Fog is Feedback – 5 Simple Steps to Find Your Focus

Ever feel like your brain is moving through mud? Forgetting simple things, losing focus, or just feeling “off”? That’s mental fog, and it’s more common than you think.

In this episode, we’re unpacking why it happens, how it shows up at different stages of life, and the small steps you can take to lift the fog and find clarity again.

💡 Takeaways:
 • Stop judging yourself—fog is feedback, not failure.
 • Simple shifts in sleep, nutrition, and stress can make a big difference.
 • Listen to what your body is asking for...rest, water, or just a pause.

Fog is feedback, it means it’s time to give yourself some extra care.

Transcript

Hey friends, welcome back or welcome for the first time. I’m so glad you’re here today. Wherever you are—maybe driving, walking, folding laundry, or just sitting with a cup of coffee—thank you for choosing to spend this time listening to our little podcast and if someone sent this to you today, thank them for caring about you. Thank yourself for giving yourself 15 to 20 min to just focus on you today. And focus is the most important part of that because that’s what we’re talking about today. As part of my process, I did a brain dump of a lot of ideas and thoughts to talk about and mental fog just happened to be one of them. And then just this week, I was talking to someone and they brought up the fact that they feel like their body is physically changing but that their mind is also changing and not in a great way because  they are feeling so much mental fog. Now last week’s episode was about making peace with your body so this conversation felt like a natural extension of last week so I figured, let’s keep it going and talk about the physical and mental changes that may go on in your body that brings about this mental fog.

Regardless of what stage of life you are at, so many of us deal with this but often we don’t have the words for it. You might call it brain fog. It’s that fuzzy feeling where your thoughts feel slow, your memory slips, and even simple tasks feel harder than they should. And it’s really so common for so many reasons. It happens at different points in our lives, it shows up differently for men and women, and it can feel extremely frustrating especially when you’re trying to get stuff done at work or at home and maybe it can feel even scary especially as you get older possibly thinking there’s no way back from this and it will only get worse. But the good news is, there are small, simple steps we can take to manage it and even prevent it depending on what’s causing it.

So, let’s start with what mental fog actually is. It’s not a disease or a diagnosis, yes, there are diseases of the brain but obviously I’m not in any position to speak on that topic, so what I’m talking about is more of the symptoms of the most common mental fog. And it is really common and in most cases, it’s your brain’s way of saying, “Hey, something’s off-balance here.”

It feels like forgetfulness of things you shouldn’t be forgetting, like when you go into a room for something and you have no idea what it was. You try to leave and re-trace your steps to try to remember..I feel like I do this on a weekly basis sometimes. It can feel like trouble focusing where one day you could do 12 things at once and now if one thing interrupts you, you feel like you’ve lost your place and have a hard time reconnecting where you were. It can feel like your brain moving thru mud, slowing your thinking down. It can maybe even feel like you’re not fully present, you feel like you’re just out of it a little bit.

Sometimes it can feel like tiredness, lack of motivation, even sadness. Sometimes it shows up as scrolling your phone endlessly, putting off tasks, or feeling emotionally numb, not caring one way or the other. The first step is to stop judging yourself for it. Your mind isn’t broken—you’re likely just overwhelmed, exhausted, or disconnected from your needs. We live in a world that moves fast and expects us to be "on" all the time. And while occasional fog is normal, I mean we all have off days and can’t be performing at our highest every minute of every day,persistent brain fog is a sign that your body or mind might need some attention. It’s your subconscious way of saying, hey, remember me? I need a little love and attention right now.

There are a lot of reasons mental fog shows up. Sometimes it’s short-term, like after a bad night of sleep, especially if you didn’t get good deep sleep that helps to reset our brains. Other times, it’s connected to other factors like stress, hormones, or even nutrition.

So some of the biggest culprits are:

• Stress. When your brain is overloaded, it just doesn’t process as clearly. Elevated stress hormones like cortisol can mess with memory and concentration.
• Sleep. As I said, if you’re not sleeping deeply, your brain can’t do the cleanup work it needs to restore clarity.
• Nutrition and hydration. Even mild dehydration can slow you down. Missing out on key nutrients, like B vitamins, omega-3s, or iron, can leave your brain running on empty. I recently found out I was low in omega 3 and iron mainly because I’m mostly vegetarian so I know I have to purposely compensate for that in my food choices.
• Hormones is another one. For both men and women, shifting hormones often affect brain chemistry. This can be especially true for us women in perimenopause and menopause, not only can you feel like a stranger in your own body and how it’s physically changing but that someone else is driving your brain and that someone doesn’t have a learner’s permit!
• And finally lifestyle factors. Too much screen time, lack of exercise, not enough fresh air, it’s all the same stuff we know we need to take care of ourselves but when we don’t, all of it can pile on and not only affect our bodies but our mind in it’s ability to process efficiently.

So if you’ve been feeling cloudy, you’re not alone, as many others, your brain might just be asking for some care.

What’s really interesting is how mental fog shows up differently at different stages of life.

• In teens and young adults, it’s often about sleep schedules, nutrition gaps, and overstimulation. Think about late nights with friends, cramming for exams, or too much screen time and overthinking from all the social media comparisons and worrying about what everyone is thinking about you.
• In our 20s and 30s, brain fog is often lifestyle-related whether it’s stress from school, jobs, and relationships, plus inconsistent self-care where we may be drinking too much, eating late at night and of course kids needing our time and attention which is wonderful and we want to give them all they need but it can be a lot at times and can take a toll.
• In our 40s and 50s, it starts to tie in with hormones, burnout, and sometimes underlying health issues. Parents especially can feel scattered trying to juggle everything as their kids are getting older and parents need to be bringing their teens here there and everywhere at all hours.
• And then later in life, we see more of the hormone story come into play, especially menopause for women, and men while you may not have the type of hormone shifts that women have, you may see a gradual testosterone decline and this too can shift energy, focus, and memory.

So if you’ve noticed mental fog showing up more at certain stages, it’s not just in your head. Your body and brain are literally changing and reminding you that it needs a little more care.

Now let’s pause here, because this is important: brain fog really can feel really different for men and women.

For women, as we’ve discussed, perimenopause which is the transition period and then menopause is a big one. As estrogen levels drop, so does support for certain brain chemicals tied to memory and focus. That’s why so many women in perimenopause experience this and then add in sleep disruptions from hot flashes and it’s a perfect storm.

For men, the shift is usually slower. Testosterone gradually decreases, which can lower energy, focus, and drive. On top of that, things like sleep apnea which is more common in men, also contributes to sleep issues and can rob the brain of rest, fueling even more fog.

The takeaway here is that brain fog isn’t a weakness or personal flaw, it’s often biology plus lifestyle. And understanding that helps us show ourselves compassion instead of judgment but also realize you may have options that help.

So what do we do about it? Do we wait out years of moving from each of these transitional periods in our lives and just suck it up and deal with it? No, while you can’t stop much of the biology parts, you can maybe find some natural remedies, but you can affect the lifestyle parts. So that’s the good news because there are really practical, doable steps, and you know we’re all about little steps here, that you can take to deal with mental fog when it shows up.

First Sleep Smarter. Make sure you try to have a consistent bed time of when you go to bed and when you wake up even on the weekends. Turn off screens at least 30 minutes before bed and create a calming routine, stretch, read, breathe. Listen to some calming music, ocean sounds, wind sounds thru a forest. Whatever works to calm your brain and get better rest.

Second, fuel your brain. Eat whole foods with healthy fats like salmon, walnuts, or chia seeds. Eat close to the ground and unprocessed. That doesn’t mean vegetarian although there’s some research that eating more plants can help reduce menopause symptoms since plants contain more estrogen...I can say first hand that my menopause was pretty easy without any drastic swings. But either way, eat more fruits, veggies and if you’re eating meat, then eat healthy meats that haven’t been processed or injected with crap. Stay hydrated, our bodies are about 60% water and your brain loves water. And check for vitamin deficiencies. Sometimes brain fog is just your body saying, “Hey, I need more B12” or “I need more iron.” Your doctor can order blood tests that most insurance covers.

Third,get your body moving. Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain and you don’t need to do an intensive workout, remember little by little. And it doesn’t even need to be a workout, you can just do a 20-minute walk, yoga poses or stretching, maybe dancing around your kitchen can make a huge difference in clarity. And if you’re at work, just get up and move every hour even if it’s just to stand up and stretch a few times.

Fourth is to manage your stress. When your stress hormone cortisol increases, your body thinks it needs to prepare for battle, to protect itself so your brain concentration gets impacted as it thinks you need to only focus on the danger being presented. Back in the day when we needed to focus on the tiger and how to move past it, that was great but now that the danger is a deadline at work, it can backfire on us. So try to offset the stress maybe with mindfulness or short meditation and of course walking meditation can be a 2 for 1. Practice deep breathing or box breathing...this is where you breathe in for 5, hold for 5, breathe out for 5 and hold for 5. Do this a few times and it can slow things down for you and clear your mind. Maybe even try to journal to get racing thoughts out of your head and onto paper.

And finally reduce overstimulation. Your job might require that you stare at a screen all day but try to take screen breaks, your brain wasn’t designed for constant viewing and scrolling. And stop multitasking because it’s not effective and actually is a myth.  Studies have shown that less than 3% of people can actually multi-task and the rest of us are just quickly moving back and forth between tasks and we actually become less effective and more likely to make mistakes and then blame brain fog. Try micro-tasking or focusing on one thing at a time, pick one small task and complete it. Tiny progress breaks inertia and you may feel more productive in the long run and will have less fog.

Prevention is really about consistency. A few small habits, practiced daily, protect your clarity over the long term. Keep a steady routine because our brains thrive on predictability and patterns. Nurture your health and become more self aware, that’s what your body and brain is asking for anyway. Pay attention to changes, and don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor if something feels off. And why not add in some play time for yourself...do some puzzles, read, or pick up a new hobby to keep your mind sharp. And be sure to protect your downtime by giving yourself some white space instead of filling every second. Take a few extra moments to enjoy your coffee in quiet, take a break at work and just sit with your eyes closed, even 5 minutes can help. I’m a big believer of 10 minute naps in the car!

Brain fog doesn’t mean you’re failing, it doesn’t mean you’re losing yourself. It means your mind is signaling for rest, balance, and care so be kind and generous to yourself. When you listen to those signals, when you adjust your sleep, your food, your stress, your routines, and you do it with grace and kindness towards yourself, the fog starts to lift. And in that clarity, you find acceptance in the changes you are going thru, and with that acceptance and self love, you find peace, you find presence, and you find energy to move forward again.

So next time you feel the fog rolling in, pause. Ask yourself: What’s my body asking for right now? Do I need sleep? Water? A break? Less stress? Ask yourself and respond with no judgment, this isn’t about fixing you it’s about supporting yourself. The more you try to force your way out of the fog, the less likely you will succeed. If you need to walk away for a bit, give yourself a rest, give yourself compassion, you will have a much better chance at finding more clarity. As we say, let go and let flow.

Thank you for spending this time with me today and if this conversation resonated with you, share it with a friend who might be feeling out of sorts, let them know that their mental fog is not a failure, it’s feedback and care enough to show them how they can help themselves. And feel free to leave a comment and let me know what small step you will take to help yourself. Remember, you don’t have to force your way forward or thru. Sometimes, the most powerful shift begins with softness, it begins with quietly listening to yourself, it begins with gentleness and love for yourself, changes will come, little by little and peace by peace.