Tag: hard work

Full-time Job: When you Have Not had One

After spending time in school all our lives, it is a shock to have a change in schedule. It takes time to get used to the change in schedule but it happens and in the end we will get used to it.

Whether or not you have a brain injury, once we get to a certain age we will have to find a full-time job.

This is surprisingly different from a school schedule. This takes some time to get used to. The need to work a full eight hours is different between having class and then a break.

My job is explicitly tiring. It is a very physically and mentally exhausting. The mental component probably holds true for every job. The other difference between school and jobs are that jobs have the same routine Monday thru Friday, whereas school is different every day.

Full-time Job: Give it time

I have found that finally after six months, I have gotten into a new routine and am able to do what I want to do. It turns out that a full-time job doesn’t leave much time for much else.

I have had to readjust what I want to do during the week and what I need to get done during the weekends. Throughout college, we get used to going to maybe three classes a day and having the rest of the time to do other things. Turns out, adult life is not like.

Be Okay with Change

My job also forced me to change my schedule. I have to be at work at 7 in the morning. This requires that I go to sleep earlier than others. I get to be home before others are off work. After six months, I have finally changed my schedule.

I have also had to schedule time for me to do what I love individually. My sport is time-consuming, so I have found that the weekends are the only real time I have to partake in it.

After I have figured this out, I am happier. This allows me to get less fun stuff done after work, and during the week.

Understand the Difference in Holiday


A rude awakening was when I was still going to work, and my brother was home relaxing because he was on winter break. I have found that even though it was annoying, it is how life will be for a while.

All in all, I am happy to have my job even though it has required some getting used to. It is a rough realization, but we will get used to it.

If you haven’t read my story yet, please click here.

Work: Time Management

A full time job can take a lot out of a person with a brain injury. It is vital to find a good balance that works for you.

I work in health care. It is pretty tiring most of the day, but it is gratifying. I love my job. To finish personal items out of work, I had to figure out how to not become mentally fatigued.

Mental fatigue can be severe to overcome. I have tried to give myself a mental break. I have decided that my commute is my mental break, so I vent about what happened that day, and then I blast some music.

This allows me to come home and not be completely exhausted from work. I give myself a break, and then after dinner, I am ready to fulfill my to-do list.

I make sure that I know exactly what I need to get done that night. It allows me to skip figuring out what needs to be done and just do it.

The end of the night, when I am getting ready to go to sleep, I decide what I need to do the next day. This allows me to wind down but also continue to be productive.

The important thing is to prioritize my list. This makes sure everything is done on time. The larger, more time-consuming stuff is done over many nights or on the weekends.

I need to keep reminding myself that sometimes I need to take a break from work. Especially with a full-time job and brain injury, there are times where I need to come home and just relax.

It is essential to know when your mind needs a break and understand it is okay not to get stuff done for one night.

If you have not done so, please read the story about my brain injury by clicking here.

Time Management in School

School is the first real experience of having a deadline to get stuff done. It is important for people with brain injuries to learn the best way for them to manage their time.

We have all heard the words time management. We know what it means. It means being able to be productive promptly.

This is an important concept when there is a lot on the to-do list and deadlines to meet. The first time we learn about time management is during school.

I don’t remember specifically, but I believe that when I had to start learning how to manage my time was in high school. That is when my readings got more time-consuming, and I had to write more papers.

I believe the big thing I needed to learn with my brain injury was how long it would take me to complete a task. After that, knowing what I needed to get done was more comfortable to plan for.

This allowed me to have an idea each night how long what I needed to get done would take me. This translated into college life as well.

Time Management: Friends

The issue in high school and college was friends. I loved them to death, but they were always able to finish in a faster time than me. This allowed them to go have fun.

There were times when I had to decline because I would not have been able to finish what I needed too quickly.

Sometimes its difficult for them to understand. My friends wanted me to go with them and not ‘be lame’ and do homework.

The thing they didn’t understand was that I wasn’t trying to be lame, I was just trying to do my job. My job was school, and if I felt that it wasn’t finished, I was going to finish it.

It was vital for me to do what I needed to do and stick with it. I had a lot more fun doing stuff with friends when I didn’t have to worry about work.

Some people will never understand the importance of what you need to do, especially if it isn’t a fun choice. It is necessary to stick to what you believe is the correct choice.

If they are good friends, they will understand.

If you want to read about how my brain injury came to be, please click here.

Testing: An Inside Look of the Brain Function

Testing can assist the recovery process. It will show what areas need to be worked on the most.

I went through some significant testing at a younger age. These tests required me to do different tasks to show how I was able to handle them.

They told me that I had to prove that I had a brain injury. This didn’t make much sense to me, I am who I am.

They told me it was essential to get these results because it would assist how I can perform in school. It turns out that it did.

Even after all the testing, I went through, the prognosis was not very good. They predicted I would not be able to read at grade level, and there were questions about if I would end up going to college.

Now I have a college degree, and I have just finished my first week at my first full-time job. It is essential to keep pushing. It was not an enjoyable experience getting tested but it was worth it and I am glad my parents forced to do it.

Doctors will make predictions about outcomes and the future. The brain is a mysterious thing. It will change. Results will vary if you are willing to work through the difficulties your outcome will change.

If you would like to know about my brain injury, please click here.