How Mental Association Can Help Improve Memory

Everyone has those moments where they stop and realize they can't remember the last place they left their keys, the last time they saw a friend or what their significant other was wearing last night. Without taking the effort to strengthen it, memory can be occasionally elusive and evade even the most brilliant minds. This article contains a few ways that you can strengthen your memory and memorization skills.

Color code information to help you memorize it. Color coding helps the left and right sides of your brain to work together, and better allows you to commit material to your long term memory. The color also plays as an association to the word or phrase you're working to memorize.



Like an actor does before putting on a play, rehearsing what you learn is a great way to improve your memory. If you are attempting to study, recite the problems and answers aloud, and you will absorb the information easier, and ultimately, retain it more efficiently. This is a great way to improve your overall memory.

Participate in regular exercise. Exercise increases oxygen to the brain and can be helpful to your memory. It also gets blood flowing to your brain more. It can also help prevent diseases that can lead to memory loss in the future. An active body leads to an active mind.

Since repetition enforces memory, repeat important information over and over in your mind immediately after hearing or learning it. Be it the name of a new client or your wedding anniversary, by rehearsing information you will keep it fresh in your mind. Not only will this assist you in remembering the important details, but this is also a very useful exercise for your memory in general.

Take time for relating the information you want to memorize to information you already retain. By creating a mental link between the two pieces of information, it is significantly more likely that the new information will end up in your long-term memory bank. These relational exercises should help you develop a better memorization process.

Make your memorization easier by using mnemonic devices. The easiest one is to associate a visual image with the word or name you need to remember. Life like, vivid images linked to hard to memorize or understand concepts can help to speed up the learning process significantly. Think of images from your everyday life to make the process easier and faster.

If you are finding your memory is lacking it may be because of a lack of sleep. As such try getting more rest. Scientists believe that when we are asleep it is when our brain sorts through the events of our lives and files them away, like a librarian and a filing cabinet. They also believe this is why we dream.

A good tip that can help you improve your memory is to participate in activities that can challenge you mentally. When it comes to memory, if you don't use it, you lose it. Pick an activity you're not familiar with so that it's a good challenge for you.

Do not feel ashamed to talk to yourself if you have a bad memory and you are trying to remember something important. Sometimes, all it takes is talking out loud for you to remember where you have placed a certain lost item or remembering what you have to do.

As mentioned before, even the most brilliant brain needs assistance to be better at remembering everyday things. Whether you can never remember what you were just talking about or can't recall every single person you've talked to in the last 15 days, everyone can benefit from strengthening their memory. Hopefully the skills in this article can help you strengthen yours.