Page 28 - Tracy Anderson Magazine - Fall 2021

mega ZEN TM

and sleeping pills among the worst. Antihistamines, meal can immediately bring it to mind in vivid detail.
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pain relievers, sleep aids, and medications for acid re- Why? Because of the aroma, texture, flavor, color,
flux have all been shown to contribute to dementia. 14 mouth feel, and even the sound of certain foods, like
sizzling.
8. Stop multitasking: The brain needs about eight
seconds to commit any piece of information to • Repeat it: Repetition is a powerful way to remember
memory. If we don’t give something our full attention something, especially if you say it out loud. And if
for the proper amount of time before moving on to you can recite it rhythmically, the encoding will be
something else, the brain doesn’t have the time to enhanced even more. Alliteration and rhyming work to
fully encode the experience, making it difficult if strengthen memorization, too. For example, Tom takes
not impossible to recall the details later. While it’s a the trash, but only on Tuesdays. To remember the months
favorite in the corporate world, multitasking has long of the year with 30 days in them: Thirty days hath Septem-
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been known to interfere with short-term memory. At ber, April, June, and November.
home, try your best to do one thing at a time. Talking
on the phone and driving while eating a hamburger • Use mnemonic devices: These are memory tools to
and listening to the radio are four things—just drive help remember words, information, or concepts.
or talk or eat or listen. Doing one thing at a time is
much harder than it sounds, but the effects are pro- • Acrostics: Make up a sentence in which the first
found: You’ll improve your ability to focus and direct letter of each word represents the first letter of each
100 percent of your attention anywhere at any time. item in a sequence you want to remember. For exam-
It also can significantly reduce stress and increase ple, to remember all the planets in proper sequence
present-moment awareness. you might create the sentence Mary’s Violet Eyes Made
John Stay Up Nights Pining. This would help you re-
9. Meditate: Meditation helps us relax and de-stress, and member Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
it’s a powerful way to learn to filter out all the mental Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
noise and focus the attention. Hundreds of studies have
proven the cognitive benefit of meditation, including • Abbreviations or acronyms: Create acronyms
improved memory and growth of the hippocampus using the first letter of each item you need to
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and frontal gray matter. [See our full analysis of the remember. Have to pick up pasta, lettuce, avocados,
Science of Meditation in MegaZEN 2015.] tomatoes, eggs, and sausage at the grocery store?
Remember it as PLATES.
10. Meaningful activity: Taking up a hobby that isn’t a
mindless pastime but has real purpose and emotional • Chunking: Break long lists of information down
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investment has been shown to prevent brain aging into manageable groupings that are easier to
and help focus attention in much the same way as med- remember. Instead of 8034273298, it’s easier to
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itation. Activities such as gardening, home improve- remember 803, 427, and 3298.
ment, crafting, or painting can all work, as long as they 13, 14. Medical News Today; 15. Science; 16. NeuroImage; 17. CNN; 18. Occupational Therapy International; 19. Psychology Today;
have an emotional purpose behind them. Taking up • Visualize: Make associations. Can’t remember
a musical instrument or learning a new language are Sandy’s name? Imagine her on a sandy beach and
great choices, because the level of difficulty can be keep that reference picture of her in your mind. Does
increased over time to keep the brain working harder. someone have a particular facial feature, personality
A difficult piano piece you’ve already mastered doesn’t trait, occupation, or anything else you can use to
stretch the brain in the same way that a new difficult create a visual association that will help you remember
piece you’ve never played before does. At the same what’s important?
time, listening to instrumental music has been shown
to positively impact memory and attention. People • Document: Of course, the old reminder list never
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who speak more than one language often have better fails. Be sure to place reminder notes for yourself in
working memory and memorization skills. 20 places where you’re certain not to miss them. ■ 20. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Practical Tactics For more insights from Dr. Sadeghi, please visit beingclarity.com,
• Sense it: Whatever it is you want to remember, the where you can also check out his annual health and well-being
more senses you involve in the experience, the stron- journal, MegaZEN. For daily messages of encouragement and
ger the encoding will be. Just remembering a favorite humor, follow him on Instagram at @drhabibsadeghi.

Dr. Habib Sadeghi

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