Hi @PaulaFitz and welcome to the community, the club no one ever wants to join 
Do I take it that you don’t have any deficits such as brain fog, fatigue, cognitive impairment, weakness down one side, visual issues, balance issues, headache/pressure or anything else? These are some of the issues you can experience with TIA as with stroke. The two are essentially the same and a TIA is like a warning or threat as there is still the risk of a full on stroke. But now that you are, presumably, medicated with BP tablets and blood thinners, this should reduce that risk. Though it never can be completely eliminated.
Rest in very important for recovery after a stroke. Yes, exercise is important too but maybe nothing more for a few weeks yet. It’s because the brain needs time to rest and heal, it can’t do that successfully if you are still trying to go flat out at your pre stroke pace. It’s just your brain is not firing on all cylinders yet, it’s running a reduce service, so to speak, so you need to give it time to heal and recover. The first 6 months are the most crucial for recovery, so don’t risk abusing that. Take some time off, gentle exercise is good so walking is fine, swimming too, just not on the same days.
Yes you are tired, that’s the fatigue and is one of the most common side effects of TIA’s/strokes. And the more you try to pack into your day the greater that fatigue can be. At times, it may not hit you for a day or so, and it can also wipe you out for a couple of days, depending on on how much you’ve been doing. You need to learn to pace yourself and that can only really be done through and error as we all as individual as our strokes and rates of recovery.
And you are in shock, that’s why you are a bit emotional, and you’re entitled This is, after all, a life threatening experience you’ve just been through, so its bound to affect you emotionally. And it will take to come to terms with! That’s why its good to come on here and talk it through, read other’s experiences, talk with your family and friends about it, don’t bottle any of it up. The more you talk about it the easier it gets to come to terms with and cope. And greatly reduces any risk of letting those emotions drag you down into any kind of deep depression.
I’m retired so don’t know the rules and regulations for taking sick leave, how many weeks on full pay and how many on half pay and that sort of thing. But I would be taking it all if you can. I’m surprised the hospital didn’t advise you, for me it was at least 4 to 6 wks of taking it easy, light exercise, no driving and see how you feel after that. It took me about 18mths just to get back into driving. But even though mine was diagnosed as a TIA, I believe I was misdiagnosed and I still have deficits 4½ years on. And I’m assuming you have been told not to drive for X number of weeks as you are still at risk of further incidents?
Stroke recovery is marathon not a race, you’re going to have good days and bad ones. Recovery can be a bit of a roller coaster ride, one day you feel like you’re progressing nicely, another day you may feel you are going back the way, and suddenly you move forward again. That’s just the nature of all recovery be it a broken leg, heart attack or stroke.
So stay calm, relax as best you can, it’s going to take your medications about 6 weeks to take full effect in your system anyway. So give them a fighting chance for you by keeping your stress levels down in the meantime 
You have survived, now keep it that way
Lorraine
