How I cope with brain fog

Topics mentioned: self-care, alone and misunderstood, down and unable to cope

About: Rachel, 25, explains what brain fog feels like for her, why it makes everyday tasks so difficult, and shares her self-care tips for brain fog symptoms.

Brain fog is where you feel confused and struggle to concentrate, remember, think clearly or put your thoughts into words. When I first started experiencing brain fog, it was quite scary as I remember suddenly feeling unable to cope and not knowing if it was going to get better.

In my experience, brain fog mostly follows periods of stress or not sleeping properly. I guess it’s a way of my body telling me I’ve been trying to do too much. The problem is that sometimes the things I have to do aren’t optional.

It’s like an emergency signal from my brain telling me that I’m overwhelmed. Unfortunately, by the time I get these signals, it’s usually too late to manage the underlying cause.

Brain fog can feel really disorientating and make me feel pretty low. Most of the time it is just incredibly frustrating, like there is a bouncer in my head blocking my thoughts as I try to think and do things. I feel locked in my head like a zombie or some kind of external observer. I also feel panicky and unprotected, especially if brain fog strikes at a point where I have something urgent to do.

It feels like someone has pulled the emergency brake in my head and my whole thought process has gone into slow motion while the world keeps moving around me. It feels exposing as I know I can’t react quickly enough to situations, and I feel exhausted by the extra energy it takes to do things I wouldn’t usually have to think about. Even my daily routine becomes uncertain and a conscious effort.

This is made worse by the fact that brain fog makes it so hard to put my jumbled thoughts into words so that I can ask for help. It’s like there is an extra weight attached to each thought. Making it to the end of any thought thread is an act of determination. I will spend hours just staring at a blank computer screen trying to think of any words to type.

It’s hard to deal with these phases of brain fog, but it’s no use getting angry with yourself. Brain fog can feel frustrating and isolating, but you can get through it by being gentle and kind to yourself. It won’t last forever.