I get the worst ‘brain fog’ in the world. Sometimes, my mind just won’t co-operate with the rest of me! I get it both from the medication and from simply being in pain. I could possibly call it ‘pain fog’!

I’m not sure what the technical name is for ‘brain fog’, but my definition is that it is when your mind stops you from remembering, speaking, knowing what you’re doing and generally gives you a hard time focusing and getting by day-to-day. Sometimes it’s down to the strong medication, sometimes it’s down to the illness itself and, in my case, sometimes it’s just down to being in constant pain. It’s very common for anyone with a chronic illness to experience the fog. Sometimes I can’t remember what I was saying, or the word I’m looking for!

Here are a few ways that I deal with having the dreaded brain fog..

Write everything down. Everything. There can be no “I’ll just remember that”, because, let me tell you, I absolutely won’t remember that! I have lists in my phone, notepads, paper everywhere, emails to myself.. Write it all down.. and you will come across it again at some point!

Rely on a friend. My partner often fills the gaps in for me when I’m missing words from sentences, when I can’t remember place names.. or people’s names that I should definitely remember! Sometimes it’s okay just to let someone help you out. Sometimes I need a reminder and that’s okay!

Give your brain a work-out! I will feel better about myself and my foggy brain if I’ve done a suduko or a crossword (probably a really easy one, but hey!) It obviously depends on how much I’m struggling on a particular day, but sometimes, if I can manage it, I find it helps to exercise my mind – the same way you would train a body part that needed a helping hand.

Organise your desk/room/house. They say ‘tidy room, tidy mind’, or something to this effect, and I believe it’s true. When my house is cluttered, I can’t focus on anything I’d rather be doing, as it’s so distracting! How can I enjoy a book, when my living room looks like a jungle? I believe a clear space is very good for a clear mind.

Get plenty of rest and do something relaxing.. especially when you can’t remember. Stress can have a huge impact on all areas of chronic pain – fatigue, pain in general and memory. I’m not saying a hot bath and a face mask will cure my memory problems, but it certain won’t hurt. So this is exactly where I’m going to leave this post.. I’m going to snuggle up on my sofa with a book and my cats!

How do you deal with the fog? ♡

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Trigeminal Neuralgia