Self-Help:

Memory Improvement Secrets for Impeccable Concentration, Mental Clarity And Focus, That Gets You Results Fast

By John Hughes

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Types of Memory

Sensory Memory

Short term Memory

Long term Memory

The Declarative Memory

The Episodic Memory

The Semantic Memory

The Proceeding Memory

The Perception Representation Systems

Chapter 2: Connection Between Memory and Concentration

Chapter 3: Tips to Improve Mental Clarity

Chapter 4: Tips to Improve Memory and Concentration

Improve concentration

Improve memory

Chapter 5: Memory Disorders

Mental blocks

Dementia

Dementia related to alcohol

Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease - Early onset

Vascular dementia

Post-traumatic memory loss

Chapter 6: Quick Reminder

Conclusion

Introduction

Strength of your memory is dependent on the functionality of the brain. Mostly while preparing for exams or while preparing for making a presentation in office (without looking at the PPT of course) there are major chances that you would keep your memory upto the mark no matter what happens. Even if you are at a senior position in a company, a teacher, in short anybody, you would know how important it is to keep the memory sharp and in order to do so, i am sure you will do all the efforts you might have known, read or heard.

Brain is a complex entity. Memory comprises only one of the aspects of that complexity. Memory is like hard drive where all the information is stored and processed. Whenever some information has to be retrieved it is procured from the bank of the memory that resides in our brains. We are not solely responsible for the way memory is, a large part of what goes into our system is driven by the external world.

Another term that i am sure all of us have come across very often is concentration. What concentration definitely does not mean is holding eye gaze at a particular object or making a strange and weird facial expression. Memory and concentration go hand in hand although not in a chronological fashion. Concentration simply means that at a certain given point of time you put all your focus and efforts on to that particular stuff. By the use of certain skills and techniques you can improve both your ability to concentrate and also improve your memory.

Anything that is stored in the memory, once stored is never deleted. However, sometimes it is difficult to recall the exact piece of information that you were looking for. Also, there is a high possibility that may be the information that you were looking for was never actually there.

There are various nuances to good concentration and memory.  To understand the many interesting ways in which you can improve both your concentration and memory this book will be your guide.

Happy reading!

Chapter 1: Types of Memory

Memory has different forms. It is stored in our brain in different ways. When anything is stored in our memory, we know that we have stored some sort of information. When the information goes into our brain, there is a certain process that follows after that and as a part of the process memory is stored in different ways in our brain.

The way the information is stored and the time for which it is stored determines the type of memory.  Broadly speaking there are two types of memory - short term and long term. These two types of memory are categorized based on the time period of the information stored. However, there are many other types of memory that we will be looking at.

Sensory Memory:

The initial information that is perceived through our senses is termed as sensory memory. This process of storing information is really fast and lasts for a really small period of time. Sensory memory does not mean only visual, it involves all the sense organs of the human body. Since it involves all the senses and is there only for a short period of time, it gets replaced continuously.

Short term Memory:

The short term memory or also known as working memory nowadays is the easiest access to information stored by us. It is a temporary arrangement and mostly lasts during that specific time period.  Information in the working memory is held by the process of repetition. When we try to remember a phone number we usually repeat the number a number of times. If distracted, it is very easy to forget it. Working memory can be easily forgotten.

Long term Memory:

This complex memory type as the name explains stores an information for a long period of time. May be the whole life time. That is how a 100 year old man can remember the incidents of his childhood. The movies that we watch, sports that we might have played, any important academic information that we might have learnt, the time when we might have graduated etc is all stored as long term memory. This type of memory does not have any capacity issues. A large amount of information can be stored in long term memory. As we grow, we learn different skills, go through different experiences, all this knowledge that we accumulate gets stored as our long term memory.

The Declarative Memory:

In this type of memory all the information that is stored can be retrieved voluntary.

The Episodic Memory:

This type of memory stores all the information that accounts for our personal history. It could be things like the dish we cooked yesterday or the dress we wore etc. All this information gets stored in our brain as episodes.

The Semantic Memory:

Semantic memory or the recorded memory is like the decryption of various processes. In the due course of time we might forget the actual details of things but semantic memory helps us to decode those things and gives us the knowledge of the world.

The Proceeding Memory:

This type of memory is what leads to all the habits that we have. Our automatic behaviour is also determined by this memory.  This memory comes to play when we are driving and shifting gears or typing.

The Perception Representation Systems:

This type of system or memory process derives the semantic meaning of the abstract information collected on perceiving shapes, structures, objects, words and faces.

Chapter 2: Connection Between Memory and Concentration

Memory as we know is the basic and most essential process through which we can recall any information. It is the ability to retrieve data stored in our brains related to any events, knowledge, skills and activities. Concentration is nothing but the ability of an individual to pay attention on a particular thing - could be an activity, object or subject.

Memory and concentration do not lead to one another but they are closely linked. The finest example of this link is the fact that whenever we concentrate more we can recall a particular thing much more efficiently. While reading a book if our concentration level is really high than it is most likely that we will remember most of the information that is provided in the book.

Sometimes memory also forms a context for us to concentrate. There are times, mainly because of the way memory would have been stored, that it requires us to concentrate. So, sometimes we have to concentrate on the environment around us in order to recall that particular information.

Another important link between concentration and memory is also the fact that it works both ways. Memory can channelize the way one focuses on things around. It can directly affect the concentration process. This is particularly true in familiar environments in which one has spent a great deal of time. In a new environment, we would often find ourselves lost. But people who have been familiar with that environment will be able to guide us in the right direction for us to concentrate and find the thing that we might be looking for. Their memory serves them to know exactly where what is, and our concentration helps us to discover that thing.

The connection between memory and concentration interests people of various fields like educators, psychologists and even students. If you increase your ability to concentrate, you can in turn improve your ability to memorize things as well. Whether we are students or working professionals we all know and understand the importance of memorization. It is definitely a very important aspect of our lives. By taking different actions and using different techniques we can improve our ability to concentrate thus improving our memory.

Chapter 3: Tips to Improve Mental Clarity

A lot of times we feel that our brain is full of random stuff. It feels cluttered and heavy so much so that it becomes nearly impossible to think straight.

We feel burdened under this heavy pile of thoughts and everything in life looks like a really high mountain thus making even the simplest things in life a big challenge.

The trivia of worries pulls us down and even though we might know that we need absolute clarity at this stage we often find ourselves struggling. Everything looks foggy.

Mental clarity can be a problem for anyone. It is natural and it happens. Even the most genius people born in the history of human existence cannot escape from this problem.

But one thing that we need to know that it is not the end of the world. Mental clarity can be improved by doing some really easy things. It is almost unbelievable and really simple to know the tactics that can contribute to gaining mental clarity. Whenever we are stuck and not able to find a way, we should just stop for a moment and do one of the following or a combination of some. Our mental clarity without a doubt will be restored.

●    Good sleep is the key to success: It is extremely important to have good quality as well quantity of sleep. Most of the people who complain of not having mental clarity are the people who do not have good sleep. Sleep plays a key role in processing the information in your brain and helps improve concentration.

●    Regular exercise: Regular exercise is not only essential to keep our body in a good shape but is also essential to keep our mind in a good shape. Often we become lazy by just the thought of the exercise but it is critical to know that exercise is something that is very important for the health of mind and body. It has a crucial role to play in the long run. One can start with just simple and light exercises like aerobics, light breathing exercises. Walks, cycling, dance, swimming - anything that one likes which keeps the flow of oxygen in the body regulated.

Exercise keeps our mind clear. It gets us away from the regular worrisome atmosphere and helps us relax. Any form of physical movement makes one feel refreshed and prepared to get back in the game with complete clarity.

●    Stimulate brain nerves: Play games and get involved in activities that stimulates brain nerves. Be creative. Do something wacky and different. It is important to keep our brain sharp and that can be done by simply taking out not much but little time to do things that challenge and strengthens our thinking process. When we are young we do a lot of things that now seem silly but were actually very helpful. Things like playing Sudoku, trying to write with our opposite hand, drawing, painting and many other things keeps the brain nerves active.

●    Meditate: The number one problem today in our lives is the amount of stress that we have. Stress reduces the ability to think clearly thus contributing to mental clutter. All the time we experience thoughts related to our problems that just do not seem to go away. It is like that computer which is full of junk files and now the RAM has become so slow that it is almost impossible to operate the system thus delaying every other work that one would have wanted to do using that system.

Similarly, stress causes our brain to work slowly thus jamming every other thing in our lives. Even if someone has got Einstein kind of brain capacity, it can still handle stress only to a certain extent after that it will crash. If we only have unwanted and burdensome thoughts in our heads then it is actually impossible to think through and think straight. Meditation helps is de-stressing. Initially it is difficult but with practice one can meditate for longer and improve mental clarity. It is very important to give time to oneself, meditation is the best way to do that.

●    Right amount of food and water:  We all do blunders when it comes to eating food. Eating is not just about dumping stuff in our tummy, it is also good to know and be aware of what we are putting and even more importantly how much we are putting. Do not overload the poor stomach with nasty stuff that almost induces coma in the brain. Do not stay too hungry either. Eat moderate amount of portions and keep the body hydrated all the time.

●    Blood sugar level: How our car needs fuel to run similarly our body needs sugar to do its business. But it is very important to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Eat controlled meals and a well balanced diet. It is also a good practice to keep a regular check on our blood sugar level.

Chapter 4: Tips to Improve Memory and Concentration

As we know by now that concentration is nothing but focusing all our attention on one thing at one given point of time. As we also know that memory and concentration are closely connected, improving one will help boost the other. If one lacks the ability or is struggling with concentration then it is certain to have difficulty in memorizing things as well. Any previously processed information will be hard to retrieve.

Memory and concentration are so closely linked that often when we complain of memory issues it is actually not a memory problem. In fact it is the problem of poor concentration that leads to all that clutter, making everything foggy and thus leading to difficulties in remembering stuff.

It is easy to develop mental skill like concentration. By doing some really easy things we can improve our ability to concentrate.

Improve concentration

●    One thing at a time: It is important that we focus on the task that is at present in hand. Suppose while reading a book just read that book, think of it in a way that if given an opportunity to summarize this book to a friend how it would be done. Reading a book this way (of course one can improvise) helps to concentrate better.

●    Reduce the distractions: It is important to know that our environment plays a huge role in the process of our concentration. Reducing the distractions present in our environment is the most efficient way to improve the ability to concentrate. There will be a lot of thoughts that will keep coming but keep trying to push them away. It will not be easy but once we start practicing we will see that with each passing day/week/month our concentration level will be really high.

●    Avoid several things at one time: Many a times we feel that in order to be productive it will be better if we do several things at one point. What we don’t realize is double tasking can actually lead to more confusion. Of Course there are times where we simply cannot avoid such situations. But usually it is advisable to finish one task and then shift to another. This helps in concentrating on that task as it receives our undivided attention. If we try and distribute our attention to several things, it will only crash and nothing else. There is only so much attention we can pay at a given point of time.

Improve memory

●    Concentration: Improve the ability to concentrate, memory will automatically increase.

●    Personal connection: Form a personal connection with the information while learning something new. The moment we form a personal connection to the information, it becomes easier to remember and memorize the stuff. Obviously it is not always possible. The easy way to do this is to ask questions to oneself. Questions that can build connect with the information at hand. The more it becomes a part of our personal history, the more it increases the ability to remember that stuff.

●    Repetition of the information: A lot of studies have shown that if a particular infor-ma-tion is repeated a number of times, the probability of recalling it almost accurately increase. In order to improve memory, keep repeating the things that you learn.

●    Elaboration: Often the way we perceive things around us are mostly abstract and vague. On the other hand things that have a clear meaning attached are much easier to recall. Our brain processes hints and clues that help us structure the information. It helps us to either picture or attach/form a meaning to things so that it becomes much easier to remember.

Chapter 5: Memory Disorders

Regular memory slips and even mental blocks are quite common. Happens to everyone. You are not the only person in this world who is facing one or the other kind of difficulty in concentrating or memorizing. This phenomenon even though as bizarre and annoying it may sound, it is actually quite natural.

Our brain capacity starts to reduce in our late 20s thus reducing the efficiency of memory. Other than that there are various other factors that affect both concentration and memory. However, it important to be aware if this phenomenon starts to bother. Be cautious and get a checkup done the moment you feel there is something wrong than usual.

There are many different types of memory disorders; here is a list of a few of them:

Memory slip

I am sure most of us have experienced times when we walk into the room to pick up something and suddenly we forget. Or when we just cannot recollect the name of the person standing next to us in a party just at the time of his/her introduction to other friends. There are many such incidents that happen to us. The only thing is, when it becomes too frequent, that is when we need to up our game and do something about it. This phenomenon is termed as memory slip.

As we grow older it becomes difficult to divide our attention into multiple tasks. This happens mainly because our mind is just too cluttered with thoughts and has filled up the memory chamber of our brain. The transfer of neurotransmitters gets turned off in our brain because it cannot handle beyond a point, thus switching off the memory centre.

Various researches and studies have shown that the frontal lobes of our brain age much faster than the rest of the brain. In older people these frontal lobes are much more vulnerable and hence the memory loss in older people is much higher than younger people. Also, the capacity or the habit of learning new things reduces as we grow old, making our brain slower as we do not indulge in any sort of physical exercise.

But all this is not bad news, since it is not difficult or impossible to improve memory as we know by having read in the previous chapters.

Mental blocks

Again this problem occurs with growing older. Often people complain of spacing out, going blank and lost. This sort of experience is most commonly found in older people because as we grow old the frontal lobes of the brain starts losing its edge and track, thus failing to keep up with the processes of the brain. Also, in the due course of time, our memory seems to have a much more limited capacity to store information or thoughts as compared to when we were young. Our brain finds it difficult to process too many thoughts and one thought is easily replaced by another.

Again as discussed before this also is not a very bad news.

By following the techniques mentioned before and keeping your brain active with different activities like puzzles etc that challenges your brain, it is very easy to improve this issue. The good news is a regular workout of the brain can help to overcome mental blanks. Above mentioned things are not serious problems but there are some problems that are serious and need a different approach.

Dementia

Dementia is a term that we all have heard and maybe casually used whenever we had simple concentration problems. But what dementia actually means is a cluster of symptoms caused by a certain impact on the brain.  Problems with speech, difficulty in perception and memory are the symptoms of dementia. In dementia short term memory is badly affected. What it means is, that a person who is suffering from dementia tends to forget names of even close friends or family members. Such a person also finds it hard to do his/her day to day tasks. However, he/she might remember some events from the past.

As mentioned before, dementia reduces the ability of proper speech, thus a person suffering from dementia cannot often find words to express and may even find it difficult to comprehend what the other is person is talking.

Dementia related to alcohol

Dementia can also be caused because of excessive toxins in the body. Toxics affect the brain adversely thus causing dementia. Reports have shown that abusive use of alcohol leads to the overall damage of the brain. This sort of brain disorder occurs when there is excessive consumption of alcohol over a long period of time. Studies show that alcohol related dementia is most commonly found in younger people.

The recovery from alcohol related dementia is however possible but there is no specific timeline. Some individuals might recover very quickly, some might take a bit of time and others might even need a long term care.

Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease has haunted the lives of many individuals and their families. It happens mostly to people above the age of 60. We all might have heard, read, known or seen patients suffering from Alzheimer's. So we all in one way or the other know the symptoms. It is important to know what happens to the brain during the course of this disease. The whole chemistry that runs within the brain gets ruined. The brain cells, nerves and everything else in the brain gets destroyed leaving nothing but gaps in the brain.

Alzheimer's disease - Early onset

Cases have been found where Alzheimer’s has occurred in people under the age 60. Even though this percentage is quite small, there is a high probability that this onslaught happened because of alcohol consumption or because of a particular family gene.

Vascular dementia

This type of dementia is described as the dementia where the blood vessels which bring oxygenated blood to the brain are damaged. If brain does not get the supply of this oxygenated blood it eventually dies. Vascular dementia is accompanied by strokes. The person might die in one stroke or might go through a series of strokes. The mental abilities of a person does not change so much but he/she may suffer from extreme mood swings and depression.

Post-traumatic memory loss

Stress, as discussed before can cause many mental problems. Often high levels of stress can result into the loss of long term memory. Such kind of stress usually happens if someone has gone through a really bad incident or experience. This kind of memory loss is most commonly found in soldiers who would have been posted for a long time in a war situation.

Chapter 6: Quick Reminder

In a normal condition our mind is just full of random thoughts, random perceptions and random sensations that occupy most of our brain. In short we can say that our mind is always in a state of disorder. By focusing our attention we can get rid of this chaos. It will not be easy but it is possible. And the best part it can be done by following some really simple things. By using these techniques it will be possible to filter out certain things and dump the rest for better clarity.

Well this process of concentration and memorizing is difficult on some days. You know why, well there are various reasons, we have listed down some of the most common reasons that impact the functionality of our otherwise fine working brain.

Fatigue: When you are fatigued it is very difficult to think straight. Fatigue is your biggest hurdle when it comes to concentration. If your tiring regime continues for very long you will find that your problems are increasing way too much.

Stress: Stress, Stress, Stress, Oh Stress! Well the more you stress the more you will suffer. Yes, life is not easy but in order to preserve your brain it is critical that you make sure that you take out time for yourself and kick that stress away.

Physical state: If you are physically stressed there is no way that you can be mentally sound. Physical stress can be caused by the external weather conditions, already existing health conditions like amnesia, thyroid, and irregular meals. If this continues then it may result into long term difficulties related to attention and memory.

Bored: Still doing the same old stuff, for the last 150 years. Obviously you will be bored and that boredom will soon creep in the form of unfinished paperwork and a plethora of pending tasks.

Too Many Things at Once: Multitasking as cool it may sound, is actually not a very sensible way to go forward in life (unless there is no other way out and you are a superman).When your brain is involved with too many things at one given point of time it tends to lose attention completely thus making it difficult to concentrate on anything.

NOTE: If you are going through any of the above mentioned scenarios or a combination of these scenarios, become aware of that and take actions.

Conclusion

The more we practice the more we will be able to improve our ability to concentrate and memorize. Like any other activity improving such abilities is also a matter of time. We cannot become a long distance runner in one day, in order to become a good runner we have to practice every day.

There is no doubt that good ability to concentrate and memorize is extremely vital in order to achieve anything. We all know and realize the importance of it in not only doing the complex things of life but also in general everyday life. How we shape our each day and what we focus on determines the way our lives would look like. It can either become a cluttered life or a fantastically organized one. I would not say that problems and memory and concentration will not occur, but the issues that we might be facing right now will reduce a great deal.

Any piece of art, sculpture, building, movie, in short anything that leaves a lasting impression is not attained in one day. It is the result of a powerful and deep way of concentration. It comes by practice and perseverance.

This world is full of distractions and in order to be successful, it is important to have an impeccable style of concentration and indefinite capacity of memorization (of course you are not a machine).

Simple techniques can help you gain the much needed focus, all you have to do is be committed to it. Following a few things in a disciplined manner will certainly yield results. Just have patience and follow what is written here. It is very easy to get disenchanted, but remember, you quit now, and it will be forever. The right time is now, not later!

Forming a structure in life is extremely important and it is amazing to know that it is really simple and easy. While you might think that it is a burden, in no time you will champion the art of improving your memory and concentration.

Relax and practice.

Thank you for downloading the book.

Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Copyright 2014 by John Hughes - All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Types of Memory

Sensory Memory

Short term Memory

Long term Memory

The Declarative Memory

The Episodic Memory

The Semantic Memory

The Proceeding Memory

The Perception Representation Systems

Chapter 2: Connection Between Memory and Concentration

Chapter 3: Tips to Improve Mental Clarity

Chapter 4: Tips to Improve Memory and Concentration

Improve concentration

Improve memory

Chapter 5: Memory Disorders

Mental blocks

Dementia

Dementia related to alcohol

Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease - Early onset

Vascular dementia

Post-traumatic memory loss

Chapter 6: Quick Reminder

Conclusion