For many people, memory loss is anything but a laughing matter. Despite jokes about “senior moments” and embarrassed smiles at friends, the perceived loss of memory creates quite a bit of anxiety in many people—especially those approaching middle age.
One reason people have become increasingly anxious about memory loss is the fear that what they are experiencing is the onset of something more serious, like Alzheimer’s disease. For many who have had a parent with Alzheimer’s, this fear and subsequent anxiety is especially great. In fact, some of the early signs of Alzheimer’s are very similar to the types of mental lapses that most experts consider using brain exercises to remedy, raising the anxiety level even more.

It is important to separate fear from fact when dealing with memory issues. Most perceived declines in memory have nothing to do with Alzheimer’s but are common aspects of aging. To counter these feelings, brain exercises also act as a compensatory mechanism, working to overcome memory problems by helping people develop other ways to code and retrieve information. So, once you start doing exercises you may find yourself putting together “to-do” lists, using calendars more often and learning personal ways to help you remember.
Once exercises begin working and compensatory techniques kick in, you’ll start improving your confidence and actually find your mind performing better as a result.