I don't know how much of this is brain fog from this particular episode, how much is a progression, how much of it is my self hatred manifesting as harsh criticism, how much is just being older and having more data points of failure while never remembering any of my successes, how much of it is substances, and how much is decline in neuroelasticity as I age, but I feel less sharp. I make easily caught and corrected mistakes at work. I have difficulty maintaining focus when I try to read a book. I can never remember "working memory" type stuff like where I put my keys or the people who just introduced themselves' names. I have the opportunity to go back to school for relatively cheap but I'm terrified of going, dropping out, and making as little or less as I'm making now but with student loan debt from my failed attempt.

TL;DR god yes