How do you cope with brain fog (long term)?

Coping

For a number of years, I have been suffering from brain fog (or problems concentrating). It manifests itself in different ways and situations for me. However, I find it especially difficult when I have been trying to concentrate on a task for a (short) while and my brain starts to "overheat": I can't focus anymore and I experience distress and anxiety (it can be pretty overwhelming at times). When I am in that state, I really struggle to relax or wind down, as it would require too much energy or focus for me to read, listen to music or a programme on TV, draw, chat with family or friends, etc. (Exercising or going for a walk are not convenient or straightforward coping strategies for me as I am in a wheelchair and experience substantial levels of pain.)

I usually try to calm down by practicing mindfulness (breathing and grounding exercises), but it is often not enough or feasible when I feel so tired, distressed and anxious.

If this relates to you in any way, I would be deeply grateful if you could give me your feedback on the following questions:

- Have you experienced something similar? If so, how do you cope?

- More generally, how does brain fog feel like for you? And how do you manage it?

- Are you aware of any research, resources or support that you could point me (and others in a similar situation) to?

Thank you very much for your feedback and advice.

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @Coping

I get the same sometimes, but mine more relates to fatigue from having IBD. I know brain fog can be caused by a number of things, do you know what triggers it for you?

I saw you mentioned mindfulness which is something I use, I find it difficult to do from memory and so I now use the Headspace app, if this is one you haven't tried yet, I highly recommend it. 

I wonder if a simpler form of winding down may suit you? When I get brain fog, it's almost like every thought comes in as one word from a sentence that I cannot complete. Its frustrating and I end up getting stressed. When I listen to music, watch tv or even chat or draw myself, I find they have elements of imagination to them. It's easier for my thoughts to trail off and then I end up in brain fog. So I use puzzle books, sudoku is my go to, or I'll play puzzle games on my phone. I find that is a great way to wind down with as the focus is to solve one "element".

Coping

Hannah_Scope said:

Hello @Coping

I get the same sometimes, but mine more relates to fatigue from having IBD. I know brain fog can be caused by a number of things, do you know what triggers it for you?

I saw you mentioned mindfulness which is something I use, I find it difficult to do from memory and so I now use the Headspace app, if this is one you haven't tried yet, I highly recommend it. 

I wonder if a simpler form of winding down may suit you? When I get brain fog, it's almost like every thought comes in as one word from a sentence that I cannot complete. Its frustrating and I end up getting stressed. When I listen to music, watch tv or even chat or draw myself, I find they have elements of imagination to them. It's easier for my thoughts to trail off and then I end up in brain fog. So I use puzzle books, sudoku is my go to, or I'll play puzzle games on my phone. I find that is a great way to wind down with as the focus is to solve one "element".

Hello @Hannah_Scope

Thank you very much for sharing your experience and for your insightful suggestions. I am sorry, though, to hear that you also suffer from brain fog.

Thanks for suggesting I use Headspace. I will look into it. So far I have been relying on Smiling Mind, which I really like. As you say, it definitely helps to be guided by someone else's voice rather than trying to meditate on your own.

I also really like your strategy for winding down which consists in engaging in activities that focus on solving one element at a time - a great grounding technique. Letting our attention scatter in all directions and thoughts get compounded or entangled in one another is a sure way of heightening stress and anxiety.

In my case, brain fog occurs almost systematically within minutes of my engaging in any cognitive activity. I guess it is part and parcel of my condition (which is not well understood), which incidentally affects my digestive system as well as having a neurological component, among other things. That's why I am somewhat in the dark, trying to figure things out and manage my symptoms the best I can.

Thanks again for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

L_Volunteer

Hey @Coping. Yes, this is something I have experienced – mainly due to fibro brain fog but can also be a result of feeling overwhelmed with autism.

I cope by writing endless to-do lists and using the Pomodoro/tomato technique (timer). I shorten the amount of focus time when I am particularly struggling.

I also make sure I do my highly focused tasks when I am feeling most focused in the day. Similarly, I also make sure only 1-3 tasks are in sight at a time, not the whole list.

Brain fog feels frustrating – either trying to remember something that I usually recall easily but it is not available to recall or just like there are words but nothing going in.

Based on the things I have mentioned, some resources I use include:

·       Todoist

·       Focus To-Do

·       Emails – I email myself notes I need to remember at a later date

I hope this at least semi-helps. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything else we can do to support you or if you would like to talk about this further 

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @Coping

I have not heard of Smiling Mind before, will definitely check that out!  

I hope that more understanding of your condition comes to light soon. When I was learning about IBD, my nurse was able to put me on to a few research journals which were very interesting and helped me. 

I hope you are having a good day  

Coping

Hi @L_Volunteer

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond and for your suggestions. I had not heard of the Pomodoro/tomato technique. I will have to look into it. It sounds definitely better than my simple to-do list which I jot down in my online calendar. As I don't set myself time limits for each activity, I quickly get overwhelmed even when I do the most demanding tasks in the morning when I am more productive.
Would you by any chance be aware of any conversation thread on the Scope platform or a discussion group elsewhere on the topic of brain fog?
Thanks again for your feedback.

L_Volunteer

There seem to be quite a few discussions on brain fog @Coping, more than I had initially anticipated! If you type "brain fog" into the search bar on Scope's forum, there are quite a handful, these include:

• Cerebral palsy and "brain fog"
• Fibromyalgia, cognitive limiting illness, brain fog
• Medication and brain fog
• Body feels heavy, numb, tense, tight, stiff, weak, rigid - headache - eye pain - brain fog - voices

If you want to find discussion groups elsewhere on Google, a few things seem to come up if you search "brain fog discussion group". 

I hope this is at least semi-helpful! To-do lists are helpful but, as you said, sometimes we just need some extra tools - especially when things feel overwhelming.

If I can do anything else to support you please don't hesitate to let me know. I would be interested in hearing how you get on with the Pomodoro/tomato technique 

Coping

Hi @L_Volunteer

Thank you very much for pointing me to those conversation threads on Scope and suggesting key words for a Google search. I will look into all this.

I have not yet started using the Pomodoro/tomato technique. It had slipped my mind. Thanks for the reminder. 😊