Where's My Glasses? Navigating Brain Fog at 60 - Episode #2

The Mystery of the Missing Phone (Spoiler: I Was Holding It)

Ever walked into a room with a purpose, only to stare at the wall wondering what on earth you went in there for? Or worse, frantically searched for your phone while actively talking on it? Welcome to the club.

In this episode of Next Chapter, Uncensored, Liana Rowlands dives headfirst into the hazy, humbling, and utterly confusing world of menopause brain fog.

While we can usually laugh it off in public with a quick joke, Liana gets real about what happens when the fog rolls in when we're completely alone. It’s in those quiet, frustrating moments—when a word is on the tip of your tongue or you're staring blankly into the fridge—that you start to wonder, “Am I actually losing my mind?”

Inside this episode, we talk about:

• The FaceTime Fiasco: Liana’s own hilarious (and deeply humbling) reality check with her partner.
• The Invisible Construction Project: Why your brain isn't actually broken—it's just working overtime dealing with massive hormonal shifts.
• Finding the Grace: How to navigate the frustration, stop beating yourself up, and give yourself permission to be beautifully human.

Grab your beverage of choice, sit back, and let’s chat. We’re all in this hazy boat together!

Transcript

Introduction: Grab a Beverage & Let’s Chat

Speaker 0:09

Welcome back to next chapter Uncensored. I'm Liana Rowlands. Grab your beverage of choice, sit back, and let's chat.

The Case of the Missing (Handheld) Phone

Speaker 0:17 Speaker 0:17

Today we need to talk about a mystery, a medical mystery that turns perfectly intelligent, capable 60-year-old women into total detectives searching for things that aren't actually lost. I'm talking, of course, about menopause brain fog. Just the other day I was on FaceTime call with my partner. We're talking, we're catching up, and suddenly this wave of absolute panic hits me. Where is my phone? My mind starts racing. I'm convinced I left it in the pool hall I had been in earlier. I'm practically tearing the room apart looking for it, completely forgetting the fact that my partner's face is literally staring at me from the very screen I am looking for. It is a special kind of humbled when you have to admit to the person on the other end of the line that you can't find the phone you are currently holding in your hand.

What Happens When the Comedy Fades into Frustration

Speaker 1:09

So today we are diving into the hazy, beautiful, and utterly confusing world of brain fog. If you've ever put the milk in the pantry or looked for the glasses that were already on top of your head, welcome to the club. We laugh at it because honestly, what else can we do? When it happens in front of other people, you make a quick joke, everyone chuckles, and you move on. But can we talk about how it feels when you are completely alone? That's when the frustration really sets in. It's walking into the kitchen for the third time, staring at the open fridge and having absolutely no clue what you went in there for. It's that exhausting mental block for a word that is right on the tip of your tongue, but your brain just refuses to hand it over. In those quiet moments by yourself, it doesn't feel like a sitcom sketch. It feels incredibly frustrating. It makes you pause and think, wait, am I losing my mind here?

We Aren't Losing Our Minds

Speaker 2:10

But here is what I have to remind myself of in those moments, and what I want to remind you of too. We have to give ourselves some grace. Our bodies and our brains are going through a massive construction project right now. We aren't losing our minds. Our minds are just working overtime dealing with all of the shifts that come with this stage of life. So the next time you find your car keys in the freezer, or you completely forget what you were doing, take a deep breath. Don't beat yourself up. Laugh if you can, sigh if you must, but then let it go.

Giving Yourself Permission to Be Human

Speaker 2:46 Speaker 2:46

Your worth isn't measured by how quickly you find your phone, especially when you're already talking on it. We are all in this beautiful, hazy boat together, my friends.

Speaker 2:56

So this week, if the fog rolls in, just slow down, take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to be human.

Speaker 3:05

Thank you so much for sitting down with me today and grabbing a beverage. I truly appreciate you spending your time with me in our little corner of the podcast world. If you enjoyed today's episode and want to keep sharing this journey with me, please make sure you hit that follow or subscribe button and leave a review if you can. It helps so much. I'll see you next week on next chapter Uncensored. Until then, protect your peace, give yourself some grace, and if you happen to find my phone, let me know. Bye for now.

Music Attribution

Speaker 3:39

Special thank you to Movi for the track Try Me, which was used under a free to use attribution license.