Brain fog, sometimes called “chemo brain,” refers to cognitive difficulties that affect the clarity of thinking, memory, and concentration. While the root cause is unconfirmed, it’s a common side effect experienced by many cancer patients, particularly those undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or other cancer treatments. Brain fog can also result from the stress and emotional toll of a cancer diagnosis, hormonal changes, sleep disturbances, or possibly the cancer itself.
Brain fog can often feel isolating and overwhelming – but you are not alone. It is identified as one of the top three concerns of cancer patients worldwide. Fatigue and fear of recurrence are the other two.
The top four common symptoms of brain fog include:
- Short-term memory difficulties
- Difficulty finding words
- Compromised attention and concentration
- Issues with executive functions (planning, organization, problem-solving, etc.)
If you are struggling with brain fog, here are three simple tasks you can do right now to help alleviate its impact on your day-to-day life.
Write it down!
You may feel like you are failing if you have to write things down to remember them. This is actually a very good strategy that is much more effective than trying to remember things in your head. Try setting reminders in your phone or carrying around a pocket notebook – whatever suits you best to take the stress and frustration of forgetting away.
Stay Present
Try to stay present-minded, making conscious decisions about what you’re doing. Before you move from one task to another or one room to another, stop and clarify what you are doing or where you are going. Ask yourself, “Why am I walking into this room?” or “Why did I decide to stop reading this book?” This will help you stay on task and not get distracted.
Simplify Tasks
To keep yourself from being overwhelmed by brain fog, try simplifying tasks by breaking them down into small, do-able chunks. For example, we may avoid tackling the household chores. But it becomes much more manageable if we break it down into small parts. Write a checklist, and start with the smaller, easier jobs, such as washing the dishes or watering the plants. Check each chore off the list as you go. Each step you complete motivates you to move on to the next until you have finished!
Wellspring’s Brain Fog Program
If you are struggling with brain fog, try Wellspring’s Brain Fog Program—created by neuropsychologist Heather Palmer and licensed for Wellspring by Maximum Capacity Inc.
The eight-session program aims to teach strategies to enhance your cognitive function. The three main topics covered in each 1.5-hour-long session include:
- Memory: external strategies (outside of the mind/body – e.g. lists, calendars, timers, etc.) and internal strategies (within your mind/body – e.g. visual imagery, association, categorization)
- Task Management: a simple four-step process to help you manage day-to-day tasks and feel less overwhelmed
- Psychological Well-Being: the link between how we feel and how we think
Participants are encouraged to review and do reflection exercises as homework to help reinforce and personalize what is learnt in each session.
