The ManicaPost
Dr Mazvita Machinga
HAS anyone ever had trouble remembering someone’s name or forgot where you put something?
I have heard strange stories where some people have forgotten collecting their children from school or meeting a scheduled appointment.
You can ask what this is all about. Are you having trouble in concentrating, focusing and remembering, this article is intended to assist you improve on this.
Once in a while it is okay to forget, but if the forgetting becomes debilitating and incapacitating then there is need for intervention.
Memory, focus and concentration are important for our day to day functioning. We need these, for it is difficult to do without them. What did you eat for lunch five days ago? Who did you talk to on Sunday morning? Chances are, you can’t quite recall.
The question is what can affect your ability to remember something, concentrate or focus and how can you improve? There are many factors that affect one’s memory, concentrating and focus.
These factors could be underlying social, psychological or neurological conditions such as anxiety, too much stress, depression or dementia. You and I know that staying focused can help you accomplish almost anything. Focusing and remembering is needed if we are to make the best of our day to day lives.
Staying focused can help improve your life, helps you listen to people better, solve problems better and make better decisions.
I have heard people complaining of being in trouble because they forget what they were supposed to do or did not focus well on given task. It is important that each and every day you exercise ways that improve your focus and memory.
The following are some strategies you can improve your memory and concentration:
- Trust in yourself and get help if you see that your concentration is negatively affecting your day to day functioning.
- Pay attention to what you are doing or reading and take notice of what you want to remember.
- Socialise regularly with positive minded people – Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress, both of which can contribute to memory loss.
- Relate what you’re learning to something that you already know s you remember.
- Get organised – Make a to-do list. Making a to-do list at the beginning of every day or week can make you feel more focused, motivated and more accomplished. You can separate your to-do list into three lists: things to do that day, things to do the next day, and things to do that week.
If you finish the tasks for that day but have some time left over, you can move on to the next set of tasks.
- Prioritise your tasks. Put the most important or hardest tasks first.
- 7. Manage your time. Make sure you estimate how much time you need for each task. Be realistic about this estimate
- Relax, have time to laugh and sleep well.
- Recognize and deal with the problems that may be negatively influencing you memory. Manage your chronic condition by getting professional psychological or medical help before situation gets worse.
- Staying mentally active to including physical activity in your daily routine — might help sharpen your memory and concentration
Hope this will help you start working on improving your memory and concentration.
For more information, psychological support and professional counseling contact Dr Mazvita Machinga Ph.D. a qualified psychotherapist in Mutare. [email protected] or 0771 754 519
