Can’t remember where you put your phone charger? Forgot about an important meeting? Have you noticed that you are gradually losing your mental abilities? You are not as creative as before?
Don’t worry: the brain is like a muscle, so improving memory is a matter of a small amount of daily exercise.
1. Avoid routines, do something new every day to improve memory
It is important to keep in mind that one of the worst enemies of our memory and mental abilities is to do the same thing day by day. Work, homework, shopping, things like that… Gradually we fall into a routine that creates a kind of sensory deprivation, where the brain no longer has incentives to become active.
Monotony and daily procedures that never change reduce our creativity and do not create new situations in which we can learn, experiment, and enjoy. Therefore, it is vital to do something different every day for any occasion.
Maybe today you can do some yoga exercises when you get home. Go for a walk tomorrow, dance the day after tomorrow… Do whatever you can think of, but remember to break the routine!
2. Focus on the here and now
Another problem we always face is that we often think of a thousand other things while trying to do something concrete. It’s possible that as you prepare dinner, your mind scrolls over everything that happened during the day: you think about the conversations, the problems you’re going to do tomorrow, and the commitments the next day.
However, do you know what is really going on? You are actually losing your “here and now!” And for that reason, you don’t remember whether you turned off the stove or met a friend. If you are not focused on what you are doing right now, your brain will wander in a foggy cloud, never focusing.
3. Go for a walk and relax your mind!
A walk can become your daily vitamin, your “natural relaxant”, your “miracle antidepressant”.
Walking is a great way to improve memory and mental dexterity because this exercise takes root in the present, you focus on the movements of the body, feet that touch the ground, the heart, which begins to beat quickly.
At the same time, walking helps to relieve strain and stress, and when that happens, when we let go of all worries, the brain will be freer to think, imagine, create…
Why not try it in practice?
4. Say “yes” to humor and laughter
Some people have a crazy habit of constantly feeding negative thoughts:
- “I can’t do it”,
- “I’m in trouble, I always forget about something important”,
- “I can’t count on my short-term memory”,
- “I always forget and talk nonsense”.
In addition, we can say that in some cases, these negative thoughts come from people around us, who take on the mission to remind us that we are forgetful. And there is nothing worse. Listening to these reproaches only strengthens our short memory and lowers our self-esteem.
Don’t listen to that! Look at life with a good sense of humor, learn to laugh, and see the positive side of things. Sometimes it’s hard, but laughter relieves tension and reduces stress. A stress-relieved brain can remember memories better and more flexibly.
5. Be creative: knit, write, dance, draw
In order to improve your memory and mental abilities, in addition to positive emotions and getting away from routine, it is important to never lose the ability to learn something new.
How can we learn something new? No need to enter university. Life is full of important things and little things that we can learn from, and which, no matter how hard it is to believe, will not cost you money. All you need is your own desire and 1-2 hours a day to do it this.
Picture Credit: Unsplash