My brain doesn’t work any more?

[Ivycrescent]

Cognitively, I’m just not as sharp as I used to be.

I sit in meetings and struggle to follow the logic of what’s being discussed. These meetings are about complex topics, but rewind a few years I never had any difficulty following anything.

I struggle to focus on reading for more than a few minutes at most.

I don’t seem to absorb new information, it’s like I struggle to ‘hook it onto’ anything, if that makes any sense, new information is like sand through my fingers.

My attention is poor, if I listen to an audiobook I’m always having to go back and listrn to chunks again because my mind has wandered and I’ve lost the plot.

I used to be an articulate person but I’ve found that I often struggle to find the words I need and I’m just not fluent in expressing my ideas any more.

I’m coping fine with everyday life. I’m disorganised but that’s nothing new. But I don’t feel “sharp” any more, and quite often feel dull, stupid and slow or guilty for not paying better attention at work.

I don’t know when this started really, definitely felt worse since working at home this year. I don’t think it’s long covid, I live in a place where there was hardly any infections and track and trace never got in touch with me even once. I also think maybe this was happening before lockdown? I changed jobs in 2019 so it’s hard to compare my performance but I’m definitely not as ‘on it’ with this new job as I hoped to be or expected to be, or I should be, based on past experience. I live alone, so nobody around me to ask if they see a difference.

I’m 35. Should I go to the doctor? There is no history in my family of altzeiners or dementia, although I know it can happen to anyone. I’m worried I’ve got really early signs of something.

OP I feel like I could have written this post myself.

I am 30. I used to be extremely clever, I was always reading and watching films and absorbing everything and I loved it. I was always really focussed on my job. I now just feel vacant all the time. Can't focus, can't absorb anything - I never remember anything. I feel like my vocabulary is really limited now.

It's gotten really bad at work, where I will have a meeting and agree on actions to complete after the meeting. The second I log off the call it goes out of my head and it's as if I never had the conversation.

I am prone to depression and have anxiety, and I also think I have autism but haven't been diagnosed. All these things have gotten gradually worse over the years for me and so has this feeling of my brain not working so I do think they are related.

I haven't read through the replies to this thread yet but interested to see what other people are saying.

I've been like this since having my kids. Suspect I've got a bit of a slow thyroid and blood tests showed levels to be on the very low side of normal but they wouldn't medicate. Also prone to anaemia.

@crazycrofter

I’ve felt like this since starting a new job in 2019. The biggest issue is that I can’t seem to remember anyone’s names. I’m older than you though - 44.

@SheldontheWonderSchlong your comment about ADHD is very interesting. My son was diagnosed at 13 and I’m pretty sure he gets it from me. I always struggled with organisation and I flit from one thing to another, made worse by smartphones. I pick it up to check emails and then get immediately distracted by something else! How would getting a diagnosis help me?

I’m 44 and newly diagnosed with ADHD, now awaiting an appointment with a psychiatrist to try medication. I’m hoping that will help with my focus and mental exhaustion, as my life feels very similar to what OP describes. I think the main difference though is that it has always been like that for me.

@homesweethometoday

Yep. On paper I seem quite intelligent! I’m sure people are shocked and disappointed once I open my mouth🙂

I feel like this too and I think it’s stress/anxiety/monotony of covid. I was an avid reader pre lockdown and I haven’t managed to read a book since even a new one by my favourite author but I’m also doing lots of fertility treatment and think my brain can’t cope with anything challenging. My DH is a bit the same not in the brain fog department like me but we’ve noticed re tv - we tried to watch a Chernobyl - usually the kind of show we’d be into but we just couldn’t manage it. Instead we’re just watching trash tv. Hoping it goes away soon!

@TheCrowening I’ve definitely always had symptoms. At school I was forever forgetting homework and I have never been able to concentrate in lessons or in team meetings. I remember when I did my chartered accountancy training, we had study weeks in college and I just zoned out. It was annoying as I then had to teach myself the material at home. The first ten years of working life were pretty stressful as I was constantly forgetting things or misplacing client documents.

But I’ve felt worse these last couple of years and the problem with remembering names is a new one.

It’s concentration, isn’t it? Mine feels shot. Once I start a task I am actually not as bad as I think I am but getting to the point of starting is hard and that’s unusual for me.

Blimey I thought it was just me. I put it down to menopause, as I suffered hair loss as well - I'm on HRT, and Omega 3 and vitamin B supplements have helped lift the brain fog a little. Biotin stopped my hair falling out within a matter of days.

But I still struggle to follow and contribute to work meetings (and remember actions), and I worry that I'm falling behind and being compared unfavourably with others. It makes me feel very vulnerable, that I'll be "managed out" because I'm not adding value.

@Beetlebrooker. Which adds in stress and then you panic🤨

Maybe we just need to realise we are not 15 any more🤣🤣🤣

I often have felt this way, OP

My overall view is that for me at least, it largely comes down to external stress and internal feelings of anxiety.

I understand that it's very stressful.

I'm 40, btw

As PPs have said, get your bloods checked. I was low in iron but still in the normal range so GP wouldn't medicate. The iron tablets from Healthspan made me feel better in under a week. Ditto B12 - eat your Marmite!

This thread really resonates with me, particularly @homesweethometoday's post. Aside from the age (I'm mid-40s) I could have written this:

"I am 30. I used to be extremely clever, I was always reading and watching films and absorbing everything and I loved it. I was always really focussed on my job. I now just feel vacant all the time. Can't focus, can't absorb anything - I never remember anything. I feel like my vocabulary is really limited now.

It's gotten really bad at work, where I will have a meeting and agree on actions to complete after the meeting. The second I log off the call it goes out of my head and it's as if I never had the conversation."

I have a high level job and used to be really sharp but I just feel pretty dumb now. I feel like I never recovered after having a baby in my late 30s. I've tried various supplements. D3 has helped with the accompanying exhaustion, but not the lack of concentration.

I hope you managed to get an appointment.

Brain fog is one of the symptoms of long covid. Have you recovered from covid? Or could you have had it asymptotically without realising?

I'm 36 and, though not as sharp as I once was, I think what you describe warrants investigation. Don't let the GP fob you off.

Thank you SO MUCH everyone. I’ve read every comment several times now and do feel less worried. It’s horrible so many of us feel this but we can’t alll have early onset dememntia! The suggestions made here have been so so helpful. As per my post the names of the individual posters have already escaped my mind but THANK YOU to alll of you and so many have conveyed much better than me what this experience is like. I feel Just The Same!!

I didn’t get an appointment today because I couldn’t get it to fit around work, but I’m going to try again next week maybe when work is quieter.

I will come back and let you know what the Dr says!