cleanser, then visualize it with your bathroom. The same goes with a vinegar and cooking oil with the kitchen or a moisturizer for the face with your bedroom. Thinking visually will help you keep the list in mind.

4. Say it over and over again.
Some people remember when they repeat it to themselves. For instance, the best way to remember the name of a person is to use it in a conversation with that person. That way, you will be able to associate the name with the face right on the onset. It will be easier then to remember that persons name the next time you meet her or him. The same also goes with remembering telephone numbers. The more you use it and repeatedly use it, the more you will be able to remember them.

5. Eat right
There are foods that will help keep your brain healthy and thus improve your memory. Foods like peanuts, tofu and milk help keep the brain in tip top shape. The same goes with fish and meat that have proteins that help nourish the brain and keep it developing. In fact, these foods are especially important with children who are growing because their brain is just developing.

6. Group them
Another effective way to remember things easily is to group them. For instance, in remembering telephone numbers, it will be easier to group them into two and remember them as two chunks than remembering them as seven separate numbers. Thus, numbers are given hyphens to make it easier to commit to memory.

There are a lot of other ways to better your memory but before you can do it, you have to first commit to the task.