An Ordinary Mom's Musings

At times of extreme stress- i.e.- my husband in a war zone, profound grief, extreme health situations and anesthesia, I often deal with brain fog.

The first time it happened, I was leaving a message for someone on their phone. I couldn’t remember my own phone number so they could return my call. It just wasn’t there. I knew what my phone number was, but had no ability to recall it. By the next day I could recall it and could recite it, but the experience threw me for a loop.

Years have gone on and my extreme stress has changed to chronic extreme stress. The brain fog and ability to recall specific words, and other information has grown. I’m becoming an expert at coming up with synonyms on the spot, sometimes it works. Sometimes not. . .

Brain fog can be caused by stress, anesthesia, chronic illness, pregnancy, mental health issues as well as other things. It is a symptom, not a diagnosis. According to The Anxiety Centre.com-

Brain fog, foggy head is often described as:

• Your head, mind, and brain feel foggy or like in a fog.
• It feels like you have a foggy head, foggy mind.
• You have difficulty thinking, concentrating, and/or forming thoughts.
• Your thinking feels like it is muddled and impaired.
• Some people describe this symptom as being “foggy-headed” or having a “foggy head.”
• It seems as if your thoughts are illusive, and things that you once knew seem hard to comprehend or recall.
• It feels like your short-term memory isn’t as good as it used to be.
• It feels like normal intellectual tasks seem much more difficult.
• You find it hard to focus and concentrate.
• You are more forgetful (forget things that you normally wouldn’t).
• You have difficulty focusing on and carrying on conversations.
• Your thoughts seem like in a cloud.
• Your thinking isn’t as clear as it normally is.
• Your head feels foggy, clouded, muddled, and ‘off.’

My family has a strong family history of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Brain fog is of particular concern to me. These are not diagnosis’s anyone aspires to.

How you can treat brain fog~

-Puzzles of various kinds are supposed to help the plasticity of your mind. Crossword puzzles have always been more than I want to deal with. Sudoku, or Scrabble are more my style. Even if you aren’t a puzzle person, there are other things that help me feel more in control. They help keep the brain fog from getting worse.

-SLEEP! So important. Not getting enough sleep makes the brain fog worse.

-Experience new things. A change of scenery, something new and fun.

-Read new books. Expanding your mind to new ways of thinking, and new perspectives keeps your brain active.

-Learn something new. It can seem hard at first and sometimes like the brain fog  is making it impossible, but it is possible. Don’t let your brain lie to you.

-Writing out your thoughts, feelings, and experiences helps you to add perspective to them, define them, clarify them.