When is a blog not a blog?









When it’s actually a therapeutic activity ...



 

As I’ve said a fair few times, the ways in which I spend my time are of great importance to me. 

 

You will accordingly, be unsurprised to hear (in part because I told you in an earlier post!) that as this blog progresses it will provide a degree of insight into some of the things that I do and which make me feel a little better about myself.

 

And, where else to start, than the creation and publication of this blog?

 

Like other activities already (and to be) mentioned, writing and sharing this blog seems to afford some protection of my mental health. As such, it can indeed be seen as a form of therapy, in its own right.

 

As with other activities, the time spent on it, leaves me with less time in which to feel fretful. 

 

One thing that I have grieved for, is intellectual stimulation.  Given his job, the pre-accident Phil had plenty of that (with hindsight, perhaps rather too much). Given its style and contents, you might find it hard to believe, but quite a lot of thought and time are expended on this blog.  In a way, I guess its production amounts to something of an intellectual activity. This blog - together with other (and, on reflection, they do exist) Phil v2.0 intellectual exercises are very different (but is that necessarily worse?!), to those that I have undertaken in the past and I have a tendency to see them as being a huge step down. That said, after bumping his head, Phil v2.0 is incapable of exhibiting his intellect to anything like the extent to which he used to be able to do. I therefore try to tell myself to “cut my coat according to my cloth”. After all, they do indeed give me something to think about and discuss with others, so my life is not completely devoid of intellectual activity. If I wasn’t undertaking them, it would be. 

 

In any event is the blog really all that worthless and such a big “step down”?

 

As I’ve already said, I hope that it can be of some value to third parties, whose lives are touched by brain injury. If it turns out to be of any help to only one such person, then that in itself, would be a triumph.

 

With perhaps selfish introspection, the blog is providing me with emotional help, in that it contributes to an increased feeling of self-worth:  

 

In an earlier post I wrote that I had “a feeling that Phil v2.0 isn’t just new, but he is both new and inadequate. I have felt worthless and that my life is a shadow of its former self.” In order to counter this, it is certainly true that a few pats on the back are more than welcome – and I’ve received a number of those!

 

To quote one very kind lady, commenting on a blog post:

 

“Keep 'em coming! Fearless and brave and honest … hope for us all.”

 

Perhaps I’m not quite as “inadequate” as I have felt myself to be.

 

Finally, while we are talking about writing, I should just briefly mention that this blog and other pieces along the same lines, are not my only published writings since the accident.

 

While I am pleased with and a little proud of them (now that makes a pleasant change!), I’m not convinced that any of this stuff is likely to form the basis of a Nobel Prize in Literature:


·      An article on Alexithymia (emotional confusion - and something which I experience), published in-house by a brain injury rehabilitation organisation;

·      A piece on a particular psychological approach to running (yes – you did hear that right!); and

·      An article on some local wartime history – published in a local heritage magazine

 Tempting as it might be to keep rambling on – I guess I had better not adopt the following approach:


 

 

So, for now:



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