Introduction
During the period between ten and twenty-three months post-injury I was sufficiently recovered to not need clinical support, but my head wasn’t right enough to consider returning to professional work. To regain vocational purpose in my life, I went down a path of undertaking voluntary activities.
Making Myself Feel Useful
I started out dog walking, assisting owners with impaired mobility. I subsequently engaged with the Midlands Air Ambulance charity shop, by organising and stacking donations in their storeroom in readiness for moving them into the sales area.
I progressed to supporting the UK Royal Voluntary Service UK Royal Voluntary Service) (RVS), where I undertook a befriending role for the elderly and the infirm. I met a lot of new people and discovered that whatever problems I had were often no more challenging than what normal folk had to deal with. I’d considered myself a reasonably intelligent guy, but I hadn’t properly understood what empathy meant until I became involved with the RVS.
As I gained more confidence from my RVS experience, I supplemented it by helping out as an ‘IT buddy’ at my local library, where I nominally used some of my skills as an IT professional. Closer to the truth is that I used more of the skills unwittingly developed in my RVS role, where I’d learned how to empathise and listen. Some people would come in with an appointment to learn how to send an email, or use a price comparison website. Matters would often digress into them talking about their own life challenges – be it physical disability, dementia or terminal cancer. A significant number of the people I saw would ask to see me by name the following week, this gave me the satisfaction that I was genuinely serving a useful purpose.
The confidence and self-worth I gained through volunteering, subconsciously led me back to my previous career path. Two years after my injury in July 2015, I returned to professional work as an IT security consultant with the Met Police in July 2017. I continued for a further 2 years of undertaking freelance engagements with 7 different customers, before retiring in July 2019.
I have a page where my vocational rehabilitation journey is expressed more comprehensively.
My Goal
My objective for this web site isn’t 1,000 views or 100 likes. My goal is one person, anywhere, who gains strength, or inspiration, or hope from what I’ve shared.
Helpful Resources I Became Aware Of
| ORGANISATION | DESCRIPTION | WEB SITE |
|---|---|---|
| The Samaritans | Helping people at a difficult time | www.samaritans.org |
| Citizens Advice Bureau | Assistance in benefits and work | www.citizensadvice.org.uk |
| Headway | Supporting people with head injury, and their families | www.headway.org.uk |
| Age Concern \ Help the Aged | Assisting older people | www.ageuk.org.uk |
| Royal Voluntary Service | Supporting people in need | www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk |
| BrainLine | All about brain injury and coping with it | www.brainline.org |
| After Trauma | Supporting survivors and their families after trauma | www.aftertrauma.org |
| Brain Injury Forum | ABI signposting | www.ukabif.org.uk |
| Volunteering Opportunities | A database of volunteering opportunities in any given area | www.doit.life |