How to fight the brain fog as a parent
Brain fog? Does anyone else have this? I did. For quite a while. Well for 3 months actually. Where does it come from? It’s something that I never had before becoming a parent. It also never really occurred until I went back to work. Maybe it’s something I had during maternity leave that was cured with a daily dose of coffee and cake.
It seemed to creep up on me the moment I returned to work last year. I would wake up and couldn’t think straight, and that feeling didn’t shift for the entire day. It was literally like my head was bunged up and heavy. The consequences of brain fog were the inability to make quick decisions (which is much needed in advertising) and a feeling of constant tiredness. But eventually something changed and the fog started to clear. I sound mad for writing this, you might be thinking I’m mad. Somebody please tell me I’m not the only one for feeling like that after having a baby. Maybe its what’s people refer to as “baby brain”. I hope not, and I hope it was more of adjustment of going back to work after a year off looking after a baby all day.
Like I said the brain fog eventually cleared after about 3 months. Thank god. Slowly but surely I started to feel like I was coming back to life, and I could think clearly again.
For anyone experiencing this I wanted to share some of my top tips for how to make life a little better if you do have the brain fog.
Water
Drink plenty of it. It cleanses and hydrates the body, and the brain too. Maybe I killed off all my brain cells on maternity leave, or I just wasn’t drinking enough water, instead substituting it for coffee and wine. But drink water, lots of it. It helps.
Plenty of rest
As we all know going back to work is a huge upheaval after having a baby, and after an extended leave of absence. There’s new processes, new routines and new roles to consider. Ease yourself back in, and make sure you’re getting enough rest in the evenings and at weekends, to avoid that feeling of being overwhelmed or “burn out”.
Vitamins
Now I was never a huge vitamin taker before, however when I went back to work and was suddenly surrounded by ill commuters on the train and germs from nursery, I started to take a daily dose of Vitamin C and Echinacea. I think at some point I was keeping Holland and Barratt in business. If you are feeling run down then consider taking some vitamins to help boost your immune system and to reduce that feeling of tiredness.
Time
Give yourself time and possibly lower your expectations. We all try to be supermum where we try to be the best at everything. However if you are struggling with the brain fog or settling back in when you return to work, then don’t be too hard on yourself. Give yourself time to return to normal, or could you get a mentor to help you through the initial few months.
Healthy eating
It’s really easy to reach for the crisps and chocolate when you’re feeling low, or wanting a distraction. However the good feeling will soon erode and you’ll be back to square one. Try to eat healthy and eat a balanced diet too. I know that’s easier said than done when you’ve got a foggy head and trying to get used to a new routine. Have a look at my quick and easy slow cooker meals for inspiration.
Exercise
Lastly exercise. If you could go for a run or to the gym once a week, then that should help to shift the brain fog feeling. It will also give you a little bit of “me time” away from the house, child and work. It doesn’t need to be costly, and a run round the park will have your adrenaline pumping in no time.
So those are my top tips for how I helped to clear my brain fog. It did clear eventually, but took time.
Have you experienced brain fog, or are experiencing it? I promise you it does go, but for now just be easy on yourself.
Claire x
4 Comments
Karen, the next best thing to mummy
I find that I get brain fog if I eat chocolate, which proves the point that you are what you eat, I suppose #coolmumclub@_karendennis
Kirsty - Winnettes
These are some great tips. I still get the brain fog if I get too tired. You could argue it is just tiredness but it is definitely more than that now I have had kids.
#coolmumclub
MMT
Brain fog comes and goes for me too – I find it really helps as a Stay at home Mum to break out of monotonous routines (like the same groups and people every week). Exercise too helps give me a boost (argh must try harder with that!).
Thanks for linking to #coolmumclub – off to pour some water to drink while I read 😉
Helena
Thank you for sharing these helpful tips. I need to implement these. #coolmumclub