Puzzles
Stimulating memory function can be quite fun at times from sources you may not usually consider for entertainment - newspaper and books. These hold some of the best ways to boost memory through puzzles, games, and unfamiliar topics.
Sometimes newspapers and magazines hold some great ways to boost your memory in simple ways that are often neglected in this modern age. Being unfamiliar or rarely used can make these sources them even more effective in stimulating memory by asking it to work in different ways than usual. But if newspapers are just not your thing, similar games and opportunities can be found in virtual newspapers online.
1. Crossword Puzzles - Crossword puzzles stimulate a lot more mental processes than one usually realize and are memory enhancing for several reasons. Working through a crossword puzzle that is mentally challenging causes your brain to search through information stored in your memory looking for the answer needed as rapidly as possible - sort of the mental equivalent to a burst of energy and speed necessary for a 100 yd dash. Another way your memory is tested with a crossword puzzle is in the area of spelling and counting. That may come easily to some but those who struggle in that manner find working on crossword puzzles even more stimulating and rewarding. Vocabulary skills also enjoy some mental exercises in memory as you are trying to figure out what fits the clue given. Even if your memory fails and you are unable to recall the word you are searching for right then, often your mind will remember the answer hours or days later out of the middle of nowhere while you are doing other things and you will be reminded how intricate and amazing the whole topic of memory function really is.
2. Word Search - While word searches are very similar to crossword puzzles, there are also some differences that make some mental processes easier and some more challenging. Word searches are easier because you do not have to come up with the word you are looking for by figuring out some clue. That task is eliminated by giving you the exact word to look for. They are also easier since you do not need to remember how to spell the answer once you have figured it out like with crosswords. But word searches are also more challenging by hiding the answer you are searching for spelling it backwards, forwards, upside down, or diagonally which requires more memory energy in remembering letter by letter what word you are searching for. Interestingly, this also makes it a game that anyone can play in unknown languages as long as they know their alphabet letters.
3. Different News Sections - Newspapers (online or printed versions) can also be used to challenge and stretch your memory by reading articles from a section you always ignore, know little about, and have no interested in learning more. Read the article one time then try to remember the specific information you just read enough to summarize in writing what information or advice the article was meant to give. Perhaps you have no interest in the sports section of a newspaper and don’t necessarily understand the rules of play for each sport. Read an article about a recent game and then see how many details you can remember such as the scores, where the game was played, which player was praised, and which was condemned for mistakes during the game, etc. While this information may not be particularly useful to know, the value in terms of memory is how much more it challenges you to remember details when the topics are unfamiliar and uninteresting to your own unique personality.
While reading random topics and playing word searches and crosswords puzzles in a printed newspaper might be most useful because of its unfamiliarity in this technological era, you can find almost as many memory enhancing benefits from doing these things online on news websites. These are helpful and fun exercises to try when your memory functions appears to be deteriorating
Stress Less
A lifestyle factor that can really zap your memory power is stress. Stress is a feeling of pressure or lack of control a person experiences. It is an emotional response to a circumstance, condition, or an event. These circumstances can be tight schedules or seemingly insurmountable problems like bills to pay, a boss to please, or a colicky baby to pacify. They can also be positive or negative life changes, from the joy of a wedding to the loss of a spouse. Stress can also be caused by inner conflict.
Stress impacts memory both physically and mentally. Physically, stress elicits the release of chemicals that impair proper functioning of memory. Mentally, stress overwhelms and overburdens your mind so it is unable to think, focus on, or process information at hand.
Dealing with stress is quite a big task. It is impossible to simply eliminate stress with just a snap of a finger; however, there are things you can do to manage it better. Listed below are some effective strategies that will help you lower your levels of stress to boost memory.
1. Learn to Relax - Learn to relax and avoid pressure. Putting pressure on yourself to work hard is not a bad thing, but when you push yourself too hard, it can be. Often, it can prove to be counterproductive. For instance, when studying, if you insist on cramming loads of facts and data, you will overwhelm your mind. As a result, you might not end up understanding what you have learned. With that said, learn to relax. This will help you comprehend better what you are trying to remember.
2. Avoid Non-Pertinent Issues - Don’t bring up past grievances or troubles you've had with a subject, even if they deal indirectly with the present discussion. If you know that certain issues are going to cause bitterness and resentment, don't bring them up deliberately or in a negative way. Focus simply on the task you are trying to remember. Pay attention to things one at a time. Keeping to one topic prevents other issues from complicating the picture, thus easing the load on your memory.
Advanced Techniques
If you need to take your memory exercises to a much higher level for any reason, there are some extremely challenging ways to do so exercises that might seem absolutely pointless on the surface but hold great value for improving your memory functions under the surface.
Challenging and stimulating your memory functions by memorizing large sections of random and maybe senseless information is a somewhat extreme way to improve your memory. It is time-consuming and difficult but worth it to anyone who is completely frustrated with a dysfunctional memory and ready to put in a lot of time and energy into improving memory capabilities.
1. Phone Number Exercise - The necessity of memorizing phone numbers and addresses important in your life is very low because of the access we have to electronic devices that carry that information for us such as cell phones and email accounts. Memorizing the phone numbers in your directory 10 at a time is mentally challenging but also memory boosting in the process. And can be done gradually here and there 5 minutes at a time if need be. You can choose instead work on memorizing a page torn from a phonebook, but it is more useful to memorize information you might need in a pinch and don’t have a cell phone or computer nearby or the time to look for a number that is needed as soon as possible for emergency situations. Make the exercise even more beneficial by consciously linking it to other people or places that are also in your directory. You can also increase the difficulty level by memorizing all the phone numbers and addresses attributed to that contact in your address book.
2. Grocery Shopping - Memory exercises to use while you are grocery shopping can be a little more useful then memorizing phone numbers. Even if it takes you longer to do your shopping than it would if you relied on a written list and calculator, the few extra minutes are well worth the memory building properties these methods provide. It is suggested that you attempt to keep a running grocery list in your head throughout the week and then shopping off that list when you hit the grocery store. You might want to carry a written copy as back up and to use as a double-check list when you are done in order to make it less annoying as mistakes are made. One of the ways to boost your memory while actual shopping is by trying to keep a mental tally of the current cost of the items in your basket. You can round it off to whole numbers when you first begin and when that becomes easier to do, begin to keep an exact count to the penny for even more memory stimulation. If those exercises seem too hard for your current level of memory function, then start even smaller and just try to keep a count of how many items are in your basket from the first one put there to the last one placed on the checkout conveyor belt. Once your memory has improved to the point where this is no longer challenging ing, kick it up a notch and begin to keep the mental tally mentioned earlier.
If you are intensely serious about improving your memory functions, choosing to memorize information that is unnecessary at best or useless at worst is something to take advantage of in order to stimulate your memory as forcefully as possible.
Board Games
While it is very important to have memory function on your priority list of life, it is even more important to cultivate healthy and strong relationships with those you love. The good news is that both goals can co-exist side by side with board games that are beneficial to both areas of one’s life without excluding the other.
Board games have long been a source for social fun in various ways for many years. There are many board games to choose from both old and new that also exercise and improve memory skills at the same time with out you even realizing it.
1. Child-friendly Board Games - Playing board games regularly with your children not only strengthens your bond with them, it will also strengthen the bonds between memory cells in your brain. Some games are better for this than others but any game can be adapted to challenge your memory in some way while playing no matter how easy or boring the actual game played might be. For example, if your child’s favorite game to play is Chutes and Ladders, it might not exactly seem to be beneficial to your memory goals at first. But if the game is too easy, figure out ways to make it more difficult for yourself without being noticeable to your child. One way to stretch your memory during this game while also bonding with your child is by attempting to remember when you last played the game and what was the environment around that game - what were you wearing, what was your child wearing, how many times did the phone ring, etc. Even though some games may not be memory stimulating, you can add mental stimulation to the games for yourself that allows you to enjoy your child while working on building your memory.
2. Card Games - Card games such as poker and bridge are an excellent way to cultivate social connections and experiences while also working on your memory at the same time. If you are not interested in improving your memory some days, playing these games with your friends will do it for you just through the process of participating in the game routines. If you are not noticing any challenges to your memory while playing the game without thinking, it is time to choose to think and see what ways you could challenge yourself and your memory to make it a positive experience.
3. Checkers, Chess, Dominoes - Games such as checkers, chess, and dominoes are beneficial in exercising your memory as well as enjoying time with a close friend or loved one. These games have been played for centuries and are considered some of the oldest games known to man. Chess is probably the most mentally and memory challenging but it might be too frustrating at first if you are new to the effort of memory improvement and/or how these games are played. If chess seems too difficult at first, try checkers instead. Checkers is not nearly as memory-intense as chess or dominos but still offers a boost to the memory while playing. You don’t want to stop with checkers though - simply use them as a starting place for more challenging memory games.
Board games offer great options for working on your own memory improvement while enjoying social connections at the same time. There are enjoyable board games to be found for just about any interest, but the value of unfamiliar or older board games will often fit what you are looking for just right.
Conclusion
For a technique to be practical, not only does it have to be simple to learn, but it has to be simple to apply. If a technique is not, it will not prove useful. In this modern era, we all have too much on our plates to take excessive amounts of time and energy to learn difficult and time-consuming procedures. Memory techniques are no exception.
This is the reason for this report. I believe there are an abundance of useful tools to improve memory, intelligence, and learning that can make people’s lives easier and better. The goal was to present these tools in a way where people could quickly learn and easily assimilate them. Only then would they be beneficial. We hope you found the presentation here worthwhile.
The next step is to integrate this information. A good way to do that is by rereading it through several times. By going over it multiple times, you bring into play the power of repetition. In this way, you don’t have to put a whole lot of effort to remember the techniques, nor how to use them. The simple act of rereading the guide will fix the content in your mind. So, when you are faced with something to remember, the proper technique and its application will naturally come to you.
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