"The name of the restaurant is on the tip of my tongue and it is just not coming to me." Does this sound familiar? Everyone experiences trouble now and again recalling information when needed. It is most often proper nouns like the name of a person or place. Usually the more anxious you are in trying to recall, the less successful you might be in the moment. Eventually you may remember the forgotten name or word when you are more relaxed and not pressuring yourself to remember. Even though recall or retrieval issues are common and happen throughout life, they seem to occur more frequently as people grow older. This type of forgetfulness can be frustrating and even annoying, but typically happens to all of us now and again.
As an intellectual challenge, you can practice recalling information from your long term memory. And, even better, you can do this in your mind just about anywhere you are. All you need to do is think of any topic where you can list responses. For instance, right now make a list or recall (in your mind) as many U.S. states as you can. Take one minute and then read further!
How did you do? Were you able to recall several states? Maybe you were able to remember all 50! Now, take another minute and try to recall in your mind as many names of the teachers you had while growing up. Go ahead, take a minute and then come back.
How did you do this time? See, you can work on recall anywhere, anytime. You don't need paper, pencil or game pieces for this intellectual challenge. All you need is your noggin, a topic, and some time for concentration. Mind Recall activities like this give your brain a mental workout, as you reach into your long term memory for answers.
Here is a list of other recall topics you can work on, or you can think of your own!
- U.S. presidents
- Common street names
- Cities
- Countries
- Animals
- Celebrities
- Movie titles
- Book titles
- Television shows