Having a concussion may not be such a bad thing

Have you ever heard of the phrase "not rejection but redirection." If so, then you probably know where I'm going with this.

As we go about our daily lives it's not uncommon to encounter an event that we didn't expect to happen. This could be an unexpected finance payment, an encounter with an old acquaintance, or possibly a physical illness or injury to name a few. The list goes on.

Whatever this experience may be I've come to learn that there is a deeper significance as to why these kind of thing happens. Take for instance the concussion I came home with a few weeks back after banging my head on a metal cage at work which frustratingly happened 30 minutes before my shift was supposed to end.

As a result my past 2 weeks have been used at home recovering from headaches, nausea, sickness, drowsiness and a bunch of other symptoms that decided to show up a week later after the injury. The miraculous thing was there were no signs of bruising or bleeding on my head and a CT scan showed no internal signs of damage.

So what is the significance of this event for me?

It was a lesson to take time for myself to rest and recover. The past few months within my current job role have been incredibly challenging and draining. Which has led me to burn out on more than one occasion and caused a lot of tension at home with my family. Having this injury, and my family's support, has reminded me that my wellbeing is top priority and its okay to take time to focus on self recovery.

There will always be part of me that questions why I'm having the time off, but that stems from fear of putting others first before myself. I often have to remind myself of the aeroplane scenario "always remember to put your own gas mask on first before you help others". Perhaps there are other insights and opportunities that I've gained as a result from my recovery.

Moving forward I'll be taking more time to prioritise my wellbeing and taking action aligned with that value. As one of my mentors once told me "surround yourself with people who will pick you up, support you and encourage you along your journey".

Dom 💖