Tag: Injury

Birthdays: Negative and Positive

Birthdays are a time to celebrate. They are a time to enjoy another year with loved ones. They are a time to reflect, which can be difficult.

I had a birthday a few days ago—another trip around the sun and another year older. The funny thing is, I am not that old. I just turned 25.

A birthday is something to celebrate. That goes double after you had an injury that threatened your life. It is crucial to remember it is a time for celebration.

It is time for your friends and family to acknowledge and be thankful that they still have years with you. It is a time to celebrate with your loved ones.

Birthdays: There is a dark side

There is a darker side to having a birthday. It signifies that you are another year older. This current birthday has been a difficult one for me.

25. A quarter-century. Birthdays are an excellent time to reflect on what you have done with your time on earth. I can almost guarantee that when you were younger, you had an image of where you would be at the age you become.

When I was younger, 25 was far away. I was going to have my dream job, have a loving husband, and starting a family of my own.

Spoiler alert, I have none of that. I must find peace that life does not turn out the way we plan it at times. I talked in an earlier post about timelines. I know that sometime down the road I will get everything I want; it just will take me longer to get there—just like everything else in my life.

It is essential when you get in this funk; I am in to dig yourself out of it fast. It would be best if you didn’t dwell on what you have yet to accomplish especially on birthdays.

I try to think of what I have accomplished. I tend to think of these accomplishments, but you can write them down and keep the list somewhere. Then, when you get into the funk, pull out the list.

Acknowledgment of accomplishments is especially crucial for people with brain injuries, even if it isn’t your birthday. Remember, everything you accomplish is a big feat and should be celebrated. Try to remember all the hard work you put into what you have done.

If you have yet to read my story, please click here to read it. My birthday is also the anniversary on my injury.

Hopeless: When a task seems impossible

When a task seems impossible, remember the task is just difficult and not impossible.

The dictionary defines hopelessness as ‘impossible to accomplish.’ I have had many times where I have felt hopeless myself, or the task I am working on is futile.

This feeling is not fun to have. It can leave you feeling desperate and ask what the point is. If something is impossible to accomplish, why bother doing it.

But there is good news. There is a difference between hopelessness and exhausting. As the dictionary states, hopeless is impossible and difficult is ‘not easily or readily done.’

When a task is difficult, it may seem hopeless. But most of the time, it is just a difficult task. Usually, the only job that is impossible is one that physically cannot be done, like a dog picking up a can of soup with their paws.

The dog is physically unable to pick up a can of soup because they do not have thumbs and cannot grasp the can. Sports have taken many strides from when they began.

For a long time, figure skaters believed that triples would be the highest jump they would do. Still, recently multiple skaters have landed quadruple jumps in competitions and therefore achieving the hopeless.

Hopelessness Turned Around

It is mentally draining to perform a difficult task, but the key is not to give up. The ability to keep working on a task, and performing it over and over again is impressive.

If the task you are working on begins to feel hopeless, take a break. You can always pick it back up again. It will do no good if you keep attempting the task.

I have found that as I become more frustrated, the more hopeless the task becomes. My mind and body do not follow what is needed to do to perform the job

It is okay to step away and come back to it later. The important thing is never to give up. Next week I will dive into how I handle when I feel like I am hopeless.

If you haven’t been able to read my story and why I started this blog, click here.