Lifestyle Five Helpful Memory Hacks 6/27/2023 | By Terri L. Jones Memory becomes more precious to us as we age, as we worry that our capabilities might fade. Whatever your age, though, remembering things is important. These five memory hacks can help. It happens to the best of us. Our mind blanks on a name or a word. We misplace our favorite earrings. We can’t recall how to get to that new doctor’s office. Stopping to wipe up a spill in the refrigerator, we forget why we opened the fridge in the first place. Aargh! While lapses of memory become more concerning as you get older, some minor changes in your recall are simply part and parcel of aging – or of being human and distracted – and there’s no shame in giving your brain a little help. Mnemonics – memory tricks used specifically to remember something – can give your brain that boost. Memory hacks Use these five simple mnemonics to help you compensate for a memory that might have become a little rusty: 1. How to remember a new friend’s name When someone tells you their name, say the name right away: “Nice to meet you, Louise” and repeat it as many times as is appropriate in the conversation. (The owner of my gym greets everyone by name when they come in the door and uses members’ names whenever he talks to them, which strengthens his memory of those names.) Then connect the name to the person’s face, ideally a prominent feature, to root that name in your brain, explained Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry and director of the UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior. Another trick to create an indelible memory of that name is to make an association. Maybe your new friend Barbara looks a little bit like Barbara Bush, or for your neighbors named Applegate, you picture a bright red honey crisp atop their gate. 2. How to remember where you left your keys Ideally you should try to place items you use (and lose) in the same place all the time, thus relying on an established habit rather than memory hacks. But if you can’t seem to get into that habit, mark the spot in your memory by saying it out loud as you’re doing it, e.g., “I’m putting my keys on the foyer table.” Or imagine those keys doing something odd when you put them down, like exploding or digging a hole into the table. An audible or visual memory will help you recall not only unconscious acts like taking off your glasses or putting down your phone, but also actions that can impact your safety like turning off the stove or locking the front door. Related: Remembering where you put something 3. Memory hacks to remember what you need at the store When you forget your list, an acronym is a great way to remember those handful of items you need at the store. For example, rice, eggs, napkins, toilet paper and salad become R-E-N-T-S. You can also picture these items in a funny scenario, such as rice being thrown at a bride but eggs at the groom and using napkins and toilet paper to clean it all up, followed by serving a salad to the happy couple before they leave for the honeymoon. Another visual image that will help you remember your shopping list is called a “memory palace.” With this technique, you imagine the items from your list positioned in a particular route through a familiar location, like your home. For our list above, perhaps there’s a pile of steamed rice right inside your front door with toilet paper festooned all over the coat rack and the lettuce and other veggies are dancing down the hallway. When you reach the living room, you have visitors: a friendly little egg sitting on each piece of furniture with napkins handy, just in case any of them start dancing with the lettuce! Related: The best apps for seniors – including two that remember for you! 4. How to remember where you’re going GPS can be a mixed blessing. While this technology allows you to get around more easily (and if you’re like me, lost less frequently), it doesn’t allow your brain to really learn the way. But the negative impact goes even further than that. New research suggests that turning on GPS on a regular basis actually turns off your hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for navigation, memory, and mental mapping, which can weaken your memory in general. To keep this part of your brain active and healthy, try turning off the GPS now and again and navigating the old-fashioned way with maps. At the very least, restrict GPS usage to finding your destination and use your internal navigation to get back home. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to get lost if you have time and plenty of gas (or charge on your EV battery). 5. How to remember that word Lethologica is the scientific name for those agonizing, “tip of the tongue” moments when you can’t come up with a word or name. In that situation, you may have a sense of the first letter of the word or how many syllables in the name; therefore, running through the alphabet could bring the word to mind. Other schools of thought recommend clenching your fist, waving your hands, or darting your eyes to unearth that buried word. But whatever technique you try, it’s best not to get too anxious or struggle for too long trying to find the word. Relaxing and letting it go for a while will often allow the word to pop into your head. Plus, belaboring your search has been shown to impede retrieval of that name or word the next time around. But at the end of the day, one of the best memory strategies is mindfulness. If someone is giving you directions or introducing themselves, listen closely. If you’re driving to a new destination, focus on your turns – even if you’re letting the GPS lady direct you. When you’re performing any task or participating in any activity, give it your full attention without distraction. Stay in the moment as much as possible, and you’ll be surprised at the results! Related: More memory tips Read More Terri L. Jones Terri L. Jones has been writing educational and informative topics for the senior industry for over ten years, and is a frequent and longtime contributor to Seniors Guide.