The most amazing part of our body is our brain, as it does all the mental and verbal chores we need to perform every day. Throughout the day, all the different things that happen to us are processed by our brain, whether it comes from our eyes, ears, mouth or by the touch of our fingers. It controls all our motor movements and bodily functions, conscious and unconscious. But in addition, our brain manages all our thinking and speaking actions and reactions.

The mind is very susceptible to outside influences and no one can protect their mind from thoughts or feelings that come and go in and out of it. One of the most detrimental things to memories is stress. The emotion or feeling of being stressed hampers the thought process. The feeling of stress can create negative emotions and the feeling that the situation is deteriorating. The feeling of stress creates cortisol, which in turn, destroys glucose and depresses higher end brain function.

Even while brain function is depressed, good memorization techniques can still assist in controlling the higher end brain functions. A fantastic memorization technique, which is useful in just about every situation, is called the Peg Method. Long list memorization is made much simpler and easier through this methodology. Start with the lower numbers of 0-9 and work your way up as needed. This method involves coming up with words that rhyme with a number and tying the two together.

For example: one = pun; two = view; three = tree etc.

The process of identifying the number with a word that rhymes with it helps to establish a relationship in the mind. Let's say you need to memorize Acrophobia, Androphobia and Arsonphobia in a particular order. Since they all sound alike, you can number them as 1, 2 and 3.

1 (sun) = Arsonphobia = fear of fire 2 (view) = Acrophobia = fear of heights 3 (pee) = Androphobia = fear of men

First, think of the sun which is the ultimate fire that the person with Arsonphobia will be afraid of. Next, a view is from a higher place and will create sense of fear for someone with Acrophobia, and finally a tree runs away to the mountains whenever a man with an axe approaches; proof that it has Androphobia.

By extending your list to 20 or more items and making up your own peg words, you will be using exercises for the brain and begin to easily remember even the longest lists.