How do you deal with brain fog/difficulty thinking & concentrating?

[Chickadee1]

I'm having trouble concentrating when trying to document my notes at work (I'm a physical therapist and work in a hospital and have to document my sessions with patients)... the severity of this problem varies but the last few days have been extra bad.. Sometimes people talking around me takes away my train of thought - sometimes I forget what I wanted to write - sometimes I can't think what I am trying to do - it takes me too long to process my next step... and it doesn't have to be "hard" stuff I am trying to do on the computer... I just can't think... and I am at work so can't just go take a walk outside or take too much time for a break... I need something that doesn't take very long - some way to boost my brain to be able to think... I get a "break" when I go see a patient - it is a change of activity - some physical stuff involved... might be worse if it was all documentation/computer work... but my documentation often takes me WAY too long and I can't pull my fair share of the workload...

Do any of you have suggestions or things that work for you to revive the brain so you can think and concentrate? I feel like it didn't use to be this bad... but I also was less aware in the past - my awareness has increased since I started counseling and learning about ADHD...

I'm not on meds - still trying to get diagnosed - my counselor is about 100% sure I have ADHD and gave me a preliminary diagnosis and I had neuropsych testing with a psychologist last month but am still awaiting the results...(and the psychologist is now on a 2 week vacation)... I'm also kind of scared of meds...but I hear they help a ton with concentration...

It's weird how the concentration thing varies - sometimes it doesn't seem that bad and then other times it is awful... sometimes it's like my brain is tired - even though I'm not sick...

I also wonder if hormones have anything to do with it or could be exacerbating it - I hear they can cause brain fog too... I'm 45, female.

Stress could be another thing - the work problem causes a lot of stress - and I've also been told I have anxiety (and I agreed)...

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas

[GatsbyCat]

Hello, Chickadee1~

Welcome to the group! Hope you find it useful.

Yes, "brain fog" is something I've experienced. Diagnosed now with ADHD for 3 years, medication for 2 (Focalin extended release - 12 hr at 25mg)

This especially true for me in the morning before meds (and coffee). Just can't think clearly , no executive functioning and groggy. My meds help me tremendously, concentration is there as is planning etc. Meds are not the only way to tame ADHD, but one of the most effective.

So, it sounds to me like you're using a software package to input your notes, is this correct?

If yes, maybe you can organize your notes into those corresponding fields: Such as a printout with blank spaces that are the same as the software package? That would allow you to have the information laid out already for inputing. If you're using paper for notetaking, maybe you could switch to a laptop, then you could just cut and paste? Just some ideas to streamline this task. And, to cut down on noise, maybe you could wear headphones??

I've also gone through the "change of life." with night sweats and lots of irritability. Very hard and that was WITH hormone replacement too. It's a hard time. Didn't seem to effect brain, mostly moods.

Maybe try a "To DoList" - also available as an app and ADHD user friendly. Just type in ADHD friendly organizers and a whole list will come up for you.

I hope these ideas help you Chickadee1. Having ADHD is tough, but we can do it..lol

Best wishes on this journey of life.

Regards

Gatsby the CAT

🐕

[Chickadee1 in reply to GatsbyCat]

Hi GatsbyCat - thanks for your response. The charting system we use does have a flow sheet so the notes are kind of laid out and you can select different pre-set words and phrases and you can add your own comments as well - we can also create "smart phrases" if there is something we say often. I did put in earplugs part way through yesterday - it maybe helped some but you can still hear with them in. Sometimes I go to a unit that is not being used to get more quiet - but last time I went there it was cold - and it is on 6th floor and I am working on 2nd floor but maybe it would be worth it.

Thanks for your response and encouragement

[JuliaDeSousa in reply to Chickadee1]

Hi Chickadee, I have experienced, and then read, that menopause exacerbates the dreaded fog! I do take Adderall but sometimes it's not enough. Sleep seems key.

In terms of note-taking, you might want to use the voice recorder-to-notes app on your phone, email the result to yourself, and then just edit it.

Best of luck.

[AniSk]

I can absolutely relate to you!! I’m a women, mid forties and am a home based therapist. I’m supposed to log my notes in the client’s home at the end of the session, however I have found that nearly impossible to do it so I end up doing the notes in the car before traveling to my next session. Sometimes if I’m running behind I will open up notes on my phone and use voice to text as I travel to my next client. Then, later in the day I’ll transfer into the system at work. I am on meds and find that I’m much more efficient in the morning, versus the afternoon when the meds start to fade and I’m just more tired and overstimulated from the day. Recently I added an afternoon booster to my meds and that has helped a lot, although there are days where it’s still a struggle!

In short, besides the meds, the biggest thing that has helped is realizing that I need to be somewhere free from distractions when writing my notes and also using the voice to text in my phone, when its a day (or hour) when concentrating is hardest.

[Iveria2774]

Hello, your struggles are very similar to mine and indeed very real and typical of ADHD. Sleep is key as someone mentioned above and I would also add a workout in the morning or any kind of brief exercise that raises your heart rate and gets you started with a high of dopamine. It seems to help me quite a bit in gathering my thoughts and concentrating throughout the day. On a day I work out or take a brisk walk in the morning, I feel much better for the rest of the day and my work goes smoother. Give it a try. I am officially doagnosed with ADHD and taking meds (Straterra) and yes they do help. Sending positive thoughts .

[artist17]

Ok, before I knew I had adhd here’s what I did. Bear with me, I don’t have as high pressure writing as you but these things helped me keep my stuff sorta on track. I’m a creative and ideas always struck at random moments. To capture those I always have a notebook on me. Like little ones everywhere. Here’s a small list:

1. Little bullet journals. It has to fit in a bag or pocket, has a band closure (moleskin was a fav) and I’d loop a pen on so I could find it. Look up bullet journaling if you are unsure what that means.

2. Recording my thoughts in my phone. Either a voice memo (think like a Captains log from Star Trek) or voice to text note. The best part is that date/time stamp helped me track back to the memory of making the note.

3. Alarm reminders that are labeled- my world changed when I learned I could actually LABEL my alarm reminders. I have to use them still, even on meds. Cause I will swipe an alarm. I have to set several that will annoy me enough to stop whatever I’m doing and do the thing that needs to be done NOW. That’s a hard thing when you’re stuck on a task.

Other stuff that helps:

Sleeping on schedule.

Like same bedtime and wakeup every day. Circadian rhythms on me are off and get screwed up easy. Oversleeping is just as bad as undersleeping.

Eating healthy ish more often. I try to eat enough ‘good for me’ foods. I sometimes use vegetarian based protein shakes for this. I make something called a ‘green drink’ that is usually 2c of spinach greens, chia seed, avocado 1/2 and almond milk + vanilla protein powder. I avoid red meat and try to eat vegetarian style once a week. I feel like this helps me.

Exercise. I hate this one but it does help if I’ve actually tried to walk or bike or run or dance.

[Chickadee1]

Thank you all for your good ideas. Sorry I did not respond sooner or to each of you independently but I appreciate you taking the time to respond and give me ideas. I am trying to implement more exercise and be more regular with my sleep. It's been better lately - The worst of my brain fog days are thankfully not constant - more intermittent/occasional so hard to say what is or is not working... I think I should try to track some things to see if there are any correlations between my brain fog vs better thinking days and various activities or factors...