Although all of us will have memory lapse at some point in our lives, if it gets to the point where you can no longer normally function in your home and work environments, you should consult a physician. There are many medical conditions that can affect your memory that need to be addressed by properly trained experts. If you have any of the following symptoms, you may want to see medical attention:

• Inability to perform daily tasks, or no knowledge on the tasks at hand.


• problems understanding language, recalling words, or poor speech fluency due to difficulties


• Lack of ability to think through things clearly and make good judgment calls


• Inability to remember names faces or places that you should easily recognize.

If none of these medical situations are an issue for you, there are some elementary, simple tips to help you increase your memory and awareness.

• Stay alert. Simply being aware of your surroundings, sights, sounds; smells and what is going on in your current environment can increase and exercise your memory.


• Take notes. Stay organized with your thoughts to make it easier. Experts agree that your short term memory can only handle seven thoughts or items at a time so prioritize and write notes on anything past those seven.


• Associate new thoughts and other information with something else. Ask yourself how the information relates to you or your situation in order to associate it with something that may be more easily remembered.


• After you've learned something, relay that information to someone else. Teaching others and having to explain your new information in your own words is a great tool for increasing memory.


• Talk out loud. You may not want to practice this exercise in a heavily populated environment, but reciting what you are reading or thinking about and saying notes out loud can help you associate the information and remember it.


• Review new information. Retaining new thoughts requires time and practice so take time to look through your notes, recite it out loud or think about it often in order to keep it more permanently in your mind.


• Re-learn a subject from school or other training that you may have forgotten. This helps us use our long term memory and encourages our brain to work completely.


• Do crossword or other word puzzles. These are great tools to sharpen our language skills and increase memory.


• Practice visual memorization. See the steps or information in your mind as you learn them and then take time to review them in your head and out loud in order to make them stick better.

As with other mind tools, the more practice you give yourself with these techniques, the more effectively you will use them. Although some of these things take extra time out of your daily routine, many of them are just new ways to filter the information you are already receiving on a daily basis and can help you not only retain more information, but can help you become more alert and more organized in your daily activities.