Improving your Memory Skills

KAHKASHAN JABEEN
M.A, Psychology
Clinical psychologist
@Islaah Center for Psychological Wellness

Good memory is one of the most important aspects of our life. Strong memory depends on a healthy and active brain. There is an old saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to the human brain this isn’t true. The human brain has an astonishing ability to adapt and change—even into old age. This ability is known as neuroplasticity. The brain’s incredible ability to reshape itself is true when it comes to learning and memory. However, we can follow some steps to help memory enhancement.

Brain boosting diet. Diet containing vegetables fruits nuts, protein and fish are not only good for your physical health but also helps improve your memory. Among many other benefits, regular consumption of green tea may enhance memory and mental alertness and delays brain aging.

Get on a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time each morning. Avoid all screens for at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted by gadgets trigger wakefulness and suppress hormones such as melatonin that make you sleepy.

Incorporate physical exercise in your daily routine. Physical activities that require hand-eye coordination or complex motor skills are beneficial. Even a short walk or spot jogging is good to go.

Work out for brain is essential. The more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. Activities that start at an easy level and increase in complexity help stretch your capabilities. Choose activities that, are challenging yet enjoyable and satisfying.

Practical tips –

• • • Pay attention to what you want to learn or remember
    • Rehearse information you have learnt
    • Practice explaining the ideas to someone else in your own words
    • Use mnemonic devices to make memorization easier

Examples:

Visual image – Associate a visual image with a word or name to help you remember them better.

Acronym – An acronym is a word that is made up by taking the first letters of all the key words or ideas you need to remember and creating a new word out of them. Example – Never eat sour water melons to remember – North East South and west on a compass.

Rhymes and alliteration – Rhymes, alliteration (a repeating sound or syllable), and even jokes are memorable way to remember boring facts and figures. Example -30 days has September, April, June and November

Chunking – Chunking breaks a long list of numbers or other types of information into smaller, more manageable chunks. Example: Remembering a 10-digit phone number by breaking it down into three sets of numbers: 2323- 521- 666.