retrieval

Before falling asleep last night I read some magazine articles. When I woke up I laid in bed before getting up to go for a walk. Lying on my back I tried to recall what I read. I pictured the pages, the information, the feel of the magazine. I could recall two article headlines and three facts.

Interestingly on one level of my brain I can tell there is a complete image of the pages. A photographic memory if you will. I know it is is there. But I can’t retrieve the information. When I try to access the image to read from it like the magazine is in front of me the picture goes haywire or there are gaps I can’t focus on.

I have noticed since I started my experiment of limiting my interaction with the device my ability to retrieve information has improved. That is because I have the mnemonic of the visceral and tactile. I believe it is also because I am reading less. There are three books I am reading and some work material I have printed off. My mind is not as cluttered with information.

Also I am willfully looking to remember and recall. I have a purpose. When I was using the device the purpose was to distract me.

Last year I was gaining weight and losing muscle. I blamed it on aging. I figured I was losing muscle mass and my metabolism had slowed. While this is true in reality I had slipped into bad eating and exercise habits. I lost my edge. Slowly I have put together a better resistance training routine and my muscle tone has improved. I realize I need to eat less. I was eating more for entertainment.

I was lifting weights out of obligation. When I became more cognizant of building muscle my physique improved.

I was eating for entertainment. When I changed my eating schedule I realized I could still fill full and enjoy food without eating as much (that is a different post)

I was reading for distraction. When I became aware of the need to focus on retrieval my mind became sharper.

Yesterday I was slipping back into routine. The device is like a security blanket. When I was younger I sucked my thumb and had a blanket. When I felt stressed I was comforted by my thumb and blanket. THe phone hits the same neuro receptors as the blanket. When I was feeling stressed about the job interview I wanted to plop down and lose myself in the comfort it provides.