“So yeah, fibro fog…just another symptom…it won’t be slowing me down anytime soon.” I ended my previous post about fibro fog this way and I meant it.
And I said that whenever I realize I CAN do a lot about something, well, I feel so much better…I feel proactive and positive and even hopeful…I have some power.
And I’ve realized that my fibro fog HAS improved, in some real and significant ways…as I stated, “I have some definite ideas about why this may be…just maybe it’s not coincidental, maybe I’ve stumbled onto some things long ago that have helped my fibro fog not get as severe as others with fibromyalgia it seems, while also gradually leading to this remarkable improvement.”…this being the definite distinct improvement I’ve been amazed to notice in my ability to tackle high level thinking tasks again, as I detailed in my last post.
So as I ponder this while doing some quick online research, I notice that it’s fairly likely my fibro fog has improved because LIKE ALL MY OTHER SYMPTOMS, THEY ARE ALL AFFECTED BY THE SAME THINGS!
Yes, as I described in my last post, I HAVE been instinctively as well as intentionally, adapting to and compensating for my fibro fog specifically, as I go, during these past sixteen years with fibromyalgia. But it turns out, I’m discovering many things I have been doing to combat my fibromyalgia OVERALL all along, my “combat mode” as I like to think of it (which, as I’ve described in earlier posts, entails “doing anything I could do to feel as healthy as possible in every other way”), also benefit my fibro fog!
Go figure…it seems that helping our overall health…helps our brains too.
So let me explain.
Now I definitely am, in no way, whatsoever, an expert on “increasing cognitive ability”, “improving our memory”, “sharpening our mind” or “boosting brainpower”, however you want to say it, but when I do some quick online searches of these kinds of terms, I can find many lists of brain boosting tips with fairly consistent things on them and I find…guess what?…I do a lot of them!…and I’ve been doing them for a very long time now. Again, my “combat mode” mindset, whereby “I would try doing anything I could do to feel as healthy as possible in every other way” encompasses many, if not all, of them.
“Physical exercise”…yes, I know I keep harping on this, in other posts…but I found, is ALWAYS…if not at the top, very close to it…and specifically aerobic exercise, by my findings, is best. Yes, they say that regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory and thinking skills. So now…all we have to do is remember to exercise in the first place! No, just kidding…it’s much tougher than that…very tough to do, consistently…but now here’s another reason I’ll use to keep myself motivated to continue to keep dragging my hurting, fatigued, “walking corpse” (fibro) self down to my basement most mornings and get that workout started.
And “sleep” is right up there too…of course! I say “of course” because everyone knows how crucial sleep is for us…and because “of course” (sarcastically…it figures!) another top important thing is another one of the toughest things to do for those of us with fibromyalgia! Nevertheless, I notice (in my online search) that “research shows that sleep is necessary for memory consolidation, with the key memory-enhancing activity occurring during the deepest stages of sleep”. But please, again, I am not an expert, do your own online search of, say, maybe “memory consolidation and sleep” and see what you come up with.
I CAN say, though, that, when I look back, my defining improvement in my cognitive skills as far as being able to competently tackle challenging “thinking” tasks again DID seem to happen around the same time I was able to make huge strides in my sleep (leaving a good chunk of my chronic fatigue behind), which I’ve talked about in a previous post.
I see “keep stress in check” on many lists as well…which doesn’t surprise me at all. Given that experience has taught me that “stress is the pivotal factor that so much of my fibromyalgia hinges on”, in that it seems to be a major underlying trigger for most, if not ALL my symptoms…of course it affects my fibro fog symptoms then too. And I can totally see, on a daily basis, my fibro fog increasing and decreasing in direct proportion to my stress level…easily. So, definitely, as I’ve learned to work on ways to keep my stress level in check, of course it’s helped my fibro fog improve as well. (If I remember correctly (ha ha), even “regular” people get a little scatter brained when stressed!)
“Eat a brain-boosting diet to sharpen memory and focus.” That’s up there too and yes, I happen to have been doing that for years now too. Some of the habits and foods on the lists that I see, I already know well…limiting sugar, saturated and trans fats…eating Omega 3’s, fatty fish like salmon, ground flaxseed, fruits and vegetables, eggs, berries, broccoli, avocados, dark chocolate, nuts (especially walnuts), olive oil, yogurt, green tea, cranberry juice…I’ve been eating and drinking all of these “brain-boosting foods” plus more I’m sure, in my efforts to generally eat healthy to try to feel as good as possible overall.
And my top “brain boosting food”? It’s the walnuts, hands down. Awhile back I saw somewhere that walnuts are a top “brain food”. Interested in eating healthy, nuts were already a part of our diet, so I decided to throw walnuts into the mix of regular nuts that we ate, including for my three kids as well. We all started eating a small handful of walnuts each day and then I kind of forgot about it.
About a year and a half later, I was proudly thinking how thrilled I was that all three of my kids were doing extra amazing in school…I mean, incredible improvements…my two in high school, grades nine and twelve, had both just seen a roughly ten percent increase in their ENTIRE average for the school year, while my mid university son suddenly, that year, achieved the substantial increase in his ENTIRE average that he had been struggling with for some time, and needed to boost himself into another program.
I was thinking…this is amazing…these kind of increases…all in the same calendar year…and my kids were all at different education levels. What’s going on…is there something new in the water here or what? AND THEN IT DAWNED ON ME…THE WALNUTS!! Could it be? Honestly, we really don’t know…how could we?…but I’ll tell you, none of us wants to take the chance of stopping eating them! (And still to this day, many years later, my kids held those increases, even through extremely tough university programs…AND… they still eat walnuts!)
Now, who really knows if the walnuts have anything to do with it…though I do feel like I see a difference with them myself as well…but here’s the thing, what have I got to lose? I mean, eating walnuts is healthy, right? So, the worst that happens, is…I get healthier? And the best? I get smarter? Personally, I can’t argue with that logic! And it’s the same for all these other “brain boosting” foods…it’s a no-brainer for me (no pun intended!).
I also see “identify and treat (other) health problems” that may cause mental sluggishness, difficulty concentrating, and forgetfulness…more specifically, “depression” highlighted, on many lists. Personally, it’s a struggle I’m familiar with, as I’ve talked about in an earlier post. I managed to lift myself out of my depression many years ago, which could also be a contributing factor to my fibro fog improving as well.
“Have a laugh, be positive” is said to help as well. As I’ve also talked about in a previous post, “at some point, the correlation between being positive and fewer symptoms just became a given for me and I was always striving for ways to keep positive.“ I’ve been lucky in this respect, I’ve been raising three sons the entire sixteen years I’ve had fibromyalgia and while that’s been incredibly tough in so many ways, it’s also been a built-in sure-fire guarantee of lots of laughs and banter in my household. They’re grown now but I still have a couple loafing around here for a little longer, keeping my mental stimulation on its toes as I try to one-up their seemingly endless teasing remarks to me.
And yes, I see “get mental stimulation” and “build on new challenging skills” on the lists as well. I’ve always been an avid reader, here and there, wherever I can fit it in, mostly to learn, I like to learn. And as I’ve noticed my ability to take on real “thinking tasks” return, I became confident enough to tackle an online course recently. I was initially a little unsure of how it would go with respect to my fibro fog, but it went so well, I plan to take many more courses and keep challenging myself while building on my skills. Fibro fog…you won’t hold me back!
“So yeah, fibro fog…just another symptom…it won’t be slowing me down anytime soon.” Because I’ve realized there IS much I can do to combat it. (I have some power.)
And unbeknownst to me, I’ve been combatting it all along!…sure, with some specific instinctive and intentional things I’ve gradually learned to do to adapt and compensate on a daily basis (as I talked about in my last post)…but the rest, turns out, all these things I have been doing to try to be as healthy as I can overall to offset my fibromyalgia as much as possible, also benefit my fibro fog!
My fibro fog seems to be improving in a real and significant way over time. Yes, I still have lots of those annoying, frustrating and sometimes embarrassing memory things happening, but some real crucial cognitive abilities have returned, for some time now, so I’m thinking……hoping…they may be back to stay.
And I’m also thinking…I don’t believe that’s just by chance. Because, overall, ALL my symptoms are improving over time…oh so gradually…but undeniably…undoubtedly…improving.
Yes, I find that all my symptoms generally move together according to how well I’m managing the key mix of things that I’ve noticed, over time, affect my fibromyalgia. So it’s not surprising that my fibro fog (just another symptom…remember?) moves in direct correlation with these key things too…sleep, stress, exercise, diet, mindset to name some critical ones.
As I work on my overall health and gradually, ever so gradually, improve my fibromyalgia overall, my fibro fog is benefiting and improving as well.
So, yes, it seems that helping our overall health…helps our brains too!
And now that I’ve done some quick searches, of “increasing cognitive ability”, “improving our memory”, “sharpening our mind” or “boosting brainpower”, for this post, I see there is even MORE I can do. I see I could add “more thinking tasks” (we could always add more of those!), and there are more “brain boosting” (healthy) foods I can try, for starters. And why not? What’s the worst that can happen if I say, eat more avocados? And it doesn’t help my fibro fog? I get healthier?…that’s it? My cholesterol gets better? That’s the downside!?! Seems like another no-brainer to me (pun intended!).
But, by all means, do your own search and see what you can find…you may find more or different things than I’ve found…you may find something that works better for you.
For me though, I’m off, motivated again…I’ve found a few more things to help make me healthier and maybe, help my fibro fog in the mix as well…because improvement is always hopeful for me, a sign that we CAN impact it for the better…inspiring.
Could this “come back” totally? Like with everything else, I’m an optimist…I’m always hopeful.
What I know is real is that much is unknown about fibromyalgia and when we look towards a future, that can feel scary, daunting, negative for sure…but I guess that’s one thing that I absolutely see as a positive.
Because it’s not known how much we can RECOVER as well.
