Why Can’t I Think Straight? 6 Tips and Tricks to Clear Mental Fog

Do you dread waking up to a foggy mind every single day? Because no matter what work you do or the task you try to accomplish, you always lack mental clarity.

So, even if you manage to complete the task successfully, you are not happy or satisfied enough. The reason is – it feels to you like a half-baked attempt.

For example, you plan to study for 10 hours a day. You honor your alarm, wake up on time, and get to your desk as decided. But as soon as you open your laptop for reading, you end up wasting most of your time surfing the net and watching fun videos or reels.

I understand online entertainment is addictive. Losing focus once in a while due to stress is acceptable. However, it can become a huge problem if these random distractions develop into stubborn bad habits.

Have you been stuck in such situations quite frequently? It can throw off schedules and affect accuracy. Imagine not being able to get past a chaotic maze of disorganized thoughts. It reduces your efficiency, impairs concentration, and drains you mentally as well as physically.

If you are experiencing the above symptoms almost every day, I would recommend not to brush this aside as it can seriously bring down your performance levels.

This article will help you understand why it happens and how it can be tackled.

Why Can’t You Think Straight?

I will be discussing the causes of mental fog in this section.

Losing mental sharpness is scary. It is particularly true if you are a student or an actively working professional expected to produce impeccable results. Why does this happen though?

Causes of Mental Fog

Causes for mental fog could vary a lot depending on your individual lifestyle and living conditions. It is typically rooted in a lifestyle that promotes hormonal imbalances and is exacerbated by stress.

Here are some of the common reasons why you lack clarity of thought or a mental fog:

• Lack of good quality sleep
• Extreme stress and anxiety to be on top of your game causing cortisol overload
• A poor diet comprising excessive unhealthy or processed food that supplies utter junk to your brains
• A lack of physical exercise due to an extra-sedentary lifestyle cuts off nutrients, blood flow, and oxygen supply to the most critical areas of your brain
• Certain mental health conditions such as ADHD, PTSD, and depression can also lead to brain fog
• Drug abuse and pollution
• Radiation from electronic devices 
• Brain fog is also reported to be one of the symptoms of long COVID
• Migraine, multiple sclerosis, and hormonal imbalances
• Other undiagnosed or misdiagnosed physiological conditions that can negatively impact your cognitive functions

Also, a mild mental fog could be one of the signs of aging and can happen naturally with time.

A few bouts of inaccuracy and forgetfulness are considered healthy by most medical professionals. So, you need not be too concerned if there is minor haziness in your head as you turn older.

However, this condition must not ideally go beyond a brief period of diversion. Irrespective of your age, brain fog can mess with your head and your decision-making abilities. So, getting a concrete diagnosis is important.

Symptoms of Brain Fog

Brain fog generally occurs when a person feels too anxious and has difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly.

Here are some common symptoms that people struggle with Brain fog:

• Forgetfulness
• Extreme exhaustion
• No desire to go about your daily routine
• A serious lack of motivation
• Absentmindedness
• Mood fluctuations
• Constant anguish and irritability
• Low accuracy and low mental agility
• More prone to making errors
• Cluttered mind with a cloud of excessive ideas floating around aimlessly
• Loss of concentration on work or studies
• Overthinking and rambling thoughts

6 Tips to Clear Mental Fog

Let us talk about how to get rid of fuzzy thoughts and a foggy brain.

1. Focus on Getting Enough Sleep

Are you aware of the horrifying Russian Sleep Experiment allegedly conducted in secret Soviet Union labs in 1947? The subjects of the experiment were locked up in a gas chamber with a stimulant responsible for keeping them awake for 30 calendar days.

Intense sleep deprivation caused the prisoners to go scarily paranoid and berserk. So much so that they feared sleeping and did not want the stimulant supply to be cut off.

The result of a prolonged lack of sleep was extreme psychosis. By the end of day 15 of the experiment, one of the men was dead and four others became victims of violent injuries.

This is truly unsettling as it all started with a seemingly harmless no-sleep experiment, which eventually turned out to be deadly. Lack of sleep has cumulative mental and physical risks.

The side effects are frightening and they include the following:

• Memory loss
• High blood pressure
• Weight gain
• Cardiac issues
• Low immunity
• Increased fatigue levels
• Increased resistance to insulin
• Increased risk of lifestyle disorders such as diabetes, hypothyroidism
• Loss of focus
• Hallucinations and mania in extreme cases

Therefore, the first step towards clearing brain fog is to get adequate (6 to 8 hours) and good-quality sleep. Ditch your electronic devices a few hours before going to bed and create a warm environment for a comfortable good night’s sleep.

2. Prioritize Your Diet

Higher fatigue levels can only be countered with a nourishing diet. A nutrient-dense diet comprising all essential macro and micronutrients helps with optimal brain function. This is a major fuel that your mind needs for it to work efficiently.

Consuming enough water to stay hydrated also promotes healthy brain function. Also, ensure your diet includes plenty of lean protein, fresh veggies, fruits, legumes, healthy fats, nuts, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil from sardines, tuna, or salmon).

These elements are key to nourishing your brain, clearing mind fog, and helping with targeted cognitive recovery. Try to incorporate choline bitartrate, soy lecithin, ginseng, Vitamin C, Vitamin B Complex etc in your diet via natural foods or supplements.

Last but not least, avoid these foods to keep your mental fog at bay.

3. Include Physical Activity in your Daily Routine

Physical activity releases feel-good chemicals in the body called endorphins and dopamine. These mood boosters can leave a positive, lasting effect on your mind helping you manage mental fog.

Do not rely on temporary mood boosters such as alcohol and caffeine as it causes your system to crash eventually. And worsens the condition of mental fog.

Even yoga asanas or bedtime yoga can improve your sleeping patterns and quality, preventing mental fog.

Try out the Bhramari Pranayama before sleeping to reduce restlessness and alleviate stress. The sound vibrations in this yoga pose have a direct impact on your brain and can go a long way in addressing mental fog.

Regular mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises can also help reduce anxiety to further improve your body’s healing power. A better mind-body connection means a calmer mind and a lower likelihood of developing brain fog.

4. Make a Note of Your Distractions

This is a tried and tested hack. And works wonders in helping you figure out the source of disturbance. It is worth trying before reaching out to a therapist or counselor to find the root cause of mental fog.

Jot down what is troubling you the moment you detect a distraction.

It is crucial to make a note of this as soon as your mind gets diverted due to “something.” Remember this “something” and document it quickly. Otherwise, you are more likely to forget the source of distraction if you do this exercise later when the day ends.

The next step is to gradually address these sources and shut them down one by one. Strike them off your list as and when you get rid of each of these triggers. Initially, you may struggle to keep journaling distractions every day. But do not give up until you get positive results.

You may not even need a therapist knowing you have better control of your mind. This is a great way to revive your cognitive strength and prevent your brain from zoning out.

5. Inculcate a Growth Mindset

Focus on building a growth mindset by appreciating what comes your way. Celebrate the positives and take the negatives as important challenges that help you learn.

Do not stop, keep going. You may falter along the way, which is okay. So, the key is to learn from your mistakes and move on. Also, make sure to rejoice at every milestone as you progress along the journey.

For example, enjoy the process of a World Cup tournament without worrying too much about the outcome of the final match. Expressing gratitude by celebrating small wins helps you develop a growth mindset. In a nutshell, remember these golden words – Grow through what you go through!

6. Connect with Mental Health Experts

Your overall well-being is deeply compromised due to brain fog triggered by other mental illnesses. In this case, make sure you get in touch with licensed mental health providers for expert insights.

Individualized counseling and psychiatric treatment can help in identifying the fundamental reasons for mental fog. These will differ from patient to patient. A professional diagnosis is non-negotiable and can tell if your brain fog is chronic or temporary.

These comprehensive evaluations are extremely important for ruling out other possible causes such as neurological disorders, and nutritional or hormonal issues.

You can also interact with local communities and support groups to understand how others are dealing with mental fog. The techniques they share with you might come in handy to bring in some clarity of thought.

Conclusion

Clearing your mental fog is crucial to navigating the complexities of life. The journey is long and may not be very easy. However, achieving better cognitive health through self-care and the right treatments is deeply rewarding.

Follow the tips discussed above and let me know if they helped you think straight with crystal-clear thoughts. I hope this article in some ways added to your knowledge of this tumultuous feeling of mental fog.