What Menopause Brain Fog Actually Feels Like
By MICHELLE A. HARDWICK
"Menopause brain fog" is searched thousands of times a year. But behind that phrase is something much harder to describe than the words suggest.
It's forgetting a word mid-sentence, in front of people. Walking into a room and not remembering why. Feeling, for a moment, like you don't quite recognise your own mind, thinking you are losing the plot or worse still - going crazy.
For so many women, this is genuinely frightening not just inconvenient. It can feel like something's seriously wrong, even like early dementia.
But it's actually a well-documented, temporary effect of dropping hormone levels. Yet nobody tells women that in advance, so they're often left thinking something's wrong with them specifically.
Here's what I want you to know: it's real, it's common and it passes. You are not losing yourself.
You are moving through something enormous and your mind is allowed to need a little more patience right now.
You might need to make notes and use your mind differently from now on.
One small thing that helps: write it down, say it out loud or just name it in the moment: "I've lost my train of thought and it'll come to me"... or
"that's the brain fog talking." Sometimes just having language for it takes away some of the fear and anxiety.
If you're navigating this or love someone who is, you don't have to do it without support. Find your circle here.
Prefer 1:1 support instead? You can find out how to work with me directly here.
Also happening soon: I'll be marking International Men's Day with a free book reading and sharing circle at Cobh Library - a space for men who want to understand and show up better. Details and booking here.
Want to go deeper?
“Are You Ready to Be Her Wingman?” is a free 10-page guide drawn from the book.
Five themes, a self-assessment and real quotes from the men. Click here to go to our Freebie page to sign up for it.