Self Care in Parts: 4 of 5 – Recalibrating

Once I accepted that my concussion was real and I couldn’t get done as much in a day as I could on my “normal” days, I needed to engage in recalibrating my mental, emotional physical states.

Mentally I needed to accept that I couldn’t be on the computer for work periods, initially, longer than one hour without a break. I was eventually able to increase it but when I pushed myself too hard, I had set backs that resulted in exhaustion or sensations in my head indicating I was doing too much.Emotionally, I needed to not get myself too stressed or frustrated as that only prolonged my recovery.

Physically I needed to get more rest for many more weeks than I anticipated.Overall, this experience was a lesson in recalibration and patience. Go slow to go fast in the long run. The question was – when would that long run come?

How do you know when to push yourself to complete something or slow down so you can pay attention and more fully integrate the experience? What are signs you are doing too much?