Are you dealing with brain fog? Have you ever wondered why you’re feeling so tired for no apparent reason, or why you can’t seem to concentrate on what’s right in front of you? We all experience a little brain fog on occasion, but real brain fog is something that varies in intensity. It comes and goes, and some days it seems worse than others. It can occur on its own. Most of the time, it is caused by or happens together with other physical or psychological problems in your body.
What Is Brain Fog and How Does It Affect You?
If you’re an adult, there’s a good chance you’ve already had brain fog at some point in your life. You may have felt drained, tired, and unable to think clearly or function properly.
The symptoms above, along with forgetfulness and difficulty focusing, indicate that you’re possibly suffering from brain fog. We usually dismiss such a state as fatigue, but it could be something more serious.
What Causes Us to Have Brain Fog?
This condition could be caused by a variety of issues, such as stress, lack of sleep, hormonal imbalances, traumatic experiences, and other factors. When you’re in this situation, your body goes into” fight-or-flight” mode, attempting to deal with the challenges you’re facing.
As a result, your body shifts your focus away from the task at hand and toward resolving the underlying issue, causing you to lose focus and experience brain fog. Because the body naturally prioritizes survival over everything else, focusing on less important things becomes difficult when in flight-or-fight states of mind.
Identifying The Issues Associated with Mental Fatigue
Fortunately, we can train our brains to associate our surroundings with the absence of danger. This helps calm our bodies and get them out of the fight-or-flight response. When people are experiencing brain fog, we like to say it’s counter-productive to overwhelm them with too many stimulants or activities, as this will cause them to expend more energy, stress, and tension.
We believe that the best way to deal with this situation is to concentrate on one task or activity at a time so that learning something new becomes enjoyable rather than a chore. There are a variety of ways to approach this process.
Lindsay Mitchell, founder & CEO of Vital-Side, says that creating a sense of safety, whether within her body or in her environment, aids her in dealing with this condition. She also shared a personal tip for overcoming the effects of brain fog:
- Acknowledge & identify the problem of brain fog.
- Say it out loud, and start counting down from five.
- Last but not least, alter your entire environment or activity. (This doesn’t have to be strenuous; it could be as simple as getting out of your current situation.)
For example, if you’re inside, you could go outside and interact with the environment. You could also go to a different room and look for something more comfortable. This tells your brain and body that new stimulants and physiology are available right now, helping you to associate safety and comfort with your surroundings.
If this is something that you’d like more help and advice on, the team at PARR PT is here to help. Please reach out to us to discuss your conditions and schedule a consultation.