[Vania]

Hello everyone,

I would like to ask for advice on two questions. My background is the following: I am having PCS since November 2016 after my second concussion, and I think I sustained a third concussion in my sleep three weeks ago.

My first question is the following. I tried to resume some moderate activities ten days ago after a period of complete rest. This went fine for a few days, and I was feeling optimistic again, but last Sunday I spent three or four hours doing the chores in my house. There was no violent effort, I was just walking around the house to clean up, but I have been feeling exhausted all the time since then, my eyes are red, and I am now experiencing some cognitive difficulties as well (slower processing, slight problems at finding words, difficulties to understand what I read), which was not the case before last week. Are these common symptoms of physical over-exertion? I am puzzled by the fact that this is a new set of symptoms. In contrast, the headaches, which were my major source of complaint, have almost disappeared these last days. I just don't get it.

My second question is: how do you guys deal with anxiety and regret? Since this third concussion, and especially since last weekend, I find myself in a very nervous state, crying often, and invaded by irrational thoughts. To add regret and blame to the anxiety, I keep blaming myself for these accidents and even more so for the mistakes I make during the recovery. For instance, I can't stop telling myself how stupid it was to overdo it last weekend. I know how ridiculous this is, and these thoughts are certainly not the result of a conscious assessment, but my inner voice tells me all the time that I ruined my own life and career (I am a mathematician in academia) by being careless.

I know that this reaction is irrational, and I now see these negative thoughts and emotions as the biggest obstacle to my recovery. I decided to start a psychotherapy soon to help me with these emotions, but given that this mindset is unfortunately common among PCS sufferers, I was wondering whether anyone had any other tip, advice or experience to share about it.

Thank you.