Hi there,
I'm so glad you are here.
My name is Lieke,
I'm from the Netherlands.
And in this talk,
We'll explore more about the symptom brain fog.
And I'm walking this path together with you.
I've been completely bedbound with ME-CFS to the point where people had to feed,
Wash and dress me.
And at this point I'm very glad I'm not bed bound anymore.
But I'm still navigating my way forward in this healing journey.
Now during the time when I was bedridden I had symptoms like grain fog all day long.
But after a while when I got a bit better I noticed that the brain fog would come and go.
It wasn't there all the time anymore.
And this was also the time I started to see some patterns.
I could investigate,
When does the brain fog show up exactly?
Now,
Sometimes symptoms can just take us off guard,
Right?
We suddenly have brain fog and we think,
Where did that come from?
Symptoms can be overwhelming and you don't know how they got there and that's so frustrating.
And then at other times with some curiosity.
You get to see more clearly when a symptom suddenly flares up again.
And now that is good information because these are the times when you can take some of your power back again.
Now this takes some mindful awareness because these things happen so quickly and oftentimes on a very unconscious level.
And then it can feel random when certain symptoms arise.
But it's not always as random as we might fear.
And it's very interesting when you get this information,
Because this is a chance to change your deepest patterns.
And that can give you some of your power back again.
Because when you understand why and when certain symptoms appear,
You can also learn how to prevent that in the future.
Now keep in mind,
This is not a black and white story.
So for instance,
I had big hormonal changes which caused symptoms and there was just not much I could do about that apart from having lots of self-compassion.
So sometimes we do have the power to change the circumstances and sometimes we don't.
But let's tap into the wisdom inside ourselves and see what we are able to change.
So sometimes I notice that,
For example,
When I'm heading into a deep spiral of worrying.
My symptoms tend to get bigger.
Now this is something I'm able to change over time with practice.
So I started to get curious about those moments when I am able to gently change some of these patterns,
Which can cause symptoms to flare up.
And over time I was able to alleviate my suffering a little bit.
And after a while certain symptoms gradually disappeared.
And this is a step-by-step journey,
Right?
It takes awareness,
Self-compassion and patience.
Now there are three big patterns I discovered which cause brain fog for me.
Or just that overwhelming feeling that my head wants to explode,
You know?
Where I can hardly think anymore,
Let alone make any decisions.
So those three patterns I discovered are one,
When I'm putting too much pressure on myself,
That will cause brain fog for sure.
And number two,
When I'm walking around with anger or resentment.
And if I don't find a way to let that move through me,
My brain will go into brain fog mode instead.
End.
Number three,
When I am spiraling down into a pattern of blaming and shaming.
That can cause major brain fog as well.
So for instance,
I remember one time I was doing some financial stuff and then I went into a spiral of saying to myself,
You should have made other financial choices in the past and now it's too late.
Now that's a spiral.
I was blaming and shaming myself.
And then,
Yes,
The brain fog kicked in.
So when I'm putting too much pressure on myself or when I'm suppressing something or when I'm being too harsh on myself,
The chances that I'll get brain fog are very big.
And these are all patterns,
Which I can gently challenge and change over time.
And these adjustments have been very important in my healing journey so far.
Now at other times I just get flooded.
For instance when there is a stressful event I don't have any control over.
My emotions can get overwhelming and that can cause brain fog as well for me.
And I just have to deal with that in that moment.
This is not something I can prevent easily,
But I can learn to regulate myself in those moments and to have self-compassion and to not put more pressure on myself.
I don't have to make things even harder for myself,
Right?
And this is certainly not about doing things perfectly.
But when symptoms like brain fog get bigger,
You can gently ask yourself.
Also I may be putting too much pressure on myself or Was there perhaps something I suppressed?
Or was I very harsh on myself?
Just getting curious.
Sometimes you get a clear answer and sometimes you don't.
We are just learning what our body needs.
What our emotional system needs and this takes time and practice.
And when symptoms like brain fog flare up or they get very intense,
You can always ask yourself,
What can I do right now?
To release some pressure.
Or to make things a bit more comfortable for myself at this moment.
So I'm sending you so much gentleness and strength.
And with that gentle strength you can continue step by step.
On your healing journey.
