Fighting Fibro Fog

I'm an extremely organized person and list maker.  I was used to accomplishing whatever I had on the agenda for any given day.  But when I became ill with fibromyalgia, the part of my brain in charge of remembering things took a direct hit.  It became increasingly difficult to focus and concentrate.  I would walk from the den to the kitchen and forget why I was there.

I drifted around in a fibro fog a lot of days.  My ability to think and reason seemed to have developed a severe glitch.  I was working on recovery for my physical symptoms by getting rid of chemicals in my environment, eliminating processed food, and finding the most nutritious whole foods to eat.  I felt it was equally important to try to do something about the cloud of confusion that enveloped me.  

I decided I needed to come up with some brain exercises.  I have always been an avid reader and continued to read a wide variety of books the whole time I was sick.  But just reading didn't seem to be enough to help clear my head.  Because I felt so horrible, I thought it was important to find some kind of brain exercise I could do at home. There were many, many days during my illness that I felt too bad to leave my house.

I came up with two activities that forced me to think: 

working crossword puzzles and playing Scrabble

I downloaded a crossword puzzle app to my smartphone so that I had a new puzzle available all the time.

Before I got sick, I had been playing Scrabble competitively on the tournament circuit.  But while I was sick, I didn't have the energy to travel to competitions.  So I started playing on the internet Scrabble club and playing games on my phone with friends.

Both of these activities were things I could do without getting out of my recliner.  I worked at least one crossword puzzle each day.  And most days I played several games of Scrabble. This forced me to think and to concentrate.  The fibro fog lifted and I was able to focus on other things as well.

Maybe you don't like word games.  Find something you do like.  Try Sudoku, puzzle and game apps, or solitaire.  Anything that makes you focus in a concentrated way for a period of time each day will give your brain the exercise it needs to help you focus on other tasks.  Pick something that you enjoy doing so it can be a positive experience each day.

The pain, fatigue and brain fog of this horrible illness can improve.  Fibromyalgia is not a lifelong sentence.  You can get better!

Now that I'm well, I still enjoy working crossword puzzles and playing Scrabble.  I had finished in the top five at several tournaments before I got sick.  Last fall I won my first tournament!