Head in the CLOUDS?
By
GRETA SOLOMON
As the old adage goes, you can’t solve a problem on the level it was created. So, it stands to reason that you can’t think your way out of brain fog. Instead, put your feelings first, and take a multi-pronged approach.
Karen W hybrow was only 38 when her husband died. The grief cracked her wide open, but with two young children to care for, life didn’t stop — she had to keep going.
‘You feel spaced out, cloudy, confused or exhausted.’
‘Brain fog often feels like I’m losing my edge, which fuels shame.’
‘I had already suffered from “baby brain” from the haze of sleepless nights and constant responsibility, but my widow’s brain fog was something else entirely,’ explains the now-47-year-old from West Cumbria. ‘It felt like I was walking through heav y mist where everything was slowed down, blurred, and harder to reach. Even the smallest decisions felt impossible. I lost confidence in myself — I couldn’t even trust myself to pay a bill or make the correct meal for dinner,’ she says.
You’ve no doubt felt the inner fog descend at some point in your life. From the fuzziness of a hangover to the thingummyjiggy language that spills out when you can’t quite put your finger on what you want to say. Or when your train of thought wanders off altogether, leaving your body completely bewildered. But brain fog is so multi-faceted and subjective that it isn’t an official disorder. Medical experts class it as a thinking problem, yet it can knock everything from your confidence to your career — especially if it’s severe and persistent. It’s also more common than you may think. A recent study showed that 39% — almost two in five people — suffer from it on a regular basis.