This post is about mental strategies that can help you remember things better when dealing with brain fog. These aren’t magic fixes, but if even one tip helps, I’m glad. (Don’t forget physical health like sleep, diet, and exercise matters too!)

How memory works (simple version):

Think of a memory like a house. If all the roads to it are blocked, you can’t reach it. But if you build more roads or stronger ones, you’re more likely to get there. The tips below help build those “roads.”

3 Practical Tips:

1. Pay attention on purpose
It’s hard, especially with brain fog, but even a little extra focus helps. When you tell your brain “this matters,” it’s more likely to save it. Try pausing for a second and saying in your head: “I want to remember this.”

2. Understand, don’t just repeat
Your brain remembers things better when they make sense. Instead of memorizing a random fact, ask: Why is this true? How does it connect to what I know?
Example: A rock lying on the ground is easy to ignore. But a rock holding down a tent flap? That makes sense, it has a job. You’ll remember it better because it fits.

3. Use tricks like mnemonics or memory palaces

• Mnemonics: Turn lists into catchy phrases.
  Example: Remember “MAP”: Mindful Attention, Ask Why, Place It (referring to memory palaces). Short and easy to recall.

• Memory Palaces: Your memory loves images and stories, not just words. Use a place you know well, like your home. Walk through it in your mind, and place each item you want to remember in order, using wild, exaggerated pictures.

  Example: You need to buy apples, grapes, oranges, and kiwis.

  • Open the front door and a waterfall of shiny red apples pours out, bouncing down the steps like boulders. One hits your foot, ouch!
  • In the living room, the TV is gone, replaced by a giant bunch of purple grapes, glowing like jewels. You pluck one; it sparkles as you pop it.
  • In the kitchen, the sink overflows with fizzy orange soda, and floating on top are peeled oranges, bobbing like life rafts.
  • The fridge is stuffed wall-to-wall with fuzzy green kiwis, pulsing like tiny hearts. One winks at you as you close the door.

Now, mentally walk through your home again, the story pulls each fruit back instantly. The crazier the image, the easier it sticks.

I’ve been using this for months now. I still have brain fog, but it feels better, more like me, when I don’t blank on why I walked into a room or forget what I meant to say. Small things, but honestly? It’s kind of nice to remember again.