Memory Techniques and Exercises

Memory is a function of the brain that allows storing and retrieving information. Neurology specialists affirm that learning to work on it is very important.

Strategies to improve memory on a daily basis

There are certain basic principles of learning and memory, and keeping them in mind when you want to memorize something can be very useful:

– Pay attention: Attention a prerequisite for then being able to memorize. When water goes down the drain does it form a clockwise or counterclockwise swirl? You will only be able to answer this question if you have ever paid attention to this.

– Verbalize: Many times patients come to the practice worried because they make mistakes such as: “I can’t remember whether I locked the car or not, whether I locked the door or not”. Surely when reading this, almost all people feel identified because it has happened to them at some time. The reason is that they are processes that are done automatically and we do not pay attention to them. If they are verbalized, they will be done consciously and it will be easier to remember them.

– Make sense: Things that can be understood are much easier to memorize than those that cannot.

– Organize information: Information is organized within the memory. The more aware a person is of how he or she organizes material at the time of learning it, the easier it will be to retrieve it.

– Associating information: Association consists of relating what a person wants to learn to something he already knows. If he relates the information to things he already knows, it will be easier for him to remember it.

– Visualize: Images are easier to memorize than words, for most people, and words that evoke images are doubly encoded or stored (verbally and visually).

– Put some emotion into it: It’s harder to forget events tied to emotions.

Memory: enemies

Memory has many enemies. Taking care of your health means taking care of your memory. Stress, lack of sleep, abuse of certain substances such as alcohol or tobacco, poor diet, consumption of toxic substances, or a very sedentary and unstimulating life, are factors that will not help memory skills.

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Notebooks have never been the enemy of memory, whether they are paper or electronic. Using them helps to organize the information in the brain, to have fewer mistakes and to feel more confident.

Doing stimulating activities and facing new challenges is always good for the brain. The type of activities to choose will depend on tastes, preferences and motivations.

Exercises to improve memory

– A good way to work the mind is with the daily press. Reading the newspaper every day helps to work on mental functions such as attention and memory. The exercise is not only to read the news but it is also important to discuss it with friends or family. When you comment on the news, you have to organize the information and remember what you have read, and it is also a splendid topic of conversation that will allow you to relate to others!

– Playing sports works mental capacities. When you move your muscles, you are working your brain. Any sport will work your mind.

– There are also mental sports that can be practiced, such as chess, checkers, bridge, cards, dominoes, Parcheesi or four in a row. All these games allow you to keep your brain in shape. They work on attention, memory or planning.

– Carry a notebook of pastimes. It is necessary to take advantage when going to the swimming pool or to the beach, traveling by train, plane or, also, when you have to stay a while in a waiting room to practice them. It is advisable to do word searches, crossword puzzles, sudokus of different levels, self-definitions, search for differences, puzzles or logic games.

– Music: Playing an instrument (piano, guitar, flute, harmonica, percussion) develops mobility and coordination, but above all, makes the mind work and develop new skills.

Exercising children’s memory

A good way to exercise children’s memory is through games. There are educational games that help the child to find strategies to memorize.