Read Time: 10 minute
Let me ask you something…
Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you’re there?
Have you found yourself mid-sentence, knowing exactly what you want to say – yet that key word just won’t come out?
Have you noticed that your mind feels slower, heavier, less reliable… even though you know you’re capable?
And if you’re honest…
Has part of you quietly wondered, “am I losing it”, or is this early onset Dementia/Alzheimer’s?
If you’re nodding, even slightly ‘yes’, keep reading.
Because what you’re experiencing makes sense.
And more importantly – it’s not a sign that anything is wrong with you.
You’re not losing intelligence.
You’re not failing.
You’re not losing you’re marbles.
Your brain is adapting to a major internal shift, and it’s doing so in a protective way.
Once you understand why, everything changes.
Why This Feels So Distressing – especially for high-achieving women.
Perimenopause brain fog doesn’t arrive with a warning label.
It shows up quietly and then suddenly:
- You lose your train of thought mid-conversation
- The emails you read, have to be reread because you can’t absorb them
- You forget names, tasks, appointments you never used to forget
- Multitasking feels overwhelming instead of natural
- Decision-making feels heavier than it should.
And here’s something important I want you to notice:
- You’re probably someone who has always thought quickly
- Been on top of your game
- Can read the room
- You’re the person who carries responsibility, often without being asked.
So when your mind doesn’t respond the way it used to, it doesn’t just feel inconvenient.
It feels unsettling.
It feels like an identity wobble.
And yes, this happens a lot in perimenopause.
Up to 60% of women report cognitive symptoms during this transition, often before obvious hormonal signs appear.
So, of course you start to worry.
Because no one ever told you “Your brain may feel different when you are transitioning through perimenopause.”
What’s Actually Happening In Your Brain
Let simplify this.
Your brain is an energy manager
It constantly asks:
- Am I safe
- Do I have enough capacity
- What needs my attention right now
In perimenopause, estrogen begins to fluctuate which impacts more than just your periods.
It play’s a role in:
- focus
- memory
- emotional regulation (hello meno rage)
- mental flexibility.
When estrogen becomes unpredictable, your brain adapts by conserving energy
That means:
- less multi-tasking
- slower word retrieval
- more sensitivity to stress
- quicker emotional reactions.
This isn’t a flaw.
It’s a protective recalibration.
Your brain is prioritising safety over speed.
And here’s a key reframe (read this slowly):
Your brain fog isn’t a failure in your ability to think.
It’s a signal that your system is overloaded.
Once that overload reduces, clarity can return.
Why “Just Pushing Through” Stops Working In Midlife
Earlier in life, many women could override stress with effort.
In midlife, the body says “hell no – no more.”
This doesn’t make you weaker.
It means your system is asking you for a different kind of support.
A few things that can help:
- Supplements
- Organisational tools
- Lifestyle changes
But when your nervous system is constantly on alert, these tools no longer work because they rely on energy that you don’t have.
This is why so many women tell me, “I know what would help, it’s just not sustainable anymore.”
That’s not resistance.
This is nervous system wisdom.
Here’s something I see again and again in the women I work with:
- You’re intuitive
- You sense pressure before it’s spoken
- You respond deeply to your environment
- You’ve spent years adapting, managing, holding things together.
In perimenopause, that sensitivity increases.
Which means:
- noise feels louder
- demands feel heavier
- internal pressure rises faster
Here’s something I see again and again in the women I work with:
- You’re intuitive
- You sense pressure before it’s spoken.
- You respond deeply to your environment.
- You’ve spent years adapting, managing, holding things together.
Your system isn’t broken.
It’s finely tuned, and it’s been running without enough energy, rest or regulation.
When sensitivity meets hormonal change without support, brain fog appears.
Not as a punishment.
But as a nudge to say “hey you need to pause.”
What Actually Helps – Without Giving You More To Do
These aren’t fixes, they’re gentle supports designed to create just enough safety for clarity to emerge.
- The Long Exhale Reset
Try this:
- Breathe in gently through your nose to the count of 4
- Hold your breath to the count of 7
- Exhale slowly through your mouth to the count of eight.
The most important part (if you can’t hold for 7, or release for 8 yet) is to exhale longer than your inhale.
This breathing technique tells your nervous system “I don’t need to be on high alert right now, I am safe”.
- Remove One Invisible Pressure
Brain fog often comes from too much, not inability.
Ask yourself “ What is one thing I don’t need to hold this week.”
Even noticing this question reduces cognitive load.
If your system is used to carrying everything, that space may close again, which is where deeper support helps.
- Honour Your Evenings
Your brain becomes more sensitive later in the day.
Reducing stimulation after dinner, fewer decisions, less heavy conversations, helps your system switch from protection mode into a repair state.
If your mind races at night, it’s often because it hasn’t felt safe enough during the day.
Here’s The Part Most Women Aren’t Told
These supports can help you feel a bit clearer.
But if your nervous system has been living in overdrive for years, especially through stress, responsibility, and hormonal change, relief won’t last without retraining your system to run a new pattern when it’s ignited.
This is where brain training and nervous-system work becomes powerful.
Not because you’re broken.
But because your brain is ready to stop working so hard.
If you’re reading this and thinking:
- Yes, this sounds like me
- Yes, I’m tired of managing this alone
- Yes, I need some new skills to help me
That’s not accidental.
I work with women whose brains are doing exactly what they were designed to do, protect, adapt, respond, it’s just some are stuck in overdrive and require new tools and techniques to help reset them.
This isn’t a sign you’re broken.
Its about finding new ways to support your body as the old ways no longer work for you.
Your clarity isn’t gone
It’s just waiting for the new conditions it needs to function optimally.
Ready to get back in the drivers seat and have your brain work for you?
Let's explore how we can work together to transform your experience of perimenopause brain fog.
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