“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:12
Brain Fog
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash | Photo of a woman praying, reflecting on God's all-encompassing help in life, whether with struggles such as illness or addiction and recovery, or with joyful endeavors.
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Brain fog. What is it, exactly?
Well, if you are experiencing things like forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, confusion, or just a general lack of mental clarity, you might be dealing with what we've come to call brain fog.
Brain fog is not a designated medical condition (according to creditable health-focused sites including WebMD and Healthline), but it can seriously affect the quality of your life, as you may have already discovered. Persistent brain fog can also lead to other serious conditions which ARE recognized and treated within the medical community, such as memory loss, depression, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's.
Not only so, brain fog has also been associated with obesity, abnormal menstruation, and diabetes mellitus. So...not an official medical condition, but a condition that officially affects our medical well-being. Should we be concerned about our mental clarity?
Umm, ye-ah. But that's not to say we are doomed....
There are definitely things we can do to change the trajectories of brain fog in our own lives. Let's look at some things:
Causes of brain fog
Instead of only giving you my opinions, here's a bulleted list you can consider to see if anything mentioned fits with your own lifestyle choices, obligatory routines, or recurring behaviors.
Each bullet point will have a link you can follow for more information.
Just remember, we (as a collective society) are finding a lot of disinformation in surprising places these days, so...be alert!
Personally, my first action before consulting an information giver is to ask my Creator for wisdom to know what's what. It's a biblical precept: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5 - NIV).
Anyway, you've got access to some resources I believe to be credible. Then, if it behooves you, you just may give thought as to how you might improve some bad decisions you've been making. I'm almost positive that we can all stand to choose more wisely from now on, regarding our health. Wouldn't you agree?
And the best thing about improving our habits? We discover that other facets of our lives automatically improve as well! I can even say win-win without that cringy feeling. :)
The above linked article addresses nine different causes, the first of which are these, grouped together.
Working too many hours in a day, a week, a month... takes a toll on one's mind.
Listed benefits of exercise include purging unhealthy chemicals from the brain, creating new brain cells, and reducing other causes of brain fog, such as insomnia, depression, and gut health issues.
The food we consume serves us as building blocks for our bodies, and eating some things - not so much naturally produced foods, but especially processed and/or modified foods - can work against us.
Screen time has been shown (not surprisingly) to affect our health.
And just for good measure....
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”