What is "brain fog" to you?

[lljkk]

As in, how would you know if you had it, and how would you know when you didn't have it?

when I really feel like a cup of tea, and just as I am stirring myself to get up and make one, I find there is one at my elbow, hot and steaming, and I must have made it in the last 10 minutes, but don't remember.....

I feel like I'm in a goldfish bowl I'm looking out at everyone whilst there looking in

Forgetting what I was in the middle of saying, forgetting what I was about to say, forgetting why I went in a room / cupboard, unable to concentrate on things, typing things and then reading it back and it doesn’t make any sense or half the words are wrong or missing…….thank god for HRT patches!M

forgetfulness & alienation?

When you can't think properly compared to your normal self, for

...no obvious reason such as having worked a full day or lacking sleep.

For me its when i just can't herd my thoughts into any kind of order, they're just scattered, and i feel trying to think is like wading through thick mud, or like my thoughts are a clock that needs winding.. i can't think, everything is on a go-slow.

Can't do basic maths (and I mean adding up to ten sort of basic)

When you know someone for years and for one moment can’t say or think what their name is.

Same as artix. I can kind of know what I need to do, but it takes all my effort and concentration to make it happen, with instructions to myself that are more suited to the average five year old - “First I’ll sit on my chair. Then I’ll plug in my computer. Then I’ll search for X. Then I’ll be able to answer Y’s email…” and so on. I have an underactive thyroid, so sometimes severe brain fog if my medication isn’t correct.

For me when a simple word l have always known goes out of my head just as l am about to say it. I can see the thing in my mind, know the word is right there but l can't say it. Hate that feeling. No issue with actual names.

Extreme lack of focus, so I'll remember a job I need to do and almost instantly forget it again, or get distracted partway through a task and not go back to it. I also can't remember words or names. I like routine and I have certain days when I need to wash bits of kit or uniform, but I'm even forgetting that now. It's beyond frustrating.

I see many people through my work with brain fog (in the workplace)
They mostly describe forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating and attending to something. It can often mean they don't take in information they've been given at work

Similar to Artix and Thewaythelightfalls - things that I would normally expect to be able to do quite easily take a huge amount of concentration. The most obvious example was a few times when I've tried to do a fairly simple crossword puzzle and not only can I not find the answers but I have to actively try to concentrate to remember what the clue is and what letters I know etc. I've had the same sort of thing trying to read and finding that I have to force myself to get my mind on to the words on the page, then having to re-read because I've forgotten the start of the page. When my HRT is right I can do these things with very little effort.

Forgetting what I was saying halfway though a sentence.
Getting words muddled up.
Forgetting words.
Forgetting what I was doing.
Forgetting how to do simple tasks.
Constantly having to write lists because I forget everything. Had a great memory before long covid.
Struggling to stay focused.
Struggle with multitasking. Every performance review in my career has praised me for being able to juggle so many different tasks.

This, also an inability to think straight, ordering thoughts into sentences.

Delayed responses ( need to process what I'm seeing or hearing)

All of the above. Mine is caused by chronic fatigue. When it’s at its worst, I am unable to speak or move at all. I regularly have aphasia as I’m running out of energy and then have a very limited vocabulary. So say I am trying to tell dh that the dog hasn’t eaten, dd hasn’t had her dinner, I’ll say perhaps ‘dogname bowl’ My brain fog is constant that I often cannot remember basic words, to the extent I have had to search for my name. These are types of temporary aphasia.

Watching or reading something with a really simple storyline and not being able to follow it.

Can't get my words or even my thoughts into any coherent order. (I suffer from chronic fatigue and this happens all too often sadly.)

like having soggy cotton wool in my brain, and / or bees in my head.

Forgetting a sentence halfway through it
Going downstairs for something and forgetting what I wanted by the time I get downstairs
Knowing what I want to say in my head but what comes out of my mouth is a load of crap
Thinking I want to do something but when I try and do said something I get it disastrously wrong
Reading the same page over and over again and not taking a word in
Someone could say something to me, in my head I think I have understood what they're saying but the reality is different.
Burning food because I forget how long it's been cooking for/can't quite work out how long it needs to cook.

I have fibro. Some days are good, some days bad, some days when I don't have the energy to exist and just sleep instead. In my case, pain/fatigue/cognition are closely linked. When I sought help from my GP, I was told fibro is purely psychological (it really isn't). I was told that if I think my pain and fatigue away then I will make a full recovery and be able to do all the things I used to. I wonder if spinal injury patients are told the same- I.e. if they think their injury away they will be able to walk again.

When I just can't think. Trying to think of something but nothing comes. Like when your browser gets stuck and it's spinning but nothing happens.

Also can't think of names etc.

Feel like brain is made of porridge
Thinking slower
Really fatigued by cognitive tasks like having conversations or reading
Forgetting the names of people I know really well, simple words and phrases.
Struggling to order my thoughts to express what I need to say
Feeling spaced out a lot
Feeling overwhelmed with more than one noise at once eg TV and conversation.
Feeling like my iq has dropped by 30 points.

All of the above! It's really impacting my ability to do my job. I can't concentrate for very long, frequently lose my train of thought, forget things that have been discussed. I'm under extreme pressure at work at the moment and I'm astonished that they haven't disciplined me because it feels like I'm barely achieving anything. Maybe nobody's noticed yet!

Exactly what I was about to say. Literally stopping dead halfway through a sentence while I frantically search my brain for the word 'kitchen' or 'dog' or something.