Many refer to this as brain fog. It’s frustratin...

Many refer to this as brain fog. It’s frustrating, but you can learn to fight it.

During a brain fog episode, the effort to think creates physical pain. My temples throb, my heart speeds up, and my teeth clench in a painful death grip. Still, no thoughts come.

Logic and reason escape me. Similar to walking into a room and forgetting why you are there, your brain offers no help. The connections all come apart and all the synapses misfire.

As a writer, these braindead days are the worst. The blank page mocks you and makes your heart ache. A part of you fears the words will never return. In fear, your lungs freeze and your heart beats faster still.

Your anxious mind swirls in panic, an exhausted swimmer on the verge of drowning. Every action is a desperate reach for another gasp of air, but a stronger force remains unmoved. It watches the chaos with cold detachment.

The blankness can last for minutes, hours, or days. The anxiety subsides with time. Your heart rate slows to normal, but the paranoia that your thoughts may not return grows stronger.

Is this my life now? You can’t help but wonder. The good news is there are steps you can take to get things flowing again. Here are five ways you can ease your brain fog today.

1. Breathe
First, try to relax. It sounds simple, but when your mind is in overdrive, it’s hard to calm down. Take some deep breaths and focus on something else for a while. Maybe read a book or take a walk.

Stress and anxiety often trigger brain fog. Unfortunately, living a life with mental illness, you can become numb to stress. The anxiety starts to feel so normal that you don’t recognize when it’s getting worse.

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This is an excerpt from the Speaking Bipolar blog.

https://speakingbipolar.com

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