Are you constantly forgetting where you left your keys or where you parked your car? Even worse, are appointments or conversations slowly erasing from your memory? The feeling associated with trying to remember something can be frustrating and it eats away at our peace of mind.
The truth is, forgetfulness affects both the young and old and if you make it a habit to listen to your body, it will be easy to spot if your forgetfulness is normal or an early sign of neurological problems like Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Below are five things you can do to stop forgetfulness.
- Play Word Games and Puzzles
Just like any other muscle in your body that needs exercise, the mind also needs constant training for it to remain active. Incorporating games like scrabble, chess and puzzles into your daily routine help you challenge your mind and build it. More so, playing games help you unwind, relax, and rejuvenate but beyond all that, it improves mental health and assists in slowing down mental diseases.
- Take Advantage of Technology
Technology is changing the way we remember things and taking advantage of its benefits will reduce how much you forget. If you have monthly payments to make like bills or debts, find ways to automate these payments. Additionally, the use of maps also helps with directions and finding where you last parked your car if that is something you struggle with. While it is not advisable to completely rely on technology, it is the missing link that can be used to get you through not forgetting important things, while you work on improving your memory.
- Get Help
Just because you have forgotten to call your friend two times in a row or walked through a parking lot three times searching for your car doesn’t mean you have a neurological disease. However, if you feel you are making efforts to improve your memory but you’re still not seeing results, it is best to get professional help. There are numerous medications that can be prescribed including medical marijuana which in recent times has been associated with improving mental health. You learn more about that.
- Create Visual Reminders
Many people have photographic memories, but if you’re not in that group, the use of the four visual cues (color, depth, form, and movement) is a good way to prevent such people from forgetting things.
On the flip side, if you do fall into this category, incorporate the use of pictures, lights, and charts to remind you. For example, if you always forget when your car is due for servicing, use the spanner light as a reminder.
- Get a Good Night Sleep
This study of a group of men who were deprived of a night’s sleep showed a spike in the blood levels of tau protein, which is also found in the brains of many people suffering from Alzheimer disease. This goes to show that not having a good night’s sleep could be part of the reasons why you are forgetting a lot of things. Hence, find ways to improve your sleep by incorporating healthy bedtime habits and changing your mattress and bed linens if need be.
While integrating these tips into your life, find a way to track your progress. Journaling can come in handy here, and as with any useful change, mindfulness is key.
