Brain Fog

Have you experienced a day or even days, when you felt as though your brain was swamped in fog? Where your thoughts race and you struggle to grasp them, and even when you manage to hold onto a thought, it doesn't stay long and you forget again? 

Do you have days when it seems like you're there but not really there? People talk with you and it's like you just can't understand what they're saying, their voice sounds distant or you may even feel like they're speaking another language. It's hard to focus isn't it? To comprehend sometimes?

During this time do you also have trouble getting even simple tasks at home/work completed? Things you've done a million times, you now struggle to remember how to do. Words you use daily now stumble out of your mouth to talk. Do you wander from room to room wondering why you came and what you needed? I've even tried reading only to find myself a short while later with no memory of what I'd read.

You may experience different things as well. Feelings of anxiety and stress are also common during this time. You feel panicked because you just can't seem to think straight and you start getting stressed out because you can't seem to finish even the simplest of tasks and your memory has left the building. What happens then? Do you fall deeper into the fog and start beating yourself up because you're feeling like this?

Feelings of being in a fog is a common complaint from people living with pain and other chronic illnesses. Sometimes this feeling is caused by the medications we use and sometimes it's caused by the illness we have. Do you know what causes you to go through the fog? When you're there, what do you do for you to help you get out again?

take a look at the following and see if maybe you can incorporate any of the steps to help you manage the next time you find yourself deep in your fog....

• take the time and take care of your needs...emotional, mental and physical...nurture and provide care to yourself please
• understand that the fog is temporary and it will pass...be patient with yourself
• talk kindly, encouragingly and with care to yourself during this time...words hurt and leave bruises we cannot see but last a long time...even the words we say to ourselves
• write yourself little notes to help jog your memory when you're finding you're forgetful
• talk with your doctor or other health care professional about how you are feeling...maybe your medication needs to be adjusted or changed completely
• keep a journal of your thoughts and how you're feeling...when you're no longer in the fog read your notes and see if you can understand what may have caused you to feel the way you were
• get outside, go for a walk and clear you thoughts and mind...sometimes a change of scenery can help us beat this funk even if only for a little while
• don't give up! sometimes when we're in the fog our thoughts can be very negative and it can take us down the "rabbit hole" again...surround yourself with the things and people that keep you positive, smiling and what allows you to enjoy life
• meditation and visualization exercises may help to re-focus your mind and settle your body
• get a good nights rest
• don't make any drastic life changing choices when in the fog...wait a few days and see what happens

The fog is a part of the "new normal" now. How will you manage your days there? What can you do to take care of you during this time? Please be gentle with yourself during these days. Learn to care for your needs, and understand too that this is normal and it will pass. Talk with you doctor if you find the fog lasts longer or you begin to feel depressed and/or anxious or if these feelings last longer than the fog...talk to your doctor!

Take good care of you and be gentle during this time.