[islesftw]

Hey everyone. I've been reading the forums for the last few months and I've finally decided to post. About 5 months ago, my friend found a pair of boxing gloves and I stupidly decided to box him. I of course know this wasn't my best course of action and it goes without saying it wont happen again.

I'm lucky in that I haven't had much in the way of dizziness or headaches. The only noticeable symptom is mild cognitive dysfunction and some intermittent memory problems. Im currently a senior in college and though I am getting by my classes OK, concepts that previously came easy to me are somewhat more of a struggle to learn compared to previous semesters.

The one thing I've noticed throughout all this is that STRESS SUCKS. I know it's been said numerous times across the board but I've been doing significantly better when I'm more at ease with my situation after taking steps to reduce my stress level.

I've forced myself to slow everything down and take a few steps back to look at the bigger picture. What's helped me the most are doing things that I never had done prior to the injury. I've gone to the local boardwalk to watch the sunset, I've taken a 3 hour bath while listening to classical music, and I've called friends just for sake of saying hi.

Though I'm still dealing with the aforementioned symptoms, the biggest help has been reducing stress and anxiety. I'm still unbelievably frustrated/at wits end about what happened but at the same time, I'm thankful that I can still partake in the little pleasures of life.

Good luck to you all and thanks for to everything that you guys all do.

islesftw