My husband has a lot of trouble with this. He needs my help to switch tasks at times. Yesterday he was getting ready for a shower and yelled for my help. He said, "I can't stop staring at my shoes. Please help me get unstuck."

TBI is crazy.

It's been 4 and a half yrs since B/I and I still can focus on one thing at a time with sometimes that being a challenge. A lot different than I was before when I worked full-time, cooked and kept clothes up for me and my two children. Conversations are the same way. I really don;t like it when someone changes yopics and U havenet realized that they have done so.

Keeping a positive look on things even when things are difficult can go a long ways.

SGoffCott

Oh my goodness - lifeawn - thank you so much for sharing that tidbit! I laughed, but seriously, not AT your husband, just because that's it exactly!

Today I was obsessed with clipping coupons and I needed to make a phone call - it was on my to-do list - but it seemed like such a tremendous thing to stop clipping coupons and to pick up the phone!

Yes, SGoffCott, the conversation changing is very difficult. I find I do better with social conversations but if it's anything technical or difficult, it feels almost physically painful.

I do the same thing. I perseverate. That means I stay on one thing until it is done or I am done with it or I just cant do it any more. But Sometimes i have to physically or mentally pull myself away from something. It is soooo tiring to try to stop myself. It is so weird.

And yeah if people skip around on conversations I get lost. Like I am still on conversation A and all of a sudden everyone has moved onto conversation D. Ummmm...what happened to B and C? How did we get from my favorite food rice to the decline of the dinosaurs???? What the hell did I miss???? It is so frustrating.

When this happens, I feel as if I'm in a vat of taffy and I'm trying to get out of it but everyone knows how sticky taffy is!

I am EXACTLY like this. I can only do one thing at a time now. I cannot stop it and do something else and come back to it and my wife has a hard time adjusting to this because I use to be able to do at least 8 - 10 things at once which was real confusing. now it's just one and I have to say everything loud and repeat it. it's often embarrassing too because I know the new me thinks entirely different than the old me so it's a different person internally.

lilfawn I'm so glad you said that, I get 'stuck' just like you describe with your husband, my problem though is that I forget to ask for help. If no one realizes that I'm 'stuck', I stay like that for who knows how long.

This topic makes me wonder, what can we do to overcome that obstacle of asking for help. Like when you got stuck clipping coupons Elanie, how did you move on to make that phone call?

I never seem to recognize that I need the help, so I don't ask for it, then realize after the fact that if someone (or even myself) were to notice, tons of time would have been saved.

My research has shown me that this is common with brain injury. The term I've read is "overfocused" or "stuck". This as well as many other brain injury behaviours are addressed with several natural remedies in a book called "Change your brain Change your life" by Dr. Amen.

Also I've been reading some great things about Neurofeedback and/or personal "light and sound" machines which is what I am saving for right now. The brain is an amazing piece of equipment and you can change the way it operates. I've had success with this.

While I could share some remedies that would help I highly recommend that you spend 20.00 and get the book as well as look into reprogramming your brain with the help of feedback either through a therapist or with your own machine. Once you read the book and understand how the brain operates things will become better for you and those around you.

It all takes time. I'm here!

Carmen :)

Sorry I am slow in responding to your question MoxyMom!

A very good question by the way....

What helped me get "unstuck" was that I had a to-do list sitting next to me on the table with that phone call on it. So I kept on seeing it and eventually "listened" to my list, if that makes sense.

And, songwriter, I know what you mean. If I say things out loud over & over I can keep them in my head! I was doing this last week during my brain rehab. Helps me to stay focused. I probably sound strange, but it works.