| Have you ever had the experience of going into a | | | | repeat their name immediately in your return greeting |
| room to get something and immediately forgetting | | | | as a way of implanting that information in your |
| what it was you were looking for? Many of us have | | | | memory bank. At this point, word association can |
| had that experience and it's a bit disconcerting. Why | | | | also be a tool. Think of something that the person, or |
| does this happen? A significant number of people | | | | the name reminds you of and picture that mental |
| chalk this up to memory overload. We all have so | | | | image and this may help you to remember that |
| much on our minds at any given time that it's easy | | | | person, or name in the future. |
| for things to get "short-circuited." Another evidence | | | | Another thing that has worked for me on the few |
| of this "short-circuitry" is when we're trying to | | | | occasions that I have tried it is to make a mental |
| remember someone's name or perhaps the title of a | | | | commitment at those times when I have absolutely |
| book, or a line in a song and we just can't seem to | | | | wanted to remember something so much that I |
| wrap our mind around it; at least not until much later | | | | made myself take a mental "time out" to stand back |
| when for some reason it just pops into our head. | | | | and observe the scene as if I were a spectator. One |
| There is a school of thinking that believes we have | | | | occasion comes back to me this day almost as |
| far more to think about and to try to remember | | | | forcefully as it did when it occurred decades ago at |
| than people have ever had throughout history. As I | | | | an elementary school summer camp. Because the |
| think back to a much earlier time, I think that there | | | | camp experience was so unique and wonderful for |
| were a lot fewer facts and figures floating around in | | | | me, I vowed to never forget it and I remember |
| my head. I had only one phone number to memorize | | | | stopping what I was doing at that time and deeply |
| and all my family members and friends only had one | | | | "inhaling" the experience and how everything looked |
| phone number for me to keep track of as well. That | | | | and how I felt. Interestingly, I can still conjure up |
| fact has changed and now it seems that everyone | | | | those same feelings each time I recall that long ago |
| we know has numerous numbers by which they can | | | | summer camp. |
| be reached. In earlier days I wasn't so concerned | | | | As it does with so many other factors in our lives, |
| with having to memorize my social security number | | | | the food we eat impacts our brains capacity to work |
| because, unlike now, there were very few times | | | | properly. If we wish to keep our memories intact, |
| when it needed to be revealed. | | | | experts urge us to eat a healthy diet, concentrating |
| Scientific opinion, including that of Dr. Gary Small of | | | | heavily on foods that contain Omega-3 such as |
| the Memory and Aging Research Center at UCLA | | | | salmon, walnuts and flax seeds. Fish oil capsules are |
| suggests that event though we may feel that we're | | | | also an excellent source of Omega 3 for those |
| operating on overload, we actually have the capacity | | | | whose diets are lacking in this important nutrient. |
| and capability to remember far more than we | | | | Sleep is another contributor to keeping our memory |
| currently do. Perhaps we're going about this business | | | | bank operating. Without sufficient sleep we find |
| of trying to remember all wrong. Maybe we need to | | | | ourselves more easily confused and our memory |
| develop a routine or process that will enable us to | | | | retrieval becomes noticeably slower. Many of the |
| better remember the things we want to retain. | | | | things we can do to attempt to keep the |
| Personally, I find that writing down things that I want | | | | companions of aging (reduced physical ability and |
| or need to remember is quite helpful. It's that old | | | | decreased mental ability) at bay are common sense |
| proverbial "make a list" mentality, but it seems to | | | | ways to live such as eating right and getting enough |
| work for me. The track record is that even if I may | | | | sleep. Beyond that, we can incorporate some of the |
| want to get something done or remember to call | | | | suggestions from experts for retaining a good |
| someone, or whatever the situation is, typically if it | | | | memory by working crossword puzzles and possibly |
| isn't on the list, it doesn't happen. | | | | even a foreign language. One thing is for sure, it can't |
| There is also the idea of making a point of setting in | | | | hurt to do all that we can today to improve our |
| your mind a name, a number, an experience, etc. If | | | | chances of remembering the things we want to |
| you are introduced to someone it may be helpful to | | | | remember later. |