As I progressed though school, I realised that some teachers gave you a bit more breathing space than others about producing your homework on time. So I liked to think I was learning to prioritise which pieces I needed to deal with, when I hadn’t even started some by the completion date. But really I was just avoiding certain ones. It might be because it was more challenging, or just that frankly it was boring to me. Occasionally I found myself in hot water, but not very often. I might be more consistent for a while, but it wouldn’t last and I’d slip back into my old ways. I think I got away with it because otherwise I was a good student. Good attendance, not lippy and good grades. And maybe I did learn how to prioritise, but now I must stop avoiding things. I must take responsibility for my actions, or I’ll continue to add to my worries.
Avoiding thinking about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
The last 2.5 years since the car accident that caused my brain injury have passed me by in a blur. And yet many major things have happened during that time. I became the Power of Attorney for my Dad and am responsible for all his finances. I can tell you that still feels weird, but I think I did quite well at most things for him. Even though I adapted well to running his day to day finances, there was still lots to learn. I applied to the Government for the support he was entitled to, and would make sure he was paying the right income taxes.
But with all the will in the world, it turned out I had missed out something which was worth a lot of money. In the UK when a person is diagnosed with Dementia they become exempt from paying their council tax. I only read this by chance somewhere. I can’t even remember where. But whilst the fact lodged itself in my brain, I took no further action, even though I knew that Dad had continued to pay his council tax ever since his diagnosis over a year ago. Why? Because I didn’t want to have to explain to someone that I was useless and hadn’t informed the council earlier.
If you keep avoiding it, the stress just keeps building.
I compounded this by keeping it to myself, I didn’t even ask someone to help. It was my problem, no one else’s. So it made itself at home, and started festering inside me. My brain injury means I have limited attention and concentration, making it even easier to ignore something. But when it would pop into my mind it would be bigger and uglier than the last time we met. It felt like having the debt collector knocking at your door and telling you, that with the interest added, the debt had just doubled.
In my mind I would imagine how badly the conversation with the council would go, and how impossibly complicated it would be. I kept trying to tell myself that even if I tried I would get it wrong and it would be denied – resulting in a lot of frustration and a waste of effort.
It’s not always as difficult as you think.
But finally I grew a backbone, and decided to put and end to this stupid situation. It was totally of my own making so now I was calling time on it. I called the council! And I wasn’t even sat on hold for the next decade. Instead a pleasant lady quickly looked up Dad’s file and explained what I needed to do next. She would send me a form for me to sign authorising Dads doctor to confirm his diagnosis with the council. In total, this took no more than 10 minutes. And whilst the form is still on it’s way to me, I’m no longer terrified of what it needs me to answer.
Don’t get me wrong, having a brain injury means this is so much harder. But whilst many things in my life are being suffocated by the pause button, some things go on. Life is full of choices, and if I have chosen to deal with this straight away, I could have saved myself a lot of stress as well as Dads money.
Other articles you might like:
- Achieving new things doesn’t end after brain injury.
- How to tidy after brain injury in 4 steps.
- Game training that helped me after brain injury.
- 5 shrewd steps to unlock your recovery from brain injury.
- Do I tick the disabled box or not? Brain injury is more complicated than that.
- Added injustice following a brain injury
7 replies on “Avoiding problems: I must stop burying my head (inc injured brain) in the sand”
I find I did this a lot more since my brain injury. I’m the part procrastinating worked for me as I was super motivated to finish with a close deadline. But since my injury I get overwhelmed and can sort the steps out, or at least that is the case some off the time. I think the rest of the time in addition to the stress of the task I an afraid I may have to face the fact I’m no longer good at it.
I really see myself avoiding things in not positive I can succeed.
We beat ourselves up even before we have tried and failed. But it’s true that we learn more from mistakes, so even if it doesn’t work, it’s all part of our journey.
Living with a brain injury is tough. Without the support of friends and relatives it would be impossible to keep going. My life is focused on remembrance to achieve World Peace but other tasks are too difficult. Raising awareness of the realities of brain injury is a worthy cause and is the way to make the world a better place.
I absolutely agree, without my partner James I doubt I would even exist. So pleased to hear that your wife is being a great support for you. These people are more special than they will ever realise.
Keeping in mind I’ve always had a brain injury. But I find I don’t cope with how slow things are……I get frustrated very easily. Mostly, with my mother.
I don’t avoid things, since my brain surgery. Now I want everything sorted as soon as a problem comes up, otherwise it plays on my mind. Thoughts grow about every scenario possible, if I don’t get the situation sorted, thoughts overtake, the problem seems bigger, anxiety rises, then panic and then I am going down that road of ‘I am hopeless and can’t cope with this poorly brain’.
Writing a to do list helps me, ( my husband hates it, it’s a long long list), there’s great satisfaction putting a line through something you’ve achieved. Also thinking a problem through before tackling it has helped, writing down the questions I need answering, and keeping a record of outcomes, then I can refer back to it , it saves me any worries when doubts come that it is actually sorted. I can’t keep it all in my head anymore, so it’s all written down.
I remind myself to just work with the facts when I tackle something , rather than my thoughts, which can be emotional and overwhelming. I say have ago, if it goes wrong, learn from the mistakes.
Thanks Jo, that sounds like a great approach. Certainly more sensible than my “if I don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist” routine. Thanks for sharing your action plan.