5 ways to improve your memory
If you told anyone who knows me, that I was writing a piece on memory, you could knock them over with a feather. Unless I write something down(and I do!), the something is released into the ether. I have responded to this memory deficiency with a self-inflicted version of hypergraphia (https://www.medicinenet.com/hypergraphia/definition.htm), which is, layman’s terms, the compulsion to write-but for me, it’s the compulsion to remember through writing everything down.
I’ve struggled my whole life with this flimsy, whimsy, memory. The negative side is the stress that not remembering causes. Not remembering can feel like when a child loses the grip of their mother’s hand in a busy place. The heart races or stops. The chest tightens. There is feverishness to looking around. The world that you had previously been safely tucked into, has deserted you.
My favorite part of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, is when the whole town loses its’ memory. They are forced to label everything, like cow and bar and house. And then they forget what those words mean so they have to label what the thing does, like gives milk, where you drink beer, etc. It gave me an idea. What if I labeled everything?
When my grandfather got old and his eyes could no longer read the small words on machines in his house (the coffee machine, the CD player, the DVD player), I brought stickers and sharpies and labeled every button in giant black letters. It was a little thing, but suddenly he could make coffee, play music and watch movies without help.
There is a mindfulness aspect to not remembering. Like the child who has lost her mother’s grip, I must become acutely aware of my surroundings. I have been cultivating my memory since I realized my memory was missing. I can’t tell you when that was. I forgot to write it down. The point, that I am trying to make, is that I don’t take writing about memory lightly. Here are a few skills I have adapted to my own life in order to compensate.
- If you place something down, like your wallet, keys, or sunglasses, say what you’re doing aloud. Really loud. Loud like you’re telling your deaf 100-year-old grandma.
“Grandma! I am putting my sunglasses on the table.”
If someone is there, and they see you yelling at your invisible grandma, who cares? Let me tell you something for free. It’s none of your business what other people think of you, so get on with your life. Yes, the person who heard you may think you’re crazy. Maybe you are crazy. It doesn’t matter. Focus! Stay on task. Say, “Oh, hey Khalil. I am putting my glasses on the table. I think a table is a great place for glasses.” Now, you really will remember where you put your glasses. Khalil will also remember where you put your glasses, so if you do forget, someone else knows. Repetition plus saying aloud LOUD=you’ll remember where your glasses are. Also, telling someone else helps.
2. If you meet someone new, play with their name. See if it rhymes with anything. Abby ain’t too shabby. Abby sure is blabby. Man is Abby crabby. If Abby is any one of these things her rhymes with, you’ve struck memory gold. If not, go back to the glasses strategy.
“Hello, Abby, nice to meet you, Abby.” (Do not say ‘I’m putting Abby on the table’)
If Abby says, “You’re trying to remember my name, aren’t you?” You can say “Why yes, Abby. I am trying to remember your name, Abby.” Or you can act less weird and say, “Totally, but here’s why. You see, my dog walker is named Abby too and you guys are so different! You’re so much prettier than her. So your name doesn’t fit you. You seem more like a Giselle.”
You can’t say, “My best friend is named Abby and you’re nothing like Abby,” because the new Abby might wonder what the old Abby has that she doesn’t. Repetition or Good Rhymes=Memory gold.
3. I know you’re proud of being able to walk and chew gum, make a casserole, and write a work email at the same time, but multitasking is murder on the memory.
“I can’t remember what I’m doing. I have too many tabs open at once”(unknown)
Pretend you are only capable of doing one thing at a time. Mindfulness, baby. Doing one task at a time is not only more efficient, but you will also remember where you put your keys. And once you master that, try chewing one raisin for five minutes. That’s like the blackbelt of mindfulness. You’ll never forget anything ever again! One thing at a time minus multitasking=Remembering what you did.
4. Take a nap. I cannot stress the importance of power naps, but I don’t call them power naps. I call them memory naps. I know that you think that you don’t have time for a nap, but I’m not talking about a two-hour nap. You need to take a nap just long enough to consolidate all that information that’s been pelted at you all day. You only need a 20-minute nap. Any longer will disrupt bedtime, and a good night's sleep is essential for your memory. A rested brain is a brain that remembers. Did you know that sleep consolidates your short term and long term memories? Sound sleep transports oxygen to the brain and helps keep your memory cells healthy. I mean who wouldn’t want oxygen in their brain?
“My bed is a magical place where I suddenly remember everything I have to do.” (unknown)
5. Exercise. I cannot tell you how helpful exercising is for your memory. Exercise increases the size of your hippocampus and improves your memory. The hippocampus is embedded deep into the temporal lobe of your brain, and as far as memory is concerned, but it’s like the memory Mecca. Think of that when you’re exercising. I’m working out my hips and my hippocampus. Pretty great.
So, there it is. 5 ways to improve your memory and a little history lesson on my memory. Of course, there are a million more ways to improve your memory, but the last thing about memory is you don’t want to overload it.