Judy Marcus - Memory Improvement Tips

Relax! Stress Management helps you Remember Better!

April was stress management awareness month.

Seems to me stress comes in all sizes and shapes.  And each day - for most of us - whether it's for business and/or everyday life - can use at least some bit of stress management.

How's yours?

The grandmother of one of my memory students had this sage advice:  Vent. There's more room on the outside than on the inside.

For a FREE copy of stress management tips that will help you let off steam in a healthy way, contact me.  And I won't forget to email you back!

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2011) **********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Speaker, Workshop Leader, and Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?.  

Judy makes remembering unforgettable!  Her blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

Tips to Remember to Eat Mindfully. Multi-tasking while Eating Can Get You in Trouble.

Are you rushing through your meals?  Going through the motions - feeding your face  - eating more and enjoying it less?

Lately I've been in a lot of conversations - many of them while sitting around a table with friends and family - talking about how little we pay attention to the food we're eating.  

Imagine this!  All of us wanting to pay attention to our food, but we're really social based and are feeding ourselves friendship, connection, good conversation.  That's GREAT for feeding our socialization needs.  However, it's certainly not helping us take off and keep off the pounds.

Okay - by now you're wondering what does diet have to do with memory?

I'm not talking here about a list of brain-friendly foods.  (There's a section on brain healthy eating in my book.  And I often present some fun interactive food memory exercises in my workshops.)

I'm on a different exploration here.  How to remember to make myself PAY ATTENTION to what I eat so I can eat less and enjoy it more.   I invite you to jump on the food wagon - or is it "jump off" when it comes to watching what you eat? - and join me in awareness eating.  

MINDFUL EATING MEMORY TIP #1

     Watch what you eat.   

• Just set your intention.  
• Plan out your meal. 
•  Put it on your plate.  
• Say a prayer of thanks and appreciation for the food in front of you.  
• Use your senses.  Smell the aroma.  Notice the colors of the food.  
• Think about the various textures.  
• Listen to the crunch as you chew. 
• For at least one meal a day, don't read, don't talk.  Just pay attention and watch what you eat.  

Let me know how this works for you.  Please do share your experiences, your concerns, ask your questions.  Together, we can become conscious eaters.  It's better for the brain - for the digestion - for the figure.

Life's better when we trust our brain to remember to eat mindfully.

Let's hear from you. 

 

 

 

WHAT ARE YOUR "OUCH - I need to put more Mindful Habits in my eating " STORIES?   Blog on and share your LOVE Memory Method stories as well. 

 

 

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters - and conscious eaters - as well. 

   

 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2010*****************************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission:  You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Speaker, Workshop Leader, and Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

 

 

 

 

WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, a fun, interactive, memory training event!

I'm appearing at Maxim's in Chicago to present a fun-filled, info-tainment event for Tea at 3.

Hope you can be there.  And, please, TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES TOO!

Click on the "Open Publication" link below this picture for the full flyer.

P.S.  The photo is by Steve Starr, www.stevestarrstudios.com

http://www.MemoryLady.com/MaximsTea.pdfOPEN PUBLICATION

Judy Marcus - Memory Improvement Tips listed among top 50 bloggers!

Thank you, Edu-Tastic, the best in learning resources, for naming Judy Marcus and her Memory Improvement Tips among the top 50 bloggers to help you study, learn and focus better!

Book Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, to make your next event unforgettable!

Create Breathing Space for a Better Memory

How often do you give yourself breathing space?

Breathing space is vital to our ability to function in all areas of life, including our ability to remember.  Yet, most of us live hectic, over-busy, over-multi-tasking lives.  Have you noticed how the cell phone follows us, even into the bathroom?

CBS Sunday Morning ran a segment on how we spend our Sundays, and included author Judith Shulevitz's statement that "we are on all the time" and suggested we spend one day a week for "time off" to reflect.

A whole day of rest and reflection each week sounds wonderful to me.  (I'm not making a religious statement here; that's not my department.  I'm simply talking about how to remember better.)

"Life is better when you trust your brain to remember."  You can quote me on that.

When it comes to "time off" from being frantic, frustrated, fragmented and forgetful -- one simple path to peace, calm, centeredness and brain reliability -- and to refocus our precious mental energy -- is to consciously create breathing space for ourselves every day, in both business and every day life.

Memory mishaps can be avoided just by taking a deep breath at every transition time.  One of the examples I suggest at my memory workshops is:  before you get out of the car, take a breath, and check to make sure you take the car keys with you.  The breath you take prevents you from locking the car door with the keys inside!

A worse case scenario is the man who locked his sleeping toddler in the car as he rushed to catch a train. True story.  Luckily, a happy ending.  A passer-by noticed the child, called the fire department, and the toddler was safely rescued.  I'm thinking the man will now - based on his experience - always take a deep breath and check the back seat of the car before locking the car door with his son inside!

Be pro-active.  

Why wait till you learn a lesson the hard way?  Memory mishaps can be prevented by taking a deep breath before switching activities.  The breath gives you time to reflect on what happens next.

Yes, it takes special effort to create breathing spaces throughout our hectic days -- each and every day.  And, I believe, you'll find it's worth it!

Let's hear from you. 

WHAT ARE YOUR "I need to create breathing space" STORIES?   Blog on and share your LOVE Memory Method stories. 

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

Mindful Driving Makes for a Better Memory (and it's environmentally friendly too): Awareness is Easy - if you're willing to make the time and stay on task.

Ever wonder where the time has gone?  For most of us, life whizzes by because we're thinking of one thing while doing another.

Ever wonder how you got two roadways past your exit?  That's because we whizzed by our exit while our mind was on what we were going to say to our client when we called - or what we didn't say this morning to our friend - or our brain is mentally jumping like a grasshopper from chore to unfinished chore, worrying about our over-busy schedule.

Monkey mind, as the meditation gurus call it.  Chatter, chatter, chatter.  A wandering mind.  A busy mind.  An A.D.D. mind.  An over-multi-tasking mind.  WHOAH!!!!!

Take a deep breath.  It's time to quiet down and be mindful.

Being mindful means being aware of what you're doing at this very moment.   It's keeping all your senses in allignment -- on the present moment. 

Driving Mindfully: 

Set your intention.  When you're driving, before you head out, think of your destination and the route to get there.  And leave early enough to give yourself a driving time cushion to feel comfortable -unhurried - not rushed (This allows your finer self to come out and eliminates any potential road rage, plus giving you a more alert, relaxing, enjoyable experience.) 

Once you're on your way, look at where you're going, listen to the sounds of the traffic, feel the steering wheel under your hands, smell the heat or the air conditioning or the fresh air from the open window.  

And definitely think about HOW you are driving.

Are you driving safely?  Paying attention to the road?  Seat belt clicked?  Within the speed limit?

Is your driving environmentally friendly? Hypermiling is a word that's new to me.  It's a good one to add to your vocabulary.   

• It's about modifying your driving to improve mileage and reduce emissions.  
• It's about getting good gas mileage because you're slowing down as soon as you see the light turning red. 
• It's about replacing air in your tires - on-time car tune-ups - driving gently, not aggressively. 
• It also helps you keep your mind on the cars around you, which makes for safer, more alert driving.  
• And lets you remember where you are going and where to turn off.

And don't forget, once you turn off the motor, to ask yourself, "Where Are My Keys?" and "Where is my car parked?"

Let's hear from you.  Do you ever forget to turn off at your destination because your mind is wandering?  What do you do to drive mindfully?

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?  Blog on and share your driving mindfully stories.

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com featuring tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong.

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?  Blog on and share your driving mindfully stories.

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com featuring tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong.

Sprinkle Your Schedule with Time-outs to Remember. It's Brain-Friendly. You'll perk-up your energy. You'll feel joyful, reduce December Holiday stress, prevent over-multi-tasking paralysis. And you'll even remember better!

If you're like me, rushing through my day to accomplish almost all of what's on my to-do list (prioritized to make certain that the must-do's get done), then may I offer this suggestion of what I find absolutely necessary to stop and do in order to refresh and revitalize my self and smooth the way to continue on - energetically -with my tasks?

Whew!  That's a lot of words together.  Run-on.  Like my daily schedule.

So, here's an easy way to come up for air that's good for your memory - and lets you feel joyful, reduce stress, and prevent over-multi-tasking paralysis.  It's such a simple solution. It works for me.  And it can work for you, too.

Sprinkle memory breaks into your day.  Living in the present moment is important.  But that doesn't mean you have to forget what you want to remember about yesterday.  Before a memory evaporates, carve time-out of your day to reflect, remember and relish the good times.

Make time-outs to reminisce, especially when you're in the midst of hurry, scurry and bustle.  I know it makes me feel better when I take a break from whatever I'm doing - the more frenzied I am - the tighter the schedule crunches and accompanying hurricane whirlwinds when I start spinning my wheels - the more important and worthwhile it is for me to pry myself off the task at hand.

You certainly wouldn't lift weights without pausing to give your muscles time to relax and refresh.  So, give your schedule a pause as well.  It's actually more efficient to stop and take a few minutes to bask in the afterglow of a feel-good event.  A moment to remember...

Like, as you are gearing up for the December Holiday frenzy, take time to reflect about how you experienced Thanksgiving.  Bring in all your senses:  sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.

Do this:  Take a deep breath.  Breathe in the joyful memories chockfull of grateful abundance of family, friends, and food.  Can you remember - with love - with a smile on your face along with laughter in your heart - the events of Thanksgiving just past?

Some of the benefits:  You'll reduce blood pressure, re-oxygenate your entire body, and revitalize your energy.  A deep breath and a happy memory can do all that and more!

I realize that experiences differ - even people sitting at the same table can walk away with a different impression of the event.  Hopefully for you, this is a year when the good times rush in like a waterfall.  Otherwise, dig as deep as you must until you find the peaceful moments that are keepers.  Or be the alchemist who turns bad times into good - just by making a shift in your attitude.

Savor in gratitude.  Appreciate.  Count your blessings for all the trimmings that accompany Turkey-day -- our national winter holiday appetizer - which opens the door to December's mixed bag of joyous cheer and over-busyness.

Create breathing space by taking time to appreciate and celebrate the kernels of joy in your life.  It will make you feel joyful, reduce stress, and prevent over-multi-tasking paralysis.

Here's wishing for you that your Holiday festivities are filled with an abundance of joyful memories.  And that you enjoy many moments of pleasure as you recognize, reflect and remember those special times in your life.

Don't forget!

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?  Blog on and share your memory stories.

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. (Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2008)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com featuring tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong.

Over-multi-tasking? Brain stretched to limit? Here's tips to relax and de-stress so you can remember better.

While emailing with a New York Times reporter about memory tips, he wrote:

"Judy:  Trying to stretch my mind, but it's stretched to the limit, I'm afraid, and feeling the wear and tear of the strain."

Here's my reply to him - perhaps it speaks to you as well: 

"I hear your pain from the strain of too much on the brain.

When I'm in that spot, these three easy strategies work:

1.  I take a breathing space break often throughout the day.  It's easy.  A simple deep breath in through my nose, filling my belly with air to the count of four, and then breathing out through my mouth to the count of six as if floating a feather in the air.

2.  I meditate to calm my mind and give it resting time.

3.  I give myself permission to take even a twenty-minute holiday and do something totally different and fun."

Let me know if you find the above helpful.  Also let me know what  destressers you have up your sleeve.Blog-on!

Please forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. (Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2008)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog", www.memory-improvement-tipster.com featuring tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong.