Let’s talk brain fog…
Wiki Definition:
“Clouding of consciousness, also known as brain fog or mental fog, is a term used in medicine denoting an abnormality in the regulation of the overall level of consciousness that is mild and less severe than a delirium. The sufferer experiences a subjective sensation of mental clouding described as feeling “foggy.”
TLC’s Definition:
“Tired AF, Forgetful AF, Irritated AF, Lazy AF, Anxious AF, and Emotional AF”
If any ONE of these feelings describes you, you are my dear, are experiencing BRAIN FOG and if not handled it could lead you to feel symptoms of mild depression. Dr. Kelly Brogan, a psychiatrist, expert in psychosomatic medicine (someone who studies the relationships between social, psychological and behavioral factors have on the body) as well as an expert in integrative holistic medicine wrote a full book on this very topic!
If you haven’t checked out the most recent TLC READING CORNER, I suggest you do that and get her book asap! She really is the one of the few MD’s that are tracking how twisted meds are, and she is trying to give power back to her patients to change, not only their emotional states, but “diseases” labeled and created by pharmaceutical companies.
Yup, you heard that right. In fact, in a book I recently read by Steven Pressfield, “The War of Art, Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles” he says…
Attention Deficit Disorder, Seasonal Affect Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder. These aren’t diseases; they’re marketing ploys. Doctors didn’t discover them, copywriters did. Marketing departments did. Drug companies did. Depression and anxiety may be real, but they can also be RESISTANCE.
Dr. Kelly Brogan believes that depression is a SYMPTOM of a deeper issue and one that, most often, can be cured by paying attention inward. She doesn’t believe the myth of “chemical imbalance” rather that it’s your body saying something is off. Whether it be lifestyle, diet, and or products we use, the body is designed to alert you when there is inflammation, and it shows up in different ways. It’s our job to pay attention.
Two weeks ago on Snapchat, I spoke of this very thing and told my Snapchat family how I was experiencing brain fog because the summer is usually quite busy for me, not to mention, SOCIAL. Everyone seems to be wanting to do something during the summer here in Las Vegas so as you can imagine, it’s really easy to slip into unhealthy routines and when that happens, not only does my body start reacting, my mind starts to, LITERALLY, shut down.
I’ll tell you how in a second but I will say, I’ve trained myself to listen to my body. I know instantly when foods, drinks or a lifestyle isn’t working for me, and I try to adjust accordingly and IMMEDIATELY. But like always, it’s important to enjoy your life, and sometimes it’s ok to be unhealthy at times, but not STAY unhealthy.
How a bad routine and diet affects me physically:
+ I get dark circles under my eyes
+ My skin becomes irritated and I get rashes on my back and arms
+ My arms and legs itch like CRAZY
+ Allergies progress: Eyes won’t stop watering, and nose is super congested
+ I get super bloated and constipated
+ I get aches and pains all over especially lower back
How a bad routine and diet affects me mentally/emotionally:
+ I get impatient, tired and irritated fast
+ I get anxious and overwhelmed
+ I procrastinate more and get lazy
+ Easier for me to take things personally and be EMO (emotional)
+ My sex drive takes a dive…. (who has time for that?)
How can we say “bye bye to brain fog” so we can jump start energy, productivity and our emotional well-being?
1. Ditch the dairy:
At least for 30 days and see how you feel. I know cheese, ice cream, and coffee creamer are yummy AF but we don’t realize how much dairy is affecting our lives. Even though you may not be outwardly allergic, your body is certainly reacting to dairy in a sick way because dairy causes so much inflammation in the body. The same inflammation that is communicating to the mind that the body is NOT happy, and we wonder why we feel depressed.
Literature in psychiatry that supports immune responses to protein casein in dairy, primarily cow, as playing a role in conditions ranging from depression to schizophrenia.” – Dr. Kelly Brogan
2. Say no to processed & artificial sugars:
Here’s the tricky part, most EVERYTHING in our cabinets, if we aren’t careful, contains sugar that not only spikes our blood sugar but feeds the bad bacteria in our gut that craves more! “The reaction that takes place in the body in response to this high intake of various forms of sugar is called reactive hypoglycemia, which can masquerade as a number of different symptoms consistent with depression and anxiety.”
There is a significant difference between processed/artificial sugars and NATURAL sugars. Natural sugars are sugars found in fruits which the body recognizes and can digest, processed and artificial sugars is what’s making dat brain foggy!
3. Give alcohol a break:
I will say, Millennial’s are killing the drinking game. It’s literally becoming a part of our culture in the way that it’s the norm. Business meeting? Let’s grab a drink! Brunch? Drinks! Dinner? Drinks! After workout? Drinks! … But what we don’t realize is this is a significant factor diminishing our energy and vibration. Trust me… ya’ll know I love my red wine BUT when I start feeling a brain fog, I know it’s time to chill. So what I’d suggest is giving alcohol a break during “Operation Brain Fog” and if you choose to start integrating it back make sure you keep it CLEAN! Stick with organic wine, tequila or gin with lemon or lime.
4. Reduce your meat intake:
As most of you know I eat a plant-based diet majority of the time. Which means I eat approximately 80-90% of raw veggies and fruits, the other 10-20% are fish and meats, if I choose. Here’s the deal though, your body was not meant to digest the amounts of meats we are consuming in this day and age. That’s just the truth. Some people are eating meat’s three times a day, EVERYDAY and that’s just NOT going to promote optimal energy because your body is too busy digesting, instead of doing the other THOUSANDS of things our bodies were meant to do.
The goal is to make it really easy for your body to digest so that it can “FOCUS” on other things… Let me say that again, FOCUS… The lack of focus we feel has a lot to do with the body being backed up with too many things to do. So do what you can to eat foods that promote digestion so that you sustain optimal energy.
5. Eat more FATS:
What?! Yup. I’m not talking McDonalds, fried, hydrogenated oils fats… I’m talking about natural fats that promote your cells. Let’s talk about your cells for a second. Your blood cells are what carry oxygen and nutrients to your vital organs, but in order to feed our cells so they can do their VERY IMPORTANT job, we have to feed them healthy fats for them to grow! What are healthy fats? Healthy fats are avocados, olive oil, pistachios, coconut oil, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts and the list goes on.
Incorporating these into your diet is what is going to feed your BRAIN… and if we are feeding our brain what it needs, brain fog won’t exist.
6. Water, Water, WATER:
It is SOOO important that you are always hydrating your cells with H2O. It’s the most important part of all this, yet so many people are walking around quenching their thirst with soda, Redbull, juices…. STOP!
Cut up some lemon to put in it and drink away!
7. Move your ass:
Girl, you gotta move! If you are experiencing brain fog, not only do we need to check what we are putting in our bodies, but we have to shift our energy through movement. And doing things that promote the lymphatic system (a vital part of our immune system) is one of the most important keys to promoting optimal energy. We can do a full article on this alone but what you can do now is take time every day to stretch, walk, jump on a rebounder or dance!
There you have it, babe! My seven ways to get rid of brain fog. Brain fog is no fun and often leaves us feeling powerless, but we aren’t! It’s time to take control of our health so we can take back power over our emotions. Who’s gonna try these tips for the next two weeks? Or, if you are a real warrior, who’s gonna try this for 30 days?
Linda SAYS:
Amazing article. Very interesting and informative