Created by Dr Sabina Brennan with funding from GENIO - if you would like to support the development of more films like this please contact brennas1@tcd.ie
These films aim to address your fears about memory loss and dementia and provide practical advice about brain health.
For more visit freedemliving.com
Korean subtitles courtesy of Misook Ahn.
Spanish subtitles courtesy of José Ignacio Marsá Valdovinos.
Dutch subtitles courtesy of Mirjam Schepens.
Basque subtitles courtesy of Unai Diaz.
French subtitles courtesy of Jacques Gatard and Jennifer David.
Italian subtitles courtesy of Valentina Gigliucci and Simona Salamone.
German subtitles courtesy of Jean Maples.
We have all walked into a room to get something then drawn a complete blank. What was it you went in there to do? But what might surprise you is it may not be your memory that is letting you down in these instances but your attention.
Everyday attention is about present mindedness. Which means to focus on what you're doing while you're doing it. Unfortunately achieving present mindedness is not always easy.
Absent mindedness; a number of factors can lead your mind to wander. Stress, medication and alcohol. Absent mindedness is more common as you get older, which may cause you to wrongly conclude that you attention problem is the beginning of Alzheimer's disease.
Luckily there are things you can do to help your attention. Pilots use self-talk and check lists to help them remain present minded, they talk through ever action with their co-pilot in order to keep themselves in the moment.
Some people create habits as in picking one place to leave their keys so they don't have to remember where they put them. For others it works to set simply goals to help focus on an individual task. Don't be too hard on yourself and reward yourself when you are finished.
These little attention helpers reduce your absent mindedness but they do even more because if you are present minded you will be better able to stay away from negative taught or memories that can cause anxiety, stress and depression. Which will give you even more time to focus on taughts that make you feel good about yourself.
So the next time you meet somebody for the first time and feel anxious you will forget their name, stay in the moment, listen for their name and maybe repeat it back to them. Be more like a pilot then someone on auto pilot.
Remember! Being present minded doesn't just keep your memory sharper it can boost your brain health.
Zergatik da garrantzitsua arreta?
Pourquoi l’attention est importante?
Perchè è importante l’attenzione?
Waarom is aandacht belangrijk?
주의력은 왜 중요할까요?
Warum ist Aufmerksamkeit wichtig?
