Hello team. I hope you're all enjoying the flowers as they start to come out. I'm two years into life with a brain injury, and like so many of you, every day is a challenge of learning how to live as Purple v2. In a nutshell, I can't do my old job anymore, but I'm still on sick leave at the moment. Recently, an NHS neuro rehab person suggested that I look to SCOPE for help with finding a new job. She said that they would find me exactly the job I needed and was capable of doing now. Well, turns out she was wrong. SCOPE will help you put a CV together etc, but you have to do all the job hunting yourself. Not at all capable of that yet.
One thing the SCOPE person did suggest was that I look into volunteer work as a useful way to figure out what I'm capable of now. And I agree it's a good idea. I've been doing volunteer work at a local nature reserve (National Trust) once a week for a few months, and it's wonderful on so many levels. I get to be out in nature listening to the birds, I get to talk to a team of people who I'm getting to know and trust. So it makes sense to see if I can find other volunteer ideas. Ideally I want to be out in fields FAR away from people and talking to cows and sheep. Talking drains me completely - the ability to speak is the first thing that goes when I'm overstimulated.
Okay, been waffling, on to the point of this post. SCOPE aren't right for me at the moment. I don't need help with building a new CV, I need help figuring out how to usefully and pleasantly fill my days until I can retire. Being at home isn't fun at all, I have teens in the house who whine and fuss and tell me why I'm a shit parent. They tell my partner the same thing, so it's not only my brain injury they're talking about! But I have to focus on other people's want/needs/rules all day, it's mentally exhausting. So I want to be in a quiet field or forest.
Still waffling. Have any of you found a group or organisation that helps people with brain injuries to build their new lives? I've sent an email to one I found called Team Brain Injury, but it looks like they do in-house carer work. Fantastic for folk who need it, but that's not me. I'm trying and failing at a few life-building options as they come up, and it would be a big help to have some guidance on the journey.
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PurpleOverlord
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Hi, sorry to hear to are struggling to find a new way in the world. You mention you volunteer in a nature reserve and want to be outside. I know somebody who is doing a gardening apprenticeship with this scheme. wfga.org.uk/wrags. Search WRAGS on that site if that doesnt work. If you have the physical energy and the fatigue is not too bad , maybe worth a thought.
I'm slowly realising fatigue is going to be my biggest enemy 2 months into a mTBI (maybe like many others).
High Purple. If your mobility is reasonable and you like animals, dog walking is quite a nature-based activity. We have several dog-walker agencies where I live ('Happy Paws', 'Rover', 'Borrow my Doggy' and others) which indicates working folk's need for others to exercise and provide interludes of companionship for their pets whilst they're working.
If you Google 'Dog walkers near me' there are links to various agencies acting for both owners and walkers regarding hours and payments.
Just a thought, and it's a great excuse for wandering around parks or beauty spots 'alone'....
Hope you find the answer, Cat. x
ps ....my neighbour has her own pooch and its good nature means she can take him along on her 'official' walks too...🙄
hello. I was just going to send you a message to ask if that group you went to will become a regular event. I think it was somewhere near Cambridge?
Anyway.. then I saw your post.
I was out from work for over two years before I was able to make a slow return. It was about 4 years before I could work a nearly full week.
I was in a job where they were legally obliged to facilitate me and make/ find a role for me.
This was never ideal for me, but it did allow me to stay long enough to get a good pension.
After that I was helped by the local mental health team to seek something. I spent 6 months volunteering before getting paid work with a community bus service.
This was good, but gradual changes to the way the service was administered began to cause me many problems.
I eventually ( after seven years of working zero hours contract- usually 2/3 days a week) literally ran away from this job.
I then had two other jobs that lasted only 3.5 and 3 months each as again I couldn’t deal with aspects of them due to my brain injury. Both I left quickly and with no regrets.
I then found a window cleaner that needed a bit of help part time.
This was over two years ago. I’m still doing it.
It’s a good fit for me. It’s very physically challenging, mentally calm work.
I hope you will find something that fits you too.
There was a lot of fear and anger and everything between during the whole journey for me.
The best feeling I learned is that it’s ok to run away from something that is not working. If it’s not working, it’s making life worse after all.
Best wishes with finding the right help to find yourself in a good place to do some satisfying work.
Thanks for those ideas, Cat and Skater. I'll definitely look into both of them.
Since no one has responded with a useful service to help us work out our new lives, I guess it's the usual case. We're a bit too unusual or strange for there to be reliable services on our side. Blurgle.
Hi Purple, I go to u3a groups - it's for anyone who isn't working full-time. For a low annual cost (under £20) and sometimes a small weekly sub if meeting in a hall ( which it sounds looked you won't be) you can try out different interest groups. They usually have walking/ rambling groups for instance. I found beginner yoga to be totally exhausting, so stopped that, but I love my quiet art groups - and found out that I can actually paint into the bargain !😊 ( The majority of people are retired and ten years older in our local groups, so the pace in different groups is usually perfect for me) But I've made friends who I look forward to seeing and even though it can still be hard to organise myself, the routine is really helpful. Plus I go to church now, which has helped me come to terms with where I am.
An unexpected benefit of these small regular interactions is that I can have conversations that are actually fine now - regular easy practice helped enormously. 😊
Hi Purple, I’m in the same boat too- sorry I don’t have any ideas but like you, would love to get meaningful work outdoors but have no idea how to get started. Used to work in IT project management which is now out of the question 😵💫🤪 I used to work with horses in my youth but I know that’s too much now but something nature-based and perhaps connected to animals….less work that humans 😆 I really got you when you said in a quiet field or forest. I think that everyday when I go for a walk.
I’ll let you know if I come up with anything and will keep an eye out to see if anyone else in our lovely community has any suggestions too.
This may not be exactly what you're looking for, yet they may be able to direct you to someone who can give you those kind of services. In the US they have Vocational Rehabilitation services that assess a person's abilities etc and then develop a plan to get them back working in a job that can work with the challenges they are dealing with. This can include training to qualify the person to work in that new job. Here is a website to the UK's Vocational Rehabilitation Association. Ask them who you need to contact to get those kind of services. vrassociationuk.com/about/
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But I have to focus on other people's want/needs/rules all day, it's mentally exhausting. So I want to be in a quiet field or forest.
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