Howdy, gals!
I have been 60 for almost 4 days now. So far, so good. But I came home from my trip to Houston, Dallas and Ft. Worth feeling my age. Had planned to jump up this morning and accomplish so much. But my kitties kept me up during the night with their welcome home festivities and play. I was pretty worthless today.
Did manage to get some posts written. Really wanted to join Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag for this month’s edition of her “Glossies Made Me Do It” series.
This link-up happens the first Friday of every month. The idea? Share what a glossy (magazine) has made you do recently – try a new recipe/product, listen to a song, read a book, start a discussion/think of something new! But on Friday I was too caught up celebrating me. Ha!! So here I am today.
My glossy for today’s post is a magazine new to me. “Dr. Oz The Good Life.”
And then, on the cover it says ‘special edition’ so maybe this isn’t a regular monthly mag? Not sure. But it was full of stimulating articles. Including one entitled “9 Ways to Rev Up Your Memory”. And that’s the one that I want to share with you today.
Memory Boosting Tips
A few posts ago, I reviewed the book Fish in a Tree. Click here to read that review if you missed it earlier. The story is about a little girl diagnosed with dyslexia. And I shared that my oldest daughter struggled with something dyslexia-like that made reading and working with numbers difficult for her. In order to help cope, I came up with strategies that helped Brennyn remember facts like dates, and hints to help her spell correctly. This article reminded me of those days, long ago. But now it is I who needs the devices for boosting my memory.
Memory Boosting Tips for the Young and Young at Heart
- Repeat whatever needs to be remembered. Repeat a name, “Nice to meet you, PC”, an address, a phone number.
- Use humor to trigger memory. Did this with Brennyn. We came up with all kinds of crazy mnemonic devices to help Bren remember information. Once, we created an association between something she was learning with Mona the El Paso Zoo elephant. Totally unrelated but we fabricated a relationship between the elephant and the information she was studying that worked to jog her memory.
- Involve the senses. Tie a bit of information to one of the 5 senses. For me, that would probably be the sense of smell. The elevator in the Dallas Holiday Inn where we stayed smelled musty and damp like my grandmother’s basement. My sister and I were swept back over 5 decades to grandma’s Bolivar, Missouri cellar.
- Review prescriptions. I was interested to learn that some antidepressants can cause memory loss. I take Fluvoxamine for OCD. Perhaps it is keeping me from remembering to get started on my spring cleaning.
- Try yoga. Eww, hard one for me. I have only tried yoga once and my body was not happy. For those of us who aren’t yogis, regular ole exercise can boost memory.
- Look for the story. This is another device I have used myself and with my daughter. Example: this weekend, we went to put some items in Brennyn’s storage unit. She and Cady are living in a hotel right now until their new house is finished. They have leased a storage unit for all of their belongings in the meantime. When we pulled up to the security gate, Brennyn had to input a numeric code to enter. She had to find an email on her phone to retrieve the 3 digit code. It was 579. I told her to associate the 5 with the five girls in our family. There is a sign on the gate with the hours the units are open, 7 am to 9 pm. So, I told her to remember those numbers that way. Just gave her a pop quiz on Facebook messenger and she remembered the code! Make up a story!
- Put away that phone. More and more, we are depending on devices to help us remember. I send myself emails. I take photos of to-do lists, signs, sale ads, street signs, parking lot numbers, phone numbers. Far be it from me that I try to remember anything. We need to exercise our brains! Which is part of the premise behind my new series, “Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone.” Using new routes to go to the store, starting on the left of the grocery store rather than the right, etc.
- Get plenty of sleep. It is hard to function when your mind and body are tired. Like I am tonight. Our brains sift through information at night and stitch memories together. Which probably explains some of my nutty dreams! When we aren’t well rested, our brain doesn’t function as well. Our memory becomes impaired. Make sure to get plenty of rest.
Memory Boosting Tips I’ve Tried
I really want to start forcing myself to remember things rather than depending on my devices to keep me on track. When I think of something at night that I need to do or remember the following morning, I try to come up with a clue for remembering whatever it is. Often times, I will set a book or something else from my nightstand onto the floor beside my bed. When I step out of bed in the morning, seeing the object jogs my memory.
When I was a librarian (adjusting to not being a librarian any more), I used to give diamond bracelets to children who had overdue books to help them remember to bring their books the next day. The diamond bracelets were really just brightly colored rubber bands. When they would look at or remove the rubber band at night, it would serve to remind them to put their library books in their backpacks to return the next day.
Want a fun way to boost your memory and strengthen your brain? Try the games at Mind Games. I played a bit tonight and was dismayed at how poorly I did! Need to do more of this!
Your Turn
What memory boosting tips can you share with those of us who can’t remember to come in out of the rain, as my mother would say of me. Do you rely on technology to bolster your memory? Recently asked my BFF Sharon how she keeps track of all she wants to accomplish everyday. Sharon uses hand-written lists. What do you use?
Off to bed, without my kitties tonight. Need to sleep well and strengthen my memory!! Be sure to run by Lauren’s blog to read what glossies made her do this month.
Hugs and kisses,
Debs
Technology makes us lazy! I like to imagine my memory like a muscle, if I don’t exercise it – it won’t stay healthy! They have recently changed the machines at our local car parks and now you have to enter your car registration number before you tap in to get your ‘check in’ ticket. Can I remember mine? No. (and yet I can easily remember my first ever car back in 1976) I am rubbish and blame it on sometimes being in my car and sometimes my husband’s car and the only way I remember mine is the last three letters stand for ‘An Xtra-ordinary Woman’ 😉 But I still struggle with the first two letters and the numbers!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Giggling over here at your comment. I had the very best license plate…LRC4658…for a few years. Totally by chance it was my initials and birthdate. And now it is some crazy gobbledy gook that I can’t figure out a good mnenomic for. Love your memory device. You are, indeed, extra-ordinary!
Sarah @ Foxy's Domestic Side
I love all of these, especially the story one, I need to do that. We were working on my daughter remembering my phone number in case she got lost…besides direct memorization it was hard to teach her! I should have come up with a story, she loves a good story and can always remember every story we tell her! Next time!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Hope that helps. Brennyn still has trouble with numbers to this day. Any little trick or memory device she can use is a big help!
Akaleistar
Repeating something does help me remember it better 🙂
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Akaleistar. Repeating things helps me, too. And creating a little image in my head for whatever it is. I try to “see” a number or a name in my head. I am finding I need memory tricks and tips more and more these days. Thank you, Father Time! 😛
Whitney @ Whitney à la mode
What a fun link-up idea! Interesting that yoga helps with memory. I need to get back into my yoga groove!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Whitney! I have only tried yoga once, here at home on my own. It was sooo hard for me! Would like to take a class somewhere and see if that would work better for me. Also wanting to take a barre class. Isn’t it wonderful all of the benefits exercise provide?
ShootingStarsMag
Thanks so much for linking up again – and I apologize for commenting so late in the month. I’m one of those “out of sight, out of mind” people where if I don’t see something or write something down where I can see it, it’s easy for me to forget it. I don’t use my phone too much though. I mostly try and rely on notes and my paper planner.
-Lauren
Leslie Roberts Clingan
No worries, just happy you stopped by when you did! I like these ‘glossies’ posts and hope to continue to link-up with your for them. Great way to learn something new!