Story Telling in Business: March 2022

BRAIN FOG: A mental illness crisis is looming as millions of people worldwide are surrounded by death and disease and forced into isolation, poverty and anxiety by the pandemic of COVID-19, United Nations health experts said on Thursday 14th May, 2020

Versions of The Scream (1893). Norwegian artist Edvard Munch

INTRODUCTION

A very real, creeping, cancerous, insidious dystopia, accompanied by financial pressures, isolation, related stress and anxiety is yielding a symptom that has been termed ‘brain fog’, and may well lead to burnout or suicidal tendencies. It is becoming widespread. It is occurring as puppet governments and 'expedient' business continue to apply senseless covid-19 regulations, impositions, threats, fear- mongering and division. A division that polarizes, suppresses empathy, unleashes naming and blaming, anger, even hate towards others.

“The term (brain fog) is used to describe the feeling of disorientation, or difficulty thinking and concentrating. Sufferers feel mentally sluggish and struggle to recall things. And being mentally slower than normal has an impact on everyday life, increasing feelings of anxiety and depression”. (Ebrahim, Z. 2022)

Millions suffer needlessly from mental fatigue, memory problems, becoming easily distracted, and having difficulty concentrating, solving problems or making plans and decisions. A state that leads to us becoming insensitive to the feelings and viewpoints of others (an insiduous form of distancing). Brain fog is now endemic.

Although it might take time before comprehensive research into covid-19 brain fog yields answers as to how to combat it, common-sense indicates that it has major, negative impacts on our ability to think and respond clearly in everyday life, on our learning capacity, and on our relationships. Brain fog directly harms our mental, physical and social well-being.

HOW SERIOUS IS IT?

Stress, dystopia, anxiety, depression, and eventual burnout and suicide are so deeply interconnected that it is sometimes difficult to separate one from another. Brain fog can accompany them all.

Indications are that the symptom, left untreated, can cause serious suffering. Last year KPMG research revealed that “… 94% of workers are stressed. While this isn’t surprising – Oracle concluded 2020 was the most stressful year ever - people are now at breaking point. Some 78% believe the coronavirus pandemic has severely affected their mental health; 40% are making more flawed decisions, and 90% conclude that newfound work-related stress affects their home lives. The culmination of which is causing unprecedented levels of depression (up 53%), anxiety (up 55%), and even PTSD (up 32%), which is further exacerbated by a growing backlash against employee surveillance”. (Laker, B. 2021)

(Those who work from home also feel stressed and disoriented – although the causative factors may differ).

Pieper calls burnout “a condition of the soul”. (Pieper, J. 1963) (It happens when we find ourselves in a wilderness bereft of resources, clear thinking, good feelings, love and comfort. We are lost and powerless).

WHAT DO WE EXPERIENCE? WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?

Our poor people!

Biological, psychological, and social systems interconnect. As do different aspects of our lives – work, play, home. Attempted compartmentalisation doesn’t help!

What adds to our dystopia and stress are general stressors such as uncertainty overwhelm, containment of freedoms and previously-taken-for-granted rights, the physical and psychological impacts of mask wearing, unnatural social distancing and isolation, feelings of being constantly watched and monitored, coping with conflicting messages and information, constant fatigue (physical and mental), and deliberate division by the ‘powers-that-be’

("Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd" - Bertrand Russell)

Without realizing it our anxieties increase, our ‘fuses shorten’ and tempers fuel further division and polarization, more concentration lapses occur. We feel listless, unmotivated, deep down angry and sad - without knowing why …

HOW SUSCEPTABLE ARE WE?

Very.

Given what we are actually contending with we should be surprised if we DON’T have stress and brain fog, and we are NOT approaching burnout!

In many cases we are:

Working much longer hours from home than we did at work in the old days – certainly spending too much time on our computers and cell phones
Less in touch with the informal grapevine at work and unsure about how we are doing or what might happen
Still conditioned to being perfect or excellent but nowadays far less able to measure our performance (or how it is seen by others)
At the office, shop, factory we are having to deal with new protocols, different issues, shifted relationships, ethical disconnection from our employers
In fear for our careers, finances, families - We sense a ‘sword of Damacles’ always hanging over our heads
Dealing with our changing perceptions of life, family, work – and perhaps seeking different work or a new company to work for …
Thrown by how covid regulations have disrupted or restricted our hobbies, pastimes, interests, social lives, worldviews …
Coping with how our proximity and involvement with different family members and friends has dramatically changed – and with loss of loved ones, freedoms, pastimes, and a sense of well-being
More aware that ‘big brother’ (government, institution, corporation) is watching us (on and offline)
Aware of the growing number of issues increasingly separating us from others, and the growing number of events (resource shortages, responses to mandates and pending or threatened legislation, war …) posing threats to our existence
Wearing masks which may have physical effects that translate into some brain fog symptoms
In need of a caring, touchable, trusted support person or group

In certain countries, the collapse or decline of economies, sudden and unnecessary increased in poverty, tearing of the social fabric, and failure of infrastructure - has brought us to the brink of anarchy - which of course does little to reduce stress, disorientation, fear, numbness, brain fog …

On a broader front it is becoming increasingly clear that the self-appointed “elite” who are assuming control (Schwab and his minions, the WHO, Gates, Musk, Big Pharma and others), is moving to become the centralised arbiter and point for managing all “health” matters (regulations, restrictions, digitisation and data base records of individual’s medical and immunisation status, etc. etc.) as a wedge to ruling over and exploiting every aspect of our lives (for our benefit! The biggest lie ever by these people of the lie)

In South Africa we’ve experienced massive state capture, which pales into insignificance alongside the world - capture and rule that we’re about to see. We are in for a helluva ride and a huge spiritual battle.

Perhaps in these circumstances, people are more prone to overwork as a means of ‘escape’, and potential workaholics are even more prone to addiction, and more likely to suffer from burnout?

This work addiction behaviour scale was developed by clinical psychologist Dr Cecilie Andreassen and her University of Bergen team. (Further addiction behaviour scales have been developed at Bergen, including ones addressing social media usage and compulsive shopping. You may wish to Google these for your own edification).

The brain fog pandemic is in its infancy and will grow quickly and exponentially.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO AVOID OR OVERCOME STRESS, LIFT BRAIN FOG?

Under so much pressure, insecurity, uncertainty and weariness, how do we continue to be possibilists, empathise with others, reimagine a wonderful new future and work towards a meaningful purpose, develop a growth mindset? Are such attitudes and characteristics all ‘pie in the sky’ now?

What to do?

Recognise the 'Whole Person'. We could begin by recognising that the physical, mental, social and spiritual are connected. Having a headache can be frustrating and annoying, lead to short temper, trigger an argument that affects a relationship and results in guilt, that weighs heavily on us and our state of being, on our ability to be grateful and responsive … and so on …

David Bohm, quantum physicist, recognised this non-dual aspect of mind, body, spirit.

The physical, emotional and spiritual together drive purpose, beliefs, values and the attaining of meaning. (Bohm, D. 1987)

Focus our learning and other activities. We could, when waking up and educating others or learning ourselves, not to overload but choose rather to focus and to learn in small manageable chunks. Prioritising and managing our energy is critical these days. Put less emphasis on content and on how to impart that content – and put more effort into understanding the learner’s state, needs and limits as the start point for our educating. We could employ self-regulating mechanisms such as self-led small group circles. We could fathom how to best leverage and combine wisdom and learning and fun, and how to best facilitate memory and recall - in short parables, imagery, metaphor, games, analogy …?

And we could move more learning experiences into a nature environment.

Develop personal hardiness. We could make a firm choice to improve our own bouncebackability, our stress coping resources, our brain fog management – so that we respond better to change and pressure challenges, feel more comfortable in a more stressful world and become better able to manage ourselves, build resilience and speak out against the tyranny that is happening, participate on our own chosen terms.

At the end of this newsletter for you to visit at your leisure is a series of articles that throw light on different aspects of a well=proven, down-to-earth model for coping with change and stress, becoming more resilient:

The model addresses the whole person – physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual. A start to becoming mindfully aware of serving these parts are covered in my accompanying 9M checklist:

Swop technology for nature and contemplation. We could spend less time on our computers and mobile phones and more time in nature, exercising and enjoying pastimes with friends. We could prioritise. And we could combat isolation and induce relaxation, calm, focus and well-being through meditation and its fruits.

In the experience of Archbishop Rowan Williams the spiritual is the most important part we need to serve: “Contemplation is the only ultimate answer to the unreal and insane world that our financial systems and our advertising culture and our chaotic and unexamined emotions encourage us to inhabit. To learn contemplative practice is to learn what we need so as to live truthfully and honestly and lovingly. It is a deeply revolutionary matter”. (Williams, R. 2012)

Surely, in a time of lies and deception where one cannot trust a wealthy (self-appointed) ‘elite’, power- holders, vested interest businesses, big pharma, politicians, big tech and the media – and where every piece of information must be fact-checked - not by big-tech but by ourselves – we simply have to learn to rely on our intuition, our conscience …. Contemplation becomes a valuable vehicle for us to go deeper, reach out to where we can source truth and meaning, discover and begin to know the unknowable, develop the highest virtues. How we tap into the cloud of unknowing to find truth and comfort is of course a personal journey.

So,

something that stood out for me when putting this article together is the thought that if we acknowledge and understand, if we make the effort to discover resources and become disciplined in developing our resilience during troubled times (doing the ‘little things’ outlined above), if we seek deep knowing, if we give love to others - we become survivors not sinkers, and our brain fog begins to lift. We become more effective. Think more clearly. Respond more appropriately to others. As poet Emily Dickinson puts it: “We grow accustomed to the Dark”. And thus we become more able to combat the dark, be a better force for good, for love, position ourselves to win the war.

Do your own contemplation, draw up your own checklist of things to do, then introduce them into your life, look after your contentedness and become a contemplative in action..

RESOURCES FOR Dystopia, Stress, Brain Fog:

For a confidential assessment of your personal hardiness quotient, contact centserv@iafrica.com

REFERENCES

Bohm, David (1987) Unfolding Meaning: a weekend of dialogue with David Bohm Routledge

Ebrahim, Zakiyah (2022) Hope for Covid long haulers with brain fog as researchers identify potential treatment Health 24 24th February, 2022

https://www.news24.com/health24/medical/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/long-covid/hope-for-covid-long-haulers-with-brain-fog-as-researchers-identify-potential-treatment-20220224-2

Fredriksen, Wenche (2019) RISING FROM THE ASHES - A story about burnout and the way back to life

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rising-from-ashes-story-burnout-way-back-life-wenche-fredriksen/

Laker, Benjamin (2021) 94% Of Workers Are Stressed: KPMG Research Reveals Covid-19’s Lingering Effects On Employees Forbes. 4th May, 2021

https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2021/05/04/the-future-world-of-work-is-fascinating-reveals-new-research-from-kpmg/?sh=78ccb7c26865

Pieper, Josef (1963) Leisure - The Basis of Culture Pantheon Books Inc, Random House

Williams, Archbishop Rowan (2012) Address to the Synod of Bishops in Rome on October 10, 2012 cited by Richard Rohr (Richard Rohr’s Meditation: Contemplation and Action Monday, August 17, 2015)

Friday, March 25, 2022

BRAIN FOG