Question about concussion anxiety
 

I know there have been a ton of posts here about concussion anxiety. I’m hoping for some of you that have learned how to handle it or “best it” that you can share some words of advice on how to best not worry about new bumps or hits that may or not be a concussion. I think the unknown of it is scariest for me.

Thursday I was leaning forward to grab mail I had dropped in a recycling bin and bumped my forehead on this wooden mailbox structure that was in front of me. I’ve had awful symptoms since, especially because I was still only two months out from my most recent concussion and having bad symptoms already. How can i know if this would have been another concussion, especially if I was still having symptoms from the most recent one?

Has anyone ever done something like this before? Is it possible it was another concussion? And if you have done something similar, how do you handle new bumps?

Think back to the years before your concussion. How many times have you bumped your head without any problems?

What are your concerns about these bumps?

The fact you still have bad symptoms from a concussion that was 2 months ago suggests, from a statistical standpoint, that you suffered from anxiety and depression prior to your concussion. If this is the case, those same statistics suggest that you will not improve much until you resolve your underlying anxiety issues.

So, your goal should be moderating your anxiety issues and finding a way to become convinced of the lack of risk from these everyday bumps.

Reducing stress and chaos in your life is a start. Many, especially younger people, think a chaotically busy life full of stimuli is normal. Loud music, aggressive music/lyrics, multi-tasking, relational conflicts, and the rest are a normal part of life that should be tolerated. They are hard on healthy brains and can be overwhelming on injured brains.

Thanks Mark. I think my biggest fear is going back to the beginning of recovery. I’m on concussion 5 and I’m just sick of starting recovery over. I had finally gotten to the point with this one of being able to work full time and even went to a wedding last week having a few beers and dancing. I just want my normal life back and it feels like every time I’m close to that I get another bump.

I definitely have always had anxiety - and know that I’m constantly looking for symptoms which probably makes them worse. However, what’s the best way to reason with myself/determine if this most recent bump on the wooden mailbox was another injury? I’m nervous too because my last concussion came from something that didn’t seem significant - bumped it on a window sill. I really wanted to believe that’s one was anxiety and it ended up being a concussion, leaving me with pretty awful lingering symptoms.

I don't believe these bumps are concussions. They are anxiety triggers. You have paid so much attention to symptoms that you not only look for symptoms, but you magnify those symptoms into major events.

The way I can tell is your symptoms go beyond concussion symptoms into anxiety. There is a huge overlap between anxiety and concussion symptoms. You mention all of the anxiety symptoms that are not concussion symptoms in addition to the symptoms that are both concussion and anxiety.

The anxiety is making you feel bad.

The original concussion may have left you with some limitations. Many of us have sensory overload limitations. That is just a fact that we have to live with. If we go to a social event, we prepare by having a light day before and plan for needing a few light days afterward.

It appears you have not accepted those limits as they apply to your brain. Alcohol is a toxin. A single serving is the recommended limit. Loud music and a beer is a recipe for trouble. You cannot change that. You have to learn to live within your brain's limits.

I don't see a list of your concussions. Just a fence bump and window sill bump. I wonder how many of the 5 were just triggers and not concussions.