Brain Fog is a real physiological event and not just a mere feeling. Scientists refer to this as Cognitive Overload.
What is Cognitive Load?
Cognitive Load Theory states that our brain has a threshold for dealing with stress. Once the threshold is crossed, brain function becomes impacted.
What causes Cognitive Overload?
Excessive or chronic stress, lack of support, fatigue and sensory overload (aka screaming children) can all lead to cognitive overload. Our nervous system pushes the button on "survival mode" which starts a chain of physiological changes designed to help us survive. This might be fine in the short term, but causes harm (sometimes permanent) in the long term.
What does it feel like?
Being in a state of "overload" feels like an intense “brain fog” where you can't think or being “stuck” and unable to move forward.
Side Note: I wonder if parents and survivors of childhood trauma / abuse need to be aware of this happening as due to our history, we could be at higher risk of experiencing Cognitive Overload??
What's Happening to your Nervous System:
When our nervous system goes into survival mode a bunch of things can happen: blood flow to the brain to decreases, stress hormones are released, heart rate and BP increases, the amygdala (a part of your brain) “hijacks” control of your brain and your responses. Your brain stops functioning as it usually would, making it especially hard if not impossible to think through problems or make decisions.
Short term this can mean feeling checked out, depressed or frustrated. Long term, this can lead to memory loss and even irreversible brain cell death!
Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome
Just when you thought that things were bad – it gets worse. Enter Adrenal Fatigue – when your adrenal glands (responsible for releasing hormones like cortisol) become overworked and - you guessed it - no longer are able to function properly.
Cognitive Overload and Adrenal Fatigue are linked.
What to do?
I’m no expert. I'm still working through things and discovering what I need to do.
If you're in a crisis you can pick up the phone and chat with someone:
Lifeline 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
MensLine Australia 1300 789 978
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
1800 Respect 1800 737 732
13 YARN - 13 92 76 (for First Nations people)
First things first - just practice awareness. Awareness of your body and how it responds to increasing levels of stress. Get to know your triggers and notice red flags when your body is lacking the resources needed to cope: headache, tightness in your chest, etc etc
This will give you time to try and remove yourself from a situation before you snap. The earlier you can get to rest the better.
I’m still learning about myself and coming to terms with the fact that I’m not always in control of my environment, my emotional response or the fact that I have a predisposition to stress as a result of childhood trauma.
I have this feeling that I need to focus on creating a close community. Find a community you can trust is no easy task in our society but one I believe is key to good mental health. The moment I feel isolated, all my stressors seem to compound. Don’t give up on finding your people!
And for the love of all things good please prioritise your health. This is part of loving yourself and something we want to practice if we want to teach our kids to love themselves too. They’ll learn by watching 😊
Here are some tips from others:
Other helpful articles:
If you have experienced Cognitive Overload share your experience here in our forum topic on Brain Fog.
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