There is a strange connection between our memories and how we recollect information. We normally tend to think of our minds as data storage devices – when there is a need to recollect something, we simply access it from our minds and bring it to our awareness. But in reality the connection between memory, recollection and our mind, is more complicated.
The single biggest difference between a computer gathering stored information, and a human being recollecting a stored memory is the involvement of emotions; while a computer is almost always impartial and simply logic driven, the human mind is never this simple. At any given moment our ability to recollect something entirely depends on our emotional state.
It is the state of our mind that determines our ability to recollect something or not. In fact when the mind is perfectly calm and still, if it is utterly silent with no disturbance whatsoever, we can pretty much recollection anything that has happened in our lives, however insignificant they may be. This might sound impossible but that is the true power of the mind.
Unlike a computer, our minds have the ability to recollect just about anything – because the mind has no restriction as to how far back it can go or how much information it can store; a computer might have limitations in memory, but there is no such limitation for a human mind. Our ability to recollect something depends a lot more on our emotional and mental state than we can possibly understand.
The easiest way to improve your memory is not to increase your ability to store information, but simply to increase your ability to recollect it – by learning to be in the best possible state to recollect information. For example, we are all familiar with the fact that stress can devastate our ability to recollect even seemingly simple things, but we rarely pay attention to our internal stress levels, especially when we are trying to recollect something of consequential importance.
As unconventional as this may sound, just by learning how to keep your mind calm, you can significantly improve your ability to remember and recollect things. Skills like mindfulness, meditation, and focusing exercises can go a long way in improving your ability to recollect things. Sometimes the very things we discard as useless might be of greatest help to us.
“This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”
