Have you ever mentally created a grocery list, knowing everything you'd get because you've needed it for a few days? Then You go to the store, and out of the ten things you needed, you walk out with one thing from your list and 20 other items you hadn't needed or would use immediately. How did that happen? Whether a person is younger or older, having a sharp memory is essential to function in life, and we need to work hard to keep our memories intact as we age.
They say muscles are made in the kitchen, but what about muscle memory - how are they made? Here are four ways to improve your memory.
1. The Four Detail Observation Exercise
While out and about, select one person and make a mental note identifying four things about them. Then, throughout the day, try to remember those four points. The more you do, the more your memory improves.
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2. Repeat, Recall
Increase cognitive functioning through active listening. While engaging in conversation, silently repeat what the other person is saying. This act forces you to engage in the conversation instead of building responses to what you think they may say.
It also compels you to pay attention, reduces distractions, and ensures you're all into your discussion. The key here is to remember the conversation once you've parted ways.
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3. Take the Long Road Home
It's easy to jump into our routines. After all, they are routines for a reason. They keep us on track, and we know their potential outcomes based on experience. It's a mindless activity given its repetitive nature.
Now, there is nothing wrong with routine, but a disruption in our patterns forces us to engage in alternative processes, which improve our mental ability to function.
Taking the long way home could mean different things to different people. It could mean changing your route home, going to a new grocery store, and walking a new terrain instead of running.
Our disrupted actions aid in increasing our memories, so when we jump back into our routines, who knows - we'll have unique perspectives and see things we've mentally ignored.
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4. Dance Like Nobody's Watching!
There are so many benefits to dancing - whether it's dancing recreationally or professionally. Dancing reduces depression and anxiety while releasing a happy hormone.
In a New England Journal of Medicine study by Albert Einstein College of Medicine, researchers discovered that dance could improve brain health and boosts memory. Several studies have shown that dancing is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and is associated with a 76% reduced risk of dementia among the participants.
Just like muscles are made in the kitchen and need strength training to maintain weight loss. Muscles made through memory need constant stimulation, which can happen through observations, repeat and recall, change of scenery, and a fun memory-inducing activity, like dance, to remain sharp.
