Do You Experience Brain Fog? — Depression Symptoms (Amanda)
Most of us on this site have experienced depression or depressive episodes. Aside from the well known symptoms such as low mood, appetite changes, sleep changes, and loss of interest, there are lesser known symptoms. One of these lesser known symptoms is called “brain fog”, and chances are that this symptom of depression has affected you at one point or another.
Brain fog, which is associated with a medical condition known as cognitive dysfunction, impairs your memory and thinking. Up to 94% of people with depression experience symptoms of brain fog. While this statistic might make your cognitive dysfunction seem inevitable, identifying brain fog symptoms and how you can work around them and treat them is a great first step to regaining your quality of life despite depression.
Symptoms of Brain Fog
Brain fog is a bit of a broad topic, but it can include a number of symptoms, such as:
Difficulty with short and long term memory
Difficulty remembering words
Having trouble paying attention to the task at hand
Executive function issues, such as having trouble making decisions
General lack of mental clarity or confusion
Emotional detachment
Know that brain fog is not technically a medical condition, but it is heavily associated with cognitive dysfunction. Regardless, it’s important to recognize these symptoms so you can look into what you can do about them. We’ll go over treatment and ways of coping in the next section.
How You Can Work Around Brain Fog
First and foremost, please see a doctor about your depression and symptoms if possible. We’ll go over some at-home strategies in this section, but nothing beats professional help, either by medication, therapy, or both.
You might hear that certain medications can cause brain fog, but don’t panic. Depression is much more likely to cause brain fog than depression medications are, and many medication symptoms go away after a period of regular usage. Also, most new depression medications (“new” meaning approved in the past 20 years or so) have less side effects.
You can also try some DIY methods to cope with or help prevent the symptoms of brain fog.
Get Enough Sleep
This one seems really obvious, and depression can make sleep a difficult task, but sleep is vital to our brain’s processes, including memory. Try over-the-counter medications and supplements such as melatonin to help regulate your sleep.
Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine, and Other Drugs
Caffeine, alcohol, and unregulated drugs can cause issues with sleep as well as other issues with mental clarity. Though drinking can be fun and caffeine can help get us through the day, it might be worth experimenting to see if you can get better, more regular rest without these habits.
Try Not to Multitask
Multitasking is difficult enough while mentally healthy, let alone while we’re experiencing depression symptoms. Multitasking in itself causes a concentration issue which compounds with the concentration issues caused by brain fog. Practice mindfulness and focus on one task at a time to make completing tasks easier for yourself.
Eat Better
Depression can make it difficult to eat well, but eating a balanced diet is really helpful to boost our energy levels, which helps keep the mind clear and focused.
Write Down Tasks and Important Details
Memory is one of the main issues associated with brain fog. Give your future self a break from the hard thinking and frustration by taking notes on important things, from simple tasks like “take the clothes out of the dryer” to more important things like “psychiatrist appointment at 1pm Thursday”. Keep these notes in a reliable place, such as in a planner or in an app on your phone. I like using Google Keep Notes.
Meditate and Take Mental Breaks
You don’t have to go, go, go all of the time. Allowing yourself time to relax throughout your day is essential to avoid burnout. Burnout can cause dips in our mood that ignite this brain fog.
There are a myriad of other techniques you can use to help keep your brain on track throughout the day, but the most important tip is to not overload yourself by trying to do too much at once. Take these tips one step at a time.
Take It Easy On Yourself
You should be really proud of yourself. Instead of letting depression control your life, you’re starting to take your life back by reading helpful materials and tips, such as this article. You won’t be perfect on your first try with these strategies, or any strategies to cope with depression; that is completely okay. These things take time and practice, and being persistent will be your key to improving your quality of life. You’re doing it.
Sometimes we need a little more help. If you need someone there for you to support you through these difficult times in your life, please feel free to reach out to us here at Letters Against Depression. We write letters of hope and support to show people just like you that we care and that you are not alone. We send letters anywhere in the world. You can request to receive a letter here. Know that these letters are entirely free.
If you want to volunteer to write letters for others who need hope and support, you can do so here.
Remember that you are never alone and you have support from us here.