Page 104 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

88 • Chapter 4

After the name gets into your brain, how can you be sure
you can get it out when you need it at a later meeting? Re-
constructing the scene where you learned her name may
help jog your memory. Look carefully at her face in case you
associated a feature with her name. Try not to get upset.
Some enzymes block your synaptic activity under stress.
Give yourself enough time to recall her name. Don’t set the
goal that you must say “Hello...“ using her name. If you
relax, the name may come to you during the conversation,
and you can use it then.
You can use these techniques for introductions in many
other situations. Try to implement a few of these recom-
mendations to help you concentrate. In the meantime, we
have a few exercises for you to try.

' Visual Concentration
To improve your visual concentration, look at a scene in a
room, outside, or in a magazine. Look for about 30 seconds,
concentrating on what you see. At the end of the 30 seconds,
turn away or close your eyes and try to remember every-
thing you saw in the scene. Repeat this exercise with another
scene. Practice this often. It’s a good game to play while
waiting for someone. Notice how your ability to recall more
items in the scene improves as you play more often.

Auditory Concentration

This is a game two or more people can play to develop their
auditory concentration skills. It’s called “I’m shopping!” To
play, choose someone to go first. The first person says “I’m
shopping for...“ and names an object. The next person re-
peats what the first person says and adds a product. Keep
playing while people can keep up with the complete list,
and restart the game when someone forgets a product. Re-
member to have fun with this game. If someone who is play-
ing forgets often, let that person go second. That way, the
player can build on success more easily.