What helped you grasp JavaScript closures?

Closures can be tricky, but one way to think about them is when a function is created, it keeps track of the variables in its scope. It doesn't just remember their values; it holds a reference to these variables. So even if you call the function later on, it still has access to those variables. This is great for keeping data private, especially when combined with IIFEs (Immediately Invoked Function Expressions). They really complement each other well.

A closure is simply a function that can access variables from its outer scope, which means it has a sort of state that persists through calls. For instance:

```javascript
var myMethod;
{
var myVar = 1;
myMethod = () => {
myVar++;
return myVar;
}
}
myMethod(); // returns 2
myMethod(); // returns 3
```

The syntax can be confusing because you often define an outer method first, hold the closure's scope, and then immediately call that outer method. This can also be compactly done in one line.

```javascript
myMethod = () => {
myVar = 1;
return () => {
myVar++;
return myVar;
};
}();
```

Imagine if your IDE manages indentation properly. It’s almost as if you say: "if a variable is within the same indentation level or deeper, it's accessible." So closures let you access variables defined outside a function, lending a method some state that sticks around between calls.