BRAIN FOG AND LEARNING SOMETHING NEW
Trying to learn a new trick when you have brain fog is not easy. I found this out earlier in the week when I was trying to get to grips with my new phone. I’ve never been very ‘technological’. In fact I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to new technology.
When it comes to mobile phones I’ve only ever bought basic ones. As long as they call, text, go on facebook and have an alarm to wake me up in the morning that’s enough for me. The last phone I bought was very basic indeed. It was designed for people such as me who need something simple. Unfortunately since the day I got it I realised that, not only did it have a mind of its own, it was also slower than me!
I struggled with if for the best part of 2 years. I put up with the alarm going off at whatever time it felt like and the age it took to connect to the internet. By the time the contacts list came up I’d forgotten who I was supposed to be calling and why.
So when my son said he was updating his phone and I could have his old one to replace my crazy phone I was really pleased. I was a little concerned though. My boy always buys decent phones that cost a lot more than the basic ones I buy. I’m rather clumsy and was worried that I’d drop it in the first week. My son told me not to worry because it had a protective case and a screen protector. Which was a relief.
The thing that worried me even more was would I be able to use it?. Bearing in mind that I’ve only been learning to use a computer for the last couple of years or so, and I only ever have a basic phone, this genuinely concerned me.
My son’s idea of an old phone is far different from mine. My dad has what I would call an old phone. It’s got a tiny screen and a button keypad. No internet or camera and i’m not even sure if it has an alarm clock. Mind you it works perfectly and suits my dad.
My son’s ‘old’ phone turned out to be an iPhone!
Now I don’t know if it was the fear of learning how to use it, or if my hormones decided to mess me about, but the brain fog kicked in.
‘Don’t worry’ my son said, ‘I’ll help you set it up and show you how it works, it’s easy’.
Off I went to meet my son. The first thing we had to do was to get a different sim card from my service provider because the new phone has a tiny one. That was all straightforward and only took a few minutes. My phone number, I always keep the same one, would be switched to the new sim shortly. In fact by the time we got back to my son’s home the sim had switched over.
My crazy phone was no longer live. I had to learn how to use my new all singing all dancing iPhone or I was stuck.
It took a while to set the phone up before I could even learn how to use it. I must admit I let my son get on with it. All I did was come up with the passwords and sit there looking confused. My brain fog was increasing and I resorted to writing everything he told me down in a notebook. Hoping I might be able to make sense of it later, or tomorrow, or next week. . . . .
My boy was very patient and spent hours teaching me the basic functions of the phone and promised me more lessons once I’d mastered the essential stuff. I did struggle to take it all in but I could see light at the end of the tunnel. There was hope for me yet.
The rest of my evening was spent playing with my new phone. After a while my brain fog started to lift and things became clearer. By the time I went to bed I realised that my son was right. It is easy to use. It’s also faster and more reliable than my previous phone.
Despite my initial struggle to learn a new trick while my brain refused to get into gear I’m really pleased with myself for persevering and mastering something new.
See my article ‘Does The Menopause Affect Memory?’ for information about the hormonal effects on memory, also the changes in memory and confidence that you can experience in perimenopause and menopause. There’s also some helpful Tips and Tricks too.
