Avoid Pressure Induced Memory Loss
by Daniel Stewart
What you’re feeling is often called pressure induced memory-loss and it can be frustrating because you know you have the tools to help, but just can’t seem to remember what they are! There are 3 common reasons you may forget them: you didn’t get them to begin with (you never really learned them); you had them and lost them (this often occurs over a long period of time); you have them but just can’t seem to remember where you put them!
Of the three, the last one best describes what you’re experiencing. When the pressure of a situation goes up, your ability to remember mental training tips seem to go down. It’s very common so there’s no need to feel bad about it. Learning to overcome it is an important step in becoming “pressure proof.” Here are a few helpful tips that you might want to consider trying:
1) Pneumonic Devices – Wordplay such as acronyms, rhymes and alliteration are very helpful when it comes to creating pressure proof memory. Start by identifying the mental training tips you want to remember and then come up with:
(1) Acronyms: BLAST (breathe, laugh, and smile today) or STAR (stop thinking and ride).
(2) Rhyming Mottos: “Keep calm and ride on,” “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.”
(3) Alliteration: “I’m calm, cool, collected, capable, cheerful, confident, considerate, competent, creative, courageous, considerate and centered.”
2) Concentration Cues – Repetition is required to create pressure proof memory. You can do this by linking your favorite mental training tips to things you encounter throughout the day (e.g. repeat your acronym each time you open a door).
3) Pay it Forward – You’ll forget up to 80% of everything you hear each day – but you’ll remember up to 90% of everything you teach. Identify the mental training tips you want to remember and teach them to others.
Remember, If it’s worth doing… it’s worth remembering!
Published March 2013 Issue
Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages. Now 29 years later, it’s an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses!
Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.
