Boosting Memory and Recall
As a child or adult, problems with working or short-term memory can create many unwanted consequences, like:
- Low grades
- Poor performance at work
- Financial problems related to poor budgeting and forgetting to pay bills
- High conflict in social, work, and romantic relationships
With so much at risk, solutions must be the focus for the future to improve short-term and working memory. Since working memory and short-term memory vary, they might require different treatment options.
Notably, medications designed to treat ADHD may be helpful with short-term memory problems but not with working memory deficits. If you are interested in improving your short-term memory or that of a loved one, consider the following options:
Be Realistic
Having expectations grounded in reality will allow you to avoid disappointment and regret. Your memory will not be as strong as people without ADHD, and that’s okay.
Thinking you can remember information without taking extra steps will only result in you feeling farther from your goals. Accepting your limitations will lead to better results.
Let People Know
Now that you have grown your acceptance of your memory issues, you can spread the information to others. It is not meant to be an excuse or a method to gain sympathy from others — it is a way to produce better results.
If you tell your supports up front that you have issues with memory, they can employ special measures to boost your success.
Calm the Inside
The mind of someone with ADHD can be a swirl of many ideas, thoughts, and feelings, as well as ADHD hyperfocus. Because of this, taking measures to slow down and focus your internal processes can help your progress.
Consider meditation, exercise, and relaxation techniques, as well as rethinking your diet and sleep habits to aid your memory.
Calm the Outside
Anyone will struggle with memory if their environment is a constant barrage of stimuli. Limit extraneous sights and sounds to increase focus, and try doing only one task at a time, since doing too much as once will limit your resources.
Since working memory operates in different ways, it requires unique interventions, like:
- Adding regular routines to your day will start to reprogram your behaviors so you’re less reliant on memory. Routines build habits, which require less working memory to be completed.
- Reminders decrease your dependency on working memory by placing the information in a tangible location. If someone gives you several steps to complete, don’t rely on your memory — write it down, put a reminder in your phone, or tie a ribbon around your finger.