Tips to Keep Your Memory Young

To keep your memory as green as it was in your youth, keep looking at the world as you did then. A curious mind, a thirst for detail and the will to practice are not the sole preserve of the young soul. These life long habits are the best possible foundation for keeping your memory sharp.

• Play Memory Based Games:

Playing memory based games like bridge, scrabble or doing crosswords is a good way to hone specific memory skills.

• Use Routine And Novelty:

One of the most robust types of memory is unconscious memory, which underlies the effortless carrying out of most of what we do. Many habits are a form of unconscious memory. Developing memory habits – for example, checking your diary as you drink your first cup of tea each morning or always placing letters to be posted in the same part of the bag – are a way of remembering without conscious memory effort.

However, using habits to avoid absent-mindness is not the same as becoming wedded to routines. Encountering new situations helps to encourage the brain into more effortful processing, so take different routes to places, or read a book you would not normally choose.

• Give Your Interests Extra Context:

Activities that you enjoy can be further enriched by finding out more about them. Question what you read or hear on the radio and television and follow up areas of interest with some research in the library or on the internet.

• Make Retirement A New Beginning:

The most remarkable memories in the old age usually belong to people who never completely give up life’s work. Not everyone can continue their main occupation after retirement, but you can pursue new interests through part time work or study, or turn your attention to hobbies for which you never had time previously.

• Revive An Old Skill Or Learn A New One:

Relearning is easier than learning for the first time, although it may not always seem to be the same case when you first try. But a few weeks of practice can revive expertise and enjoyment in old skills. Learning a completely new skill is a valuable memory activity at any age, but you need to keep practicing to establish it in memory.

• Write Information Down:

However adept you become at memory strategies, there is a lot to be said for making notes. Not only is the information there in black and white if you should need a look at the piece of paper, but it also provides another cue for remembering.