It’s a viscous circle we can get ourselves into, isn’t it? When do you see your surgeon?
We know a guy that resides with his mother, his dad passed away when he was a teen. He has a girlfriend and is in his 40’s so I’m not sure living with your parents is exactly it. To my thinking, it’s more of how we feel ourselves, so it’s all based on self esteem. It’s harder and a heck of a lot more work to have high self esteem when we get so many blows after a rupture. In the end, we have to figure out our self esteem is our responsibility and get back up on that horse. Are you working on yours?
I feel better about myself when I am able to complete something on my chore list. Sounds like yours is getting the basement done. I suggest taking a page out of the CBT book and do 5 minutes, and see if you don’t get caught up in finishing a section. Once I can get started, I like to keep going so it’s worked for me. Maybe it will work for you as well, worth a try.
When we moved, I found a plethora of things from work, most of course I had to shred due to confidentiality issues and I know how difficult it can be looking back. I kept all those tablets because my boss told me to, which was dumb as heck. Fortunately I’d already started the practice of allowing myself 15 minutes of acknowledging the changes and being on my pity pot. That helped a lot as did setting a time for how long I would shred. The shredder hurt my brain anyways so I had to use ear protection.
Personally I don’t smoke marijuana, I think my neurosurgeon would not take it well. After all, we have to limit our alcohol after a rupture and I’m allergic to marijuana. At least the stuff they have here in NC, which was a handy way to know I had to send caregivers for a drug test😂. I think but don’t know, that marijuana being a depressant, a stimulant and a hallucinogenic would muck up my neurotransmitters and that wouldn’t be good for me at all. However, there are some members who have found THC helps them. I couldn’t find a recent study on marijuana use in adults after SAH. I found this for what it’s worth https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Marijuana-Cannabis-2020_0.pdf. Maybe there’s something on marijuana use after TBI since that’s a bigger group of folks than the SAH group. I do know that caregivers who suffered from depression were told not to use alcohol or marijuana especially if they were on an antidepressant from my days of working.
Something I don’t quite understand Rick, so I need to ask. If you’re strapped for money because of your reduced hours and you know you’re spending too much money on records, have you considered setting a limit on how many you purchase on a monthly basis? You might be able to come up with a smaller number, say one or two a month off your need to buy list. Some albums can fetch pretty high prices while others are dirt cheap. I’ve seen some at yard and estate sales that were dirt cheap and just needed a good cleaning. Some covers were in excellent shape whilst others weren’t holding together at all. I no longer collect records, but old hand tools, some might call me a hoarder. I only want users so not really into collectibles. I keep a list of which ones I want and usually stick to those with an amount I’m willing to spend which isn’t much. I hint all the time I want to have my allowance back, but it does no good. BH says just buy it, so it’s taken part of the fun out of it. Yes, we need to have a nice sit down chat. Half the fun for me is the hunt so I’m not going to Jim Bode for them😂. Sometimes I find something so cool it immediately goes to the top of the list! Think seriously about how much you want for pocket money, how much you’re wanting to spend an albums and see if you can combine the two. There’s no shame in setting up a budget, no matter how much money you bring home, it’s really an adult thing to do, isn’t it? I just called my pocket money, my allowance. Co-Workers who didn’t set up a monthly budget thought it dumb as all get out. However, those who did have a budget for their needs and wants, well they definitely understood and thought it funny.
. Don’t ever press on your carotid artery unless you’re taking your pulse.