I would like to speak about some ways to enhance memory retrieval. But before I do that, let me extol the virtues of Forgetting. Forgetting is a good thing. If we remembered every detail, it would be very distracting, even annoying. First it would take longer to retrieve the data. Even computer with huge databases require more time when there are 500,000 events to search than when there are 5.
Also, there is less virtual memory available to analyze the data. And then there is no way to eliminate the details that are unnecessary.
Forgetting is good.
Have you ever forgotten an appointment or a chore and then realized later, when it was too late, that you forgot? And though you might feel regret for an instant, you realize, I didn't want to go anyway!
Have you ever forgotten a word? Maybe it was on the "tip of your tongue?" Or did you make a bad substitution, or "slip of the tongue?"
I find some of these slips of the tongue to be quite amusing. As when I reminded myself to take an umbrella to work. It wasn't cloudy, I was reaching for a banana. The only thing they have in common is 3 syllables. Weird. Amusing, though.
The worst thing you can do is to let it worry you. Stress is the worst thing for memory. So if you start stressing about not recalling something it will take longer to retrieve it. The best thing to do is to take a deep breath, a few might be necessary, and say to your self, It will come back to me...
It usually does. I mean, it could be the next day, but it WILL come back!
Now where was I?
Some forgetting is normal. We are on input overload every day. Radio, Television, billbords, newspapers, Email, snail mail, work schedule, meeting agendas. It is very hard to filter out the important stuff. Some of this is done for us automatically. But we can only pay attention to so much.
There will be more articles about memory and forgetting, if I don't forget!
