I want to stop talking :(

I am a 28 year old Traumatic Brain Injyury survivor and I am at the end of my rope. When I talk I normally say the wrong thing, to the wrong person, and in the wrong tone of voice. My Traumatic Brain Injury cases me to experience short term memory loss ao, when I say things I forget shortly after saying something.

At the moment, I currently live in an assisted living apartment with a roommate, whom we do not get along. I want to stop talking so I will not "get into trouble", upset, or offend someone. Problem is, I have talked 24/7 since the day I was born (or so I am told) and my brain is stuck at age 15 (when I obtained my brain injury).

My life is largely controlled by others: my legal guardian, state worker, doctors, etc. I am no good at most things and I do not like people generally. So, I am going to try to stop talking. I have done this in the past and failed quickly because I forget that I don't want to talk.

Thanks for posting this. I'm a "senior citizen" as we older folks are sometimes referred to. I've never had a traumatic brain injury. But I believe I likely have some brain damage as a result of bumping my head for years growing up. In my case, how it seems to show up is in my difficulty with controlling my anger & what I say when I am angry.

I have also gone through periods where I decided I'm just not going to talk unless I have to. And, actually, I'd say I've had some success with it... as long as it's not a situation where I'm angry. To some extent, I think it's a matter of practice. No matter how many times you fail, just start again. Over time you may well achieve your goal.

Of course you don't want to stop talking completely. But, personally, I think there is something to be said for not talking unless one actually has something useful to say. As it says in my Signature Statement below: "Speak only if you can improve upon the silence."

I'm sorry that you had to experience that. I understand being controlled by a guardian.