If you know how to connect the dots, you have a good cognitive mind, and you’re bound to be successful.
Connecting the dots means looking at separate pieces of information, clues, or events to understand the bigger picture, resulting in a coherent conclusion and sequential planning.
It is possible that I lack a good cognitive mind because my writings did not sell well. One possible reason is my niche: no one wants to read about someone who is still living with a chronic neurological disorder.
People love to read success stories – how to become successful, how to be happy, how to enjoy life responsibly, how to live without baggage and many more, including light humor.
Although I can write on those topics, I am still writing out my heart for someone like me; it doesn’t sell well now, but once people experience the muddy terrain of life, they will remember. It might be the same as me revisiting Philip Yancey’s “Where Is God when it Hurts” book in my hospital bed.
Why Connecting the dots matters:
Connecting the dots describes linking separate facts, data points, or experiences to realize what is really happening.
Steve Jobs famously spoke about how you cannot connect the dots looking forward into the future; you can only connect them looking backward, meaning you must trust that your past experiences will somehow make sense later on.
In my case, before and after my brain surgery, mesial temporal lobe structures are heavily tied to verbal and nonverbal memory; chronic or frequent activity led to localized strain or hippocampal changes over time. Sometimes, it also leads to strain relationship because you are not alert, unresponsive, and difficult to dealt with.
This experience has changed my journey of life over time. I have not been a bright person; however, my cognitive sense hugely declined due to the side effects of my medication and brain surgery.
Brain fog/memory lapses:
Here is one reason why I lose readers, since I often talk about my past and present condition, which people barely want to hear. Yet it is a therapy for me. Thus, by reading it, you supported and encouraged me.
I have often experienced slowed thinking, confusion, word-finding trouble, and memory impairment. Life is worth living when you wade through electrifying muddy terrain.
While I am walking or sitting behind the wheel, although not driving long distances, I found myself struggling where I am and having difficulty connecting the dots to make the next turn.
In all this, I could see the faithfulness of the Lord God and his mercy renewed every morning. Lam.3:22-23 When the road came up as if to swallow me, I had to simply wait for the episode to end.
Among the worst experiences is when my mind gets a hold of certain pasts, which were unpleasant to remember or visit in every season. There were certain pasts we ought to forget, for we are to press on towards the goal. Phil. 3:12-14
How God helps to Connect the Dots:
I often turn to the Scripture for inspiration, while I also practice some occupational therapy if it is not averse to my faith.
When I forget things, becoming unreliable, I take comfort in the word of the Lord.
• “Though she, a mother, may forget, I will not forget you!” God declares, ensuring that your security rests in His memory rather than your own. Isaiah 49:15-16: God has engraved me on the palm of his hands, shielding me with a wall ever before me.
• God promises that he will sustain believers even to our old age and gray hairs, bringing reassurance through physical and cognitive decline. “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you, carried you, and will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4
• The Psalmist encourages intentional reflection to “forget not all his benefits,” in combating spiritual and mental forgetfulness. God forgives our sins and heals our illnesses – waking up today remembering what happened yesterday is a miracle.
• Some godly people live in poverty, some die at a young age, and some of us live through tough times full of testing and afflictions. However, we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, but to submit to him. Prov. 3:5-6
This reminds believers that we do not have to figure out every connection on our own to move forward.
• Above all, when we forget things and are unable to connect the dots, I took trust and comfort in the promises of Jesus that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”, offering divine assistance for recall. John 14:26
Now that we have talked about the spiritual side of connecting the dots, I will take a brief look at the physical step to help us connect the dots by mitigating brain fog or memory lapses for someone like me.
How to enhance connecting the dots:
I have been here for long, so I got to know a few strategies and advices:
• Drink a large glass of water, as even mild dehydration can cause sluggish thinking. Staying hydrated is always advisable, although it is not as easy when you don’t feel the thirst to drink.
• It is good to move our body from our writing table – take a brisk 10-to-15-minute walk or do a short burst of light exercise to boost blood flow and oxygen to your brain.
• Screen breaks: While at work or at home, take a 15-to-30-minute break from computers, phones, and multitasking to reduce cognitive overload.
• Breathing exercises: I have often experienced difficulty breathing, so I was advised to do deep breathing or short meditation exercises to lower stress hormones.
• Prioritizing sleep – Aiming for 7 to 9 hours of quality, uninterrupted rest each night to let your brain’s glymphatic system clear out metabolic waste.
• Taking care of diet for possible allergic reactions -focusing on anti-inflammatory foods and foods that are rich in omega-3s, nuts, and olive oil while cutting back on refined sugars and alcohol.
• Managing stress – Use mindfulness, journaling, or regular downtime to lower chronic cortisol and mental fatigue.
I know that for a person with a certain disorder, all of these may not be applicable, but we can at least take what best suits us. Above all, we can live peacefully in the abiding care of God by connecting with Him every day. Take Care, God be with you!
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