Memory... ugh.

[Zhaylin]

"Salutations, My name is April * and I live here in [city]. I hope this letter finds you well. I've been making a special effort to reach my neighbors in the community simply to encourage them to continue reading their Bible and drawing close to God (or to begin if interested). Romans 15:4 tells us: "For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Bible we might have hope." Hope. It seems that all of us could use a little extra hope now-a-days. If you think you would be interested in a home Bible study at no cost and no obligation, just mail in the coupon that's on the back of the enclosed tract. The book being offered, also free of charge: "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" uses the Bible in helping to answer many questions such as: "Why do we suffer; How can we cope with life's anxieties; How can we have a happier family life; What happens to us when we die; Will we ever see our dead loved ones again; and How can we be sure that God will fulfill his promises for the future?" Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns: [Name and address] Or email me at: [email] Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Name" I have written that down at least one hundred times over the last year or so. I have it committed to memory. So why is it, if someone says: "What does Romans 15:4 say?" I can't answer? If someone asks what the offered book is about, I can't answer. If someone QUOTES the above mentioned Scripture to me and asks me where it's found, I can't answer. Shoot, I can't even write an exact letter without looking at an identical letter. AND **I** CAME UP WITH THE LETTER! I tested myself with this thread. I didn't let myself cheat and I successfully wrote the letter here, word for word without error in about 5 minutes. I have this problem with everything. I know I KNOW the information, but I can't retrieve it at will. WHY? How can I improve my memory and/or recall? Is it a matter of confidence? Sorry so long... And sorry this is in the religious section, but the letter sort of made it a must lol. Thanks.

[Thief]

When you sit down to write something, its easier on the mind than having someone spontaneously asking you to recite something. Also alot less pressure. With the former you have time to jog your memory and all that fun stuff.

[Zhaylin]

Great point. Ironically, I always failed most tests in school even if I knew the answers. Maybe it's just performance anxiety I shouldn't have any problems with my memory. I've been sort of obsessing over a stupid psychological/parenting test I had to take a few months ago. My results showed I'm slightly "retarded" when it comes to things spatial and mathmatical. But my overall score was "average/slightly above average" so I should just "build a bridge" and get over myself lol I just bought an online IQ test which gives me a similar overall score (111). But on it, my math skills were fine and so was my memory (I took the test a couple months ago but just now bought it, so I can't recall if I just guessed at some of the answers lol). My weakest score was geometric at 94/111. My spelling rules at 132/111. So, there's nothing wrong with my brain in and of itself. I guess I just need to chill and stop expecting myself to have perfect recall ALL the time. But at the same time... I play a game called glyph on my iPod Touch. One part of the game is like the electronic game of Simon Says where 4 designs light up and play a tune at different times and you have to remember the sequence. Unless it's a simple and slow sequence (top, right, bottom, left for instance) I usually can't remember anything above 4 moves. Yet, again, perhaps it's just a performance anxiety. Okay, another question: I notice I'm not the only one who does this, but I'm going to use "I" statements because it's simply easier. Whenever I listen to a song on the radio, I sing along, remembering most of the words and melody. BUT, if I try to remember the lyrics on my own I'm lucky to recall the chorus. Why is that? Does the music trigger the memory of the lyrics?

[Kael Seoras]

A reply to your last question: probably. A great way to improve recall is to associate the thing you're recalling with something else. In this case, you're associating the lyrics with the music, so whenever you hear the music you'll remember the lyrics.

[Licity]

"Salutations, My name is April * and I live here in [city]. I hope this letter finds you well. I've been making a special effort to reach my neighbors in the community simply to encourage them to continue reading their Bible and drawing close to God (or to begin if interested). Romans 15:4 tells us: "For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Bible we might have hope." Hope. It seems that all of us could use a little extra hope now-a-days. If you think you would be interested in a home Bible study at no cost and no obligation, just mail in the coupon that's on the back of the enclosed tract. The book being offered, also free of charge: "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" uses the Bible in helping to answer many questions such as: "Why do we suffer; How can we cope with life's anxieties; How can we have a happier family life; What happens to us when we die; Will we ever see our dead loved ones again; and How can we be sure that God will fulfill his promises for the future?" Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns: [Name and address] Or email me at: [email] Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Name" I have written that down at least one hundred times over the last year or so. I have it committed to memory. So why is it, if someone says: "What does Romans 15:4 say?" I can't answer? If someone asks what the offered book is about, I can't answer. If someone QUOTES the above mentioned Scripture to me and asks me where it's found, I can't answer. Shoot, I can't even write an exact letter without looking at an identical letter. AND **I** CAME UP WITH THE LETTER! I tested myself with this thread. I didn't let myself cheat and I successfully wrote the letter here, word for word without error in about 5 minutes. I have this problem with everything. I know I KNOW the information, but I can't retrieve it at will. WHY? How can I improve my memory and/or recall? Is it a matter of confidence? Sorry so long... And sorry this is in the religious section, but the letter sort of made it a must lol. Thanks. Here's a sequence of letters. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Looks familiar, right? Now, without looking, what is the 16th letter? I bet that, to figure out the 16th letter is 'P', you had to run the song in your head while counting off letters until you reached 16. You memorized that specific phrase as part of the letter. That's not a very common verse, is it? I bet the strongest association your brain has with the verse is as the letter, so the easiest way to get to the verse is by running through the letter. Probably so much easier that it's impossible to do any other way.

[Zhaylin]

hahaa! Excellent point! I did indeed have to sing the song. After this post I now perfectly recall the Scripture, the books content and my letter. I guess I had to make a big deal about it and test myself before it stuck in my mind. I just wish I had a better memory. Every few months, I write down or speak the names of the 50 some-odd people in my congregation just to keep their names fresh in my thoughts. But I still have "brain farts" where I completely forget a name I KNOW and it drives me bananas. Last night hubby and I were trying to remember the name of a stripper I used to work with. He had the hots for her and after some mental prodding he could always recall her stage name. I never could lol. I always just waited for him to remember. It took him about 12 hours this last time lol. Alexis!!!! I always remember Kerri though (I think it's her real name). But ask me the name of the girl I had the "hots for" 10 years ago and it was Fawn. So I realize some things have emotional triggers. Why is it so hard though, to remember AND access certain things? Now-a-days, my religion is most important to me. I read the Bible. I study. I type out the chapters of the Bible into my iPod Touch. I can recall the gist of topics but not specifics. What is the best way to memorize info? My tricks simply aren't good enough.