Pandemic Brain

I’ve been feeling blah lately; exhausted, blank. I shuffle from room to room, looking for meaning, then forgetting just as quickly why I was in that room, and the blankness returns.
Brain fog.
I’ve been asking myself what’s wrong with me. My life is good: I have work I love, a fantastic place to live, good friends, a handsome boyfriend – I should be feeling great. And given what I do for a living, I have loads of tips and tricks to get myself moving, and back on track again.
Still… the feeling of shuffling through the day remains, not all day every day, yet it’s there, lurking. So I looked on the internet, as one does, to see if I’m the only one experiencing this, and of course, I’m not. Highly accomplished, well-adjusted people are saying similar things: I stop talking mid-sentence, I forget things I know, my nerves are worn thin, I’m ignoring stuff I never ignore.
What I’m experiencing has a name: pandemic brain.
Which surprises me a bit – haven’t I/we been dealing with this for a year? How can this still be a thing, especially when the mood of the country is turning with the vaccines, and spring on the way?
Nonetheless, I also find myself going blank mid-sentence, stopping tasks at unusual places, and thinking about eating cheese, salsa and chips and calling it dinner (to be fair, I often think that anyway).
This has an impact on my business, too. As someone who’s worked for herself for 18+ years, I know how to do what needs to be done, despite what overriding mood I’m in (for which I’m grateful). I have things I want to finish, and more things I want to start, which is made all the harder with the brain fog. I’m getting things done, yet not at a pace I’d prefer. It feels as though I’m pushing the gas and the brake at the same time, as I dip in and out of the fog.
If you see yourself in any of this, take heart! You’re not alone, and there’s nothing wrong with you. There are many of us who are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, and it may take a while for that feeling to completely lift. In the meanwhile, do your best to take care of yourself and your business. Be gentle, stay compassionate, and set a pace that fits where you’re at. Love yourself, and know that your business and clients love you, too. You’ll be 100% again; until that day, hang in there, and let’s keep each other company as we wait for the fog to lift, k?