What to do if you hit your head!
January 18, 2019
Part 2 of 3:
What to do if you hit your head!
As an Aerial Yoga and Vinyasa Flow teacher, I never considered how fragile the head really is - until I hit my own and had to deal with a concussion. Here’s what I learned.
If you hit your head:
Make sure you get it checked out out by a Doctor. If you need stitches, get them ASAP.
Ice Ice Baby! Make sure you continually ICE it! I swear, my head bumps healed MUCH faster because I iced them constantly. You can even get ready-made ice packs, bring them to bed, ice where it hurts, and fall asleep. If you wake up with a throbbing head in the middle of the night, the pack stays cold and you can just reach for it and keep icing! Consistent, frequent ice packs will help with headaches caused by concussions and contusions.
Rest. Cancel or postpone any rigorous trips or meetings. You only have ONE head and brain. People will understand. Take time to heal. You’ve been through shock!
VERY IMPORTANT - do NOT hit your head again anytime soon!
My Doctors did not even mention this to me - it was my Rolfer, who told me “DO NOT bump your head again after you’ve had an initial incident.” So, even though I’d hit my head twice, it was all in ONE occasion, I had to make sure I did not hit it again anytime soon.
Make sure to stay away from anything where you could injure your head again (no skiing, lacrosse, surfing, etc - I cancelled aerial yoga classes for about 6 weeks) as the SECOND+ head injuries are what cause things like stutters, memory loss, etc.
Get some bodywork to re-set your nervous system and move fluid through the sutures on your skull. Once I got my stitches, I made weekly visits to my Rolfer who performed “Cranial-Sacral” work to get my spinal fluid moving again. This work also helped me relax as I was in shock from the falls and my sympathetic nervous system was turned on, in full form. My Rolfer subtly moved the “plates” on my skull so fluid could move again. The right side of my head finally stopped feeling “frozen”, and sleep, bodily functions and my parasympathetic nervous system returned to normal.
doTerra Past Tense and Peppermint rollers - both helped Immensely with head tension, especially during the first few weeks. (You can also have these handy near your bedside, in your car, purse or computer bag.)
Meditation and Yin Yoga work wonders! These practices are part of my weekly life regardless, however after hitting my head, as soon as I felt OK, I spent time in 5-10 minute Yin Yoga poses, or in seated meditation. It is interesting how sitting quietly and being “with” yourself in this way actually increases healing. You can “channel” energy to the areas that need attention through the breath. To try this just set a timer (on your phone), have a seat (or take a passive yoga pose like pigeon) and quietly breathe for 5 minutes. Your nervous system will start to reset, and your body will get an “inner shower” with blood flow to the areas that need healing.
Go back to your doctor, make sure you’re on the right track. You may have to return anyways to get your stitches removed. I want back twice. Even though I could feel myself healing, I wanted to be completely SURE I was OK. It’s nice to have this “peace of mind”.
Relax. Sleep. More Rest...SO IMPORTANT!!!
**Rest was the hardest thing for me! I wanted to rev-up 2019. Get back to a hard core headhunting, essential oils classes, and yoga teaching schedule after all of that travel in India. To settle back into San Francisco. But instead I had to SIT STILL. My head hurt so badly I couldn't look at any screen for very long. I was tired. Talking took energy. It was a HARD “place” to exist.
I spent a lot of time during the first week of recovery sleeping and binge watching a few shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime. When I could move a bit more I began meditating and practicing the “Migraine” Yoga sequence from Light on Yoga, which helped alleviate the pressure in my head (although instead of holding a headstand 10 minutes I cut down the time to what felt “right”, and I did not even do this sequence (and invert) until I felt I was ready). Once I felt a bit better, I also started to KonMarie my apartment (inspired by binge watching), since it felt like a good thing to “do” while “resting” at home. Ironically, this downtime, catching up on sleep while healing and subsequent home organization actually setup 2019 in the best way possible!
It is now February 26th, nearly 8 weeks later. I’m back to a full teaching and headhunting schedule. The scar above my right eye will eventually fade, but is and will be a reminder for me that 2019, has become the year of tapping into stillness (perhaps so I can listen better, hear more). 💜