The past few months have been challenging in multiple ways. If your brain is feeling it, if you are having a hard time focusing, falling asleep, or more senior moments than you care to admit to, you are not alone! 

Geriatric social worker and memory coach  Rena (Rochkind) Yudkowsky tells BJL: “Stress affects your brain in many ways. Exposure to chronic stress actually shrinks your hippocampus, which is in charge of learning and memory.  It weakens your immune system and creates more beta-amyloid plaques which are associated with accelerated aging and Alzheimer’s Disease. It impairs your ability to focus and function as well.”

So, what are we supposed to do to combat stress and improve our brain function?

 Yudkowsky offers 8 suggestions to improve your mood, help you feel calmer, and enhance your memory:

1. Meditate, breathe, practice mindfulness - helps to calm your system and bring oxygen to the brain so that you can easily remember. Practice being present in the moment. This will help you to focus on the task at hand and not worry about the future. Ask yourself, “Am I okay right this minute?” Take it one minute at a time if you need to.

1. Pray - letting go and giving it over to Hashem is very calming. Remember that you are in His Hands always. Flexing those Emunah muscles is also good for the brain.

1.  Learn a new hobby - very stimulating for the brain and fun. It could be music, a language, a new game. Anything that challenges your brain is good. Boredom and isolation are dangerous for aging brains. You need to be USING the brain in creative ways.

      4.   Socialize - call friends and family, do zoom meetings, don’t stay isolated. During these challenging times, it is crucial to speak to and connect with others. We are wired for connection. People who stay socially active, live longer, happier lives. Reach out to someone who needs a phone call. You will end up feeling enriched.

      5.  Exercise - to produce BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) which helps grow new brain cells.

      6. Sleep - this is a secret free cure for most ailments, a good night’s sleep detoxes the brain.

      7. Kill the ANTs - automatic negative thoughts, write them down and turn them into PETs, positive empowering thoughts (from Dr. Daniel Amen).

      8.  Practice gratitude - focus on what you have and the positive opportunities that have come out of this crisis. Share it with others.  

What about those frustrating moments like, when you can’t remember where you put the car keys? Or now with coronavirus lockdown the day of the week?

Yudkowsky suggests first, realize that you probably didn’t pay attention to what you were doing in the first place. If your brain is not engaged in what you are doing, you will not remember it. We live in a very distracted world where we try to multitask too often.  Multitasking trips up your brain, adds to the stress levels and temporarily lowers your IQ by 15 points. So, whenever possible, do one task at a time.

After that realization, her professional advice is to talk out loud. When you hear yourself say, “I am now turning off the stove or locking the door” you are using the sense of hearing which stimulates the brain to remember. The more senses you use to encode a memory, the higher the chance that you will remember. Self-talk really works. Try it. Don’t worry, no one will think you are crazy. Plus, these days of COVID-19 when wearing a mask, who will hear you anyway.

In response to BJL's request for a fun brain exercise, here is one for almost all age groups. 

Try having a conversation with one or more people without using the letter 'T'. You can choose any letter. It is harder than you think and really uses your brainpower.

Rena (Rochkind) Yudkowsky, a native Baltimorean, is a geriatric social worker, and memory coach living in Israel. She founded Memory Matters and teaches memory improvement courses to mid-lifers and seniors. From Sunday, May 17 - May 20, she is offering four free zoom webinars. Memory Matters Week will include topics about memory, focus, brain health, and what you can do to prevent dementia. 

For memory improvement strategies and more fun exercises, sign up for Memory Matters Week’s valuable tips and tricks to improve your memory and build your confidence. 

Yudkowsky concludes, “You CAN remember what is important to you!”

Click here to sign up for free for Memory Matters Week

For website see:  www.renayudkowsky.com or contact email at rena@renayudkowsky.com