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Adam Talks About His Frustration with New Appliances, Post-TBI
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Hey everyone, this is Adam actually here to tell you a little story about something that
really got me worked up--got me frustrated over the weekend, and I want to share that
experience with you. It's something that wouldn't have happened prior to a
brain injury, as I'm sure you can take away from this.
But basically over the weekend, after living in a new house for about 2-3 weeks,
I attempted to use the microwave, which I had been avoiding for quite some time
actually, and--so I went ahead and went over there and tried to plug it in--you know--
assumed that it would be somewhat similar to my other microwave, but it had a
million and one buttons on it. It had--you know--all kinds of sensors and displays
and things like that that quite honestly was pretty confusing. So I put my rice in there,
tried to get it working, wasn't able to. Pushed some more buttons, wasn't able to.
Logically working through the process, I thought I would be able to get it to work.
Unfortunately I was unsuccessful. So I was starting to get pretty frustrated,
get worked up about it, but one of the things I did to kind of deescalate the situation
was called Katie the fiancée and--you know--"Hey babe, this isn't working,
I need help." And then, so she came over and she--you know--in 2 seconds
was able to get it to start cooking, and did that make me feel great?
No, not really, but what it did really do is kind of reiterate to me that--you know--
it is important to take time to read the instructions--you know--and if I do sense
myself getting frustrated or if you sense yourself getting frustrated,
take the time, slow down, kind of try and calm the situation, calm yourself
as best you can. Read the instructions, ask a close friend or colleague for help
if they're available, and--you know--think hard about if there's a work around for that.
New appliances, like Adam's microwave, come with all sorts of buttons, displays, and settings. Heating up rice for the first time is not always easy.
I’m a former Army Sergeant, a Department of Veterans Affairs employee, a service-disabled vet, and someone with a brain injury. I’m here to share my story with you — along with some practical tips — and I hope that I can help you in your own journey of recovery.
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View all of Adam’s postsResources for Veterans with TBI
