Anxiety is one of the most devastating feelings in the world. It can trigger long-term mental health conditions like depression, as well as physical problems like sleep disorders and even racing hearts. Persistent worrying can even cause anxiety and brain fog, an issue that can make it hard for people to think clearly and make it hard to get through each day successfully.
Our team at A Cognitive Connection knows so many people (of all ages) experience brain fog daily. We see it not only in the eyes of our Colorado patients but in the faces of people on the streets. The world is complex and troubling; psychological help from caring counselors is available. Behavioral therapy is just one way to tackle this problem.
However, there are ways to handle anxiety brain fog outside our office that may work well for you. These tips for managing anxiety brain fog go beyond cognitive behavioral therapy and are powerful ways of improving your life. Before jumping into those tips, let’s take a deeper look at anxiety brain fog and the different ways that it might impact your emotional health.
What is Anxiety Brain Fog?
Anxiety brain fog is a symptom of various mental health conditions and is characterized by feeling “spaced out” or unable to think clearly. People with brain fog often have trouble remembering simple things (such as passwords) or can’t complete complex tasks or carry out conversations. Brain fog may have other underlying causes, including:
- Poor sleep patterns
- Bad dietary choices
- Dehydration, i.e., lack of sufficient water intake
- Some types of medications (including pain medicines)
- Depression
- COVID-19
- Diabetes and other conditions
- Anemia or low blood iron
In “The Relationship of Anxiety and Stress With Working Memory Performance in a Large Non-depressed Sample,” researchers discovered that anxiety caused a heightened vigilance that increased a person’s overall sensory sensitivity. That constant “fight or flight” feeling often reduces a person’s cognitive abilities, creating the feeling of brain fog.
At A Cognitive Connection, we have helped many Colorado Springs, CO, residents understand anxiety brain fog and find behavioral therapy that reduces their symptoms. No matter what mental health conditions affect you, we can provide the psychological help you need with caring counselors who understand your anxiety and depression therapy needs.
Top 10 Tips for Managing Anxiety Brain Fog
While the best ways to handle anxiety brain fog vary on a person-to-person basis, the following 10 tips should work well for most people. They’re things we do when anxiety threatens to bring us to our knees. With the help of cognitive behavioral therapy and other treatments, these suggestions can help you clear your mind and think straight for a happier life.
1. Breathing Exercises
Have you ever tried deep breathing exercises when anxiety strikes unexpectedly? Studies show that these routines help slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and relax muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. Mentally, deep breathing snaps your attention to the present, can help you feel more relaxed, and can bust through brain fog. Try this approach: breathe in through your nose on a four-count, hold for a seven-count, and exhale for an eight-count three times.
2. Working Out
Our team at A Cognitive Connection strongly encourages all our patients to work out regularly! Regular physical exercises can help with mental health conditions like anxiety and depression by pumping oxygen-rich blood through the body. Of all our tips for managing anxiety and brain fog, we like this one the most. Exercise is a good supplementary tool for handling cognitive fatigue and other issues.
3. Brain Games
Brain exercises and games help keep you sharp by activating parts of the mind you rarely use. For example, doing crossword puzzles improves vocabulary, while Sudoku challenges logical reasoning skills. Even a jigsaw puzzle provides hours of fun and is one of the best ways to handle anxiety brain fog. Even better, these puzzles are a lot of fun, can release dopamine that reduces your issues, and even significantly improve senior memory.
4. Manage Stress
Better stress management can help Colorado Springs, CO, residents fight brain fog at its source. Sit down and list everything that triggers stress in your life. Now, describe how you react to these issues. Do you have a strong coping strategy for these problems or feel confused? Brainstorm better stress techniques that reduce your anxiety. Do you know what you just did? A little DIY cognitive behavioral therapy and brain training that our counselors can solidify.
5. Reduce Phone Time
Smartphones are an excellent tool that connects us to the world but are also a great source of severe stress. They’re often overstimulating: constant messages, alerts, and news can wear down the mind, trigger anxiety, and cause brain fog. Colorado residents addicted to their phones should try putting theirs down for hours every day. Stop watching videos and find something more constructive, such as handling some chores or other essential steps.
6. Get Outside
Some people need psychological help to manage their brain fog. Others just need to get outside and breathe the fresh air. Our bodies have evolved to need at least 20 minutes of direct sunlight a day (to produce vitamin D) and feel uncomfortable and anxious when cooped up inside a house for too long. Even a 30-minute daily walk can help break up your anxiety brain fog, get some blood pumping, and make your life feel better.
7. Reduce Caffeine Intake
You’re not alone if you need a daily cup (or three) of coffee to get going in the morning. Caffeine provides a little energy for millions of people around the world. However, it’s a double-edged sword; too much caffeine can cause severe anxiety. Reduce your intake by one cup a week to minimize brain fog. This slower pace helps reduce any energy loss you might experience trying to cut caffeine entirely and reduces painful withdrawal headaches.
8. Socialize With Friends
Humans are social creatures; even the most introverted person needs time with friends and family to feel healthy. Thankfully, spending a few hours a week with loved ones can help fight anxiety brain fog in a few ways. First, it can reduce your anxiety (as long as those people you hang out with don’t trigger worse symptoms) by giving you an emotional outlet. Secondly, it improves your cognitive and communication skills by forcing you to talk with people.
9. Know When to Take a Break
America is a “go, go, go” society that focuses so heavily on hustling and working that stress and anxiety feel normal. Unfortunately, burnout is a real problem and can impact even the most successful and happy people. Brain fog is rarely far behind when burnout strikes, so knowing when to take a break is essential to minimize this problem. We strongly suggest you listen to your body and mind: Schedule some time off if they tell you it’s time for a break.
10. Do Something Creative
Creativity is a powerful way of managing anxiety triggers because it a) helps distract your mind, b) works parts of the brain you rarely use, and c) gets blood flowing. All these benefits can help clear the fog circling your brain! Even better, pairing creative work with cognitive testing and brain training can help fight anxiety brain fog, make life easier for children, teenagers, and adults, and even potentially boost cognitive performance in short- and long-term ways.
How a Cognitive Connection Can Help Manage Anxiety Brain Fog
At A Cognitive Connection, we know that anxiety brain fog can feel devastating and hard to handle. Many Colorado Springs, Colorado, residents struggle with it every day and need more than tips for managing anxiety brain fog at home. Thankfully, we can provide multiple ways to handle anxiety brain fog caused by anxiety and depression utilizing behavioral therapy.
For example, our caring counselors can provide cognitive behavioral therapy, like cognitive brain training, that works well for adults and children. This psychological help includes V.I.B.E.S. or Vibrational Individualized Body Enhancement System. This innovative treatment uses sound, energy, frequency, and vibrations to balance body chemistry.
We can also use Mind’s Eye, another powerful mental fitness system that uses light and sounds to create deep relaxation. It works with many mental health conditions, including anxiety brain fog, and is a powerful tool for many people. These services are just a few ways our team can help you. We can also provide easy access to therapies like:
- Behavioral assessment with a skilled expert
- Interactive Metronome tools that help balance the mind
- Brain Builder to strengthen a person’s cognitive strength
- The Listening Program to help people feel heard
- Behavioral counseling in individual or group settings
- Neuroptimal Feedback to examine a person’s deeper mental health
- Behavioral consultation for persistent setbacks
Other Powerful Solutions
Our team at A Cognitive Connection also provides support like H.E.R.O.E.S., a daycare program for adults who need regular hands-on attention and various classes that teach essential life lessons. These courses change regularly, so anyone interested in managing anxiety brain fog needs to check back regularly to see what’s available for them.
Contact A Cognitive Connection to Bounce Back From Brain Fog
If anxiety brain fog is making your life difficult, call A Cognitive Connection at 719-358-6637 to get the help that you need! We’ll not only help you find tips for managing anxiety brain fog but can work you through behavioral therapies for diverse mental health conditions. We’re standing by to provide residents of Colorado Springs, CO, with the help they need!
