How has your memory been lately? Is it easy to remember things that happened years ago but you have a hard time with what happened this past week? Can you remember what was for lunch yesterday? Do you get home from shopping and realize that you forgot to buy what you went after. Then there’s remembering conversations and what happened at meetings. Perhaps you’re starting to worry if your memory is starting to fail for real.
People like us regularly need to get more done in less time so we go online/watch TV/or work while eating. We talk on the phone and listen to music while driving. Perhaps go online to look something up and end up checking mail, reading some news, and looking at the weather forecast while there in the hopes of being efficie
nt and to save time. We all do it, right?
It’s possible that multitasking may be a big factor in not being able to recall things.
Multitasking seems smart but it does not work in the long run. While it can be useful in rote tasks that require little intelligent brainpower, multitasking is detrimental in tasks requiring brainpower. It contributes to stress, wastes time, lowers productivity, and hurts short and long-term memory.
The brain is not capable of taking in and dealing with two different streams of information simultaneously. It is impossible for the brain to encode more than one stream of information fully into short-term memory at a time. Information will never make it into long-term memory if it does not go into short-term memory first. Either way, information cannot be recalled and put to use. This pattern contributes to forgetfulness, poor memory, and more stress.
From Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief by Julie Lusk
Solutions include:
- Stay focused by doing one thing at a time
- Don’t let yourself get distracted from the task at hand
- Increase your brainpower, ability to concentrate, and improve your memory with
- Yoga Nidra – Info here
- Mindfulness – What it is and how to practice.
- Kirtan Krya, the Sa Ta Na Ma 12-minute meditation for memory improvement and to decrease anxiety and depression – Resources here
- Complete Yoga Breathing for clearing your mind, calming down, and increasing energy
- Guided Relaxation and its benefits here
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Just like your computer needs a screen saver, your body needs a body-saver. Here is a well-rounded set of yoga-based exercises that can be done right from your chair at work, home, or in your car. They’re perfect for “Internet addicts, office workers, and stressed out students.” Julie’s Desktop Yoga ® book contains over 100 easy-to-follow stretches to help your back, neck, shoulders, face, hands and feet; breathing techniques to increase your concentration, improve your sense of inner balance, and aid your circulation; power napping exercises to improve energy by “taking a 2 hour nap in 2 minutes” and proven wellness and stress management strategies that work.