Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation – and forgot what you were going to say seconds after you thought of saying it? Or you get up, walk into another room, and can’t remember for the life of you what you were looking for? (If it were me, I would have been looking for my cell phone/shoes/organic bits of white chocolate I all too successfully hide from myself. Cuz that’s how I roll.)

Luckily, our sometimes lack of memory does not mean we are 1) going crazy, 2) have a terrible disease, or 3) going crazy with a terrible disease. Memory gaps are extremely common and are usually the result of stress and fatigue. But there are ways we can sharpen up our brains that don’t require brain surgery!

Chillax. Remember the year 2005 and do some chillax-ing. Elizabeth Lombardo is a psychologist and the author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness. As told to Yahoo Health, she says, “The best tip to improve your memory is: Reduce your stress. Research shows that when people experience chronic stress, their hippocampus – the part of your brain that is responsible for some memories – literally shrinks in size.” Think of that next time you’re cursing out someone who just cut you off in traffic.

Pay attention. I know, duh. But you can’t remember something if you never learned it. We need to encode things on our brains, and that’s not going to happen by reading articles while simultaneously skimming gossip blogs for the latest dirt. (Ohh Tim Gunn is telling off more people – LOVE IT!)

Keep a positive attitude. If you tell yourself you have a bad memory, you will have a bad memory. If you tell yourself you want to learn something, you will make it easier to learn.

Write things down. This will help you imprint the information. Did you write that down?

Organize the things you wrote down. I used to do this a lot in school, because I was a nerd obsessed with getting good grades. It worked (with the grades, also with being a nerd). Organizing your notes into categories will help you remember it later.
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“Here’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” Ophelia had it right – even though she was totally insane from her ex-boyfriend. (High fives with the “We’ve all been there!”) Researchers have found that rosemary supports memory better than any other scents.

Make a joke about what you want to remember. Funny and weird things are easier to remember than bland facts.

Say it in song. Cynthia Green, PhD, is an expert on brain health and memory. As told Yahoo Health, she says, “research suggests that constantly challenging our brains with intellectual pursuits may boost our “˜cognitive reserve’ and can have the associated benefit of reducing our dementia risk over the long-term.” If you sing something, you’re challenging your brain. When I was little, I was taught the 50 U.S. states in alphabetical order by song. Today, I can say all 50 in under a minute. Now it’s just a party trick that makes people feel vaguely sorry for me”¦but still, I can do it.

Chunk it out. Say you need to call Susie, Sam, Jason and Felicia. Remember it as “the 2 S’s and the J and the F.”

Use the method of Loci. This means associating location with something you have to memorize. Or when you piggyback the information you need onto something that is impossible to forget. Read more about it here.

DO. NOT. SMOKE. And not just because most of the population hates it. According to docs, “smoking heightens the risk of vascular disorders that can cause stroke and constrict arteries that deliver oxygen to the brain.” Mess with your brain, mess with your memory.

Teach and you shall see. Want to make sure you know something? Teach it. I taught grammar at a community college the first semester after I got my Masters degree. You know when I truly learned grammar for the first time because I felt like my life depended on it? The first semester after I got my Masters degree.

Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is when your brain consolidates all the memory it’s accumulated throughout the day.

Think in pictures. Associate positive pictures with things you need to remember. Think of a daisy for your friend Daisy and so on.

Speak with your hands. Gesturing while you are trying to learn a concept helps your brain process the information. If you want to remember someone’s name, write it in the palm of your hand.

Talk it out. Like what you’re reading? Join a book club. Studies show that if you talk about a concept, you are much more likely to remember it. Remember when your teachers tried to get you to talk in class? If yes, then you were probably the one talking.

Draw it out. Doodling in the margins can actually help your brain process information. Who knew daring flowers, boxes and stars could help you think?

Exercise. Keep the blood moving to the brain and your brain will thank you.

Eat your fruits and veggies. Studies show that the healthier a person eats, the slower their brain declines in older age. Other studies show that eating things like brussels sprouts and broccoli can help reverse memory loss, and berries high in antioxidants can boost brain power.

Drink in moderation. Some research suggests that light to moderate alcohol consumption can improve memory. But don’t overdo it. All research suggests that too much alcohol is bad for the brain.

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Junk food has always gotten a bad rap as one of the core culprits of America’s obesity epidemic – and rightly so. Chef Jamie Oliver recently shined a spotlight on the issue of fattening and unhealthy foods being served in school lunches with his show, Food Revolution. And now, a high school principal in Appleton, Wisconsin is blaming her students’ poor diets for crime and vandalism on campus, and claims that modifying the school’s nutrition standards resulted in changes in student behavior, concentration and energy levels, while ushering in a crime-free era. Is this simply a coincidence and more than we can swallow, or is the proof in the banished pudding?

Principal LuAnn Coenen asserts that once junk food was eradicated from the school menu, i.e: fruits and vegetables usurped hamburgers and fries, candy was banned from school grounds, soda pop laden vending machines were replaced with water coolers, (for an entire list of the board’s nutrition standards, click here), “students were calm, socially engaged, and focused on their schoolwork,” problems were minimal and police no longer needed to patrol the hallways.

Could a change of menu contribute to such a weighty outcome? It’s my belief that food is the body’s fuel, and whatever we put in it is how we will in turn operate, be it at a high level of performance, or sputtering down the highway of life, and there’s no doubt we’ve all witnessed in our children and in ourselves what a sugar or caffeine high, followed by an inevitable crash and burn can do to our body and our psyche.

It’s a fundamental fact that diet and nutrition supply the body with energy, and affect the brain’s processes, so what can it possibly hurt to enlist schools to change their menus with the hope of seeing their students attain better grades and a more even-keeled and overall peaceful environment? Processed junk food is so much less expensive and easily attainable, which is why we need case studies like this to pave the way for higher nutrition standards to infiltrate schools, in place of metal detectors and anti-bullying seminars.

Of course, there are many other contributing factors to school violence and disorderly conduct, but why not give ‘peas’ a chance to make a difference? The WELL Said blog takes another look into this simple menu change and ensuing positive effects. Blogger Christina asks: “Is there so little interest in dietary solutions because there is no money to be made by the pharmaceutical companies that tout their behavior-modifying drugs to our children? Could it be that once again special interests are blocking the path to the truth? Could it be that we should be looking to a high school in Wisconsin for the recipe (pun intended) to reduce violent behavior and create emotional well-being?”

All food for thought.

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The term “gratitude journal” has been casually bandied about ever since Oprah announced that is was part of her daily practice to sit down and list all of the things for which she is grateful. The concept of reflecting upon and writing down what we appreciate is one we’d all like to carve into our regular routine, but the actual practice is often eluded as the day slips away and our heads are finally able to hit the pillow (while journals remain closed in bedside bureaus).

Here are some easy tips that will really help get you started on writing a gratitude journal. And since practicing the art of gratitude is a simple way to boost both mental and physical health, the sooner we get started, the better!

First things first – Get a Journal! Some people (self included) are intimidated by fancy, new journals because they don’t want to mess up their pristine pages. So choose a journal that you feel comfortable writing in. I love Ecojot’s collection of 100 percent recycled paper journals. There’s a wide selection of vibrant, cheery styles, in varying sizes that will make your practice fun and convenient.

List one, not ten things you’re grateful for. Many are daunted by the task of sitting down at day’s end to summon up a long-ish list of ten things throughout the day that they are grateful for. So start small, and write down one thing you’re grateful for. If doing so has a domino effect and you can happily add to your list, keep your session going. If not, be happy with your mindfulness for that one moment, close your journal and go to sleep with a smile on your face.

Write in your gratitude journal any time of day, throughout the day. If nighttime isn’t the right time, take your journal off your nightstand and place it in the room in your home in which you spend most of your time, or tote it in your bag for on-the-go easy access. This way, you’ll be able to reach for it and write in it at will as gratitude dons on you – and you can avoid scratching your head in the evening when you’re tired and trying to recall all of the day’s events.

Think outside the pages. Is the thought of cracking open an archaic paper journal a laugh to you, given your prowess in the digital age? Don’t feel obligated to hand-write your thoughts across paper. As the new saying goes, “there’s an app for that!” iTunes offers a program called Gratitude! Journal Positive Thoughts, so your iPhone can double as your gratitude journal, and you won’t have to worry about its whereabouts!

Accentuate the positive. If you’ve had a particularly crummy day, don’t bail on your gratitude session. Bad days are when we’re most in need of the perspective that being appreciative has to offer. Do your best to accentuate anything positive in your life, even if it doesn’t relate to anything that happened that day. It can be as basic but as vital as, I’m grateful for my beating heart!

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You many not get abs of steel, but according to a new study recently published in The Journal Environmental Science & Technology, your mood and sense of personal well being can be lifted after five minutes of “Green Exercise.”

Green exercise, the Journal explains, is activity in the presence of nature. The study reveals that every green environment provides an important health service; being outdoors improves both self-esteem and mood, and that the presence of water generates even greater positive effects.

The research used meta-analysis methodology (a statistical technique that reviews quantitative research) to analyze 10 U.K. studies involving 1252 participants. Ten studies undertaken by the University of Essex over the past six years were selected for inclusion. Detailed research questions related to physical activities (duration and intensity), types of green places, and participant characteristics (age, sex, health status) were used.

Among the activities observed were cycling, gardening, walking, fishing, boating, and horseback riding in various environments such as the countryside and farmland, forest and woodland, urban green, and near water.

The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was used to quantify changes in mood, and measurements were taken immediately pre and post-activity or intervention. The study was created by Jo Barton and Jules Pretty from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Society at the University of Essex in the U.K.

Their findings suggest that attention should be given to developing the use of green exercise as a therapeutic intervention (green care), that planners and architects should improve access to green space (green design), and that children should be given opportunities to learn in outdoor settings (green education). Employers, they say, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest Green Space to improve mental health, which may in turn affect productivity.

So the next time you need a boost, look for a park, a few trees, a pond, or even a Green Roof and take five.

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If you keep upbeat, do you really live longer?

A new study by the University of Pittsburgh offers a tantalizing hint. After looking at a population sample of women aged 50 and over, researchers have concluded that there is some kind of link between people with cheery attitudes, and those with higher longevity and resistance to diseases and health disorders.

Okay. Perhaps you’d now like to join one of two queues that are busily forming. The first is the “Well, Duh” queue, occupied by everyone who takes a wry view of scientific findings that confirm what’s widely held as “common sense”. The second is the “Science, What Science?” line. This is where you’ll hear: “how exactly can something as woolly as a positive outlook actually improve your physical health?”

Team leader Dr. Hilary Tindle doesn’t know either – and she points out that this research doesn’t claim that you can grin your way to a ripe old age. (It may well be that simple, but we still don’t know). Yet these findings are weighty. The sample? A whopping 100,000 women.  Of these, the proportion demonstrating an optimistic approach were significantly more likely to dodge ailments and death than their more pessimistic counterparts – a 14% better chance of being alive 8 years after the study began, and an impressive 30% lower likelihood of suffering heart disease during that time.

It’s true that these figures are based on subjective category assignments – a certain amount of informed pigeonholing by the research team – but it’s clear there’s something going on here. And while I’m waiting to find out what it is, I’ll be making sure I have a smile on my face.

Recommended Reading: Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project

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I, like 1 in 3 Americans, have suffered panic attacks in my life, and I’ll never forget how real and overpowering the fear was, paralyzing in its strength. Symptoms of a panic attack include shortness of breath, a choking feeling, dizziness and feelings of disconnectedness from reality and losing control. It is an absolutely terrifying experience. But if you understand how a panic attack works, you can also learn how to stop it in its tracks.

You see, panic is a natural response to a perceived emergency and helps with the fight-or-flight survival instinct. Rest assured that you’re not crazy. But if you feel the panic rising and you know the emergency isn’t immediately life-threatening (like a car coming right at you, or being inside a burning building), you can take control before the symptoms take control of you.

Make the intention to STOP. You’ve got to decide that you can overcome the rush of adrenaline and if possible, put your hands out in front of you and say out loud “STOP!” in a very firm voice. Remember, you are in control, not your emotions.
Refocus your energy. Don’t let yourself follow the train of panicky thoughts. Instead, reign them in and do some kind of simple, repetitive activity to occupy yourself. Wash the dishes, pull weeds, do sit-ups or any other simple activity that doesn’t require mental concentration.
Breathe. Take control of your breath. Breathe slowly, deeply, from the diaphragm. If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, this is the time to make use of the deep, intentional breathing you learned. Your belly should move with your breath.

Accept your feelings. Once you’ve calmed down, take a look at what triggered your panic attack. There’s something very real there that’s bothering you, and your body is telling you that you need to take some action. But appropriate action can only be taken from a calm, settled state of mind.

Again, the important thing to remember is that panic is your body’s hormonal response to a perceived emergency and that it will pass, usually in just a few minutes. You’re not dying, you’re not going crazy, and you can take control. Please let us know about any other tips that have worked for you.

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So they’ve done it again. The folks at Harvard University have managed to distill stress relief into SparkNotes (or Cliffs Notes for those of you over the age of 35). This mini-therapy session will have you seeing the glass half-full in no time and leave that co-pay cash in your pocket to enjoy the holiday season. Whether you have one minute or half an hour, you’ll find ways to ease your day.

Take the sting out of 10 common stressors.

Sometimes just thinking about embarking on a program of stress control can be stressful. Start small and bask in the glow of your successes. Give yourself a week to focus on practical solutions that could help you cope with just one stumbling block or source of stress in your life. Pick a problem, and see if these suggestions work for you.

Frequently late?

Apply time-management principles. Consider your priorities (be sure to include time for yourself) and delegate or discard unnecessary tasks. Map out your day, segment by segment, setting aside time for different tasks, such as writing or phone calls. If you are overly optimistic about travel time, consistently give yourself an extra 15 minutes or more to get to your destinations. If lateness stems from dragging your heels, consider the underlying issue. Are you anxious about what will happen after you get to work or to a social event, for example?

Often angry or irritated?

Consider the weight of cognitive distortions. Are you magnifying a problem, leaping to conclusions, or applying emotional reasoning? Take the time to stop, breathe, reflect, and choose.

Unsure of your ability to do something?

Don’t try to go it alone. If the problem is work, talk to a co-worker or supportive boss. Ask a knowledgeable friend or call the local library or an organization that can supply the information you need. Write down other ways that you might get the answers or skills you need. Turn to tapes, books, or classes, for example, if you need a little tutoring. This works equally well when you’re learning relaxation response techniques, too.

Overextended?

Clear the deck of at least one time-consuming household task. Hire a house-cleaning service, shop for groceries through the Internet, convene a family meeting to consider who can take on certain jobs, or barter with or pay teens for work around the house and yard. Consider what is truly essential and important to you and what might take a backseat right now.

Not enough time for stress relief?

Try mini-relaxations. Or make a commitment to yourself to pare down your schedule for just one week so you can practice the relaxation response every day. Slowing down to pay attention to just one task or pleasure at hand is an excellent method of stress relief.

Feeling unbearably tense?

Try massage, a hot bath, mini-relaxations, a body scan, or a mindful walk. Practically any exercise – a brisk walk, a quick run, a sprint up and down the stairs – will help, too. Done regularly, exercise wards off tension, as do relaxation response techniques.

Frequently feel pessimistic?

Remind yourself of the value of learned optimism: a more joyful life and, quite possibly, better health. Practice deflating cognitive distortions. Rent funny movies and read amusing books. Create a mental list of reasons you have to feel grateful. If the list seems too short, consider beefing up your social network and adding creative, productive, and leisure pursuits to your life.

Upset by conflicts with others?

State your needs or distress directly, avoiding “you always” or “you never” zingers. Say, “I feel ________when you _____.” “I would really appreciate it if you could ______.” “I need some help setting priorities. What needs to be done first and what should I tackle later?” If conflicts are a significant source of distress for you, consider taking a class on assertiveness training.

Worn out or burned out?

Focus on self-nurturing techniques. Carve out time to practice the relaxation response or at least indulge in mini-relaxations. Care for your body by eating good, healthy food and for your heart by seeking out others. Give thought to creative, productive, and leisure activities. Consider your priorities in life: is it worth feeling this way, or is another path open to you? If you want help, consider what kind would be best. Do you want the job taken off your hands? Do you want to do it at a later date? Do you need someone with particular expertise to assist you?

Feeling lonely?

Connect with others. Even little connections – a brief conversation in line at the grocery store, an exchange about local goings-on with a neighbor, a question for a colleague – can help melt the ice within you. It may embolden you, too, to seek more opportunities to connect. Be a volunteer. Attend religious or community functions. Suggest coffee with an acquaintance. Call a friend or relative you miss. Take an interesting class. If social anxiety, low self-esteem, or depression is dampening your desire to reach out, seek help. The world is a kinder, more wondrous place when you share its pleasures and burdens.

Meditation on the go!

Meditation can evoke the relaxation response, and appears to have health benefits as well. It’s also simple to perform. Here’s how to get started:

Choose a mental device to help you focus.

Silently repeat a word, sound, prayer, or phrase (such as “one,” “peace,” “Om,” or “breathing in calm”). You may close your eyes if you like or focus your gaze on an object.

Adopt a passive attitude.

Disregard distracting thoughts or concerns about how well you’re doing. Any time your attention drifts, simply say, “Oh, well” to yourself and return to silently repeating your focus word or phrase.

Now slowly relax your muscles…

Moving your attention gradually from your face to your feet. Breathe easily and naturally while using your focal device for 10 to 20 minutes. After you finish, sit quietly for a minute or so with your eyes closed. Then open your eyes, and wait another minute before standing up.

Try to practice this meditation daily for 10 to 20 minutes, preferably at a specific time each day.

Try a mini-relaxation.

Mini-relaxations can help allay fear and reduce pain while you sit in the dentist’s chair. They’re equally helpful in thwarting stress before an important meeting, while stuck in traffic, or when faced with people or situations that annoy you. Here are a few quick relaxation techniques to try.

When you’ve got 1 minute:

Place your hand just beneath your navel so you can feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. Breathe in slowly. Pause for a count of three. Breathe out. Pause for a count of three. Continue to breathe deeply for one minute, pausing for a count of three after each inhalation and exhalation.

Alternatively, while sitting comfortably, take a few slow deep breaths and quietly repeat to yourself “I am” as you breathe in and “at peace” as you breathe out. Repeat slowly two or three times. Then feel your entire body relax into the support of the chair.

When you’ve got 2 minutes:

Count down slowly from 10 to zero. With each number, take one complete breath, inhaling and exhaling. For example, breathe in deeply saying “10″ to yourself. Breathe out slowly. On your next breath, say “nine,” and so on. If you feel lightheaded, count down more slowly to space your breaths further apart. When you reach zero, you should feel more relaxed. If not, go through the exercise again.

When you’ve got 3 minutes:

While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your sides. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly.

When you’ve got 5 minutes:

Try self-massage. A combination of strokes works well to relieve muscle tension. Try gentle chops with the edge of your hands or tapping with fingers or cupped palms. Put fingertip pressure on muscle knots. Knead across muscles, and try long, light, gliding strokes. You can apply these strokes to any part of the body that falls easily within your reach. For a short session like this, try focusing on your neck and head.

Start by kneading the muscles at the back of your neck and shoulders. Make a loose fist and drum swiftly up and down the sides and back of your neck. Next, use your thumbs to work tiny circles around the base of your skull. Slowly massage the rest of your scalp with your fingertips. Then tap your fingers against your scalp, moving from the front to the back and then over the sides. Now massage your face. Make a series of tiny circles with your thumbs or fingertips. Pay particular attention to your temples, forehead, and jaw muscles. Use your middle fingers to massage the bridge of your nose and work outward over your eyebrows to your temples. Finally, close your eyes. Cup your hands loosely over your face and inhale and exhale easily for a short while.

When you’ve got 10 minutes:

Try imagery. Start by sitting comfortably in a quiet room. Breathe deeply for a few minutes. Now picture yourself in a place that conjures up good memories. What do you smell – the heavy scent of roses on a hot day, crisp fall air, the wholesome smell of baking bread? What do you hear? Drink in the colors and shapes that surround you. Focus on sensory pleasures: the swoosh of a gentle wind; soft, cool grass tickling your feet; the salty smell and rhythmic beat of the ocean. Passively observe intrusive thoughts, and then gently disengage from them to return to the world you’ve created.

Keep a gratitude journal.

Reflecting on the positive experiences, feelings, and relationships in your life can bring you greater joy. A gratitude journal is a good way to acknowledge the things that brighten your life and help you turn your focus away from negative thoughts and feelings.

Keep a journal by your bed so that at the end of each day, you can spend five to 10 minutes writing about something that you were grateful for in your day. Savor pleasant sights, sounds, and experiences – a sunset, the birds chirping outside your window, a hug from your child, or a call from a friend. Celebrate accomplishments large and small – learning to master a new hobby, doing well on a project at work, or getting the kids off to school on time.

Conjure up the scene in your mind and try to write about it in detail. Then, spend a few minutes soaking in the experience again. You can also use this journal to reflect on things from the past that you are grateful for.

Deflate cognitive distortions.

When you recognize negative thoughts cropping up, take the following steps.

Stop: Consciously call a mental time-out.

Breathe: Take a few deep breaths to help release tension.

Reflect: Ask some hard questions. Is this thought or belief true? Did I jump to a conclusion? What evidence do I actually have? Am I letting negative thoughts balloon? Is there another way to view the situation? What would be the worst that could happen? Does it help me to think this way?

Choose: Decide how to deal with the source of your stress. If distortion is the root of the problem, can you recognize this and let go? Is the problem or constraint a real one or is it one of your mind’s making? If the problem is real, are there practical steps you can take to cope with it? Practicing a mini-relaxation may also help.

Make a worry box.

Everyone gets distracted by worries and concerns, but sometimes these worries can spill over, seeping into the fabric of your day. Having a place to contain your worries – literally – may help you set them aside so that you can focus on the more pleasurable or meaningful parts of your life.

Begin by finding or making a worry box. Any box will do. This is a great exercise for children, but youngsters may find it even more appealing if they can decorate the box as they like and keep it in a special place.

At the end of the day, take a few minutes to write down two or three of your concerns on slips of paper and place them inside the box. Or if the box is handy, you can write down worries as each crops up and drop your worries into the box throughout the day.

The worry box allows you to mentally let go of your worries. Once your worries are deposited in the box, try to turn your attention to other matters.

What you do with your slips of paper is up to you. Some people choose to throw out the notes without reading them again while others benefit from looking through them periodically before tossing them away. In that case, you may be surprised to find that most of your worrying was fruitless; the scenarios you imagined never came to pass.

For more information, check out Harvard’s free stress relief reports.

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