Reclaiming Your Memory
Reclaiming Your Memory
Reclaiming Your Memory
People with chronic illness, chronic stress, and chronic problems often
report having memory difficulty.
My brain just
doesnt work as well as
it used to
I seem to be more
scatter-brained than I
used to be
I just dont feel
Memory Enhancement
like myself these days
I feel like Im in a
fog
We dont know why memory and cognitive functioning (thinking) gets worse in
chronic pain and fatigue conditions. Recall the long-term stress response, in which
the body is trying to conserve energy. When energy conservation I staking place,
energy for complex thought is diminished.
3. Retrieval: You may attend to and store information perfectly; but if you forget
where you stored the information, you wont be able to access it. Imagine your
filing cabinet. If the papers that are stored in it are carelessly piled into the
drawer, retrieval will be difficult. On the other hand, if papers are filed in labeled
folders, you are more likely to find what you are looking for. The same is true of
how you store and retrieve information in your memory.
Attention
Frequently when people say they cannot remember something it is likely
they werent paying enough attention to begin with. If you want to store
something in long term memory, you must pay attention to it and
concentrate on it. Failure to pay attention is another reason for absent-
mindedness. The antidote is to pay close conscious attention to what you
need to remember by saying it to yourself out loud.
TRY THIS:
Consciously announce your actions at home.
Problem: Not knowing why youve gone into a room
Solution: Each time before leaving a room say out loud what you are going to
do in the next room.
TRY THIS:
Here are some ideas for Brain Exercises:
Daily cross-word puzzles
Daily brain teasers
Play chess
Play video games that involve strategy
Read books daily
Read several newspapers daily
Brain Stimulators
Your brain is where all of your senses process information. Remember the last time
you saw something really exciting, smelled something really good, heard something
that sounded beautiful, tasted a really good meal, or felt something truly
stimulating? These sensory events wake up the mind. You need to wake up your
mind on a daily basis.
TRY THIS:
Try to expose yourself to stimulating sensory events (all 5 senses) on a daily basis.
You might be surprised that your senses are actually more sensitive than they used
to be. Remember our discussion in the Stress Chapter that suggested that the
long-term stress response might actually exaggerate our sensory awareness, making
sensory experiences more noticeable.
Sounds:
Listen to more music
Try and spend time listening to nature each day
Touch:
Consciously experience the temperature of each day on your
skin
More Sex
Try massage
Take a warm bath
Meaningfulness
The more meaning something has for you, the easier it is to remember.
Words are easier to remember than nonsense syllables
Sentences are easier to remember than words in non-grammatical order
Rhymes (and rhythms), can be used to add more meaning to events such as dates:
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
or
30 days hath September, April, June and November.
TRY THIS:
At the beginning of a day decide what three things youd like to do.
Make up a rhyme or a jingle when youre in the shower or getting
dressed that include the things you need to do. Sing it a few times
before leaving the bedroom. Then try to remember them at lunch
and then at dinner.
Acronyms are also helpful because they use another tool, chunking which reduces
the amount of information to be remembered.
Remember, 7 chunks of information are about as much as the brain can handle
without committing the information to long-term memory. Thus, acronyms are
efficient ways of remembering more than 7 bits of information.
TRY THIS:
Make up an acronym for your shopping list (e.g., cereal, oranges, milk, bread) could
be COMB.
Organization
Organization is what makes finding a word in a dictionary easy; the words are
organized by the alphabet. If you are having difficulty relocating something at
home once youve put it away, try developing your own kinds of organizational
systems so that finding something is just a matter of routine. If you cannot
develop your own method, go to a place that stores large volumes of the item you
wish to store, and see what types of organizational strategies they use. For
example if you are frequently losing books, go to the library and see what
categories they use in their organizational scheme.
Associations
The more associations you make between new information and objects
that are familiar to you, the easier it will be to remember the new
information.
For example: it would probably be easier for you to draw the
outline of Italy than Denmark, simply because when learning
about Italy someone probably likened it to a boot.
TRY THIS:
Make up an association for a name you frequently cannot remember.
For example: Jessie Smith is a social worker
Jodi Smith is a dentist
Visualization
Muscular Mary
TRY THIS:
Visualize physical features of a group of people you
know. If you cant think of anyone, look at the group on
the left. What image would you use to remember each
persons name?
You can also use visualization to remember a series of tasks or a series of seemingly
unrelated objects. To do this, we will combine rhyming with visual imagery to
develop a method of remembering objects or tasks in a specific order.
Step 1: Monitor memory. Monitor your memory difficulties for three days.
Note what types of things you tend to forget (i.e., attention/concentration
difficulties, where you put things, names, appointments, words during
conversation, etc.).
Step 1: Monitor memory. Monitor your memory difficulties for three days. Note what types of things you tend to forget (i.e.,
attention/concentration difficulties, where you put things, names, appointments, words during conversation, etc.).
Step 2: Choose and practice memory enhancement skills. After noting what types of difficulties you tend to have, choose memory
enhancement skills aimed at that problem. Of these skills, choose at least one new skill you would like to practice this week.
(Sample)
Note the Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Strategies Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
type of you would (check each (check each (check each (check each
memory like to try strategy strategy strategy strategy
problem (check) you tried) you tried) you tried) you tried)
Describe the Couldnt Couldnt Couldnt find Brain Brain Brain Brain Brain
type of remember remember a my shoes in Exercises___ Exercises___ Exercises___ Exercises___ Exercises___
thinking or next-door- word while the morning (e.g.,
memory neighbors talking with crosswords, Brain Brain Brain Brain
problems you name co-worker Forgot an puzzles, etc.) Stimulators__ Stimulators_X Stimulators__ Stimulators__
had on each of appointment Brain
the three days Forgot where Rhymes __X_ Rhymes ____ Rhymes ____ Rhymes ____
Stimulators_
(e.g., forgot I put my keys Forgot which
(e.g., new
names, last night cookbook has Acronyms___ Acronyms___ Acronyms __ Acronyms___
tastes,
couldnt think my favorite
sensations,
of the word I Forgot a detail recipe for Using Using Using Using
etc.)
wanted, forgot in a work lasagna Categories___ Categories___ Categories___ Categories___
Rhymes ___
directions to a report
familiar place, Acronyms___ Routines _X_ Routines _X_ Routines _X_ Routines _X_
etc.) (e.g., CIA)
Using Associations_ Associations_ Associations_ Associations_
Categories_
Routines___ Visualization_ Visualization_ Visualization_ VisualizationX
Associations
Visualization
Step 1: Monitor memory. Monitor your memory difficulties for three days. Note what types of things you tend to forget (i.e.,
attention/concentration difficulties, where you put things, names, appointments, words during conversation, etc.).
Step 2: Choose and practice memory enhancement skills. After noting what types of difficulties you tend to have, choose memory
enhancement skills aimed at that problem. Of these skills, choose at least one new skill you would like to practice this week.
Note the Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Strategies Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
type of you would (check each (check each (check each (check each
memory like to try strategy strategy strategy strategy
problem (check) you tried) you tried) you tried) you tried)
Describe the Brain Brain Brain Brain Brain
type of Exercises___ Exercises___ Exercises___ Exercises___ Exercises___
thinking or (e.g.,
memory crosswords, Brain Brain Brain Brain
problems you puzzles, etc.) Stimulators__ Stimulators__ Stimulators__ Stimulators__
had on each of Brain
the three days Rhymes ____ Rhymes ____ Rhymes ____ Rhymes ____
Stimulators_
(e.g., forgot
(e.g., new
names, Acronyms___ Acronyms___ Acronyms __ Acronyms___
tastes,
couldnt think
sensations,
of the word I Using Using Using Using
etc.)
wanted, forgot Categories___ Categories___ Categories___ Categories___
Rhymes ___
directions to a
familiar place, Acronyms___ Routines ___ Routines ___ Routines ___ Routines ___
etc.) (e.g., CIA)
Using Associations_ Associations_ Associations_ Associations_
Categories_
Routines___ Visualization_ Visualization_ Visualization_ Visualization_
Associations
Visualization