What do you do for exhaustion and brain fog...?

Bless you. I felt like that last year after Covid in August. Rest is healing with Covid. I recommend to do a little something....lie down....do a little something...lie down. If you have to nap during the day, it's ok. I simply could not find my words right after Covid. I think this lasted about 3 months. I knew others were battling the same thing at the time and it helped to talk about it with them and we laughed about it. I was leaving a message on the phone with the doctor's office and I couldn't remember the word "contagious" to save my ife. I was trying to say, I am no longer "contagious", but, it wouldn't come. I just blurted out on the recorded message, bear with me, I have "Covid Brain". Then the word came. Yes, it's embarrassing, but, it got better and better as the days went on. But, when you are in the fatigue and mental fog it feels like its there forever doesn't it? It takes time and rest. Praying for you right now.

Mayo visit advice for me:
Once each hour go quiet in your surroundings and your brain....can be just 5or10min. Also 3x day make it 20-30min. Then resume your activity.
Brain fog RX : Naltrexone has been helpful. Word find improved. Also recommended that I take Omega3 1500mg.
Hope you are able to restructure your time.....it is awkward of course, but heck, TRY ANYTHING!

I agree just a little then rest a little bit more then rest!! So glad no one is dependent on me right now because I can barely be here for myself !! If I do too much I know right away because I begin trembling . Not pleasant . Then breathless Lots of water helps as well . Good luck to all in your healing.

Hi, @dh524 and all -
Allow me to jump in quick with my 2 cents...
Brain fog and fatigue take a lot of a person. While I've never had COVID, I do experience both symptoms from having central sensitization syndrome and side effects from nerve medication. Can't count out menopause either, I suppose. The least amount of meds the better and less side effects to muddy the waters.

Learning to both roll with symptoms and combat symptoms has helped tremendously. For me, rolling with it means that I allow myself grace, time limited periods of rest, and positive self-talk and mind set. Combating means I "march before I feel like it" which is an expression learned from Dr. Sletten at Mayo's Pain Rehab Center's 3 week program. It means get up, get moving, don't think about it...like Nike says, "Just Do It".

Hold yourself accountable to a schedule - I graduated the PRC 2 .5 years ago and I tell you it was the BEST thing I've ever done. Having a schedule that includes a mix of physical activity (stimulates the brain) like stretching, walking and strength building, rest periods, meals, distraction, breathing and mindful meditation has been a big turn around for my coping and overall progress. I also like to do word search puzzles and listen to different genres of music for distraction. Humor is good, too! Laughing and smiling is a great tool.

What ways have you been rolling with or combating your brain fog and fatigue symptoms? How do you march before you feel like it?

I told those closest to me to just fill in the word I couldn’t get out. Stressing over not being able to get the word I wanted to say didn’t help me remember it. Gradually it has lessened. I still sometimes forget what I was talking about but again i’ll just ask, “what I was talking about.” With prompting, I can just go on with what I was talking about.

I appreciate your experience, but disagree. Be very very careful of the “just do it”— long haul is infamous for flaring post exercise or activity!! ( exercise fatigue).
At my long haul clinic I learned to make a line, 1-10, labeling the earliest symptoms to middle to very bad/incapacitating. My Early symptoms ( 1-3 on scale) were difficult to think up, but he had a list of common long haul early complaints, culled from pts he’d seen. So, some of mine were: very very first notice I’m “zoning” or forgetting words, blurring eyesight, tiny intolerance for sound ( or visual stim), etc. My clinician insisted I STOP and rest as soon as I felt those. This interrupts the neural triggering that lead to full on firing.
I have gotten more from this 1-10 line than any other suggestion. ( I won’t go into boring detail abt it, but it saved me!!) I’ve had several. long flares since I got a verrrry bad case of Covid in 3/20 and this helps so much.

Rest once every hrs for 10min. 3xtimes a day do a 20min rest. Make your brain go on a safety zone.....a brain haven.
Your brain is doing it's best to heal. You MUST
help it with this regular "timeout"

I suggest trying the Keto diet and exercise. The Keto diet will get your brain running on ketones versus glucose. That switch can change the way your brain works - I felt more alert once I was on that diet. There are other positive effects of ketones and exercise. Would suggest reading the book "Brain Energy" by Chris Palmer.

During the first year of Long Covid I would go into fullblown dementia around 12 or 1pm each day. This was relieved by anti-inflammatory diet, especially giving up coffee. An ayurvedic food product called
Chyavanaprasha, sort of like a jam, would also clear my mind quickly. Now I take a double dose antihistamines (not Benadryl), including famotidine, each morning and this helps tremendously. Also, if I need to read, a supplement called Shilajit clears my mind to where I can read and comprehend what I’m reading. It’s used in the Himalayas. I’m assuming it has anti-inflammatory effects. Lots of naps, even tiny ones !

I guess we need to beg are government for a antiviral, we all know the virus lives in are organs, eyes , brain stomach, gallbladder ,thyroid I truly believe it lives in my brainstem I'm living this bullshit my headaches the pain down the back of my neck into my shoulders are immune system has also been compromised .a real good website to get information is thailand medical news.