MEMORY IS THE TREASURY AND GUARDIAN OF ALL THINGS -Cicero
Moments of forgetfulness come to all from time to time and make an already busy and tough life even tougher.
Though this is completely normal, having a poor memory can be frustrating. After all, everyone wants to lock their beautiful moments in their memory jar and visit them anytime they feel like going down the memory lane.
Like any other defense mechanism in our mind and body, being able to forget things is also a mechanism through which our mind protects us from various sad and traumatic memories that can prove harmful for us, by hiding them till it feels we are ready to face those memories again.
Sometimes we experience memory loss because of other reasons. It starts creating a stir in our lives by making it difficult for us to retain important things. A good memory is not only impressive but also very useful and necessary for proper functioning. Nowadays there are a lot of other ways to store important information and make records but even after that having a poor memory can ruin things.
Genetics also plays a role in memory loss, especially in serious neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. However, according to research lifestyle and diet too majorly impact memory
So here are a few ways to improve your memory:
Stay Mentally Active
The way physical activity is necessary to keep you in shape and maintain a healthy body, mental activity is important for good memory as it helps in improving focus and concentration. A lot of patients facing the onset of mental health issues including memory loss are advised to stay mentally active either by indulging themselves in various activities like solving mathematical problems and playing different games needing concentration and memory retention.
Sleep Well
When it comes to anything related to our brain whether it is related to mental health issues or improving memory, having a good sleep schedule is a must. An improper sleep is equally harmful to mental and physical health. It prevents you from focussing better and tires you enough to leave you unable of concentrating on anything or retaining any information even if you do pay attention.
Whereas sleeping properly helps your brain settle down everything that you have learned and resurface it when needed.
Map Your Thoughts
If you feel that you are starting to forget small things easily like why you entered the room, why you opened the cupboard, or what were you talking about, try creating a map out of your thoughts. Sometimes we are unable to control our thoughts and end up thinking about something irrelevant and forget the real reason or the original thought where we had begun. In such cases, you can try to track down your thoughts by going back from the last thought to the previous one and creating a reverse map. This might sound new but is actually helpful as it can lead you to what you were thinking about originally.
Get Organised
When it gets difficult to remember things, the best you can do is to plan and organize things according to your schedule. This way you can just go according to your plan and avoid making mistakes because of a bad memory. Getting organized will also help you remember things better as you will not have to put in extra effort in finding things because a messy and cluttered environment creates confusion and can make you forget things. Also, it will get you into a habit of doing certain things and then you will end up performing your daily tasks by default.
Eat A Healthy Diet
As mentioned above research has proved that diet and lifestyle majorly impact our memory. For example, a vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to dementia and it can only be reversed by adding vitamin B12 sources to your diet. Almonds, pistachios, and various fruits and vegetables also help you improve your memory and focus.
Manage Health Conditions
If you are going through any mental health issue like amnesia, dementia, anxiety, and depression that is affecting your memory. Follow your doctor’s instructions properly and carefully. Do not miss your medication, and exercise regularly. Such illnesses often lead to memory loss which affects your treatment, worsening your condition which in return weakens your memory even more and that is how you get stuck in this endless loop.
You can follow these few things to improve your memory but it does not mean you can take it lightly or ignore it. Memory loss is both, a symptom and an illness in itself and is as serious as any other health condition. Please seek proper medical assistance if things get serious and start affecting your daily life.
