Oh my goodness, I don't think I have any tips, but can I just totally tell you that I empathize?

I had a lovely anger outburst today and told a child in a parking lot I don't know to "f***" off. Terrific, right?

I've had the crying jags too - can be embarrassing bursting into tears at the drop of a hat.

I too have experienced the emotional roller coaster! Still happens but not as frequently.

Ummm....hate to say this but when you get told your over anylizing...I know I was and still do. If something doesn't set right...I can't seem to let it go. I tell myself I'm thinking before I'm speaking to make sure I am not taking anything wrong...but...it's justification I'm afraid. At lease in my case. It has gotten better over time but still catches me once in a while. After I started asking myself...does it really matter? If I say anything will it make a difference? Kind of gave me something else to think about. I've learned too...sometimes I just simply misunderstood.

My emotions are still not what they used to be...they may never be. However I am regaining a bit of control ever so slowly.

I have a lot of empathy for this, actually I find myself so empathetic it amazes me. I tear up at hearing of someone elses suffering or someone elses joy, but i never cry out loud. some days i feel like it would be a relief.

But i often think how weird it is that i'm so happy about so many things, and at the same time have this sorrow for all i went thru and for the difficulty of the struggle back. If someone who i care about says something insulting, especially from ignorance - sometimes it just makes me feel like everything crumbles, like i'm standing on scaffolding and the all my built up self-confidence (which i almost lost) just collapses.

It is getting better, month after month - but the experience definitively changed me. Good topic... it's hard to express that well.

I can identify ! I am calm most of the time but just out of knowhere I will explode at something minor it just happens. I do tend to brood and drift of into my own world at times as well. My emotional strength does seem to have weakened over the years and I am less tolerant.

Emotions are huge following a TBI. Just about everyone you talk to on here has some kind of issue with their emotions. It's been 5 years for me. And, my emotions are still lost somewhere. I assume they are somewhere in my brain, but they don't show their face very often. It's like I am numb. I just don't feel much of anything as far as anything hurting my feelings, or anything. I do have a great love for my child, and I do have empathy for you, and everyone on here with this issue. I understand it! I also have empathy for others more than my own self. Not much bothers me anymore. It seems I lost more than I thought with this injury. I was just telling someone the other day what my residual effects were, and it seems the emotional ones are at the top of the list. They are getting somewhat better, but I think it will always be a part of this recovery that I will forever be working to rebuild. You are not alone. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback and i do try to just step outside of the situation to calm down bt i just had to ask all of this cus it gets to me at a point. im not a big baby or a person who is easily broken but idk its like the tbi put holes and cracks into my wall of emotional defense and retention idk ,its nice to have understanding it helps so much and hmeyers512 i do the same i dont cry outloud i just am silent with tears just runnin out of me and it would be a relief to just bawl haha idk thanks yall!

Whoa! CopperBoom, you totally said what I never thought to ask anyone all this time, but wondered about. sometimes if something stresses me the wrong way, I do the same, just silent with tears running down my face and wanting to sob, but not being in the right place for it, and really, not being able to anyway sometimes if i am in the right place. I always felt like a big baby and such an idiot. Its kinda comforting to know someone else has the same thing. (cause man, I've gotten some rediculous looks from people who see me but don't understand!)

DovesWings, I'm a lot like you also. Its been almost six years for me, and things aren't a lot better, but I'm learning how to pretend I have emotions more, even if I can't really really share my friend's excitement, sorrow, etc. I can totally relate to being able to understand why people have empathy sometimes, but not really being able to feel or show it. And I love my family too, and the new friends I've made at college, but I don't have a lot of emotion to show, and sometimes I just have to tell my family, "love you, but please, don't hug me, leave me alone." thankfully they're ok with that, I think they understand now how hard emotions are for me. I've found an amazing group of friends, who also understands how unemotional I can be and still likes me (something thats hard after injury. At least for me. how bout you?)


I must ask, do you like music or math? i've found that since my injury, I can feel emotions more from playing the piano and doing math problems than interacting with people. I'm so very logical and unemotional in person most of the time, but math just makes me so happy. If you like math and music, I'd encourage you to try it, cause its really fun to feel like you have emotions again! And music expresses things you can't put into words or expressions on your face....(lol, you may be given all kinds of funny nicknames, but people will learn to love you for what you are, even if you don't have emotions in the conventional way)

Sorry for going on and on. CopperBoom, this is a hard topic to start, but thanks for putting yourself out there. Its nice to know that we're not alone:)