A System To Stimulate Short Term Memory

By Vic Smith     

As we grow older, we find that our short term memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. We wind up having to make notes or lists to remember things in our daily lives. Forty and some odd years ago I learned a system where I can remember fifteen or twenty items and rhyme them back off in the order they were given to me. I can go to the supermarket without a grocery list and remember every item. This system not only stimulates your mind but is something you can have fun with. So here is how it works.

First we have to create a series of what I call anchors. These anchors are pictures in our minds that are ridiculous and absurd. To give you an idea, my first five anchors are:

#1 A race horse running alone on a racetrack in the rain.
#2 A canoe that is just about to go over a huge waterfall.
#3 A parachute that got caught in some high power lines and just burst into flames.
#4 A package falls out of the back of a delivery truck and bounces up on the hood of my car.
#5 I am riding the bullet train in Japan with Santa Clause.

Now let's create a list of five items we want to remember to buy at the supermarket. I am going to list things you wouldn't buy every day.
#1 A jar of dill pickles.
#2 A bag of whole-wheat flour.
#3 A block of cheddar cheese.
#4 two cans of chicken noodle soup.
#5 A large bag of frozen corn.

Now we tie our grocery list to our anchors and here is what we now picture in our minds.
#1 the race horse running alone on the track in the rain and on his back is a jar of dill pickles.
#2 the canoe about to go over the falls throws out a bag of whole-wheat flour.
#3 the parachute caught in the high power lines and just burst into flames, dangling at the bottom is a block of cheddar cheese.
#4 the package falling out of the delivery truck and bounces up on the hood of your car contains two cans of chicken noodle soup.
#5 riding the bullet train in Japan with Santa Clause and he pulls out of his sack... a large bag of frozen corn.

You can expand up to twenty or twenty five items by creating more anchors. You can also use this system to remember ingredients for a recipe or the arrangement of items or events in a certain order. Write down the anchors you create and number them and don't change to number sequence. The more ridiculous and obscure the anchor image the easier it will be to remember.

V Smith is a part owner of a website that sells exercise clothing, equipment and accessories. Shop their selection at [http://YourFitnessPlace.com]

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Vic_Smith/2377425

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Four Tips To Strengthen Your Memory

By Kathleen Boucher     

Your memory does not magically improve without some effort on your part. These four tips take a bit of practice and focus. However, the dividends outweigh the time it takes to make them habitual.

1. Let's say that you believe, and constantly remind yourself, that you are terrible at remembering names. Ask yourself:

a) Did you focus intently on the person as they introduced themselves? Did you correctly hear their name?

b) Did you repeat their name back to them?

c) Make a remark about the name. (It is the same as a friend's name, or you never heard that name before, and so forth.)

d) Did you associate something ridiculous and memorable to their face that will help you remember their name? For example, let's say that their name is Noseworthy. You may imagine a huge nose on their face; it's worthy of being noticed. As absurd as this may sound, the mind loves to think in pictures. The more ludicrous the association is then the easier it is to remember.

e) Be courageous, and introduce them to a colleague.

f) Use their name more than once in conversation. (Don't overdo it.)

e) Use their name when you leave.

2. Suppose that you want to buy food for supper. You are great at writing lists; you are terrible at leaving your lists at home, or misplacing them. Here is a simple tip. Chunk your list of items into categories. The mind loves to chunk things and finds it easier to recall.

a) Dairy: milk, butter, eggs

b) Vegetables: beans, carrots, beets

c) Meat: hamburger, chicken, steak

3. How do you remember how to spell difficult words? For this example, you may pick the word "believe". Did you learn in school, "Never beLIEve a LIE?"

The same idea works for piece-"a PIEce of PIE".

This applies to remembering how to spell similar words.

"To be stationAry is to stAnd still, or "To use stationEry is to writE a lEtter".

"A princiPAL at a school is your PAL, and a principLE you believe is a ruLE".

Have you used these?

4. Let's say that you are studying for an exam, and that you have to memorize the periodic table of elements. Research the mnemonic used to memorize it. Chances are that someone has creatively come up with a mnemonic for most things that you are studying. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Do what works.

Never believe that because you are older that your memory has declined. It is not a matter of age, but rather a matter of use. Pride yourself on practicing these four approaches. Friends and family may comment on how much your memory has improved!

Best wishes.

Kathleen Boucher, CEO of Great Kids & Me, http://www.greatkidsandme.com, Practice these four simple techniques for improving your memory. Feel good about yourself! Practice and focus are key!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kathleen_Boucher/1932365

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