It has happened to the best of us; we walk into a room and forget why we are there. These kinds of memory lapses are extremely annoying, and if they happen too frequently, they can be a tell-tale sign of complications that come as we age. But do not diagnose yourself with Alzheimer’s yet, because a quick fix to your daily routine may be all you need to help you remember. Here are six habits that you can incorporate into your daily life that can help improve your memory.
1. Say things out loud
By saying tasks out loud you can recall all the steps you have to take to get the job done. If you are filing a document for work, say the steps out loud so that you do not miss anything, causing you to file documents incorrectly. You do not have to shout your steps to the world, but you can whisper them to yourself. This is an active step that will help the brain stay focused.
2. Write things down
If you learn better by writing things down, a list is a great method for you to remember your tasks throughout the day. By writing things down, your brain applies order to your day and will help you prioritize better because you will have everything you want to do in front of you.
3. Plan ahead
Take that list you wrote down and put it somewhere you will find it. When you plan ahead you can take out extra steps from your day by setting yourself up the night before. Pick out your outfit before you go to bed and you will not have to spend time trying to figure out what to wear. Instead, you can use this time to get a jump start on your day ahead.
4. Really pay attention
This helps with remembering names and faces. When you meet someone for the first time, say their name after they tell you. This will help your brain associate names with faces. You can take this a step further associate their name to a distinctive trait they either have physically or by something special they said about themselves.
5. Have a glass of wine
As discovery.com says “Memory and alcohol have an interesting relationship.” We may not know what the relationship is, but it is said that red wine has a flavonoid called “Resveratrol” that can benefit blood vessels, possibly allowing blood to flow smoothly to the brain—again we are not sure. But do not start knocking back glasses, because too much alcohol can impaired your memory by damaging nerves in the brain.
6. Exercise
Plain and simple: by exercising the body you exercise the mind. Exercise keeps your brain focused on the goals we want to achieve when working out. When you concentrate on a certain goal, you strengthen you mind.
