"Recently, for some reason, I'm forgetful, and I'm making more mistakes at work."
I would like to recommend a diary method that can be done in just a few minutes a day for those who are in such a state. It can restore brain function. I would like to introduce the results of the author's practice for a week.
The diary method is called a "5-line diary." It is a method devised by Yoshiya Hasegawa, a neurologist, to restore the function of the brain by keeping a diary of 5 lines a day.
When you hear the word "diary", many people think of writing long sentences like summer vacation assignments, and many people feel that writing every day is a chore. But in this diary, I only write 5 lines. Moreover, it seems that you can create one type in advance and just write according to it. For example:
So why is this simple 5-line diary effective in restoring brain function? There are a number of reasons, but the two I want to focus on are:
The act of moving your hands to write a diary is effective in improving your brain's memory.
According to Mr. Hasegawa, if we rely too much on our computers and smartphones and live a monotonous life, our brains will be less stimulated and our networks will degenerate. It is said that if the brain is not stimulated as it is, the function of the brain will deteriorate as a result, and "I know but I can not remember".
However, if you keep a five-line diary by hand, you can activate a wide range of parts of your brain. For example, the hippocampus is activated when looking back on the events of the day, the frontal lobe when assembling the events in five lines, and the motor cortex when issuing commands to move the fingertips to write letters.
A 5-line diary helps your brain to work actively in this way, and also helps you recover your memory. According to Mr. Hasegawa, by "writing = outputting" the information input to the brain, humans can strongly fix it in memory.
Brain scientist Kenichiro Motegi also says that memory is easier to fix when you work on your five senses. The act of writing is accompanied by tactile stimulation. That stimulus makes the memory stronger.
In addition, according to Mr. Teru Nakajima, a psychological counselor, the act of writing stimulates the brainstem reticular activation system (RAS*). Then, attention is directed to the information, saying, "What you are writing now is important!", making it easier to remember. (* A brain filter that places the highest priority on what you are actively paying attention to.)
The advantage of a 5-line diary is that you can use your brain to its full potential and recover your declining memory. Mr. Hasegawa asserts that it is "an ideal brain training". It's perfect for those who feel like they're forgetting things lately.
According to Hiroyuki Kobayashi, a professor of medicine at Juntendo University and a specialist in autonomic nervous system research, writing a diary has the effect of balancing the autonomic nervous system.
Autonomic nerves are nerves that control organs that cannot be moved by one's own will. It consists of sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves, and if their balance collapses, it will adversely affect everyday life, such as falling into insomnia and getting sick. According to Kobayashi, the center of the autonomic nervous system is in the brain, and the ultimate way to control the balance of the unstable autonomic nervous system is to keep a diary before going to bed.
The most important thing is to write by hand. Because, actually, when I write the diary, my breathing is very calm. That's really good for the autonomic nervous system. Since breathing is stable, the autonomic nervous system is also stable.(Source: J-WAVE NEWS | What is the effect of the "3-line diary" that Honda and Gaga are doing?)
By the way, Mr. Kobayashi recommends a 3-line diary, but since the act of writing a diary is common, the benefits should be the same. Mr. Hasegawa also says that writing in a diary relaxes the mind and body, making the parasympathetic nervous system dominant and reducing accumulated stress. If you make a habit of writing a 5-line diary, your autonomic nerves and brain will work properly.
Is it really possible to get the benefits mentioned above if I practice a 5-line diary by hand? I kept a 5-line diary for a week based on the 5 items mentioned above: "weather", "clothes", "what I ate", "what I did", and "impressions of the day". . Here are the results:
This time, I used a commercially available B5 notebook (ruled line 7 mm, 30 lines). Writing five lines a day, four days fit on one page. The writing instrument used is a blue ballpoint pen. According to Hideki Aikawa, president of the Japan Active Learning Association, the color blue has a calming effect, relaxing the mind and leading to concentration. Because of this effect, I also often use a blue ballpoint pen.
The items I wrote in my five-line diary were all ordinary. However, even things like the weather and meals are accompanied by emotions when remembering and writing them down. "It was hot today. Was it this hot every year at this time of year?" According to Mr. Hasegawa, that emotion stimulates the brain.
Also, as recommended by Mr. Kobayashi, I wrote a 5-line diary in a few minutes before going to bed. I made it a rule, so I was able to work on it easily every day.
As I continued to keep a five-line diary, I definitely felt the effect of raising my memory. I was able to remember things that I would normally forget right away. For example, I was able to remember the weather, clothes, and meals on the first and second days without looking at my notebook even after a week. I think it's the effect of writing it myself.
I was able to put my recovered memory to good use in my studies. During the week in which I practiced the five-line diary, there was a quiz at university, but as a result of studying for it by handwriting, I was able to get a perfect score even though I was worried about my memory. I will continue to keep a five-line diary and try to use my own hands to write.
Furthermore, I fell asleep better the week I wrote the five-line diary. Until now, I often fiddled with my cell phone even after I went to bed, but after I started writing a five-line diary, I was able to sleep easily thanks to my autonomic nervous system. Compared to when I was exposed to blue light before going to bed and couldn't sleep, I realized that my brain recovered more the next morning when I adjusted my autonomic nerves with a five-line diary and fell asleep immediately. I would especially recommend it to people whose brains are not clear even after sleeping.
＊＊＊Introduced a 5-line diary that can restore your brain in no time. No special preparation is required for a 5-line diary that will improve your memory and improve your mental and physical health. Everyone please try it.
(Reference) STUDY HACKER｜Doctor ``Of course handwriting is good for your brain''--Are you doing the ``best analog habit'' that stimulates your brain? Cane before falling | Recommended by a neurologist! "Let's revive the brain with a 5-line diary" Nursing care post 7 | Memo technique that dramatically recovers memory 5-line diary | Also for that syndrome and dementia measures! Written by Kenichiro Motegi (2007), ``Study method that makes use of the brain, the miraculous ``reinforcement learning'', PHP Institute. , What is the effect of Gaga's "3-line diary"? STUDY HACKER｜Doctor's recommendation! The three benefits of looking back on the day are amazing. President Online | Never Forget "Blue Pen Writing" Study Method
[Writer Profile] At YG University, majoring in Japanese-Korean comparative literature, he is immersed in collecting papers on his research field. She is also interested in linguistics and is studying grammar every day. He has written numerous practical report-type articles. In order to convey effective and highly reproducible study methods and reading skills, he is deepening his own practice of note-taking and extensive reading.