Tag: brain fog

Uncategorized

Fibromyalgia Time Is a Completely Different Time Zone

JoLeave a comment

I live in a time zone most people don’t know exists.
It doesn’t follow clocks, calendars, or common sense.
It does follow pain levels, fatigue spikes, and whether my nervous system has decided today is a “no thoughts, just vibes” kind of day.

Welcome to Fibromyalgia Time.

1. Five Minutes Can Take an Hour

In Fibromyalgia Time, a “quick task” is a bold lie.

  • Showering
  • Getting dressed
  • Answering one email

Each looks like it should take five minutes. In reality, it includes:

  • A rest break
  • A mental pep talk
  • Forgetting what you were doing
  • Another rest break

Time stretches when pain shows up, and shrinks when energy disappears.

2. “Later” Is a Vague Concept at Best

When I say “I’ll do it later,” I don’t mean today.
I also don’t mean tomorrow.
I mean when my body allows it.

Fibromyalgia doesn’t run on deadlines. It runs on:

  • Pain levels
  • Brain fog density
  • How hard my nervous system is spiraling

Later is not procrastination. It’s symptom-based scheduling.

3. Energy Expires Without Warning

Normal time assumes energy is steady.

Fibromyalgia Time says:

“Surprise! You had a 30-minute window and didn’t know it.”

You can wake up feeling okay and hit empty before lunch.
You can plan carefully and still lose the day by 2 p.m.

Energy doesn’t taper. It vanishes.
And when it’s gone, the clock stops mattering.

4. Recovery Time Is Not Predictable

In normal time, rest has a formula:

Do thing → Rest → Feel better

In Fibromyalgia Time:

Do thing → Rest → Still tired → Still tired → Still tired → Why am I still tired?

Recovery isn’t linear.
Sometimes a nap helps.
Sometimes it does nothing.
Sometimes it makes things worse because now you’re groggy and in pain.

5. Past Me and Present Me Are Not the Same Person

Fibromyalgia Time has no memory continuity.

Past Me:

  • Made plans
  • Overestimated capacity
  • Was wildly optimistic

Present Me:

  • Is negotiating with joints
  • Has three spoons left
  • Is offended by Past Me’s confidence

Canceling plans isn’t flakiness — it’s time travel without consent.

6. The Clock Keeps Moving Even When I Can’t

This is the cruelest part.

The world doesn’t pause when your body does.
Bills are still due.
Appointments still exist.
Expectations don’t magically adjust.

Fibromyalgia Time moves slower inside your body — but faster everywhere else.
That disconnect is exhausting all by itself.

7. Productivity Happens in Weird Bursts

Fibromyalgia doesn’t believe in steady output.

Instead you get:

  • Sudden bursts of “must do everything NOW”
  • Followed by complete shutdown

It’s not a lack of motivation.
It’s a nervous system that dumps all available energy at once and then clocks out.

8. Rest Is Not Wasted Time (Even If It Looks Like It)

In normal time, rest is a reward.

In Fibromyalgia Time, rest is maintenance.

Lying down isn’t laziness.
Doing less isn’t failure.
Pausing is how you stay functional at all.

The clock might say you did “nothing,” but your body knows better.

9. Fibromyalgia Time Requires Translation

“Just five more minutes”
“Can you hurry?”
“It won’t take that long”

These phrases assume a shared timeline.

We’re not on the same clock — and that’s not a moral failing.
It’s a medical reality.

10. Surviving Fibromyalgia Means Redefining Time Entirely

Success isn’t measured in hours worked or tasks completed.

In Fibromyalgia Time, success looks like:

  • Listening to your body
  • Stopping before you crash
  • Adjusting expectations without self-blame

You’re not behind.
You’re just operating in a different time zone — one that requires patience, flexibility, and a whole lot of self-compassion.

Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.


Uncategorized

When My Brain Checks Out: Dissociation, Explained Gently

JoLeave a comment

There are moments when I’m technically awake, technically functioning, but not really here.

I’ll be mid-sentence and lose the sentence. Mid-thought and lose the thought. Mid-day and suddenly it’s hours later.

That’s dissociation — and it’s a lot quieter, weirder, and more common than people think.

This isn’t a dramatic shutdown. It’s not a panic attack. It’s not giving up.

It’s my nervous system quietly saying: this is too much right now.

What Dissociation Actually Feels Like

Not the textbook version. The real-life one.

  • My body keeps going, but my brain feels like it stepped out for coffee.
  • Sounds feel slightly delayed, like everything is happening behind glass.
  • Emotions flatten — not sad, not calm, just muted.
  • I forget what I’m saying while I’m saying it.
  • Time skips. Ten minutes disappears. Sometimes an hour.

It doesn’t feel scary in the moment — it feels empty. And that’s often what makes it unsettling afterward.

Why It Happens (No Jargon, I Promise)

Your brain has two big jobs:

  1. Keep you alive
  2. Process information and feelings

When stress, pain, trauma, sensory overload, or emotional pressure stack too high, the brain makes a call:

“Processing everything right now would cost too much energy.”

So it pulls back.

Less sensation. Less emotion. Less memory formation.

This isn’t a flaw. It’s a conservation strategy.

How to Gently Come Back (Without Forcing It)

Dissociation doesn’t respond well to yelling at yourself to focus.

It responds to safety cues.

1. Start With the Body

Thinking your way out rarely works — the body has to go first.

  • Press your feet into the floor and notice the pressure
  • Wrap up in a hoodie or blanket (weight helps)
  • Hold something textured: a mug, fabric seam, stone

Feeling your body is the bridge back.

2. Use Temperature as a Reset

Temperature changes speak directly to the nervous system.

  • Splash cool water on your face
  • Hold something warm or cold in your hands
  • Step outside for fresh air if you can

You’re telling your body: we’re here, and it’s now.

3. Name What’s Happening

No analysis required.

Quietly acknowledging it helps reduce fear:

  • “I’m dissociating right now.”
  • “My system is protecting me.”
  • “I don’t have to fix this — just notice it.”

Naming brings orientation without pressure.

4. Ground Through One Sense (Not Five)

Sometimes the classic five-senses exercise is too much.

Try just one:

  • Sight: name one color you can see
  • Sound: listen for the furthest noise you can hear
  • Touch: rub your thumb across your fingers slowly

Simple works better than intense.

5. Externalize Memory When Words Slip

If thoughts are falling through trapdoors:

  • Write a single keyword
  • Record a 10‑second voice memo
  • Text yourself: “brain offline — continue later”

This isn’t failure. It’s accommodation.

Aftercare Matters More Than You Think

When dissociation fades, what often shows up next is shame.

Why can’t I just stay present?

But dissociation means something was already overwhelming.

The kind response is not pushing harder — it’s softer transitions:

  • water
  • food
  • low stimulation
  • rest

You don’t need to earn recovery.

One Last Thing

Dissociation doesn’t mean you’re bad at coping.

It usually means you’ve coped a lot.

Your nervous system learned this because it once helped you survive.

Now you’re teaching it that there are other safe options too.

And that learning takes time.

Gentle time. Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.

Uncategorized

Things I Learned the Hard Way (A Fact-Based Rant) BTW This is post 200!

JoLeave a comment

I used to think my body malfunctioning was a personal flaw.
Turns out it’s mostly biology reacting to stress and occasionally filing a formal complaint.

Here’s what’s actually happening — and what helps a little.

1. Stress Steals Memory Access

Fact: Cortisol suppresses the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for forming and retrieving memories.

Translation: The information is still there. Stress just locked the door.

What helps:

  • Write it down immediately (notes app, scrap paper, hand, whatever)
  • Say it out loud once — verbal encoding helps retrieval
  • Reduce decision load where possible (same routines, fewer choices)

2. Cold Weather Makes Pain Louder

Fact: Cold increases nerve sensitivity and muscle stiffness while reducing blood flow.

Translation: Winter doesn’t create new pain. It turns the volume knob up.

What helps:

  • Pre-warm before moving (heated blanket, warm shower, heating pad)
  • Layer before you feel cold — not after
  • Gentle movement > total stillness (even tiny stretches count)

3. Writing Things Down Works Even If You Never Read It Again

Fact: Writing engages motor, visual, and language centers, strengthening memory encoding.

Translation: Your brain remembers better when your hands are involved.

What helps:

  • Write while someone is talking to you (yes, even mid-sentence)
  • Use ugly notes — perfection kills follow-through
  • One notebook or app only (scattered systems cancel each other out)

4. Stress Interrupts Thoughts Mid-Sentence

Fact: High cognitive load disrupts working memory and verbal recall.

Translation: Your thought didn’t disappear. It got stuck in traffic.

What helps:

  • Pause instead of apologizing — the thought often comes back
  • Say “hold on” and take one breath (literally one)
  • Jot down keywords, not full sentences

5. Your Brain Uses Food as Fuel and a Clock

Fact: Irregular eating can destabilize blood sugar, affecting attention and recall.

Translation: Skipping meals doesn’t just make you hungry — it makes your brain unreliable.

What helps:

  • Eat something at the same time daily (even if it’s small)
  • Pair eating with a routine you already do
  • Low-effort calories count — fed is better than ideal

6. Fatigue and Forgetfulness Share a Nervous System

Fact: Chronic fatigue alters neurotransmitters and executive function.

Translation: “I’m tired” and “I can’t think” are often the same sentence.

What helps:

  • Stop pushing for clarity when exhausted — it won’t come
  • Plan important thinking for your best energy window
  • Rest without guilt; recovery is not optional maintenance

Closing Thought

None of this is a character flaw.
It’s a nervous system under prolonged stress doing its best with limited resources.

Coping doesn’t mean fixing it.
Sometimes it just means making today slightly less hostile.
Til next time guys, take care of yourselves, and each other!

Uncategorized

Why Stress Steals Memory

JoLeave a comment

(Explained Like I’m Four Because Its My Current Mental Capacity)

Imagine your brain is a house.

Inside that house are different rooms. One room is for thinking — remembering things, planning, finishing sentences, and holding onto a thought long enough to actually say it out loud. Another room is for danger. That room has alarms, flashing lights, and a big red button labeled OH NO.

Most of the time, the thinking room is in charge.

Then stress shows up.

Stress doesn’t knock. It barges in yelling things like “PROBLEM,” “URGENT,” or “SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING.” Your brain doesn’t stop to check whether the threat is real or just an email, a memory, or the general vibes of winter. It just flips the switch.

The danger room takes over.

When that happens, your brain makes a very practical decision: remembering things is no longer the priority. Surviving is.

So it starts redirecting energy away from memory, focus, and word-finding. Not because those things aren’t important — but because they aren’t useful if you’re about to be eaten by a bear. (Your brain is old-fashioned like that.)

This is why, under stress, you might forget what you were saying mid-sentence, lose track of why you walked into a room, or feel like your thoughts evaporate the moment you reach for them. Your brain isn’t failing. It’s triaging.

There’s also a chemical reason this happens.

When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol. Cortisol’s job is to help you respond to danger. It speeds things up, tightens muscles, sharpens attention toward threats, like bear attacks, and keeps you alert. But it also tells the memory-forming parts of your brain to quiet down.

In simple terms: cortisol says, “We don’t need to remember things right now. We need to stay alive.”

So memory takes a back seat.

This is especially noticeable when stress isn’t a one-time event, but something ongoing. Chronic stress — from pain, trauma, long-term anxiety, caregiving, or just living in a body that never fully relaxes — can keep your nervous system stuck in high-alert mode. Over time, your brain starts acting like danger is the default setting.

That’s why memory problems can show up even when you’re not actively upset. Conversations feel harder to track. Words go missing. Thoughts disappear halfway through forming. The system never fully stands down.

And this part matters: this isn’t laziness, lack of intelligence, or a personal failing.

It’s not that your brain forgot how to work. It’s that it learned how to protect you — and protection came first.

Memory didn’t disappear. It just got temporarily demoted.

That’s also why external supports help so much. Writing things down, setting reminders, repeating information out loud — these tools reduce the load on a system that’s already busy. Sometimes just writing something is enough for it to stick, even if you never look at it again. Your brain trusts that it doesn’t have to carry everything alone.

The takeaway is simple, even if the experience isn’t.

If your memory struggles when you’re stressed, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do — keeping you safe, even when the threat isn’t obvious.

And sometimes, safety comes at the cost of remembering where you put the thought you were just holding. Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other!

Uncategorized

Brain Fog: Why Your Brain Suddenly Feels Like Dial-Up Internet

JoLeave a comment

Let’s cut the polite medical fluff and get to the truth:
Brain fog is real, it’s intrusive, and it can make you feel like you’re slowly losing your mind… even though you’re not. We not only deal with it within our illnesses but alot of us have Menopause or Perimenopause right along with these other intrusive issues

And the worst part?
Everything is affected.
Memory, focus, emotional regulation, sleep, language, motivation — pick a brain function, and menopause and Bipolar, ADHD, and Fibro toss a snow globe at it.

You’re not imagining this. And you’re definitely not “lazy” or “slacking” or “not trying hard enough.” What you’re feeling is neurological turbulence, courtesy of hormones that suddenly decided to jump ship without leaving a forwarding address.

Let’s break down what’s actually going on, in normal-human language.

🌡️ What Menopause Brain Fog Actually Is

Imagine your brain has a hype squad.
The leader of that hype squad? Estrogen.

Estrogen talks to your neurotransmitters — the little brain chemicals that run your mood, your focus, and your memory — and keeps them energized and coordinated.

Here are her three favorite teammates:

  • Serotonin → mood, emotional stability
  • Dopamine → motivation, attention, reward
  • Acetylcholine → memory, learning, focus

When estrogen starts dropping during perimenopause and menopause?
The hype squad gets tired. The music cuts out. Everybody forgets the dance.

Suddenly the whole system is like:

“Wait… what were we doing? Why did we walk into the kitchen? Where are my keys? Why can’t I think of that one word? Why does everything feel… slow?”

It’s not subtle. It hits like a grocery cart to the ankles.

🧠 So What Does This Look Like in Real Life?

You may notice:

  • Forgetting basic words you’ve used for 40 years
  • Losing your train of thought mid-sentence
  • Walking into a room and immediately forgetting why
  • Misplacing everything — phone, keys, glasses, sanity
  • Feeling mentally “slower” or foggier than usual
  • Struggling to switch between tasks
  • Needing instructions repeated
  • Finding it harder to learn new things
  • Getting overwhelmed faster than you used to

And then there’s the emotional layer:
You start wondering if you’re declining, losing your edge, or secretly broken.
(You’re not. You’re literally chemically glitching.)

😫 Why It Feels So Big and So Personal

Because menopause doesn’t just change estrogen — it changes sleep, stress hormones, and mood systems too.

Sleep becomes trash.
Night sweats and hot flashes interrupt the hours you do manage to get.
And sleep loss alone slows memory consolidation and attention — for anyone, not just hormonal women.

Add in drops in serotonin and dopamine, and suddenly:

  • You can’t regulate stress as well
  • Motivation takes a hit
  • Focus becomes slippery
  • Everything feels “harder” than it used to

So the fog isn’t coming from one place — it’s coming from everywhere at once.

That’s why it feels overwhelming. That’s why you feel unlike yourself.
That’s why it feels like your brain betrayed you.

🧬 The Science Behind It (In Actual Plain English)

Two big findings from research you can quote, cite, tattoo, whatever you need:

1. Menopause measurably affects memory and cognitive performance.

Large studies show that during the menopause transition, women experience real, trackable dips in memory, attention, and verbal fluency — especially when hormones fluctuate the most.
(SWAN Study – Greendale et al., 2010)

2. Estrogen plays a major role in protecting attention and memory systems.

Estrogen directly affects acetylcholine and dopamine — the same systems involved in memory, focus, and mental clarity.
When estrogen falls, those systems weaken, and cognitive symptoms follow.
(Sherwin, 2012)

This isn’t a personality flaw.
It’s biology.

❤️ You’re Not Failing — Your Brain Is Rewriting Its Operating System

Seriously — if your computer said “installing major update… do not shut down,” you’d expect things to be weird for a while.

That’s menopause.

Your brain is recalibrating.
Your hormones are rebalancing.
Your neurotransmitters are trying to remember their choreography.

You’re not broken.
You’re not incompetent.
You’re not “losing it.”

You’re adapting to a massive physiological shift that affects everyone going through it — but nobody talks about enough. Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.

Greendale GA, et al. The menopause transition and cognitive performance: the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Menopause. 2010;17(4):910–917.

Sherwin BB. Estrogen and cognitive functioning in women: lessons we have learned. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2012;37(8):1287–1295.

Uncategorized

Brain Fog vs. Cognitive Fatigue: Understanding the Science Behind “I Can’t Think Today”

JoLeave a comment

Some days, my brain feels like it’s buffering. I’ll stand in the kitchen with zero clue why I’m there, reread the same sentence five times, or forget my own train of thought mid-sentence. And then there are the days when my brain feels tired. Not fuzzy—just done. Like someone unplugged the power source and said, “Nope. We’re closed.”

People often lump brain fog and cognitive fatigue together, but they’re not the same beast. Brain fog is that hazy, disconnected, “can’t access the file” feeling. It’s common in chronic illness, ADHD, and even post-viral recovery because it’s tied to inflammation and disrupted neurotransmitter signaling—especially in areas like the prefrontal cortex, which handles planning and focus. (See research: Defining brain fog across medical conditions.) ScienceDirect+1

Cognitive fatigue, on the other hand, is your brain’s version of muscle fatigue. It happens when your mental resources are overused or depleted—like when you’ve been masking all day, juggling a thousand tasks, or fighting through sensory overload. Studies show that prolonged cognitive load triggers measurable changes in brain activity consistent with fatigue. BioMed Central+1

Cloudy with a chance of fog

The cruel joke? Many of us with chronic pain, ADHD, or trauma live in a state where both are happening at once. Inflammation clouds the signals (fog) while constant effort to function burns through what little energy reserves remain (fatigue). Add medication effects, sleep disruption, or stress hormones—and your poor nervous system is basically trying to run Windows 98 on low battery.

The next time you say “I can’t think today,” remember—it’s not laziness or lack of willpower. It’s biology doing its best under impossible conditions. Be kind to your brain. It’s been through a lot, and honestly, it deserves a nap and maybe a snack. Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.

Uncategorized

Fibro Fog…

Jo1 Comment


Today I’m picking a symptom to discuss that I have found particularly difficult and vexing, Fibro Fog, where everything you were JUST thinking about disappears into a mist. I think all the evaporated thoughts are hanging together, in the air, and we just have to hope they blow by us again close enough for us to hold on to and actually implant in our brains. I’m not talking forgetfulness I’m talking if you don’t write it down its already water vapor lol. I can hear you now, ‘but can you give us any examples that are entertaining as well as informative?’



Of course, who do you think you’re talking to? No I’m really asking, because I forgot lol just kidding.

Imagine your brain decided to take a leisurely stroll through a dense fog, but instead of enjoying the tranquility, it got lost, took a wrong turn at Albuquerque, and ended up in a carnival funhouse where all the mirrors distort reality. That’s fibro fog for you, the mischievous gremlin that hijacks your thoughts and turns your thoughts and ideas into a wacky, unpredictable carnival ride.

Picture this: You wake up in the morning, ready to conquer the day like a boss/Queen/Goddess slaying everything in your path, only to realize your brain is still in snooze mode, mumbling something about needing more coffee before it can even consider joining the party. Its there, its just on a delay if you will, like they use on broadcast tv before anything live they have it on like a 10 second delay with someone on the button in case someone lets out curse words best kept to themselves? When fibro fog happens to me I feel like I’m hearing everything being said but it doesn’t make sense in my head, it takes me minutes to process the information I am given, so we will have had a full discussion but in truth I don’t even understand what you said until 10 minutes later. That means any clarifications I might need I’m already too late to ask, so I will convince myself I did it wrong. I’ll find myself standing in front of the fridge, wondering why on earth I opened it in the first place, while my keys I was searching for a few minutes ago mock me from the depths of my purse, hiding in plain sight.

Trying to hold a conversation becomes a high-stakes game of mental acrobatics, where you’re juggling words like a circus performer, desperately hoping they’ll land in the right order. Suddenly, your train of thought gets derailed faster than a toddler on a sugar rush, leaving you stranded at a mental station with no idea where you were headed.

In essence, fibro fog turns your brain into a whimsical, slightly dysfunctional amusement park, where every thought is a rollercoaster ride and every memory a slippery slide. So, next time you encounter someone battling this quirky phenomenon, just remember – they’re not lost, they’re just taking the scenic route through the carnival of their mind.

Til next times guys, stay kind to yourselves, and each other!