Blog (15/02/2023)- Mind Fog

Unable to focus on any specific task for any length of time?

Feeling overwhelmed with too many thoughts?

Difficulty following a train of thought?

Thoughts feeling blurry and morphing into one another at an increase rate?

A sense of numbness and emptiness?

Not finding the right words when speaking?

A constant state of uneasiness?

Overwhelmed at the thought of completing a complex task?

Long periods of Procrastination?

It’s not what you think it is!

Brain fog can be an underlying symptom of feeling stressed or suffering from burnout and not simply a case of you being absent minded, slow or whatever else people have called you in the past.

It is easy to fall into a pattern of taking on too much, in trying to make ends meet or simply attempting to fit into the current cultural norm of continuous ‘grind’ 24.7 365 days. Juggling work, relationships, bills and mortgages take up alot of space in our minds and can cause an overload. Brain fog is your mind’s way of telling you to stop and take heed, or at the very least to take a step back!

Is it not painful when you are going into work and your colleagues sarcastically remark, “you can’t be that absent minded!” (Or worse braindead if they are not pretending to be polite about it) when you realise you have forgotten where you saved that report you have been working on for week or losing your work coffee mug again! Besides dealing with the shame of being called out on something completed unrelated to your talents and personality, you are doing yourself an injustice.

Understand that these are symptoms of an underlying cause of stress that has been left unchecked, resulting from overworking and constant pressures.

Consider your mind like a polite neighbour who will keep suggesting actions that will help your mind. The opposite is neglecting your mind to the point where you reach the point of mind fog. This is like a bad neighbour who continually knocks on your door and asks you to help them even when you can’t or are just too tired. They don’t take no for an answer.

Most outlets on the internet would tell you to look after your diet and sleep 8 hours, which is an absolute necessity to reducing brain fog. However, what your brain really craves in that locked state is creativity and spontaneity. Why?!

When the mind shuts down from overload, it requires a kickstart. Mind fog gradually enters our minds from continually completing daily tasks which can be mundane or unstimulating, along with facing the pressures of daily life. There is an underlying feeling of dullness which builds over time and if left unchecked will come knocking on your door, like that bad neighbour. It may seem obvious but taking some time to focus on engaging in a creative hobby or spontaneous activity will help to break through the fog.

Some suggestions to creative hobbies and activities are linked here

Brain fog disrupts and muddles our thoughts and views on ourself, a thought experiment can help as starting point.

The not this, not that exercise

Begin by observing something around you. This can be an object in the room you can currently see, for example, the painting on the wall or the chair you are sitting on.

Now think about the idea that YOU are not the chair, as you are currently observing yourself sitting on the chair.

Take a minute to process this…

Next, begin to observe your thoughts. Again, tell yourself, I cannot be my thoughts as I am currently observing my thoughts.

If you can observe the object/ thought, then you can’t be that thought or object.

Sit with the understanding that your thoughts can change but YOU ARE NOT your thoughts. You are simply observing and witness to them.

The mind can only then respond to recommended strategies to tackle mind fog (8 hours sleep, exercise and a healthy diet, brain games) when it feels you are giving it what it needs. Creativity and spontaneity allow our minds to constantly develop and not feel stuck.