I’m just coming on to say that I’m having one of those days - my brain is like “Right! What we doing today? This? Great idea! Let’s do this! Or but there’s this to do, best do this. And we really ought to do that. Oooo but this other thing looks great, how about that? STOP! Jeez shut up! Let’s not doing anything cos that’s all just too blahhhhhh overwhelming! But I’ve still got good energy today and want to do stuff but now I feel stuck and miserable!”
And that’s why they say we end up presenting like ADHDers….
Argh!
What do you all do on days like this?
Tx
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TreesMTBI
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I just read it now and it made me want to just give up like the sailor and bask
Luckily today we've had sun here, so in the end I did bask while on a little walk, which did help me a bit to get some distance and create a few gaps between all the chaotic thoughts.
Sorry I can’t help you with an answer to your question. My husband had a TBI and unfortunately suffers all the consequences of a severe one. But as his carer and although he has 24 hour carers as well I am suffering from a racing mind like you ..,, as regular as clock work.
Oh Bichou, so sorry to hear about your husband, and that you go through similar with a racing mind. Teazymaid (Sue) recommended the Headspace app in her response below. Maybe you can spare 10 minutes a day to do some mindfulness, which helps the brain to slow down your thoughts? Remember to take care of you too.
I combine mindfulness and exercise with warm up exercises in bed for about 15 mns every morning to prepare myself for the day I will look into that App. Thanks
This was very much my day yesterday. I imploded eventually and spent the afternoon on my bed!
However I did find an app called Neurolist which is designed for ADHD task management breakdown. It uses AI to verify the sort of activities that comprise a task and suggests timings for each part. It also has a daily 'plan your day' prompt that you can use as required.
I literally only found it yesterday and have only looked at it briefly but I think it could be useful if used properly.
Thanks Stubble. Sorry to hear you're struggling in a similar way! It's frustrating. I've tried various time management apps but this one looks very specific. I've downloaded it and will give it a try.
Thanks again - and good luck to you on your task management!
Wow you have just explained what it is like to be in my brain. I often end up beating myself up as I think up a list of stuff I need to get done or that will be a great idea but not finish them. I try to make lists as much as possible which helps me keep track of what I need to do but also means a visual reminder that I have actually achieved stuff
Yes I am with you re lists and beating myself up. I was known in my family pre-accident as a list-lover but I find them tricky these days, we have a love/hate relationship now haha. I do love the dopamine hit of being able to tick items off though - and as a visual reminder too, yes good point!
I start out that way if I've had a good night's sleep, very excited and want to take on the world, but too much thinking trying to analyse my options and how I'll go about it just gives me a mental block and make's my head hurt, then I feel tired and want to sleep. So I try to go for the simplest option haha. I love my routine and enjoying the simple things in life.
Yep it usually happens after waking up after a good sleep, feeling energised and raring to go..... there is definitely something to be said for picking the simplest option, or what our brain perceives as the simplest. Perhaps tackling one simple thing and then another would soon add up to achieving what we want in the end.
If doctors had a book of messages from people on here they MIGHT begin to understand how our brains are now. Now my brain is saying is that how you spell "might"? Just one of the many after effects of a tbi. I told an OT that came to see me, " My brain is like my kitchen, loooks neat and tidy from the outside, but you open open those cupboards and everything will tumble out in a right mess!! " An avalanche of chaos will be on the floor. This is how our days are but how can doctors, partners, friends, families employers understand, it's not happened to them their brains are ok. Work couldn't wait to get rid of me, that might not have been just because of the tbi 🤣😂🤣. We will all plod along in our own muddled way, and if people don't like it they don't need to call, it's all a matter of acceptance and boy do I struggle with that.! Oh well off to start another day and hopefully I won't burn anything today. Last night I was sitting there happily and my air fryer was belching out smoke behind me, the cardboard lid off my crumble had burnt and totally disappeared, oh the joys of no smell after tbi 🙄🤭🙄. Have a good day everyone.
I have often wondered about that too - all this 'data' from the people on here could be very useful to the medics indeed. I love your kitchen analogy. SOOOO true! People think because I can walk and talk and seem unchanged to look at, then what's the problem!? But no. Dig a little deeper and I am far from 'unchanged'. But no-one can understand it unless they've lived it, no matter how much people try and say 'I know how you must feel'.... no you don't, I sometimes want to shout at them, you have no idea. Anyway, that's a whole other post to write about. 😆
I hope you've had a good day today and haven't burned any of your meals. 🙏
Struggled with this for a while (and still do) but found that writing a list and sticking to it helps a lot and that slows down some of the "I could do this, oh that needs done, etc" If there's something on the list that I can't do today it doesn't get replaced with another job, that spot turns into 'rest.'
Yesterday for example, list was....
Take dogs a long walk
Gardening
Move hay
Emails
Done the emails first as my brain works better in the morning now, then took dogs a walk. Started to feel a bit iffy so it all didn't get all the list done moving hay got replaced with 'rest' to help bring the headache and tinnitus back into line.
Hope that's some use? Or perhaps I'm just babbling
Thanks Stacey and no you're not babbling at all. I love how you turn an item into 'rest' when you feel you can't manage it and need to sort out your symptoms. I need to apply that - make sure I recognise when to stop as I struggle with that, as well as struggling to just initiate tasks in the first place. I used to be a list-lover and I suppose I have a love/hate relationship with them now - but I do love ticking things off the list. I like how you've recognised when you're best at certain tasks, doing your emails in the morning. When I'm able to calm down my wild brain a bit, I'll get a bit more conscious about working out those things for myself too and plan accordingly - thanks for that reminder.
On another note, I'm horsey, worked with them etc, so I'm not surprised you got to the 'move hay' task and decided you'd done enough for the day hahaha. Not the most attractive task to have on your list. Is it something you can 'delegate'? 😜
I have over the past almost 4 years, came up with some things that help, and more recently been getting help from a Neuropsychologist. When I have a 'rest' through the day I make sure not to sleep but just to be in the dark and have a list of 'ear ache tunes' on my phone to slow my brain down. The same idea at night before going to sleep as up till recently I couldn't sleep cause of the brain racing, now its improved a lot, listening to mindfulness / some music/Spotify/ sleep stories... just enough to concentrate but barely.... what a difference that has made!!
Do you still ride?
Well the hay did get moved, my husband has been a great help, even if just noticing when im starting to struggle (symptoms flaring up). It took me a long time to accept 'help' with jobs I used to be able to do but learning new 'trigger points' when I do need help etc has helped so much.
I get you. I think I have to survive on so much adrenaline to get through the working week that it's hard to then turn it off again... Ironic as I'm absolutely exhausted so it's not like my body can actually do those things!
I think I'm a bit better when I've at least had some fresh air and exercise (I say this as I can go days without doing so). Also, lists - there's no way I can do all the things I need to do, but I can relax a tiny bit more if I know I at least won't forget it. My theory is that my brain is in constant overcompensatory mode knowing I need to work hard to remember and get through things, so I need to somehow find a way to tell it "ok, I've got that one down, it's ok". I now have postits, whiteboards etc everywhere.
Sorry to hear you're getting so exhausted. Hope you manage to find time to recharge and take care of yourself when you're not working.
I'm with you on the fresh air and exercise - and that's precisely what I did the other day after I posted the original post....it seemed to help as I was able to come back from my little walk a bit less frazzled and actually get some things done.
Lists - I either love them and live by them or they are the bane of my life and become a scourge! I was a list-lover prior, so it's a funny state of affairs now. Last year, I ended up with an A4 list of things I 'had' to do every day - that didn't last as I burned out. I then went to no list - that didn't last either as I burned out with no routine haha. So now, just trying to gently find what works. But I completely understand what you mean about not wanting to forget stuff and post-its and boards are so important. I'm forever saying 'let me just write that down so I don't forget' right in the middle of conversations....! I have piles of notes around the house.
all sounds very similar to me … shame Drs dont actually listen to US who know how it feels even if they can’t do anything about it …. I do make lists loads of them and have just started doing the app Head space as it was recommended to me from my balance physio .. Sue 😊
Such a good description Trees! No idea I'm afraid - I get annoyed with myself because I end up messing about on my phone because I can't decide. I tentatively think that it's probably worth starting absolutely any practical activity at all at that point to stop the brain overload.
I am beginning to think that an MTBI means that we basically acquire ADHD.
Which sort of makes sense because if ADHD represents a disorder of executive functioning, that's what we've got too. Also explains why we get diagnosed as having ADHD so often.
There was some Scandinavian research trying out Ritalin on the brain injured but I don't know what the outcome was. However I think I'm going to read up more on living with ADHD to see if I can come up with some useful strategies to cope.
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