One of the biggest concerns I hear from my customers is that they won’t be able to remember enough details to include in their autobiography. It’s understandable; I struggle to remember what happened yesterday sometimes. But, you’d be surprised how much you can remember about your past when you really want to. In fact, once you start recounting your life story, the chances are that many memories are going to resurface that you’d long forgotten.
If you’re still worried that the details won’t come flooding back, fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to help jog your memory. After all, we often store our memories with a sensory element, a sight, sound, smell, taste or feel. If we can create the right inputs, then the memories follow suit. So, without further ado, here are five tips that can help you to supercharge your memory:
1. Immerse Yourself in Old Photos and Videos
Visual cues can make a huge difference when it comes to recounting your life story. Try looking at old photo albums and seeing whether they help to jog your memory. Sometimes it’s something small, an outfit you were wearing or a painting on the wall that will end up bringing the memories flooding back. If you’ve got any old home movies, then that’s even better. Not only will you have the visual cues but you can relive conversations and hear long-forgotten voices. You’ll be amazed at how many details you can pick up. Include some of the photos you find in your book and you can make sure those memories don’t get lost again.
2. Take a Look Through the Archives
It’s not just photos and videos that can help jog your memory; if you’ve got old diaries, they can be an incredible way of remembering things you’ve done in the past and how you used to feel. You might also have old documents, letters or postcards that were written to you or certificates of achievement. I highly recommend having a look back through the archives to see if anything helps. Not only is looking through old documents helpful for remembering your story, they can be a wonderful addition to your book alongside photos.
3. Take a Sensory Trip Down Memory Lane
There are lots of things that can help to jog your memory, sounds, smells, textures and more. I advise closing your eyes and thinking of things that have been important to you. If you can think of a favourite object, piece of music, type of food, perfume or TV programme, then you might well be onto something. Play the music, put on the perfume or make yourself a nostalgic dinner. You’d be surprised how reliving those senses can act as an incredible memory jogger and take you right back to days gone by.
4. Speak to Your Friends and Family
Trying to remember your life story can be a great excuse to have a chat with your loved ones. While others may have a different recollection of events than you do, it’s great to get another perspective and it can help to jog your memory. What’s more, having conversations you wouldn’t usually have or perhaps have never had can be an incredible way to reconnect with friends and family.
5. Find Someone Who’ll Listen
It’s hard to sit down with a blank page in front of you and write. Talking, on the other hand, is a lot easier and lets your memories flow freely. Finding someone who has the time to sit back and listen without judgement can give you the confidence to carry on. What’s more, by explaining your story to someone else, they can let you know if there’s anything that’s not clear or needs further explanation. It’s amazing how the right questions asked at the right time can help new memories come to the surface.
Are You Ready to Tell Your Story?
Recounting your life story can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. No one else knows what it’s like to be you and what you’ve been through in your life unless you share it with them. If you’d like to start writing your story and would like to have a chat about the best way to get started, I’d love to hear from you.