It’s the day of the Super Bowl, and one of my friends is arguing with his wife. Every time that he loses his hat, drops his wallet, forgets something important, there’s friction in his life.
There’s nothing wrong with forgetting things –
But there ARE steps we can take to improve our memory and our relationship with it. Some of them are habits, some of them are actions, some of them are exercises, but they’re all things that you can do.
Like I said, it's normal to forget things – but did you know that mindfulness can be the missing ingredient in creating a strong memory? 🤔
When you don't pay directed attention to something, you’re more likely to forget it. This is why we lose stuff like keys or cards – because we touch them briefly and don't attach a specific memory to them.
So, start practicing mindfulness as a habit. Be conscious of your surroundings and what is happening around you. You’ll lose your shit less and less often. 🧘♀️
As far as exercises go that you can do now – stress can have a really negative impact on our memory.
Chronic stress can lead to the release of cortisol and other hormones that can have a physical impact on our memory.
When someone uses the concept of “trauma”, we’re not just talking about emotional pain. It’s also the chemical impact it has on our memory. Trauma can create false memories, make us forget details, and have long-term consequences on the mind.
Now odds are good that I’m not going to convince you to “have less stress” via a post, but – what are some things you can do to improve your situation right now?
Here’s something that I learned got from a YouTube channel, and it’s an exercise that you can try now:
Find a comfortable place and have a seat (you might already be on your way with this one).
- Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing.
- Inhale for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for five seconds.
- Exhale for six seconds.
The 4-5-6 technique is a breathing exercise that stimulates the vagus nerve, which controls a lot of your body’s anxiety functions. If you spend two minutes doing this, you’ll feel a difference.
💤Sleep is essential for our brain! Even when we're asleep, things are happening in our bodies. If we don't get enough sleep, we'll wake up feeling sluggish, have trouble starting the day, have spillover in to the next day.
Have you ever woken up feeling like that? 🤔
Yeah, probably. But it's hard to specifically remember days like that – because our long-term memory struggles to retain these memories. But sleep is how we record memories, so if we don't get enough, our memories from the past become harder to retain in the future.
Focus on what you want to achieve with your brain and remember that it's an organ like any other that needs care and attention, even if you’re not able to put your eyes on it. 🧘♂️
Finally – associations.
Mental associations make things easier. Just like the song that teaches us the ABCs. By focusing on something, we strengthen our neural connections and optimize our ability to recall it…
Which is why writing is so tied to memory. Don't overlook its power to build neural pathways and enhance your daily experiences.
And remember, journaling doesn't have to be complicated or fancy. I keep entries in Notion and they’re like… couple paragraphs.
Just like meditation, the goal is to simply do it consistently. So whether you’re really keeping a entry to recount your day or a weekly summary of what you've been working on, or you’re using some combo of the two – you'll be amazed at how much easier it is to recall memories when you put it in writing.