I hit my head for the
-first time 2.5 years ago
-two weeks after that I was watching a volleyball game from 40 feet away and someone kicked the ball and it hit my head very hard
-five months later my brother was trying to catch a ball in the pool (I was laying calmly on a raft thing) and he fell backwards bonking heads with me

And this series of unfortunate events has kept happening until now I have 9 hits to my head in 2.5 years, and I don't know how to get it to stop without wearing a marshmallow suit!

Any help would be great!

Thanks,
Margarite

Margarite, it sounds as though you've had some seriously bad luck with random head collisions. I truly hope that you've seen the last of them!

I am pretty apprehensive about hitting my head again. When I sustained my concussion, I was rushing around and trying to stick to a hectic weekend schedule (I was late for an appointment). In retrospect, I would have been better off slowing down and taking things one step at a time (less multitasking, more mindfulness / being in the present moment / practicing "non-doing"). I find mindfulness meditation helps me do this to some extent. I also find myself doing mental checks every so often (for example, asking myself, "is this a stable position?" "is doing this a good idea?")

I have yet to decide which activities/sports to give up once I get back into the swing of things (assuming I have a choice). I may well give up certain activities like downhill skiing, as I tend to fall a fair bit. I also like sailing, but there are so many ways to hit your head on a sailboat. My doc says that concussions are relatively common in sailing.

Very sorry to hear about those injuries.

One year later, I still won't go near any kind of sport, swimming pool, etc.

And I'm very cautious about nannying- won't put my head near the toddler's or turn my back to him for an instant.

Then again, I've gotten minor bumps to the head in other ways.

I seems very difficult-

Tread very carefully.

You've had bad luck with yours, Margarite.

Had numerous hits to the skull during my lifetime. First being a loose flying discus when I was in high school. A couple of other serious ones, but the most recent fall caused the most symptoms. Slipped on my internal stairwell. All the floor covering in the house was either polished timber or sisal (jute). The sisal had worn on the corners of the stairs and I just slipped and smashed the back of my head into the corner of the mezzanine bathroom door.

Since then I tend to go out of my way to avoid any dangerous situations. I have a very slippery pebble driveway here that I have to manouver to get to my car if I wish to go out. I no longer even walk down it with shoes on. I guess the neighbours wonder about this woman who walks around in bare feet all the time. Oh well. I no longer care. It's a safety option.

The doctors along the way always comment after checking test results that I have an extra dense cranium and have actually been very fortunate.

What can I say to that... <sigh>

I am similarly accident prone, following or pre-dating concussions in rugby and skiing.

It is so frustrating and can be very disheartening, though do think you can reduce, if never eliminate the risk of hitting your head, through learned safety behaviour.

Being mindful and slowing down really help. Good posture also makes you more aware and helps confidence as well.

Think confidence can be key, if you think you are clumsy or are anxious about being hit in the head, then you are likely to be less aware of what is going on around you. Is a Catch 22 though.

Fortunately many accidents can be avoided. Arguably accidents is a misleading term, as it implies a lack of control and that it is something happening to you.

Whilst we are unable to control what others do- risk will always be there- you can improve the percentages of being hurt and reduce the risk.

Unsure about stopping activities that you enjoy to avoid bumping your head. Think it can make it harder to accept bumping your head when it does happen as it has been something that you are trying so hard to avoid. That said, fully appreciate the rationale and there are definitely cases where medically it makes sense.

I agree with Mark that bumps happen or have happened to most people at some point.

So aside from trying to reduce their occurrence, the other side, for me, is trying to accept, what can seem unacceptable, that I have hit my head and then react in a positive way; namely by rejecting the cycle of negative thoughts, full of all the possible consequences of hitting your head and doing something I'm good at to build my confidence again and give me belief that I am ok.

Ultimately, I guess, the aim to see bumps to head (where it has been confirmed as nothing more) as an annoyance/ or temporary inconvenience, but not some kind of sentence that prevents you fulfilling what you want to do.