Have you walked from one room into another and forgotten why you were there?  How about recalling memories of an incident that no one else seems to remember, or wondering why you can remember something twenty years ago, and can’t remember what you had for breakfast?  Welcome to the human race!

Your memory is behind almost everything we do.  In order to pass an exam, drive and automobile, call someone on the phone, remember a name, or every talk and walk, your memory is activated, and is the underlying factor behind everything you do!

No wonder when you can’t remember it is a HUGE STRESS to you!  Memory is a complicated process and there are all sorts of ways it works well or not so well.

You have two different centers in the brain for storing memory.  One is a long-term memory center, and one a short-term memory center.

The first thing your brain does is to “encode” all the information it encounters.  This means it must convert sensations, tastes, sounds, visual images, touch and so forth, into meaningful information.

Many psychologists and scientists think the brain is the human computer.  It actually is just that.  Computers have to encode data and so does your brain!

After encoding, there must be a physiological change in the body before memory can be stored.  The memories are then stored in the long-term memory center, or the short-term memory center.  That is pretty similar to a computer storing information on a hard drive.

Take a breath slowly.  Now exhale slowly.  Your brain needs fifty percent more oxygen than the rest of the body to think more intelligently.  Take another and continue.

There is a retrieval system in your brain…one that takes the stored information out and reverses the encoding so your brain can translate into meaningful information – you can call that transference of information your “memory.”

Sensory memory refers to everything from the outside work -including what we see, hear, taste and recognize.  Short-term memo is the capacity for holding a small amount of information in mind, in an active, readily available state for a short period of time.  Long -term memory is the storage of information indefinitely so that it can be used again and again at a later time.

The term working memory is the kind of memory we use every day for routine things.  It has a limited memory span.

You also have something called false memory.  Sometimes when new information is added to old memories, we mistakenly think it is still part of the same original memory.

So here’s the point – if your memory seems to be fading, or you get mixed up with remembering things exactly as they happened – CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK!  You are human, and even the great human computer has a glitch once in a while.

It may seem complex to you now, but this fine human body is built to last, and built with “specifics” in mind for your benefit!

When you feel you are “slipping” memory-wise, start using these techniques to enhance your memory – and lessen your stress level about it!

1.  Have a note pad and pen handy – in the home, on the desk, in the car, in your purse or briefcase.  It can be a great aid to sharp memory.

2.  Record names, dates, and what you were told!

3.  Use the “association” technique. If you are trying to remember a name, for instance, make a rhyme using the name, or think of your aunt with the same name…associate something with what you are trying to recall, and it will help!

Even if you simply repeat the name over and over, and visualize the face to match the name, any association technique will help the memory stay sharp.

4.  REMEMBER – If you use your oxygen in bountiful amounts, you will think optimally, hence, your mind and body processes will work more efficiently.

Take a slow and mindful plug of oxygen.  You ARE regenerating and accelerating your intellect.  Exhale slowly and remember you ARE getting rid of “used goods” …and if you direct it to be, you are letting negativity spew out with the exhalation-making room for the good stuff

You have power over so much of your mind and body functions that you have never been told!  Perhaps you have been told, but putting your power into action is your choice.  Do it!  This is the beginning of really managing not just stress, but your life!

Someone  you don’t know really cares!

Marsha J. O’Brien

http://www.stressmanagementmagic.com/2010/02/contest-stress-free/

http://www.marshaobrien.wordpress.com

Known clinically as age-associated memory impairment  (AAMI) some memory lapses are normal to most human beings as they age.  When sick, tired, distracted, or under STRESS the memory is affected more seriously.

Under better circumstances (which means less stress / or at least stress that is managed better) the same person who was troubled by memory problems, is usually able to remember the necessary information with much more ease.

Studies have shown that older people who do poor on timed tests actually do just as well, possibly better than their college age counterparts when permitted to work at their own rate.

Even people in their late forties can show memory problems because of out of control stress manifesting in their lives.  It happens to a large number of people and is not that out of the ordinary.

If you are worried about memory loss, the probability of a serious condition should be less disconcerting, as people with serious memory loss tend to really be unaware of their lapses.

If, however, your memory lapses interfere with normal daily functioning, or if family and friends think the lapses may be serious, there may be reason to check further into the problem.

Any memory loss can be frus­trating and socially embarrassing. While there is no way to eliminate completely the minor memory lapses that occur with age-associated memory impairment, a number of strategies can improve overall memory ability at any time.

The following is a Johns Hopkins report on forgetfulness verses dementia.  It is worth a read and will help those of you who are concerned and would like to have the most current information from a very respected authority on the subject.

“Everyday Forgetfulness vs. Dementia”

“As people age, many become concerned with “senior moments,” that is, brief lapses in memory, such as for­getting a name or where you placed your keys. Such moments of forgetfulness may increase with age, a condition called age-associated memory impairment. But these deficits are often part of the aging process and do not necessarily indicate that a person has a more serious disease. The chart below can help you better distinguish everyday forgetfulness from the type of deficits characteristic of dementia.

Typical Age-Related Lapses

Independence in daily activities preserved

Complains of memory loss but able to provide con­siderable detail regarding incidents of forgetfulness

Person is more concerned about alleged forgetful­ness than are close family members

Recent memory for important events, affairs, and conversations not impaired

Occasional difficulty finding words

Does not get lost in familiar territory; may have to pause momentarily to remember his or her way

Able to operate common appliances even if unwilling to learn how to operate new devices

Maintains prior level of interpersonal social skills

Normal performance on mental status examinations, taking education and culture into account

Symptoms Indicating Dementia

Person becomes dependent on others for daily liv­ing activities.

May complain of memory problems only if specifi­cally asked.  May be unable to recall instances where others noticed mem­ory loss.

Close family members are much more concerned about incidents of memory loss than person.

Notable decline in memory for recent events and ability to converse.

Frequent pauses and substitutions while trying to find words.

Gets lost in familiar territory while walking or driving; may take hours to return home.

Becomes unable to operate common appliances; unable to learn to operate even simple appliances.

Exhibits loss of interest in social activities; exhibits socially inappropriate behaviors.

Abnormal performance on mental status examination not accounted for by education or cultural factors. “

Here are a few suggestions to help you to remember, and lessen your concern and stress regarding memory:

1.  Stay mentally active.

2.  Stay physically active.

3.  Check with your family physician if you or someone you love seems fall into categories listed above.  Some medical conditions, vitamin deficiencies, depression and STRESS can cause memory problems to manifest, and sometimes the problems are reversible.

4. Drop the cigarette habit!  Smokers besmear the quality of oxygen received and actually can cause a mental decline.  Smoking impairs mental function and damages blood vessels.  It also limits nutrients to the brain, and the brain needs fifty percent more oxygen to think optimally than the rest of the body.

5.Limit the alcohol.  Heavy alcohol consumption can hamper proper memory function, and cause mental decline.

6.  Take notes- keep track of your list of things to do.  Write down times to take medications with a check-list format.

—————–

Have a wonderful day, and don’t worry about it – do something about it!  (Much of this material is derived

from Johns Hopkins current information about memory and aging)

Marsha

http://www.stressmanagementmagic.com/2010/02/contest-stress-free/

Studies have shown that diverse and mentally stimulating tasks result in more brain cells!  Also, a greater ability to bypass age-related trouble spots in the brain is quite apparent.

The more you work your mind, the greater your cognitive reserve.  The greater the reserve, the better ability you will have to withstand inevitable challenges of aging.  Keep in mind that we all begin to age way before fifty!

As a survivor of multiple traumatic incidents, and a stress management specialist, I have learned you can “retrain” your brain to accommodate any incident, or series of incidents that manifest in your life.  You can create new brain cells with new thoughts and habits.  Doing these things will begin for you a lifelong experience of stress management, better health, and will put you on the path to stay as sharp as possible. Exquisite breathing can really enhance these processes.

You are reading to find out about how to manage the stress in your life that may seem overwhelming and chaotic.  If you spend your life reliving your misery, or anger, and struggling just to swim in a pool of sadness, what does it accomplish? NOTHING. Time spent “mourning the past” just trashes any chance of peace and progress that is still available to you. We do have wonderful brains that can keep learning no matter how we have diligently tried to kill all the cells by the “party on” philosophy. I’ve been there too – big time.

There are bound to be some physical restrictions and mental problems that may increase with aging, and for some, those problems may inhibit to some degree some areas of retaining a sharp intellect.  Reasons for this decline might be a loss of neural connections, a blockage of blood supply, and perhaps decreases in nerve-signaling chemicals.  Memory can diminish with age, though only certain types.

Typically “learned skills” are so firmly wired in individuals, they typically do not decline unless you have a disease such as Alzheimer’s.

But for most people, the ability to keep that edge is dependent only on a few things.  The commitment to exercise (even moderately) is imperative, as movement is so crucial to brain health cognitive thinking, changes in aging can be the result of inactivity.  Refresh the brain on a daily basis with new thoughts, new information, and new habits.  If your memory, as you age, is suffering, it is probably your short-term memory. Some moderate loss is to be expected.

After all, this wonderful human machine clicks along for years and years.

So how are you going to keep your brain at it’s best?  BY GROWING NEW BRAIN CELLS!  Scientists believe certain lifestyle habits can spark the cells’ growth.  I believe the use of your oxygen combined with habitual thoughts (new thoughts for advancement preferably), will absolutely grow new brain cells.

In a nutshell:

1.  Pay attention to your mental and physical changes.

2.  Make sure you “exercise” your brain with new information.

3.  Exercise your body.

4.  Incorporate good nutrition in your life, as many memory

problems stem from vitamin deficiencies.

5.  Be the master of your own thoughts.  Thought manifest into

action, and your behavior becomes your life.