What If Your Brain Is Trying to Tell You Something?
Maybe you can relate to this scenario:
You sit down to write or plan or solve something … but the thoughts feel tangled. Or slow. Or scattered in a way that’s hard to name.
You reach for another cup of coffee. Or scroll. Or push through, frustrated that your brain isn’t cooperating the way you need it to.
If you’ve been feeling foggy, forgetful, easily distracted, or creatively blocked, you’re not alone. Many of us deal with this from time to time. But I’ve been learning that these brain blocks or creative blocks may also be hints that the brain is asking for some TLC.
What’s Really Behind the Fog?
We often talk about "brain fog" like it’s some mysterious condition, but in many cases, it’s a message. A signal from your body that your current rhythm isn’t working.
Maybe you’re…
Eating at odd hours or skipping meals
Getting through the day on adrenaline and sugar
Sleeping, but still waking up tired
Feeling wired but unfocused
Living mostly indoors under artificial light
Constantly switching tasks and tabs
Sound familiar? You might be overextended and under-supported in ways your brain doesn’t know how to keep up with.
The Brain Thrives on Rhythm, Nourishment, and Movement
I’ve been exploring this more deeply in a lifestyle medicine course rooted in the Bredesen Protocol, a research-based approach to optimizing brain function and preventing cognitive decline. What stands out to me most is how small, accessible changes can create noticeable shifts in our ability to think clearly, focus deeply, and tap back into creativity.
Here are six habits that stood out from the course I’m taking. Maybe one will speak to you, too:
🥗 1. Walk After Meals
Even 10 minutes of movement after eating can stabilize blood sugar and prevent the mental crash that comes from glucose spikes.
Try this if: You feel sluggish or foggy mid-afternoon.
🌙 2. Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Bed
Late-night snacks force your body to focus on digestion instead of allowing your brain to clear out waste and repair connections during sleep.
Try this if: You’re sleeping 7–8 hours but still waking up groggy or unfocused.
☀️ 3. Get Bright Light Early in the Day
Your brain needs light to wake up fully and regulate key hormones like serotonin and melatonin.
Try this if: You feel flat or moody in the morning—or find yourself most alert late at night.
🚫 4. Avoid Added Sugar for 6 Weeks
This one’s tough but powerful. Sugar inflames the brain, impairs memory, and dampens creativity. Removing it can help your brain recalibrate.
Try this if: You experience brain fog, low motivation, or afternoon crashes.
🏃♀️ 5. Move Until You Sweat, 5x/Week
Sweaty workouts stimulate BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which helps your brain build new connections and heal.
Try this if: You feel mentally stuck or creatively dull.
⏰ 6. Eat at Regular Times + Try a 12-Hour Overnight Fast
This helps regulate energy, reduce inflammation, and give your brain the downtime it needs to repair.
Try this if: You feel mentally chaotic or out of sync with your body.
A Different Kind of Reset
This July, I’m inviting anyone who’s curious to join me in a 6-Week Brain Health Challenge.
But this isn’t about strict rules or one-size-fits-all plans.
Instead, we’ll each choose 1–2 habits to explore—not to perform, but to observe. To notice what shifts when we gently give our brains what they’ve been missing.
You don’t have to be perfect, just curious.
What could open up for you with a little more light, a little less sugar, a little more sleep, a little more rhythm?
We’ll reflect weekly, share insights (if you want), and track what changes in our clarity, focus, memory, and creative flow.
Want to join the experiment?
If you’ve been craving more mental space, more creative ease, or just a better relationship with your own thoughts, this is for you.
Email me here, and I’ll send you the details.