COVID Cognition: When long haulers are still struggling.
At this point in the pandemic, we know that many folks who have battled COVID are reporting lingering cognitive issues. From young to old, complaints of “brain fog”, disrupted short term memory and recall, slowed processing, and difficulty with executive functioning skills are plaguing people who are eager to get back their normal state of functioning. ‘
The fact is, with so much still unknown about COVID-19, including the long term outlook for those with lingering impairments, we must employ the principles of what we do know: after a new impairment, patients who seek rehabilitative intervention tend to fare better than their counterparts who do not.
In other words, therapy works! That’s because you're capitalizing on the principles of exercises and neuroplasticity. When your neurologic function is impaired, repetitive and targeted practice will allow the brain to heal old networks and even spark new ones.
Sounds simple, right? Maybe, maybe not. The brain is complicated, and the cognitive loads our brains are responsible for managing are higher than they’ve ever been: increased work demands, busier schedules, shorter attention spans with division of our attention required on multiple tasks simultaneously - it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. Traditional executive functioning processes - like organizing, inhibition, mental prioritization, and cognitive flexibility - are being put to the test in ways we never could have imagined.
Now, overlay a stubborn bout of COVID-related brain fog, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster…and serious frustration. And this can prevent you from getting back to the things you want to be doing, like working, parenting, or even simply enjoying your life.
Here are some tips to manage the most prominent problems associated with long haul COVID-brain fog:
Go back to traditional memory aids. We used to rely on day planners and notebooks to help us remember, but as technology rapidly advanced, we used our devices to handle some of the mental load. Reverting back to more traditional aids has therapeutic value in itself: the act of writing reminders down may help you remember better. And it gives your brain a break from more short-duration screen time - both during the creating and retrieval of the reminder.
Paraphrase to someone what you need to remember. The act of repeating something in your own words will help make a better memory. So when your spouse tells you things they need at the grocery store, repeat back, “So you need milk, eggs, and soap, right?”
Turn off the distractions. Distractions are everywhere these days, and it’s creating unnecessary mental chaos in your mind. Turn off the TV and music when working. Get mindful in your activity. Pause, and take stock in what it is you’re doing.
Create space. Neurologic rehabilitation requires space, and that means both physically, mentally, and logistically. Cluttered spaces and cluttered schedules are not a healing environment. Actually, they tend to induce more stress and anxiety, even if we don’t recognize it. Consider a good spring purge of unneeded items in your living space (and tackle this in little bits! Any big project is less daunting if you time block it out.) Then, eliminate some things from your schedule to create more “time space”. Take it from me, there is always something that can be dropped for your mental health.
For more personalized, targeted intervention, therapy may help you. Most COVID long haulers only require therapy for short durations to make up a significant amount of cognitive function and to create new healthy neuro strategies and compensations. If you or someone you know is struggling with lingering cognitive impairments from COVID, contact Empire Speech and Swallow today for more help. ,
