Joy

Joy is a wonderful tool to improve memory. The subject of joy doesn't usually make most lists of how to improve memory, so you might be surprised to see it here. However, I believe that joy is an essential component in keeping your heart, mind, and spirit in balance; and that your ability to remember and perform cognitive tasks are supported by that balance.

The thing about joy is that once you have it, it is easy to get more, right? It's a bit like starter for yogurt or sourdough bread. If you have a little, you can open it and plant it, and it begins to rapidly multiply and then increase exponentially. Pretty soon your life is overflowing with joy.

If you are overwhelmed with school, or work, or family, or all three, then you may have misplaced your joy 'starter.' Just like with starting a new batch of yogurt or sourdough, there are a number of things you can do to get it back and start making your own again. Here are some ideas to help you remember your joy and help you create more. You can:

1. Get some from a friend. Make time to call or have lunch with someone you care about. Choose someone who cares about you, and someone who makes you feel good just being around them.

2. Remember a time when you were blissfully happy. Recreate it in your mind in as much detail as you can create.

3. Give yourself permission to do something you love to do. Your may need to do a little creative time management to fit it in your busy schedule, but you will find that even just 15 minutes a day of doing something you love can not only improve your memory, but make you much more efficient and effective too. This is a great investment in yourself!

4. Use comedy therapy. Laughter has incredible powers, including healing of both mind and body. Comedic shows are a way to help free up your laughter. See or hear comedy with others in order to increase the effect. Laughter is contagious just like yawns are, so you will find that you laugh more in groups.

5. Laugh at yourself in a wholesome way. By that I mean, laugh at yourself the way a small child laughs when s/he farts. This is a great way to lighten your heart, especially if as a student you are taking yourself too seriously.

Joy is a great investment in yourself, in your academic abilities, and in your future. So if you are finding that your life is short of joy, remember that joy is an essential part of keeping your memory working at its peak, and give yourself permission to reconnect with your joy as part of your study plan. You will be amazed at the how quickly your memory improves!

Here's to your success!

Copyright 2005-2006 by Teresa Bolen. All rights reserved.