How to Navigate Brain Fog & Still Feel Like a Person

Have you ever tried to do your daily tasks and felt like you were swimming through jelly? Yeah, me too. 

If you're neurodivergent and/or chronically ill, you're familiar with brain fog - or at least the concept. It's more than being tired, it's a drain on your energy that makes simple things feel impossible. You forget things, you stare off into space for hours, and just generally feel useless.  

 

Spoon Theory

A useful way to quantify this feeling is the spoon theory. Spoon theory is the idea that you have a certain amount of "spoons" (or energy) to spend in a day. Chronically ill folk tend to wake up with less spoons, and seemingly "simple" tasks cost us more. 

For example, one person could work, do their laundry and cook in the one day and be completely fine, but another person might only be able to do one of those things, and end up burning out the next day. 

I (personally) prefer using batteries as a metaphor - it's easier to picture your battery percentage going up or down depending on the task. But a LOT of chronically ill people find comfort in spoon theory! It reminds us that we just don't have the same amount of energy as healthy people. 

 

So What do We Do About it?

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? 

It's all well and good to understand why your brain does weird things, but how do you fix it?

I wish I could answer that, but the best I can give you is how to live with it. 

(I'm by no means an expert here; just speaking from experience). 

Here's how to get "un-stuck" when your brain refuses to move

1. Rest

I know you don't want to hear it, but this one is SUPER important! And guess what - doomscrolling isn't rest! (I was shocked too) 

Real rest doesn't always mean sleep, but it should be something that doesn't make you think too hard. Re-reading old books, replaying games, listening to your favourite albums; anything that isn't overstimulating. This lets your mind relax and your body actually recover. I know the compulsion is to work, work, work while you have the energy, but that's just going to put you at a deficit and make the next day impossibly worse. 

2. Horizontal Time

It sounds silly, but hear me out. Spending some time lying down can help reset your nervous system (especially if you're neurodivergent). So when you start feeling the brain fog creep in, pick up a book or turn on your comfort show and zone out for a bit. Take maybe 20 minutes, then get back to what you were doing with renewed energy! 

3. Do Something Else

Not to state the obvious, but stepping away from your desk (or wherever your work space is) to do another task, no matter how small, will help get your energy back up. 

That feeling of satisfaction you get from marking something off your to-do list can set you on the right track. It's all about tricking your mind into believing you're already being productive!

4. Touch Grass 

Seriously. I know you're rolling your eyes, but there's a reason everyone tells you to get outside when you're feeling blah. Natural light sets up your brain for a good night's rest and taking a quick break from technology does wonders for your mood. 

You don't need to walk in a forest (but if you can, I highly recommended it). Even just standing outside your house and taking a few deep breaths can bring you back to yourself. All the better if you can go for a walk or run and really get your blood pumping. 

5. Give In to the Chaos

Sometimes when you've tried everything, you have to admit defeat. Resting or taking "horizontal time" doesn't work if you're too anxious to relax. Doing a different task might lead you down a rabbit hole and distract you even more. Sometimes it just doesn't work. 

And that's ok. You're human - nothing about us is consistent. Yeah, it sucks to feel like you're falling behind or not even present in life. It would be incredible if there was a magic solution to brain frog or a way to instantly replenish your spoon, but there's not.

As I'm writing this, I'm actually struggling to come up with a good conclusion because the brain fog is THAT BAD. 

Do I say this to make you feel hopeless? 

Absolutely not!

The tips I've listed above are still valid, and even if they don't work every time, you've got to take the wins where you can get them! 

What sucks about being neurodivergent is that we struggle with things most people don't see. We feel alone in our struggles, which means we're harder on ourselves when we fall behind. 

I want to show you that you're not a failure because of brain fog, or executive dysfunction, or any number of things. Though the tips I've listed above seem simple, sometimes you need to see them written down to really internalise how helpful they are. 

Take this list with you as a survival guide. A reminder to decompress and give yourself a real break. The world is tough enough with us making it harder on ourselves.