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4 Tips for Surviving Winter Brain Fog

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“Winter is coming” – and if you’re anything like me, the brain fog gets worse. With the majority of the time being dark and spending more time locked inside, it seems easier to fall into a deep brain fog.

1. Scheduling

I do day-by-day schedules handwritten, this helps me to keep track of that day and to have a concept of what the day is supposed to feel like. If you handwrite it, you have a better shot of remembering what you put down. Plus, we can add cute doodles.

2. Morning and Night Routines

I try to keep to the same routine every morning and night. This way it doesn’t matter if it’s dark at 5 p.m., I still know what I am doing and what is to come with the rest of my evening. Even just sticking to a simple skin care routine helps to keep me in the right frame of mind.

3. Set a Ton of Phone Alarms

I have a phone alarm for medications, for class… for basically everything I wrote down on my schedule for the day. This way even if my brain fog is bad, I don’t have to worry about forgetting my plans for the day.

4. Give Yourself Time

When I know my brain fog has been bad, I try to give myself extra time to get ready for the day, extra time to get somewhere or extra time to get work done. I tend to pause frequently and forget what I was doing or struggle to remember the next step. I am much more relaxed when I know I have time to work through the fog.

Getty Image by Alena Kravchenko

Originally published: November 16, 2018
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