How to Sharpen the Mind's Memory

Most everyone has had a momentarily lapse of forgetfulness, where the words or memory slips right out of your mind's grip. It can be frustrating to forget your train of thought or not be able to efficiently retain memory. Both the young and old fall victim to mental lapses and it is just part of life. However, read on for ways to combat and lessen the occurrences of memory lapses by sharpening our minds to better handle the knowledge we feed it.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Adequately rest your body and mind. We live in a fast paced non-stop society, and are often prone to overly tasking our lives. This can place unnecessary stress on our brain and influence our memory negatively. So, rest and allow your body and mind to rejuvenate.

2. Eat a healthy and nourishing diet. Yes, there is some truths to the term "brain foods," and incorporating health eating can compliment your mind's ability to retain knowledge and recall knowledge.

3. Get enough exercise. A body that is physically fit is less likely to feel sluggish and lethargic. Plus, exercising helps the quality of circulation in the body and brings a good flow of oxygen to the organs of the body, including the brain. Having a brain that is well nourished with oxygen can help you think with clarity. Yoga and Pilates are good exercise methods because they incorporate a mind and body balance along with proper breathing techniques.

4. Take a moment to do a little reality orientation every morning. When you wake up, recall the day, the date and any important information (appointments, birthdays, anniversaries and so on).

5. Keep lists. It is definitely okay to have to refer to a list in order to keep your daily life organized, and it helps to remove clutter from your memory so you do not overload your mind.

6. Include meditation into your daily routine. This is an excellent way to allow your body a momentary session of relaxation and this can help your mind release the daily stresses that may be weighing heavily upon the mind. Stress can really interfere with the memory.

7. Limited or eliminate the use of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. These products act as stimulants and constrict blood vessels, which then interfere with proper oxygenation of the body, especially the brain. When the blood vessels of the brain are constricted, it can diminish memory abilities.

8. Nourish the brain with new knowledge. Reading books, magazine articles and viewing educational programs will feed the brain a source of knowledge and keep it learning. It is like giving the brain periodic tune-ups just like you would a car.

9. Improve memory through visualization. Use images and pictures to help you remember and recall things. This image association will help your brain keep information in order and the images can help cue up memories.

10. Use repetitious memorization techniques. This is an effective teaching tool for young children, and yet is equally effective at any age. By repetitiously repeating something you need to remember, it will help imprint it to your memory and will be readily available for recall.

11. Make up a song or rhyme in order to remember information. Sometimes information that is put to music or a catchy rhyme is information that is easily cued when it is time to recall the memory.

12. Keep a journal. Not only is writing in a journal a therapeutic way to release and work through stress, it is also a good way to keep our memories in order. Sometimes, we just cannot remember everything, but keeping a detailed account of our daily lives can give us something to refer to in order to recall what needs to be remembered.

13. Learn to be a good listener. When a person is an attentive listener, they tend to have better recall memory of what they have heard.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your living environment tidy and organized. This will help you keep your memory tidy and organized as well.