We have all heard of Mommy Brain – that hormonal anomaly appears in pregnant women (and carries over into the sleep deprivation stage of New Mommydom). We’ve also heard of Pandemic Fatigue – that reckless feeling of cabin fever that accompanies a worldwide quarantine. But I am experiencing a unique combination of the two that I have come to call “Pandemic Brain.”
Pandemic Brain is a new phenomenon, found most commonly in parents having to suddenly become elementary school teachers, in which one seems to forget things as soon as they happen, aimlessly wander from room to room holding a cold cup of coffee while attempting to reset the wifi router, and occasionally lose control of basic gross motor skills.
These are some recent examples of my Pandemic Brian. Brain.
- I put my coffee in the fridge and the creamer on my desk.
- I got into an argument with my husband because I had weirdly convinced myself that we never had carpet in our living room even though we had carpet five months ago.
- I gave my six-year-old son my infant’s oatmeal and my infant, my son’s chicken nuggets.
- I was playing the piano and literally forgot how to play a D chord. I just sat there and stared at my hands.
- I started to send an email and got distracted and forgot about it until three days later.
And then there are the smaller things – fighting to remember a word, being exhausted but unable to sleep, struggling to find the correct Google Classroom link in the morning slides, and just generally feeling sluggish and “off.”
Our lives have been turned upside down, so I try and cut myself some slack. I went right from Mommy Brain to Pandemic Brain with no rest in between. So if you accidentally pour the water into your palm instead of into your mouth while taking your morning vitamin (something I have also done), give yourself a break and know that you are not alone!
