Almost everyone has experienced episodes of short-term memory, like forgetting where you put your keys or even where you left the remote. One of the most hilarious ones is when you look for something all over the house only to find it was in your hand the whole time. However, short-term memory loss episodes like these are not as impactful as studying for a paper and then going blank in the exam room.
This situation can be immensely frustrating, particularly after dedicating an entire semester to studying and attending all your lectures. Fortunately , you can avert this by employing various memory techniques and strategies to enhance your memory. Here are eight of the most effective ones that you can start immediately, with some yielding results immediately and others being long-term strategies.
Brain Exercises
While there is no conclusion on the effectiveness of exercises in improving memory, there are exercises that significantly improve cognitive function. Most of these are recommended by doctors of the mind who have helped people in different situations to improve their brain health. Exercises like recall practice can help you to learn how to remember things more clearly and easily.
You can test recall with simple things that you use every day like your grocery list or to-do list. Working with real-world things and activities will work best for this as you will not have to make many changes to your life. Another excellent strategy is learning to sing, play an instrument, or any other complex skill. This can help you create new brain connections which will improve your memory and overall cognitive skills.
Mnemonic Techniques
These are some of the oldest techniques that smart people throughout history have used to remember complex information. Mnemonics include songs, poems, rhymes, outlines, or images that may represent specific information. They usually do not include the information in its full form but in a simple form that is easy to remember. They are simple cues that act as placeholders for the actual information, like the specific letters that start the chemical element on the periodic table.
You can use at least eight types of mnemonic techniques depending on the information you want to remember and your preference. One example is the feature mnemonic that you can use to remember someone’s name by associating it with a feature they have like, Tall Larry or Short Rob.
Social Ties
When you think about building your memory muscles, it is rare to consider social ties as being a part of helping you achieve this. However, Harvard medical school says that social ties are essential to improving memory and preventing cognitive decline. Socializing is essential in creating and activating specific neural networks that may have become inactive.
When you spend time with people you love, your mind continually works as the various love hormones are released. The most impactful thing about this type of social connection is making quality connections. High-quality connections are more likely to yield mental results that will help to improve memory than many connections with no meaning.
Stay Organized
Organization is critical in improving your memory especially when it comes to remembering things that you learn in lectures or when studying. Studying in an organized space has the psychological effect of helping you keep your thoughts organized. Having a specific space to study in that is quiet and an upright and comfortable chair goes a long way towards improving retention.
Having a strategic way to take your notes will help you take notes that you can easily reference after the session. This will allow you to practice recall easily and also improve your retention. Having some snacks or drinks close by will also help you stray away for breaks and become distracted. It is also a good idea to take short breaks every thirty minutes or so to help keep your brain sharp through the whole session.
Flowers and Herbs
Additionally, you can use some long-term techniques to help your memory, such as specific flowers and herbs. These herbs offer natural remedies that can modify brain chemistry, thereby enhancing memory and cognitive capabilities. For instance, rosemary oil, when inhaled, prevents the breakdown of the chemical that helps improve memory and concentration. You can also use the smells of certain herbs and flowers to cue certain memories since your sense of smell is a powerful memory tool. Having some specific herb scents close to you while you study will help you remember when you have the same scent during an exam.
Diet
That’s right! Your ability to recall and comprehend the material you study is greatly influenced by the foods you eat. Using your memory and thinking about hard concepts usually exerts your brain in more ways than it naturally does. For maintaining optimal brain health, a nourishing diet rich in antioxidants and necessary omega-3 fatty acids is essential. It is also rich in minerals that are critical in improving memory and alertness while also minimizing depressive chemicals. You can test out how well your memory improves overtime through an online memory test.
Improve Your Study Technique
The way you study can also impact how well you remember what you study. Studying can often feel overwhelming, but the reason for this is poor study techniques which often change how you see a study session. An excellent example is that most people consider studying an exercise in reading. However, the best way to study is to attempt to solve problems because your brain uses information to do so. Reading should be done to learn new information that is then applied right away to a problem.
Sleep
When you spend time studying, you are constantly taking in new information. However, your brain requires time to reorganize and recall this information effectively. The brain only does this during sleep when it replays through everything you have taken in during the day. During sleep, the brain not only replays what you have learned but also combines it with other things you learned before. When you sleep after spending time learning, your brain can also form new thoughts and ideas by combining ideas and concepts. These new ideas also help you to understand new concepts better and remember the information more comprehensively.
Endnote
Improving your memory can have far-reaching benefits that you can reap long after you are done with school, and is also an excellent long-term strategy to improve memory and recall. The ability to think clearly and comprehend material quickly depends on getting enough sleep after study sessions. If you practice these eight strategies, your memory will improve significantly.
