Welcome 2021:GOT MEMORY CONCERNS? (although we’d like to forget 2020)

"FROM THE DOCTOR'S DESK..." Coming to a theater near you. MY MEMORY PAL.COM will present a guide of 'How Tos' to tackle the initial concerns regarding memory challenges from as minor as forgetting a name (even for young people) to not remembering how to get home from a friend's house. Stand by for interviews from...

Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner? Mr. Memory

Being a fly on the wall of a recent dinner party hosted by yours truly would've made you giggle. I can tell you who wasn't there after some lovely Veitti Langhe Italian wine and the new, celebrated release of the Old County Cellars Cab...Mr. Memory. The hour was, well it seemed late after incredible Bouillabaisse...

Don’t Starve Your Memory!!!!! Please Pass The Tumeric — ‘Arff, Arff’

It's that time of year...everyone I know is on a diet. The Whole 30, the Keto, the Beverly Hills Diet (Ha, "JK" remember all that Pineapple?) Here's when dieting isn't worth it... As we age we can often forget to eat until we are famished. It's as if our hunger warning system stopped working and...

How to Take Notes that Make you Remember!

  Call me old fashion or perhaps call me ahead of my time? Taking notes, yup hand written notes, has always been important to me to help recall information but more importantly organize my thinking. When laptops came out I was ecstatic thinking that they were the answer to organizing my thinking. And indeed, it...

CONSTELLATION OF MEMORY STARS

Ever heard the expression "It Takes a Village?" Well the 'village' in remembering is series of cognitive connectors (intermediaries) that come together to form the skill to recall information. MyMemoryPal curriculum refers to this as a CONSTELLATION OF MEMORY STARS. I talk about this a lot and in many ways with many synonyms; redundancy helps...

Remembering The 8 Days of Hanukkah

As I await the Latkes on the 4th day of Hanukkah I am remembering who got what these last 4 days including my presents. Whether it's Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa, see if you can really zone in on who got what for the holidays. Tracking means you have to turn on your attention. Making a...

Improve Your Memory’s Visual Skills “Checking it Twice: 12 LiL WORDS”

Visualization is one of our most important skills for storing information in our memories and for remembering. I love the Lindamood Bell® program because it allows kids who may not have an intuitive, visualizing mind to express that part of their brains that don't intuitively create visual images. It also has lasted the test of...

Improve Memory with Clock Exercises

https://youtu.be/CFOiVfhyP9o Hey Folks, I published an exercise on YouTube (https://youtu.be/CFOiVfhyP9o) for Memory Exercises & CLOCK THERAPY this week and promised the following links and worksheets. There are 4 listings. Please feel free to leave any comments on the YouTube video and help us get higher in the YouTube visibility queue by liking us. As always,...

Shakespeare, College & Metacognition

It's a treasure to be in Ashland Oregon visiting my son at college. It is rich with culture both young and aging. I was surprised on the first visit with the abundance of 'boomers' in town for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We stayed at the lovely and historic Ashland Springs Resort and the lobby is...

“BOO” – How Anxiety Kills Memory

It's that time of year when people of a certain age loved to be scared--October! However being scared or any anxiety provoking situation can have a huge effect on your memory. The physiology, while not simple, can be distilled down to this...STRESS HORMONES. The primary stress hormone cortisol can interrupt our ability to use and...

Whoa David Crosby is 78 years old with a Fabulous Memory!!!!!

David Crosby's Wooden Ships and Memory Improvement

Is a Peach Just a Peach? The Peach Memory System

Memory is always enhanced by multi-sensory learning and using multiple sense to remember something. Undoubtedly you have experienced some sort of multi-sensory learning either in your life or your kids' lives. Multi-sensory piano instruction is huge; one of the best is the Suzuki Violin method, the multi-sensory math program, Making Math Real enables students to...

Simply Put: What Does it Take to Really Improve Your Memory?

Truly, the simplest piece of coaching I can give you is:   It's all about the daily routine. If you following YouTube sensation Jordan Peterson (Love'em and not depending upon the subject), you've probably heard of "Self Authoring." Well if not, it distills down to make it happen by planning!!!!! So let's get planning but first...

MEMORY EASY WAY OUT? NO WAY – NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

Remember the article "Honey can you think for me" last week? Well here's another lazy person's approach to discussion: using "IDK" excessively. 'I Don't Know' is more typically used as a reflex, a bad habit and doesn't allow you to grow your brain. One young adult told me she uses it because it's easier than...

Honey can you think for me? Use it or Lose it!!!! Keep Your Memory Muscle Flexed!!!!

Ever had the experience where a partner or elder parent asked you something like how to work the dishwasher and you know they know how to do this? Or ever hear "How do you work this damn thing" regarding the remote control? Well that's the lazy brain not flexing its memory muscle. It takes patience...

TIME ROBBERS… Warning: This is NOT how to get more time.

Think of how your work flow, activity flow or leisure flow goes. Do you toggle between activity and phone/texting/email? Do you get up a lot and allow yourself to interrupt your work or activity (dog barking, colleague needs you, bathroom, snack break, go to another task, etc.)? Well you're not alone. People have become so...

GET MORE TIME IN YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!! (Priceless)

Everyone always asks me, "How do you have time to do that?" Whether it's reading, exercising, dancing, taking a class, working on a book, making things (I'm a DIY gal) etc. I have a full time job and a kiddo and I still get all the time I need to do the things I want...

Attention, Memory & Resilience

There are invisible skills that most people are born with and build through school, play and practice. However, for those that are not born with certain "Social EQ" or "Executive Function" skills (and who don't track with their peers) there isn't a learning course that helps one early in life to build those skills unless...

New York Times Part Two: Improve Your Memory with Visuals!

This is part two of Tim Hererra's New York Times article: "A SIMPLE WAY TO BETTER REMEMBER THINGS: DRAW A PICTURE."By Tim Herrera Jan. 6, 2019 In that 2016 paper, they wrote that the act of drawing things out encourages “a seamless integration of semantic, visual and motor aspects of a memory trace.” Further, Dr. Wammes said,...

NY TIMES: A Picture’s Worth a 1000 Memories….

Ok folks it is so great to read memory info in main stream media. This article from The New York Times is absolutely useful...Do It Now!   By Tim Herrera  Jan. 6, 2019 If you have a pen and paper handy, let’s do a little experiment. Picture a cashew. Now pick up your pen and draw a...

“Mnemonics” for Memory Could Save Your Life!

Mnemonics are great for memory. I started using them in college. There are now Stanford meetups for memory practice for studying and mnemonics are at the core of their practice. It's such an easy way to remember. The ultimate mnemonic is the Memory Palace which we will talk about later in the year. Here is...

11th Day of Xmas: Santa’s Sense of Direction Just Got Better!!!!!!

Merry Christmas Eve 🎄🎅🏻 Ok so if you read the “Improve Your Sense of Direction” blog post, you might have been practicing visualizing routes this holiday season. I’m happy to say, Santa’s sense of direction seems on track according to NORAD! Here’s an extra tip: REFLECTION ON A JOURNEY Think about somewhere new you drove this...

7th Day of Xmas: Checking it Twice! (Scanning for Threats Reduces Missing Appointments, etc.)

Why, oh why do we make mistakes? Because we hate checking our lists twice. I remember when my kiddo was learning addition/subtraction/multiplication/division, writing composition rules and we had such a hard time getting him into the habit of checking his work twice and looking for errors. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I...

12th Day of Xmas: Santa’s Ramping Down

Well Santa made it. All the wonderful gifts and family have arrived. I hope if you celebrate Christmas, he visited your chimney too. He really did improve his sense of direction because he focused and did the exercises. He had only one complaint: he left a note next to the hearth to ask if there...

4th Day of Xmas: Home Depot Santa Can’t remember Rudolf’s Name: Get Your Attention On!!!!!!

https://youtu.be/-Zhy_5aD7ks  "Someone Need a Hug?" (Will Ferrell in the movie ELF) I was in Home Depot yesterday walking the aisles with Santa looking for mini lights for my wreath. I asked Santa if he had seen my friend Rick. He told me he couldn't remember names of co-workers. I exclaimed "...but Rick's been here for...

6th Day of Xmas: The biggest gift of all–More Time!!!! (Smart People have Less Time, True or False?)

The smartest people I know have the least amount of time to get things done. Why? Because their time management skills aren't as strong as their I.Q. skills. It's been 35 wonderful years of working with Executive Dysfunction and here's my petri dish of evidence-based anecdotes & antidotes: Most people here in Silicon Valley that...

5th Day of Xmas Memory Formula: Remembering Algorithm Enhances Indelibility & Memory Habit Success

It's clear to all of us during this indulgent season that getting back to good healthy habits is super hard come January. So buck-up and establish one thing you want to do to improve your memory and start the "Habit of Memory Exercise." It only takes a few minutes, say every other day eventually but...

On the 3rd Day of Xmas My True Love Said to Me, “We’re Lost!” Part 2: Memory Exercises to Improve Your Sense of Direction!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs-Q0JmWjj0 Brain Exercises to Improve Your Sense of Direction! Let's continue with part two on how to improve your sense of direction--the category of cognitive functioning is "Locality."  William Atkinson, author of "Memory" (podcast) says first you have to have a strong desire to learn Locality. It's about paying attention such as noting the roads you...

12 DAYS OF XMAS: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE EXCEPT IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER FACES OF LOVED ONES.

2ND DAY OF XMAS: REMEMBERING FACES I remember riding my bike home from school past Jimmy Stewart's house. At the time I he was building a park on the vacant lot next to his house. I befriended him early in the park's development because I told him what a fan of "It's a Wonderful Life"...

12 DAYS OF XMAS MEMORIES: Is Santa Lost or Did He Forget to Come?Santa Learns How to Improve his Sense of Driving Directions.

FIRST DAY OF XMAS - Imagine having a great sense of direction!One Xmas when I was a toddler, my Dad was in New York working on a TV show not sure if it was The Munsters, Leave It To Beaver, I Love Lucy or Denis The Menace. He got stuck in a blizzard and couldn't...

Memory Supplements: Fact or Farce?

It seems like everywhere I turn there is an ad for a supplement for improving brain functioning, improving memory, etc. Perhaps it's because there are 77 million Baby Boomers (the oldest was born in 1946.) Here's what Julia Calderone wrote in Consumer Reports last February.    (Skip below for PRACTICAL APPLICATION.) “ The signs of...

No, Your Other Right: Memory Trick for Remembering Right from Left.

See the "L" There seems to be a connection between the person that doesn't always remember right from left and their sense of directions. Perhaps it's because they are direction-ally challenged? Yup, you guessed it, "a smart person's problem." FOR A QUICK READ: SKIP TO PRACTICAL APPLICATION You can improve your sense of direction and...

STUFF THE BALLOT BOXES — IT’S ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE “Which Court Justice did I want to vote for?”

(For fast hints: skip below to PRACTICAL APPLICATION.) A whole 'lotta' folks, including yours truly are finding an occasional slip of the 'ol word recall when it comes to word retrieval or trying to find a name, etc. It's called "dysnomia." When I got to the mid-term voting polls I was stumped because I hadn't...

6 WAYS TO IMPROVE RECALL: RECHARGING YOUR BRAIN SEVERAL TIMES A DAY IMPROVES BRAIN FUNCTIONING

Cleaning out your brain and recharging is one of the best ways to refuel and prep for good learning aka memory retention. Think of these "mini spa" moments at your desk, in your car, on a walk, etc. Is there something you can do for a morning cleanse: brisk 15 minute walk or run? Set...

ZOMBIE SPA: Tales from… THE GHOULIE BRAIN TRAINING CRYPT

Okay folks Hallow's Eve is almost upon us and here's a quickie reminder about... PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Ghoulish Brain Training Virtual Task List (VTL) I woke up wide-eyed and bushie tailed at 4 am. I just had too many ideas floating in my consciousness so I wrapped them together in a VTL Blanket and opted to...

EMOTIONS & ASSOCIATIONS: “I’ll Never Forget You Alexander Hamilton!”

Emotions underscore key events, most of which you will never forgot. Yesterday emotions were running high (and low). I was in the online queue for Hamilton tickets, I was 119,922. 10 hours later I was 'IN' and had 12 minutes to register for three tickets. My hope was high, my Adrenalin was streaming and excitement...

HAMILTON TICKETS ON THE WAY

If you are a history buff like I am, you can find lots of great cognitive exercising opportunities from history, utilizing some of the tools I've mentioned in the "Fossilized Data" blog entry.  Today's lesson plan: Hamilton! I am currently number 85,988 in the online sign-up today (tickets just went on sale; I started at...

FOSSILIZE YOUR DATA–VIRTUAL TASK LIST: MEMORY TRAINING FOR LASTING IMPRESSIONS

Creating impressions for longer term memory takes a myriad of skills working together to: a. Decode the information in a way that makes sense. b. File the information for easy retrieval. Making an impression requires multiple stems: Listening (focus) Hearing what the incoming data sounds like Visualizing Paying Attention Associating Retelling Revisiting There are so...

CAN SLEEP & EXERCISE IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY?

SLEEP DEPRIVATION IS TRICKIER THAN YOU IMAGINED & CARDIO IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR THE MEMORY THAN WE EVER KNEW! Ever thought that your slightly depressed state or lack of good self regulation has to do with sleep deprivation? We are such "Pathologizers" and love to label everything so it fits into a nice neat box...

HYPERFOCUS: Good for MEMORY TRAINING?

I have always admired my husband's and my dear friend's ability to focus so deeply on their work. Is it Hyperfocus or Flow? Good question. Let's tease apart the two: Hyperfocus is the kind of focus most often found in persons with ADHD. It is often referred to as the 'disregulated attention system.' Why? Because...

CATCH YA LATER, ALLIGATOR: The 4 Most Dangerous Words for Working Memory!

The 4 most dangerous words you can fool yourself with: "I'll remember it later." Find a consistent system for the 'lil things you have to remember. a. All notes go in your phone. b. Carry posits (2x2s good size) in your car, a couple in your wallet, always have a pad in the family room...

IMPROVE MEMORY: MEMORY IS AN INTERWOVEN NETWORK

I wish that I could tell you "Just take Prevagen and your memory will be better." The reality is no one thing can help fix your memory issues. Memory is a constellation of pieces that come together to ensure the best recall possible. If any of those pieces are not in full function, it can...

IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY: CARDIO ROCKS!

Memory Exercises are not just brain exercises. There has been much published with good, clean data in the last couple years about the young adult (including teens) brain. We know the Pre-Frontal Cortex where your cognitive skills live for organizing (your thoughts, your time, your schedule, your work, your social life, prioritizing, parsing out the...

BRAIN FOOD OF A DIFFERENT SORT

Persons with ADHD, Anxiety, Asperger's or just too much stress deplete their brains of the good stuff and thus are at higher risk for memory loss, ability to organize and the ability to self regulate (keep cool, avoid impulses, etc.) If you have a lack of the aforementioned, chances are your anxiety will be on...

IMPROVE MEMORY SKILLS: MAKE IT A HABIT

Anyone ascribe to the Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours is needed to become an expert? Even if you don't agree, one thing is for sure, PRACTICE REALLY DOES MAKE PERFECT. I love this article by Gerald Marzaroti from the New York Times in 2016:  https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/opinion/better-aging-through-practice-practice-practice.html. The net, net (ha pun intended) is finding new things to become...

IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY BUT DON’T LET THE CHORUS LINE OVERWHELM YOU!

OH BE THE DAY OF 10,000 HOURS OF JAZZ DANCE EXPERIENCE... Being mindful of how much data you can handle is important to the success of your memory retention. Being overwhelmed with data is a classic 'memory disrupter.' I love Malcolm Gladwell books and he’s so right in OUTLIERS about 10,000 hours of practice to...

HOW DOES 23 & Me, Ancestry.com GENETIC TESTING CHANGE YOUR LIFE’S PLANS? GET READY BY IMPROVING MEMORY AND PRIORITIZING.

2018 Goal: Don’t Let Your Memory Slip

It's hard to imagine that someone would intentionally let their memory slip. Analogy, if your sight was going, your hearing declining or your belly was getting too big -- would you do nothing? Of course not. However, the memory is unseen and it's not completely clear to others if it is not working until it...

Introduction: My Memory Pal.com

My Memory Pal.com is a therapeutic curriculum for memory exercises designed for individuals struggling from an aging brain, learning differences in Executive Function or Cognitive Memory Training rehabilitation.