Why it is important to preserve your memory
As human beings, having memories is a fundamental aspect of our lives. They directly impact our personal identity and help define our character, as they comprise of our life experiences. This includes incidents we have encountered, information we have learned, and people we have bonded with over the years. Our memories are archived within our brains, like a filing system, with data and information encoded, stored, and retrieved when required.
However, our memories start fading as we age, leading to forgetfulness and amnesia. Certain details progressively become more difficult to recall and it can be a frustrating experience. Other conditions such as experiencing stress, anxiety, dementia, or depression, can also impact our ability to remember, leading to memory loss. In particular, the different types of dementia (including Alzheimer’s diseases, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body disease) can cause a progressive decline in memory and is estimated to affect 131.5 million people worldwide by 20501.
At Visdon, we have developed products such as ReBrain, which enhances brain health and helps improve your memory. Here are four vital reasons why it’s important to proactively preserve your memory and stave off memory loss.
Remembering your loved ones
One of the most important reasons to preserve your memory is to ensure you’re able to remember your loved ones. This includes both living and deceased friends and family, recalling the positive experiences you enjoyed together with them. As humans, we utilise artefacts such as photography, paintings, sculptures, and videos to preserve these individuals and to help us recollect certain details about them. For example, it is often heart-warming to gaze upon an old photograph of yourself and your partner from decades ago and relive those moments of excitement and joy.
On the contrary, we also experience loss and suffering throughout the course of our lives, such as the death of a loved one, which can deal devastating blows to us emotionally. However, we can gradually overcome our grief with the assistance of recollecting fond memories that we had created with them, thereby allowing us to remember the most positive aspects of how they touched our lives.
Not forgetting the simple things in life
Life is not only marked by large events such as a wedding, the birth of a child or a university graduation, but also filled with numerous micro moments that are often short-lived but fleeting. These seemingly ordinary incidents, such as baking a new cake or discovering a new restaurant, are often overlooked, and forgotten. However, it’s important to appreciate these moments as tomorrow is never guaranteed and we should make the most of our time on this planet, properly savouring both the large, tent-pole experiences and the numerous simple pleasures.
We often stumble across this realisation as we grow older, which unfortunately can coincide in parallel with a gradual loss of memory. In order to retain the ability to continue appreciating the simple things in life, it’s imperative to look into techniques and solutions, including taking supplements such as ReBrain, to improve our memory.
Sharing vital life lesson with younger generations
As we progress in life, many of us have both obtained achievements and weathered many storms that have proven to be life-changing and character building. Whether it’s having a successful career, being a parent or exploring the world, we have all created a personal legacy that is imbued with life lessons that can be shared and taught with others, including our children and grandchildren.
As a result, the preservation of our memories will enable us to pass on those valuable lessons of life to those younger generations, allowing them to gain useful insights from our own successes and failures.
Passing on your culture and traditions
As a multicultural nation, Australia is inhabited by residents from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. In 2016, the national census revealed that over 300 separately identified languages were spoken in Australian homes, with Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, and Vietnamese being commonly used after English2. As a result, the country is teeming with different traditions, each possessing their own unique customs, philosophies, and way of life. These are passed down from one generation to another, such as parents teaching their children. Furthermore, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge is passed from generation to generation through storytelling, songs, dances, art, and ceremonies. It is evident that the ability to preserve memories is fundamental to the continuity of traditions.
As one can fathom, this requires a robust ability to draw upon memories. Maintaining this function is crucial to ensure these cultural legacies are successfully transferred. A loss in memory can directly cause vital information to be falsely transmitted or incorrectly communicated.
At the end of the day, the importance of preserving your memories can be summarised by the undeniable fact that our memories directly impact our identity and capacity to re-live experiences, share information and pass on learnings to future generations. Photographs and videos help capture our memories, but we cannot draw upon the full effect of those recollections if our ability to remember is compromised.
Taking action to prevent memory loss is recommended and Visdon is here to support you with that personal goal to enhance your memory.
