Everyone in grief experiences it. When it happened to me, I was frustrated and angry. Why could I not remember things like I used to? Why was it taking so long to think and respond? Would I ever get back to “normal” again? If you are experiencing brain fog due to grief or intense stress, I hope that this is helpful to you. What you are experiencing is normal.

Grief can trigger emotional trauma or PTSD, engaging our brain’s fight or flight response. This response increases heart rate and blood pressure and releases specific hormones, which can lead to symptoms like brain fog.

Neurologist Dr. Lisa Shulman is an expert in this field and wrote the book Before and After Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective on Loss, Grief, and Our Brain.

Grief, whether from death, illness, divorce or other causes, is perceived by the brain as a survival threat. This triggers protective mechanisms that affect memory, behavior, sleep and immune function. “Grief is a normal protective process,” says Dr. Shulman. This adaptation helps us survive emotional trauma.

The brain adapts to trauma by altering neural connections, a process known as neuroplasticity. While low to moderate stress can enhance memory and reduce fear, chronic stress has the opposite effect, harming memory and increasing fear. Over time, these stress responses become hardwired, disrupting various cognitive functions.

Fortunately, even long-term chronic stress effects can be reversed. Dr. Shulman recommends mindfulness, relaxation practices, journaling, cognitive therapy, counseling, creativity and meditation to promote healing and post-traumatic growth. These strategies help restore feelings of safety and calmness, allowing us to move forward.

Give yourself grace; know that what you are experiencing is “normal” and that the fog will lift in your brain.