Brain Fog, Stretching, And Small Joys

Loss can reorder every corner of a life, but it can also reveal how much power we have in the small, daily choices. I share where I’m at—honoring my mom, easing back into work, and choosing structure that makes my days feel lighter and more intentional. The throughline is simple: clear systems, gentle movement, and thoughtful care can turn a scattered season into one that feels grounded and hopeful.

We dig into perimenopause brain fog with honesty and specifics. I talk about what the estrogen drop can do to memory, focus, and mood, and the practical tools that make a difference: an upcoming HRT evaluation, a no-multitasking rule, and a planner setup that covers daily life, content, health, and learning. I also share easy memory techniques and the home reset that keeps my brain calm—organizing the pantry, closet, and routines so decisions are fewer and follow-through is easier.

On the body side, I break down my 15-minute morning stretch habit using the Bend app and why mobility is the most underrated energy tool. Think dynamic moves that reduce stiffness, prevent training injuries, and set a steady tone for the day. Then we lighten things up with two finds I’m loving: COOLA Firming Face Oil SPF 30 for nourishing sun care and the Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Mask for smooth, bouncy hair. Finally, I walk through how I’m upgrading my personal image with intention—learning from Bobbi Brown, Debrett’s, The Confidence Code, How the World Sees You, and Presence—so how I feel and how I show up match.

If this resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a little clarity and momentum, and leave a review so more women can find these conversations. What’s one small system you’re starting this week?

Coola SPF 30 Oil

Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Mask

Bobbi Brown Makeup Maual

The Bombshell Manual of Style

Confidence Code

How the World Sees You

Presence

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Life Updates
• 2:30 Grief, Faith, And New Routines
• 4:50 Travel Plans And Getting Back On Track
• 6:07 Perimenopause Brain Fog Hits Hard
• 8:10 Tools, HRT Evaluation, And Systems
• 11:20 Organization Overhaul And Memory Tricks
• 14:45 Daily Stretching For Body And Mind

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:01

So, welcome back to the Midlife Glowgetter Podcast, season two, episode 32. I'm Jax, your host. Today we will cover some life updates, a perimenopause symptom I've been dealing with in the last six to nine months. Why stretching is good for your mind and body, a new SBF I absolutely love, and a new hair care treatment I'm trying out. So we'll get started. So, first things first, it is a new season for my family and I. My mom is gone. I am now trying to live with this new normal. We all are. I never realized, but I'm so grateful for the Catholic religious foundation my parents gave me and I gave my son. The belief of heaven, a better place, and being reunited someday gives me solace as I navigate grief. My family as well feels this way. So, Mom, I know you are up in heaven having fun with family and friends, watching over us, and I'll see you when it's my time. I promise I will make you proud. Thank you for being the best mom and grandma ever. Also, this past week I went back to work after being off for about eight or nine days. I did put away all the Christmas decor. I am trying to plan a vacation with my son and I this summer. We are thinking about going back to Charleston, South Carolina for a week, or possibly an East Coast road trip from Connecticut to Maine, which would be about 10 days. So we are deciding which one we want to do. It would I would love to do both. I just don't know if it's possible, but at least one of them for this coming up summer. Also, I'm looking at new vanities for my bedroom. I did have a life coaching appointment this past week and it went terrific. And finally, I did have a dental cleaning this past week. So I am on track. So on to the next segment. This is a perimenopause symptom I've been dealing with the last six to 12 months. It is brain fog. I don't know if any of you ladies are experiencing this or have experienced it, but I have been dealing with extreme brain fog in the last six to 12 months. I am super forgetful. I have to write everything down. I set reminders on my calendar. I set reminders in the reminders app on my phone. I take notes all the time in my notes app. My son reminds me of things all the time that I forget to do. I've read this is because of the decline in estrogen, which can affect your brain health functions, your regulatory functions, and cognitive process. So this all is contributing towards the changes in my memory and my mood and my overall brain health. I am a type A personality, and for the last year I have not felt this way. So this is something I've been dealing with. So next are the different ways I'm trying to combat the brain fog symptom I'm experiencing. So, first things off, I have an appointment with a woman's doctor at the Clinic Clinic Women's Health Center the first week of February of this year. I'm being evaluated for HRT. And if I am a candidate, if I am a candidate, I will get on it right away. Hormone replacement therapy, HRT. So we'll see if I'm a candidate. And if so, I will take complete advantage of that. Next, I know I need help. I don't try to fake it. I use all the reminders on my phone, the calendar reminders, my planners, my post-its, my index cards. I am no longer winging it. I have accepted this is my new normal. I've accepted it. I've also stopped multitasking. This impairs focus and memory for me. So I do one thing at a time and complete each task one at a time. I am no longer multitasking. I have gotten super organized. I have a planner for my daily life. I have a planner for my content creation. I have a planner for my health and wellness. And I have a planner for my learning curriculum. So I literally have four planners. I actually have a fifth one too: a money finance planner. I have a bag actually, like a really cute corduroy bag that holds all my planners, my notebooks, my journals, and pens and highlighters. I keep everything in there. If I want to go to the dining room table, the kitchen table, or my desk or to my bed, I just bring the bag and I have everything in there to work on. So I have that all organized. I have reorganized my pantry. I have reorganized my storage containers. My cleaning supplies have been reorganized. My closet just got a new organization and drawer system. So my closet is reorganized. I have redone and reorganized my morning routine for workdays and on Sundays. So I have completely redone that for 2026. And I shared my morning workday routine in the last episode. You could check that out. I will organize my evening routine by next week for 2026. So I will reorganize my evening routine that is on my list. Next, I'm going to redo my makeup and hair items and get rid of things I don't use, consolidate, and pick up new items or things that I'm going to continue to use. And I'm going to purchase a large new vanity for my bedroom, probably in February or more in March or February, and reorganize this as part of my new new life. So I'm trying to stay as organized as possible. Another thing I'm doing to combat my brain fog, I just had it just now, is I use different mind tricks to remember things, um, like mental images to remember names or phrases. It helps me recall things. Like for example, if someone's name is happens to be Simon, I think of the game back in the 80s, Simon says, and that game, I don't know if you remember it, and I match that image with their name and face. So these little image tricks help me remember important things, important names, important people. So I use my different mind tricks like that. So if you are too experiencing this brain fog, I hope this brings you peace knowing you're not alone. And maybe these tips and tricks that I shared here will help you navigate your new normal. So I hope that helps. So now into the next segment. This is something I want to touch on. Something I do every morning for the last 12 months at least. I am stretching and bending for at least 15 minutes every morning between 4 and 6 a.m., just like clockwork. I am bending and stretching. This is so underrated, bending and stretching. This does so much for me. My joints, my bones, muscles, and body just feel so much more flexible and more strong, less stiff, more limber, and more mobile. This helps me relieve mental, emotional, and physical stress on a daily basis. It prevents uh strength training injuries, you know, when you're using weights. It prevents injuries. I do so many different things. I do highly suggest you check out an app or a book or someone online. I use the Bend app, which is super useful, super resourceful. It's B-E-N-D, the Bend app on any Android or Apple product. I do things like arm swings. I reach for the sky, I touch my toes, I do calf raises, side by side lunges, and I feel just so alive and awake every time I do these stretches and move my body. I actually feel younger because I can move more. So again, I use the Bend app. It's a great learning tool, especially when you're just starting out. Get some sort of resource when you're just starting out. So I highly suggest you try it every early morning before your day gets started. Your body and mind will definitely thank you. I promise you that. So a couple more things I wanted to touch on before I wrap up this short but sweet episode is I bought a new SPF oil-based organic oil, SPF, SPF 30. And I am really in love with it. I'm really liking it. It's called the Kula Firming Face Oil SPF 30 C-O-O-L-A Kula. Um, I bought it on Amazon. It's organic, it's lightweight, it's really hydrating with back a choil, vitamin C, D, and E, C buckthorn, and moringa oils. It's firm, firming, and it smooths my skin. Again, I bought it on Amazon. They also have a body oil mist SPF30, a body oil mist spray that I want to try when the weather gets warmer. But it's a great product. I will link that and the other products I mentioned next in the show notes if you want to check it out. And everything will be on Amazon. Another item I recently bought and that I am loving is the Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Mask Cuticle Sealing Mask for your hair. It's hydrating, it helps with volume. It's really a great product, and I bought that also on Amazon. So I'm really loving it. Finally, I'm concentrating on my own personal images here. I am going to step it up, like way step it up. I am dressing and presenting myself accordingly because I know first impressions matter. I bought a book on Amazon by Bobby Brown called The Makeup Manual, and that's due to come in this next by next week. I dug up an older book I have read before in my bookshelf. It's called The Bombshell Manual of Style. This is also sold on Amazon. It will be linked. I bought the book DeBrett's A to Z Modern Manners revised edition for Modern Manners. So I'm really stepping up my game. I'm listening to the confidence code, the audio version right now, the book, and it's going really well. I purchased the audio version of How the World Sees You and Presence by Amy Cuddy. So that's something else that I actually purchased. So even here online, I'm going to present myself better. I'm going to wear makeup and a cute outfit. I understand people respect you more and you respect yourself more when you carry yourself accordingly, both inside and outside. So both inside and outside both matter. So everything I mentioned here, I will link in the show notes. So that's a wrap. That's a short and sweet episode, right to the point. Some things going on in my life, some things I'm experiencing, some things I bought, some things I'm doing, and I thought I'd share with that with you today. Hit that subscribe if you like this podcast so you get the reminders every week. If you like this episode or other episodes, please leave a review. It helps other women like you, like me, find this podcast and enjoy it, you know, like you do. And if you have any questions or comments, positive or negative, DM me or email me. I open both positive, I'm open to both positive and negative comments and questions with open arms. So anything you have to suggest, I will highly, highly welcome. So that's it. I hope you guys have a great rest of the week. Check out next week's episode. I'm not sure what it'll be out, but I'm sure it will be about something important, hopefully, that you'll enjoy. I usually come up with these ideas throughout the week and then I record on the weekend. But I go hope you guys have a great week. I hope everything well works out positively. I hope it's amazing. I hope you do and get everything you want. And I will follow up next week on Monday morning. Have a great day and a great week. Love jacks.