I’ve spent the last couple of weeks feeling especially disconnected.

Not sad or blue, although that can happen too. It’s more like I just can’t seem to “plug in.” I lack focus. I wonder if I have ADD (which I know many women are diagnosed with in their middle years). I have trouble completing tasks but I also have trouble mustering up the desire to start the task in the first place. I feel sluggish, kind of apathetic and maybe a little sleepy?

It’s possible I’m feeling the stress of the day, to be sure, and that stress has me weary. In fact, THAT hypothesis is more than possible as it actually IS a thing.

I’m stressed! I know that. I’ve been stressed for awhile. The climate and environment we’re living in has been nothing short of nail-biting, nerve wracking, dare I say, nuts?! 

But, I know myself, it’s not the stress. It’s brain fog. In fact, I bet that if I were to have a brain scan tumbleweeds and mist would be clearly visible on screen. My mind has turned into the set of an old western. I’m not fond of westerns, did I mention that? This sense of not being able to shift into mental gear is not so much stress, but certainly hormone related and it’s really challenging. 

Can any of you relate? It’s not just the walking into a room and forgetting why I walked in, it’s the fact that I don’t feel like making the trek into said room at all (and in my place it’s not much of a trek, believe me).

There’s a lot of “Oh, I have to take care of that,” followed by a genuine attempt and then a, “Phew, maybe I need more coffee, time for a break!” It’s always the coffee break but really, by that time, I’m sure to have had plenty of coffee. Couple that with a good dose of lack of motivation and it’s a wonder I get anything accomplished at all! 

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I joke, but really, this isn’t the best feeling. It’s frustrating to be faced with an undertaking and just not be able to clearly think my way through it. I felt this disconnect start to brew at work about 5 years ago. I sat at my desk wondering where to begin anything, how to begin anything, talking myself into taking first steps and then getting distracted by the time I reached the third step?!

How can this be?

I’m someone who loves learning, reading, diving into concepts and theories…dare I say, I really love school! Everyone I know eyerolls at this, but it’s true. I wouldn’t have minded being a lifelong student.

Anyway, you get the picture. Call me a nerd, I don’t mind at all.  Point is, learning requires focus, continuous expansion of thought. Well, my ability to think for an extended period of time has dramatically ceased to exist. It’s dried up like a raisin. The time I’ve wasted trying to get focused? A lot. It’s been A LOT of time, ladies. 

Also, and this is a sidebar, I get my best ideas, quips, life changing thoughts, clarity, understanding and self encouraging affirmations when I’m nowhere near a pen. That’s a lot to materialize in my mind and frankly, all a waste, when I can’t write it down. In fact, if I don’t get to write it down, whatever IT may be, it’s like it never happened.

By the time I reach one, a pen that is, I’ve thought of five other things that have nothing to do with that initial moment of eureka. I’ve poured myself a glass of water, figured out what I might want to eat, even though I’m not hungry, wondered if I should make that phone call I forgot to make two days ago and, well, the found pen is now pointless.

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I have NO CLUE what I was thinking in the first place and am not even sure why I have a pen in my hand at all. On the surface, sure, this can be comical but I’ve actually forgotten that I had a date with someone.

A date. A live and in person gettogether. Totally forgotten! Because I never wrote it down! That’s not only embarrassing, it’s bad for a relationship!  Having to explain to close friends and family that you completely forgot about them in any context is, well, it’s not easy. 

Let us know here you’re doing with brain fog. Have you tried supplements or maybe brain “teasers” that are supposed to help? I do crossword puzzles but honestly, I don’t think they’re helping anymore.

I’ve also started taking magnesium glycinate to address the brain fog and hope to report back some favorable reviews in the near future. I have noticed since taking this supplement that I wake up clearer and feeling more rested, which has been nice, but I’ve also had some wild dreams.

Related: Supplements for Menopause: Do They Work?

Real madcap stuff, ha!  Honestly, I don’t mind that so much, it’s kind of fun! 

Here’s to you and a clear head, my friends!