Brain fog

[Flower55]

Does anyone else deal with brain fog? I cant focus on anything and have a hard time multitasking.

It feels like my mind is so slow like it cant catch up with my body.

[nkotbjoeymc]

Please Explain To Me What’s Brain Fog?

[The_Lord_is_with_Us]

That's anxiety. It can cause brain fog and much more ..... especially if it makes you afraid. It feeds on that. Once you realize it's a paper tiger that can't really hurt you at all .... you'll begin to gain the upper hand on your way to healing.

[F_RN_Dx_at_39 in reply to The_Lord_is_with_Us]

It can also be depression or medication related, and even menopause.

[Superzob]

Had a very bad period of this some years ago but, as it didn't last more than 3 months, I didn't get a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). However, the symptoms seemed very similar, but it did go away of its own accord (but does come back periodically).

I obviously don't know your personal circumstances, so what I'm going to suggest may not be practical in your case, but it worked for me. DON'T try to multi-task: deal with one thing at a time, and take your time over it. Since this is stress-related, try to avoid stressful situations or taking on stressful tasks (I know everyone says that, and it sounds unrealistic, but even small changes could make a difference). Do things which you enjoy, but require little concentration, because you want to relax your mind; don't try to force yourself to relax because, by definition, trying to force yourself to do anything is not relaxing.

You will probably have good days and bad days; try to avoid the urge to do too much on the good days (I tended to go through a phase of "alternate day syndrome", where I got a lot done one day, only to crash out the next!). Take one day at a time; try not to get too depressed on a bad day, as the next one might be a lot better. You probably need to pace yourself better; this is not easy but, as you get used to taking on less (and reducing the burden on your mind), you will probably find the fog has mysteriously disappeared. If you are predisposed to this, as I believe I am, then it will probably come back, but you should find subsequent episodes easier to deal with as you get used to mechanisms for dealing with it.

I wish you all the very best.

[Flower55 in reply to Superzob]

Thanks so much for your reply! I am pretty certain i have chronic fatigue. I have had an extremely stressful year with a lot of panic and anxiety.Did you feel like your brain just shut down? I feel like my mind literally just shut off like it cant process what i am doing on autopilot. My body is going and keeping at it, buy my mind just cant catch up to what I am doing. Lets say i take my glasses off, a second later i am trying to take them off again as my mind didnt process that i took them off so fast. Sometimes when im doing stuff i feel like i cant multitask. I find it exhausting making food and talking to someone else. I cant process all the information at once. It totally sounds like body and mind are out of sync.

[Superzob in reply to Flower55]

Actually, operating on autopilot may not be such a bad thing, as it gives your mind a rest. I found I couldn’t read and, on some occasions, even watch TV, despite it being probably the most passive thing you can do!

In my case, it was all about not being able to concentrate (after 10 minutes, I would find myself just staring at the computer screen, being unable to complete the next task, and I gave up driving for a while for the same reason ); I think that is maybe what is happening to you, with the apparent lack of coordination between mind and body. Trying to force yourself to concentrate is the worst thing you can do, because it’s just adding to the stress.

I had had a stressful time, trying to work, travel and having chronic pain. I learnt at a management course that PTSD (a form of which is what we’ve probably got) can occur up to 5 years after the event, so there may be no current stressor, only what’s happened in the past. So neither of us can do anything about what’s happened in the past, just try to learn from our mistakes (easier said than done, I know!) and relax our minds - it will improve with time.

[Reneejg]

I have crazy brain fog and I have Hashimoto’s disease because I didn’t take care of my thyroid.It’s probably your thyroid. Make sure to get that checked.

[Superzob in reply to Reneejg]

Very sensible. Anything untoward should show up in a blood test. Unfortunately, I seem to pass blood tests with flying colours and doctors don't seem to be able to think independently of them (apologies to any doctors reading this, but that's my experience).

[Annie1936]

Flower55, medicine was the answer to my cognivitive ability and brain fog. I was taking medicine for my anxiety, but the addition of Celexa gave me back my life. Check with your doctor.