***Remembering

SOME PEOPLE AS THEY GET OLDER or busier have difficulty remembering names, among other things. Age is not always the reason. Our brains continue to restore and generate new neurons. Actually, you probably know young people who have problems remembering names, words, events. When we are young we link or associate names to a small amount of sensory input, for instance visual. We don’t even think about it, and we need to.

THE LONGER WE LIVE, the more experiences we have, the more people we meet, and the more data we have, that is no longer good enough for us. Because of this fact, there aren’t enough unique visual characteristics, which make the association between the visual and names more challenging.

IT BECOMES NECESSARY in order to remember a name to associate the quality of their voice, feel of their hand, maybe even a unique scent. The more senses you can associate to a name, the easier it is to recall. Last year I was diagnosed with a brain and spinal cord injury as a victim of a freak accident. It seemed that I had short term memory loss.

IN REHABILITATION, I was given the Memory Strategies WRAP method. Here they are:

1. Writing: write it down in a place you will look again.
2. Repetition: repeat the info to yourself or out loud.
3. Association: link new information to something familiar.
4. Picture it: make a mental picture of what you want to remember in your head.

IT IS AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY AND when the therapist discovered that I was already doing this and more, she said I could probably teach her more than she could teach me. She recommended that I spend my time in physical therapy instead and keep doing what I was doing. For example I see people’s names just above their head. It’s your brain—get creative.

IMAGINE AN INFANT OR TODDLER for a moment. He sees a toy in his crib. He examines it, touches it, shakes it and puts it in his mouth. This is how his growing brain learns and associates—develops many sensations that will become his memory of the particular toy.

ADULTS WILL PROBABLY SAY, “It’s a car, a truck a doll, rattle”, etc. That is because, as above, we learned as a child the sensations to attach to the experience. We have developed patterns or routines. If we want to improve our brain function and memories, we can add a little unpredictability and adventure into our lives. Our brains like the unexpected and novel. The brain can get bored. It as if it is saying, “Next!”

THERE IS A HAPPY 2 YEAR OLD INSIDE OF ALL OF US. So get curious and do things differently.

EXPERIMENT……Close your eyes and get dressed for work, wear earplugs and smell the fragrances around you. Use a different hand to do tasks like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, shaving, putting on your socks.

DESIGN your own brain exercises. There is no limit to ways you can exercise your brain, so exercise it and improve your memory while enhancing your brain function at any age.

ONE MORE THING——Remember good nutrition. Foods like fish, nuts, and blueberries, to mention a few choices improve memory over time. There are so many more. There is a plethora of Nutritional help available.