Regular life came to a screeching halt when I managed to get a minor concussion after taking a whack to my head with the mini-van hatchback…don’t ask #minivansaredangerous 😉 Turns out you have to do “brain rest” so that things can heal up. What’s brain rest you ask? Here’s the simple answer…take everything you enjoy doing and set it aside for a couple of weeks. And by everything you enjoy I mean things like watching t.v., screwing around on any device (bye bye laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc.), even reading is supposed to be sidelined. While I couldn’t watch t.v. I was informed that cooking and cleaning were fine things to do and they don’t require complex thinking…whatever! Anyway…read on to see how I managed to pass my time on brain rest…So, here you are an adult with a mild concussion. You can’t watch t.v. or check Facebook but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some fun(ish) things you can do while you heal. Over the course of a week I…
- Laundry…can there be a more “mindless” chore than laundry? During my week of concussion boredom, I managed to get totally caught up…even the sheets, towels AND slipcovers!
- I love lettering. I pulled out this fun book and taught myself a few new styles.
- Gave myself a full on manicure. Nail Polish is Essie- Ballet Slippers. You can find the lotion here.
- Read. Okay, okay…technically I was told to avoid reading. But it turns out that my headaches were not worsened by reading (like they were with anything electronic), so I read…a lot. In fact I think I finished 4 books during my concussion “brain rest” time. It just goes to show you that each person is different and you need to do what’s best for you.
- Snuggle up with your cat (or dog if that’s your thing). This cutie guy hung out with me a lot while I was resting. I highly recommend having a squishy guy like my Ozzie to get you through concussion boredom. 😉
- I drove my kids around. Driving was not an issue for me. I was told only to avoid going to places I was unfamiliar with but local, around town driving, was fine. On this particular day I drove the kids to the movies to see…uh…maybe it was Ant Man and the Wasp? Anyway…I sat in my nice quiet, cool car until they were done and then we may have gone next door to get froyo.
- I ate copious amounts of things I don’t usually allow myself. If having a concussion isn’t a good enough reason to indulge in a few tasty treats, I don’t know what is!
- Okay, this last picture may also have something to do with eating ice cream…or not…don’t judge! LOL! After sitting around for far too long and after all the laundry was done, I was going a little stir crazy so we decided to check out a new-to-us ice cream place. YUM! I had the chocolate and peanut butter, it was SO good.
So there you have it…how I survived concussion “brain rest”. If you think creatively (but don’t think TOO hard! haha!) you can manage to find interesting ways to rest that brain and not lose your mind while you’re at it! 🙂
