Memory and Keeping Your Brain Healthy

Our brains consist of five cognitive functions. They are memory, attention, language, visual-spatial skills and executive function. It is important to exercise all five areas in order to keep our brains healthy as we age and particularly if brain injury has been an issue.

Memory is one of the most important functions of our brain, and paying attention to our surroundings helps with the way our brains work. This is particularly true for someone who has experienced a brain injury. Some of the ways to assist with memory and other cognitive functions are:

- Practice remembering phone numbers instead of always referring to them in their written form.
- Make it a habit to remember conversations, and who you told what to. Repeating conversations to the same people is a sign of mental decline.
- Pay attention to the people you meet so that you will be able to remember their faces when you meet them again. Is there something unique about them? Do they have beautiful teeth, freckles or a crooked smile?
- The same applies to remembering names. Think of a way that works for you in assisting your memory. I have a good memory for names IF I really listen when I'm being introduced and repeat the name to myself immediately following each introduction. For other people associating seems to work best, i.e.: they may remind you of someone else or maybe you like rhyming.
- If your way of remembering things is more visual than auditory, be sure to write everything down, i.e.: describe a person you just met making note of their name. Writing something down helps with the memory process.
- Pay close attention to detail. A good example of this is when you park your car in a parking lot. Take particular note of where you've parked, i.e.: line up your car with something on the building you will be going into, perhaps part of the name. That way you will have no trouble finding your car again.
- We always remember things that are important to us. If we like math, we'll be good at math; if we enjoy reading, we'll in all likelihood remember what we've read because we probably don't read what doesn't interest us.
- Repetition helps our memory also. We probably remember the pizza delivery telephone number easier than the dentist because we likely phone them more often - if you do make an effort to remember numbers. When we were children and had to remember a poem, how did we do it? If you were like me, you repeated it over and over again.
- Increase your brain's capacity to remember by doing things like: learning a new word, and its meaning, every day. Learn a new telephone number each day. Attempt to learn something new that you didn't know before, i.e.: a new language, writing or memorizing poetry or new dance steps.
- Flex your mental muscles and play Scrabble, play strategic card games such as Bridge, Poker or Hearts, do crosswords or do Suduko.
- Multitasking activates different areas of the brain at the same time. So sharpen your brain and ward off Alzheimer's by reading while you're on the treadmill, sort photos while talking on the telephone or do any number of other dual functions.

Exercise is also important to the health of your brain. It makes your blood flow and allows you to concentrate and focus despite any background noises or disruptions. Why not make life more enjoyable while you are increasing the potential of your brain?