Memory Minders

Stimulating Enrichment Services
to Enhance Memory & Wellness

Beat Stress to Remember Well

It’s that time of year when political ads, calls, debates, mailings, and commentaries overload our senses along with fall colors. The upcoming elections in the United States are causing almost everyone’s stress levels to climb. Stress happens even when we don’t realize it and impacts our memories more than we think.

Everyday activities like simply watching the news, conversing in a coffee shop, or dining with friends can be a new source of stress. When routines are disrupted, change is forced upon us or uncertain futures loom, our stress meters creep into overload and even simple things escape our memory.

Stress can come from any source, but the symptoms are the same. Focusing is lost, scatterbrain develops, sleep is erratic, eating disrupted, and normal relationships feel strained. Stress causes many physical symptoms and even contributes to diseases, but its impact on our memory can also be quite impairing.

Is your stress meter needle inching into the red zone with the upcoming elections, holidays or other stressors looming? Feeling scattered, with even less of a memory than you used to have? You’re not alone. Many slip into depressive moods, fight more physical ailments than usual, and can’t make decisions well as the holidays approach. Stress contributes to all of this, yet many don’t always see stress as their source.

Elections, holidays, and other stressors will come and go and it’s up to each of us to manage how we deal with the effects of them. The first step like most things is to acknowledge if there’s an issue. Some people thrive on the increased activities and stress surrounding big events. Others struggle and if so, the next step is crucial.

Understanding how stress affects each of us is a great learning tool for our emotional and memory wellness. We can’t always change stress or its sources, but we can always manage our reactions. Our overall attitude matters a lot here and we’ll discuss that another day, but for now let’s focus on our stress awareness and management.

If we don’t manage stress well, physical and memory symptoms will develop. So let’s be aware of our typical reactions and then manage them in a healthy way to mitigate any potential fallout.

Some of the best ways to manage stress are also (not surprisingly) good for our brains. Try some of these stress busters:

  • Exercise. This releases endorphins improving mood, sleep and increases blood flow to help our memory. Win, win, win!
  • Take a mental or physical break. If able, physically get away if only for a few moments from any stress inducing person or situation. Some fresh air and a change of venue can do wonders for perspective. If this isn’t possible, take a mini respite in your own mind for a few seconds or minutes. Breathe in deeply a few times and draw in some fresh oxygen and perspective.
  • Talk it over. Whether it’s with a close friend, family member, an impartial professional or higher power, talking through a stressful situation with another can often help us find a solution or at least the next step.
  • Change it up. Often when faced with a stressful situation, we become creatures of habit. Sometimes, these habits can perpetuate the stress. Changing something, anything can often create momentum to move us in a new and less stressful direction.

Stress sneaks up on us or comes with full force. It stems from both unsettling and happy events and impacts our memory more than we imagine. Being diligently aware of its symptoms in ourselves and others will lead to many more memorable and less stress filled moments. So let’s be alert, manage stress and make more memories!

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Sensory Attention

The crisp air, the cool breeze blowing through the trees and the frosty dew of morning all are signals that autumn has finally settled in. I blinked over the last few weeks and the leaves seemingly turned color overnight. The humidity of late summer quickly shifted to the briskness of October. I always make the mistake during this yearly transition of not taking a coat and was again caught off guard last week. If only I had paid attention a bit more, I could have saved myself some chilly moments.

Paying attention to our senses is the first stage of remembering anything. Our five senses are the first connection and initial input of any memory. In these split seconds, we gather information to make decisions, including what we’ll remember about any given moment. The simple act of paying attention to sensory input helps us in a myriad of ways. Take my chilly day for example…

Lately, I’ve been a bit preoccupied with numerous things and was surprised after a busy few weeks to notice all the leaves had turned. I also sensed it was cooler, yet didn’t notice just how much. Because of this, I didn’t remember to wear a coat the next time I ventured outside. Gone for most of the day, each time I went outside the chilly breeze reminded me of just how cold the weather (and I) were. My sensory memories of that day certainly won’t allow me to forget my coat again.

What have you noticed lately? Is it the smell of burning leaves or the distinct whiff of the furnace kicking in? How about feeling the warmth from the oven or fireplace or the chilly air on a morning walk? Maybe it’s the taste of comforting soups, stews and warm beverages we haven’t had in afew months? Noticing these things gives us a type of placeholder to our days, a touchstone to point us back to this moment in time to help us remember.

All of this is possible simply by paying attention even more closely than we think is necessary. Clearly, I noticed the cooler weather, yet I didn’t allow this knowledge to really impact my decision to grab a coat on my way out the other day. A split second of increased attention is all it would have taken and I would’ve been much warmer.

Let’s lift our eyes, open our ears, take a whiff, savor each bite, and feel every breeze. Let’s truly experience all our senses have to offer! It will create touchstone moments, help us make better decisions and most importantly, allow us to be present in our lives in a more meaningful way. It doesn’t take more than a split second, but the memory value of those moments is truly priceless.

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The Priority of Sleep

To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question for many of us. No matter what stage of life, from infancy to our last days, sleep is always a priority. This has never been truer for me than in the last month.

It doesn’t matter if we are infants, parents of infants, stressed teens or adults, or older adults wrestling with sleep issues, every stage of life presents sleep challenges. Infants, children and even teens need extra sleep for brains to process and develop adequately. Parents of said children need sleep to be able to parent them well. As adults, many issues can interfere with sleep, some we have control over and others we don’t. Older adults often have their sleep interrupted by changing physical conditions and surroundings. Numerous variables impact our sleep, but the one thing that is constant is how important sleep is to our mental and physical wellness.

In the last month, I’ve dealt with physical issues, caregiving challenges and also mental roadblocks which have impacted my sleep. I understand the importance of sleep to mental and physical wellness, but not all the circumstances were under my control. I imagine this has happened to all of us at one time or another. So what can we do?

Control what we can and manage the rest.

At times, I chose less sleep due to unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances. Other times, physical issues made sleeping more difficult and still other nights, worry invaded my peaceful rest. Not all of these were of my own doing. But I did strive to balance what I could to achieve at least a decent amount of sleep. Now that many of the issues have been or are resolved, my sleep is improving. But in the midst of the worst, I did what I could to manage.

A recent article reminded me of what’s all at stake with sleep and our memories. Our brain links memories with the rest of our world when we sleep. If this process doesn’t occur for whatever reason, we wind up not functioning as well mentally or physically the next day. Our memories are impacted and we cannot make decisions well. None of these are helpful as we try to function and learn whether as children or adults.

Here are a few tips that may be helpful when sleep challenges arise:

  1. Make sleep a priority. Don’t put it off thinking you can make it up later. Set a  bedtime and try to stick to it. If you literally can’t sleep as much as you should due to unforeseen circumstances, do your best to get as much as you can and get back on track ASAP.
  2. Don’t do anything but sleep. Don’t eat or watch TV, don’t worry or wonder, let it all go and rest. Write down any concerns you have, try to relax and let sleep come. Often new solutions rise when we lay down our worries with our heads.
  3. Try to plan for contingencies. If physical issues could cause problems while sleeping, take preventative measures. If too hot, use a fan. If in discomfort, try a new position or different pillow arrangements. Think ahead to solve some issues in advance.
  4. If sleep deprived, try a nap. If a good night’s sleep was missed, a short (~30 minute) nap the next day can be incredibly helpful and refreshing.
  5. Keep trying. There will be days and even weeks when sleep eludes us for various reasons in life. But let’s not slide into bad habits. Keep trying to get back on track to a healthy sleep schedule. Our bodies and minds will thank us.

Sleep is an integral part of our lives from birth to death. How we learn to manage and make it a priority in our lives will make an enormous difference in the quality of our lives. So here’s to sleeping well, remembering more and enjoying life one moment at a time.

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Why Healthy Habits Matter

Habits keep us on track-they help us maintain routine, make things easier and even help us remember better. But when bad habits invade our lives, they can be difficult to change. One of the most important habits we can control that impacts our body and mind wellness is our eating habits. Lately, mine haven’t been the best and now I’m paying the price.

Stress, a busy schedule, life events, and let’s just say a bit of laziness has led me to not always make the best food choices lately. It’s a slippery slope and often one not so great choice leads to another and soon weight gain, lack of concentration and overall malaise is the result.

What we feed our bodies is what we feed our brains. Research has shown those who eat healthier often have better cognitive recall and function as they age. There are a myriad of reasons why this occurs and they probably work in tandem for our overall health. The bottom line is if we eat well, we think better.

Many of us know what good food is-fresh, less processed and includes a variety of good fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Yet convenience often trumps healthy. So let’s review some options to make healthy food choices easier to benefit our memory wellness.

Fresh and whole over processed. When on the go, this isn’t as simple a choice. But if we can plan ahead a bit, it becomes a bit easier. Stop at the store instead of the drive through. Go to the produce section rather than the frozen food aisle. Often fresh food doesn’t take much more time to prepare than the processed kind.  Choosing whole grains over processed gives us more of the beneficial vitamins and fiber. Food stores and buffet lines often have salad or other fresh options right next to the unhealthier options. Choose well.

Good fat over not so good fat. Olive oil, less saturated oils like canola or sunflower give us a better option for fats. Butter is a staple in my home too, but when possible swap it out for other healthier options or minimize its usage. Our bodies and brains need fat to function well, but too much of the wrong kind can be detrimental to our wellness.

More dark fruits and vegetables! Half our plate with each meal should be fruits and vegetables. Instead of chips or convenience snacks, reach for an apple or some carrots. Add healthy almond butter or hummus and it’s suddenly a much healthier and satisfying snack. Instead of extra potatoes or meat, fill up by eating the veggies first. The healthy antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber in fresh fruits and vegetables are winners for our brains.

Even though we know how to eat well, we often don’t. But in the long run, convenience causes more problems than it solves. I’m going to rededicate myself to eating healthier for my body, brain and overall wellness, using these healthy habits as a guide. Hope you’ll join me!

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Go Exploring!

Spraining my ankle last month has impacted me more than just physically. Not being able to exercise as I normally would has brought changes including not always feeling as mentally sharp, motivated or energized. With my activity curtailed, I also miss seeing the seasonal changes nature paints in September as I walk. It’s time to explore a different way.

Physical exercise is one of the best things we can do for our bodies and our brains. The increased blood flow helps feed our brain cells and keep them growing and functioning well. Less exercise means less blood flow to help maintain our brains and bodies. But when injured or other life situations occur, we can’t always keep our exercise routine. It’s in these times we need to get creative.

Exercise takes all forms. The important element of exercise that assists our brains is the aerobic component-creating enough exertion to increase oxygen flow to brain and body. This can be done in a myriad of ways. Just because our normal routine isn’t possible, doesn’t mean we can’t still be physically active.

Here are a few ways we can vary your exercise regimen:

Use different methods. I typically take brisk walks to exercise. But lately I’ve been doing more stretching, isometrics and limited walking within what’s feasible. It’s not ideal but it’s something. Now that my ankle is more stable, I’m going to add biking and yoga to the mix. Doing different forms of exercise also strengthens different muscle groups and keeps our brains thinking!

Take a class. Trying something new or being in a group not only helps us learn new activities, but helps maintain a pace and do so in a social environment-all incredibly brain boosting behaviors!

Do it Together. When exercising alone, we can lose motivation. Exercising with a friend creates accountability and makes it more fun!

Go Exploring. Different venues can create an atmosphere of adventure. I love seeing the colors change when I go for a walk. Exploring different local areas allows me to experience this in a new way while hiking or biking which is different for me. Great for brain and body!

Physically exercising our bodies can become difficult at times due to injury, lack of motivation, boredom, or other reasons. Being creative and exploring new options or opportunities to exercise differently allows us to keep it interesting and fresh. This not only benefits our bodies but also our brains and memories in many ways.

Exercise is an important element of our lifestyle which greatly affects our memories. Let’s not delay, defer or procrastinate, but instead go exploring!

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