Is It Just Me: My brain doesn't work anymore

• Do you sometimes forget the name of the street on which you live? 
• Is it common for you to skip conjunctions while writing or speaking? 
• Have you recently purchased a sweater from Old Navy with no recollection of where you put it? 
• Do you look back on essays you wrote in college and think to yourself, "How the hell did I ever write so many words all at once?"

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you might be losing your mind. That's okay, though, because I am too. They say the mind is the first thing to go, after all.

Really though, is anyone else experiencing this? In recent days, I have been feeling like my brain is in slow motion. Just over all, I feel less sharp, less quick, less quippy. No longer am I Lorelai Gilmore with my coffee-infused, manic, Sorkin-esque speech patterns. No, no. I'm Elmer Fudd. I'm Grandpa Simpson. I'm....uh....some other pop culture reference of someone who speaks and thinks slowly.

It's not just in my communication, but across the board, I just feel like I am slow on the uptake. Lately I have found myself asking, "What's another word for..." or "Who was that guy who..." or "Where did I put my..." With increasing frequency, I have been walking into rooms, announcing myself by saying, "Wait...why did I come in here?"

It's a phenomenon that has truly left me puzzled and, honestly, a bit fearful. I have always prided myself on being quick to act, responsive, bright. It's a strange thing to suddenly feel my mind becoming less acute. I've racked my brain for a reason why, which was probably not a great idea considering how fragile it is at the moment, and here are a few possible explanations I've come up with for this unforeseen shift in my cognitive functions:

1. I am getting older.

Via omgfacts.com

Like, hold up -- I know I'm still a baby. I'm around that quarter of a century mark, and I know that if Nora Ephron were here today, she would implore me to celebrate my youth by spending the next eight years of my life in a bikini. I get it, there is still a whole lot of livin' left to do.

Still, I can't help but think that perhaps right now I am experiencing a premature stage of the aging process. It's a subtle change, but perhaps this is really what happens as you grow older. If so, I need not worry because it's not just happening to me, but it's also occurring in the lives of everyone in my age bracket. Right? RIGHT?!

2. I haven't been in school for a few years. 

Via baylor.edu

Man oh man, guys, remember school? You know, reading, writing, arithmetic -- that whole thing? And college! Remember college? If you went, that is. No worries if not because lucky for you, you don't have student loans to deal with.

Still, if you attended a university: remember how you could just walk into a lecture hall, sit down, and have your worldview completely transformed by your Introductory Sociology class? Remember how you would study for finals until you could barely lift your head from your notes? Remember the class discussions, the debates, the critical thinking?

Being in school always initiated a pursuit of more. There was rigorous study involved -- homework, essays, research. But for the first time in my life, I don't have that system in place. If I want to learn and grow, I have to muster up my own energy to find new ways to do that. And if I am being honest, I am not always the best at it. I'm a lover of museums, travel, books, but Lord knows, I regularly choose Netflix over all of those things.

And as such, I think my brain might be paying the price. Where brain go?

3. Mercury is in retrograde.

Via trackingtrendz.com

Now, I don't personally believe in astrology in any way, shape, or form, but that doesn't stop me from blaming all of my problems on it. You may have read about this whole Mercury in retrograde thing -- basically this current astrological phenomenon supposedly means that communication is all out of whack. Phones go on the fritz, deals fall through, arguments occur, Instagram breaks down every time you try to use the Walden filter -- that kind of thing. Many people think that during this season, their ability to express themselves is severely limited.

Again, I don't believe in any of this. But how fun is it to accidentally say something stupid and then follow it up with, "Ugh, forget I said that. Mercury is in retrograde, right?" Pretty fun.

4. Maybe I should...ugh...eat better and...bluh...exercise more

Via mashable.com

Apparently eating right and exercising is crucial in supporting cognitive health.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

5. I am being haunted.

Via nativepeach.com

Hey, if we can blame our problems on the alignment of the planets, then ghosts are certainly not outside of the realm of possibility. Perhaps I've got some super dumb spirit haunting my brain, and if that's the case, I probably deserve it. This would obviously be the coolest explanation, but it would also be the hardest to overcome. Ghosts hold grudges. Everyone knows that.

Happy Halloween!


Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone happened to relate. Is it just me?! Am I the only one who is noticing this delay in cognitive functioning in my life?

Also if you have any thoughts on how I can increase my mental productivity, leave them in the comments section.

Oh, and for the record, I just looked over this entire post and I had to correct my spelling of the word "brain" three different times (originally spelled "brian"). Yet another example of my dwindling cerebral capacities.

The Color Run and My Thoughts on Running

I did the Color Run this morning! 

Here's what it looked like (I want to apologize in advance for interrupting this epic instavideo with a dance break and cat sounds):

Embed Yours At InstaEmbed.com

Not featured in this video is my lovely friend Laura who my hubs, Daniel, and I ran alongside. She and I chatted about all of our hopes and dreams the whole way through, allowing me to forget for a moment the stitch in my side and the color in my teeth. Together we looked like this at the end of the race:

um NAILED IT, right?

By the way, if you've never heard of The Color Run before, it's a 5K run in which volunteers throw colorful powder on you at different stations along the way. It's SUPER fun, and there's a dance party at the end where they hand out a bunch of free swag. At the end of the day, though, it's really just a 5K with colors. Do not let the following awesome promotional video deceive you: 

According to this video, your entire life -- everything you've worked for -- has been leading up to this day. The Color Run is where you will break free from your insecurities. It's where you'll finally learn to be happy with yourself, and it's where, when you least expect it, you will find your one true love (and you will make out with him despite people throwing things at the two of you).

Unfortunately, none of these things happened to me today. Credit where credit is due though -- Color Run, I had a blast running you, and that's saying something because I am definitely not a runner.

I so badly want to be one though! I see how much people are impacted by it, and I really want to get in on that endorphin business people are always talking about. Sadly, I've got these short, little corgi legs that make me feel super unsuccessful. This is not a slight to my body type, by the way. I'm actually quite a fan of that whole situation. I just think my body was intended for something like Zumba or Prancercising.

I kind of feel like prancing is my typical mode of travel anyway.

Really though, my problem with running is all mental. My brain just doesn't stop. I am always impressed with the people who have the ability to shut their minds off. This is the most powerful quality I can imagine, and it's one that I definitely see in my husband. Sometimes I'll ask him, "Hey, what are you thinking about?" and he'll be like, "Nothing", to which I'll respond, "Okay yeah, but like, what kind of nothing?" To me, this question makes perfect sense because I am literally never thinking of nothing, but Daniel has the beautiful ability to just shut it all down and rest even when he's being active. For this reason, he could probably run a marathon tomorrow without a second thought.

For me, however, when I'm running, my brain is like: Oh God. I'm running. I. Am. Running. Don't screw this up, Christy. You. Can. Do. This. Oh no, I should have used the bathroom before I started. Whatever, I can do this. Wow, no, but wait, I sort of have to go to the restroom. Should I wait or go now? Where is the nearest restroom even if I wanted to go? Oh God, is there no restroom? Am I going to die if I don't use the restroom? Restroom restroom restroom. Also, how do I breathe? Do I breathe in through my mouth and out my nose? Or the other way around? Wait, have I even had a glass of water today? A lady pushing a stroller just passed me. That's not fair. She has a stroller to lean on. Awesome, a child just passed me. This is unnatural. I should probably stop so I can sign up for a zumba class.

As you can see, a lot of my thoughts center around where the nearest bathroom is and remembering how to breathe like a human. It's all kinds of ridiculous.

Anyway, as long as themed 5Ks exist and I keep living near Prospect Park, I probably won't ever fully give up on running. I'd like to be better at it though and I'd also like to finally, after years of searching, find that one exercise that I actually really enjoy doing. I'm fairly certain it will be a 90s Britney Spears dance class, but I've yet to find one.

Seriously though, how do I sign up for this class?

So I'm crowdsourcing this: What are some of your best tips as a runner? Also, what other workouts have you become obsessed with? 

I await your wisdom!