The importance of focus when living with a brain injury

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 14:04:16 +0000

I know, you don’t have to tell me… It’s a real challenge for most people to resist distractions, let alone when a brain injury has truncated your concentration span. But it’s still worth reminding ourselves that we need to continuously work on developing good habits, because if we focus on the wrong things, it can have a detrimental impact of our health.

The "professional" troll.

As human beings, we will naturally gravitate to some people and not to others. We are individuals and I personally value the different ways people can have an affect on our personal journeys. Often we learn something through our experiences with people without them having that intention, or us particularly realising it.

Recently I had an encounter with a “Certified Clinical Trauma Professional” who has a PhD and is a Business coach AND a TBI coach at the same time. (Not sure why you would choose to coach businesses and brain injury survivors. Unless you believe brain injury survivors can run their own business of course…. but I’m not sure this person’s mindset allows for that possibility as I will explain.) However, I have no interest in defaming this individual. As I have already said, individuals are drawn to different people, so I’m sure she has added value to others lives and I hope she continues to do so. So for the purposes of this I will refer to her as Ester, which is not her real name.

"Thanks for branding me."

I wrote before in You’re an expert on brain injury? Well I’m the expert on mine. how some people who have “qualifications” just don’t get it. Reading about it in a text book is not the same as walking in a brain injury survivors shoes. But the bit that I found the most upsetting, was that this person had ASSUMED that everything I’m doing must be wrong because it don’t have a PhD. And without looking at any actual EVIDENCE she resorted to threats, that unless I stop, she’ll make me.

Well, sadly, I think that small minded attitude is the sort of thing many brain injury survivors have come up against. But don’t worry, I am not going to let Ester win. She’s no longer in my group, and she can carry on doing what’s she’s doing, and I will continue to serve you all in exactly the same way I always have. With authentic honesty.

Ester, you're extremely detrimental to my health - FACT.

This encounter went on for days, messages back and forth. I was trying to offer her the opportunity to really see what I do, but she was just getting more angry and aggressive. By the time I reminded myself “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” the stress got to me. This behaviour was nothing short of bullying. For several days I was writhing around in pain where my guts were doing their best to abandon ship. I had to take some time out from everything to give my brain and body the chance to recover from her onslaught.

I suspect that the real reason Ester started this is because she spent years and thousands of dollars on her studies, only to find that someone like me is making a bigger impact than her. Well Ester, don’t be jealous of me. I would rather swap my brain injury for the time, effort and money you have had to invest. But I didn’t have a choice like you. I’m putting understanding to use, just like you are. Unfortunately there are so many people affected by brain injury everyday, that there still isn’t enough people trying to support them. Let’s not tear each other down, let’s just serve our people.

That’s my cautionary tale about the importance of focus when living with a brain injury. I found myself focusing on the wrong thing and I paid the price. We all have negative experiences happen in our lives, just learn from them, don’t focus on them.

Do you find others negative behaviour takes up too much of your energy? What do you find it more helpful to focus on?

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Tinnitus, the loathsome bells of brain injury

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:37:24 +0000

I have lived with tinnitus since I was a child. Loud music at a school disco (yes it was the 80’s) made, my ears ring, but it never stopped. So I learned to deal with it and got on with my life. Fast forward to 9 December 2014, and I had a car accident in which I sustained a serious traumatic brain injury. I had lots to deal with so those bells where not high on my agenda initially. But now I think they are worse than ever.

Causes of tinnitus.

Tinnitus is not a disease or illness in it’s own right, rather a symptom of something else. Unfortunately the exact cause still isn’t fully understood, but it is thought to be a problem with how the brain interprets what the ear hears. It can be as simple as a loud noise causing damage to the inner ear, as is my case, or as complicated as a brain injury. Oh wait, that’s me too. For a more comprehensive list, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tinnitus/ In some cases Tinnitus can be caused by an ear infection. For information on ear infections and treatment options visit Auris Ear Care.

How it’s worse now.

I had learned to tune out the noise in my ears and focus on the real world. But that seems harder now. Perhaps that’s because there’s more damage, or maybe it’s just because my brain is focusing on other, more pressing matters. Either way the noise is louder than I remember it being before, and it does drive me nuts!

It definitely seems worse when I’m stressed and fatigued. There are times that due to my light and noise sensitivity I need to lie down in a dark, quiet room. But when you have tinnitus this is when those bells really stand out. With no other noise to focus on those bell ringers in my head have a party!

What can help?

When you have a brain injury, sleep is even more vital than ever. But for me that’s when I have to work harder to drown the bells out. So I find it useful to listen to something quietly so I have something else to focus on. I usually go for either guided meditation, or a sleep hypnosis track. Not only is this a different noise, they both help me to relax. It has been shown that stress has a negative effect on tinnitus sufferers. The last thing you need is to be stressing about how you can’t sleep because those stupid bell ringers don’t know when to have a day off!

There are other options out there as well, such as downloadable apps that emit white noise. I’d rather put music on, but it might be good for you.

Probably the best advice I can give you is to make sure you stay hydrated and don’t have too many stimulants. Alcohol and caffeine both can be responsible for dehydration and they can disturb your natural sleep cycle.

One of the best things about hearing, is being able to talk to your friends. But with a brain injury having a conversation can difficult for many reasons. We need that contact, so read my suggestions in How to enjoy a conversation after brain injury.

This post is sponsored by Auris Ear Care Ltd. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view.

Are you affected by tinnitus, and have you got some useful tips to share?

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