It took me a long time to make a decision about writing this post, so much so I suffered planning paralysis as a result and the post sat idle in a draft for many months. Today, however, I have decided to go ahead with it. It is about neuro-fatigue, decision making. It is something that I often overlook; time thinking about what I ought to do, what steps I need to take to do it and then the burden of actioning that decision. Indeed, decision fatigue affects anybody, but for a stroke survivor it can make the difference between functioning and floundering.
The brain uses an inordinate amount of resources just to make decisions, the prefrontal cortex works overtime to decide what suitable attire to wear if outside threatens four seasons for the day and then the networks become less cooperative and one might as well not go out.
Trying to decide where to put that unwanted gift that you canât use, return or throw away can bank up levels of glutamate which inevitably will tell the brain to just shut down and shove it in the bottomless drawer of forgetfulness.
As you deliberate over the hundred and one foodstuffs on a Chinese takeaway menu, your brain is burning glucose like nobodies business and in the end it might just be more relaxing to opt for fish and chips.
Decision fatigue leads to planning paralysis, where the brain concludes that it is just all too much and it might be more pleasurable just to kick back and gaze at that painting of a navel that was purchased for such occasions.
Having had four bumps to my cerebellum, I have come to learn that the cerebellum is integral to decision making and has a direct line to the prefrontal cortex which is the brainâs executive suite for executive decisions. Ironically, it also can affect oneâs impulse control. Still, if I go to a restaurant I know exactly what I want to eat and my brain can decide within minutes, whereas my partner takes a long time to decide on a dish and then wants to eat mine because her meal isnât what she fancied after all. On top of brain damage, decision fatigue clearly uses up vital brain vitality and it is something stroke survivors can work around to improve their overall cognitive energy reserves.
One of the primary fatigues I suffer is searching for something if I need it to complete a task. Racking my brain as to where it could be and then the thought of having to search means that, more often or not, the task gets left undone. I am unduly strict now about where things belong. Everything has its logical place for me, and woe betide the person who doesnât put it back in its proper place. Iâm over the top about it for a reason, if I go to get something and it isnât there, my brain energy can fizzle at an alarming rate. It doesnât have the capacity anymore to indulge itself with instant make-do decisions.
The âthatâll doâ principle. When I was a child I had acute OCD and spent some time in therapy, making my life easier. After stroke, damage to my cerebellum has disrupted the work I put in as a kid to control this compulsive behaviour. The cerebellum plays a role in helping to curb repetitive behaviours and thoughts. Iâve had to reinvest in the âthatâll doâ principle which means being satisfied with my limitations and letting go of intended outcomes. As an example, because of my visual issues, I find it difficult to wash up effectively. More often than not, after the dishes dry, there is always some food stain or other attached to a plate, bowl or cutlery. I find washing up difficult because of the range of movement, standing and the motion of the water. However, when putting away the dishes (my least favourite task), I apply the âthatâll doâ principle. I have no more mental energy to commit to the dishes. They are basically clean, and thatâll do.
I find that rest is hit and miss, but distraction can do wonders to elevate a strained brain. Doing something, suddenly, that is completely different can effectively shift the gears in the brain enough to then be able to return to the original task with renewed vigour. These distractions are mindful distractions, they entail using tactile, olfactory or visual activities to allow senses to relieve brain stress. Visual for me isnât always the answer as I am visually challenged but sometimes I might pick up something and give it a good smell or play around with it and it conveniently pauses the synapses from short-circuiting. As I have a cat, I often spend time, scrunching up pieces of paper and tossing them away so that she can go fetch. I do this between managing daily tasks, and after twenty minutes or so of entertaining and exhausting Annie, I am ready to resume whatever tedious task I must attend to as a mere human.
Taking the easy way out. The brain is notoriously lazy, thatâs why technology like AI has been such a significant step in our evolutionary toolkit. Using AI can efficiently bypass the steps once needed to collate and summarise information, and it uses sycophancy to prioritise engagement and mimic empathy. This rewards our brains with a big gloop of dopamine to make us feel validated. In the past we had to search through and glean over countless webpages to find relevant information, this using vital brain energy, and before that flicking through countless pages of books. As a stroke survivor, leaning on tools or technology that short cuts the process is saving brain energy for other cognitive tasks. I enjoy playing records but the fact of the matter is that my brain, more often than not, defaults to calling out a track for my smart speaker to play as opposed to hunting down a track on one of my records to put on.
Good old procedural memory. Deep within the motor cortex via the cerebellum and basal ganglia lies our procedural memory. This is memory from practised, accomplished and familiar tasks. Turning to procedural memory to reset the brain is tremendously satisfying and itâs not just things like riding a bicycle or using a pogo stick. It can be things like listening to a familiar piece of music, procedural memory kicks in when we follow the rhythms and melody. It might be something you did countless times as a kid; playing with a yo-yo or doodling. Iâve gardened for most of my life, when I garden my procedural memory kicks in and most of the activity is done on auto-pilot. I often watch childhood television shows for the hundredth time on DVD or streaming services because I am so familiar with them that my brain enters into a sort transcendental state, as with some films Iâve watched and rewatched many times. My brain doesnât have to do much work, itâs all been done before and logged into the motor cortex. Having several activities that can rely on procedural memory is a brilliant way to give the brain a break and reset its energy capacity.
So these are just some of the things we can do to cut down on cognitive consumption. Next post I think I will write about planning paralysis which is a result of decision fatigue but there are ways to get on top of it or at least manage it and I feel by doing so I will overcome my planning paralysis.
