November 16, 2023 • 20 mins
PLEASE READ!
Please note that The Post Concussion Podcast has been closed for new episodes as of early 2024. Concussion Connect is also closed.
Thank you to everyone who was so supportive over the years and I hope these episodes continue to help others as they come across them!
I have set on a new venture (with a pen name - Izzy Barry) you can learn more about here
https://izzybarry.substack.com/
--
Sometimes we don't need conversations we just need advice to help us navigate our own recovery. In this episode listen to 10 post-concussion/brain injury tips selected specially by Bella!
You can also WATCH this episode on YOUTUBE:
https://youtube.com/@postconcussioninc?si=0u99GxukakPUS7bm
Join Concussion Connect!
https://postconcussioninc.com/concussionconnect
Find Show Notes, & More: https://postconcussioninc.com/podcast
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bella Paige (00:03):
Hi everyone.
I'm your host, Bella Paige, andafter suffering from post
concussion syndrome for years,it was time to do something
about it.
So welcome to the PostConcussion Podcast, where we dig
deep into life when it doesn'tgo back to normal.
Be sure to share the podcastand join our support network,
Concussion Connect.
Let's make this invisibleinjury become visible.
(00:29):
The Post Concussion Podcast isstrictly an information podcast
about concussions and postconcussion syndrome.
It does not provide norsubstitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis ortreatment.
Always seek the advice of yourphysician or another qualified
health provider with anyquestions you may have regarding
a medical condition.
(00:50):
Never disregard professionalmedical advice or delay in
seeking it because of somethingyou have heard on this podcast.
The opinions expressed in thispodcast are simply intended to
spark discussion aboutconcussions and post concussion
syndrome.
Welcome to episode number 124of the post concussion podcast
(01:11):
with just me.
Today we're going to talk about10 tips that will help you in
your post concussion life, andif they don't help you, they'll
definitely help somebody else.
If you know any other survivorsin your life, make sure they
listen to this episode, becausethere's some very helpful advice
that we don't always thinkabout when recovering.
So let's get into it.
Okay, so tip number one istelling someone that you're
(01:32):
struggling, or basically, how totell someone that you're
struggling.
It's something we don't alwaysthink about, but it is something
that we sometimes need to learnbecause, you know, we have a
lot going on inside.
People can't see it, sosometimes what's really helpful
is having a way to do it.
The first thing I always liketo remember is think about who
you're picking to tell, becauseif you just go out and tell
(01:55):
anybody, it might not be yourbest choice.
You want to tell someone thatyou can trust, someone that you
value their opinion, or at leastsomeone that you know might
react the best way possible, andso the other thing we want to
really consider is ourexpectations of this person.
Are we expecting them to helpout, or do we want them to help
with finding their piss?
Think about that.
(02:17):
Or do we just want them to be ahelping hand in a mental side
of things?
Do we just want them to bethere for us when we need to
have one to vent to?
Do we just want them to give usa hug and be there for us, or
do we want them to actually acton it?
Just remember this when you'retelling someone, because have
expectations of what you need ofthat person, because if you
(02:38):
don't tell them, they're notgoing to always know.
So maybe you can ask for theirhelp, maybe you can tell them.
I really am telling you thatI'm struggling, but all I really
need you to be there is just bethere for me.
I don't need you to do anythingother than that.
So definitely consider that andthen after that, remember to
pick a good time.
We don't want to say this aswe're running out the door and
(02:59):
we also definitely don't want tosay this in a very crowded
environment.
This is something that youshould take time to tell someone
.
If this is something you'vebeen working up to doing, don't
forget to be appreciative ofthis person.
Say thank you for listening,thank you for giving them your
time, because you know this is abig thing to tell someone if
it's something you've beenstruggling with for a while.
But how do you even explain it?
(03:20):
A good way to say is myconcussion is still affecting me
more than you could evenimagine.
Or you know how life feels likea series of open doors and
choices.
Well, mine feel all controlledby my concussion right now, and
it's slamming every door at myface.
Explain it however you want,but maybe think about it
beforehand so you're not lost.
(03:41):
You know finding wordssometimes very top after a
concussion.
So this can be really helpful.
And remember it's not a race.
You don't need to just blurt itall out as fast as you can.
If that's what's helpful foryou, go ahead, but take your
time and don't forget to expectdifferent responses.
Some people might expect with alot of compassion, some people
(04:03):
might be confused, some peoplemight be hurt that you've been
hiding it from them for a longtime.
So don't forget that.
And if you really need someoneto talk to, don't forget we have
our support groups andconcussion connect, which is
free, and you can join at anytime and take part and even just
send me a message throughconcussion connect and I will
always answer and be there foryou.
Now let's get to our next tip.
Tip two is to forgive yourself.
(04:26):
A lot of the time we think ofthat what if?
What if I did therapy sooner?
What if I didn't quit on thistherapy?
What if I knew this?
What if I told somebody that Iwas struggling?
All these if, if, if, ifscenarios and they're not
helping us.
So we have to stop the what ifspiral.
And something that really ishelpful to think is you didn't
(04:46):
know.
I personally didn't know thatmy concussion was going to alter
my life.
I didn't know the symptomswouldn't go away right away and
I didn't know that staying in adark room all day wasn't going
to help me.
We make decisions based on whatwe know at the time, so don't
beat yourself up for somethingyou didn't know.
We can't get mad at our pastselves because they had less
information than we have now.
(05:06):
You know we all go on roadsthat we don't intend to walk on,
and you are human.
We all make mistakes.
Our lives make turns we don'texpect and maybe we don't even
want those turns to appear.
But you did your best, andmaybe your best looks different
each day.
But just remember to forgiveyourself for the past.
(05:27):
Maybe you don't need to do this, maybe you did everything right
, but if you do feel like you'rein that what if?
Spiral of what should I havedone?
I did these things wrong.
Just you know, forgive yourself.
You did the best that you couldwith the knowledge you had at
the time.
So it's really important toremember this and now we're
going to get to our third tip.
Tip number three is it's okay tochange.
(05:48):
This is usually for people thathave been struggling for a
while, but it is important toyou know, be okay with it.
Know that.
Who am I?
Who are you is a reallyimportant and really tough
question to answer after aconcussion, because you know,
the longer we deal with thesesymptoms, we have a really hard
time being like who am I now?
(06:08):
I'm not.
I can't do all the things I didbefore.
I maybe have a different careernow.
I have a different passion, Ihave a different life.
Maybe I'm more introverted thanI was before, but who am I now?
So you know, don't beatyourself up for this.
It's okay to change.
Don't judge yourself for notbeing who you are before,
because, if you think about it,if you go through anything
(06:28):
traumatic or anyone around youwent through something really
traumatic, you wouldn't expectthem to be the same afterwards.
So don't expect yourself to bethe same.
Whether you go through this forthree months, six months or a
few years or longer.
It's okay.
You're not going to be theperson you were in the past.
You wouldn't have been thatperson anyways, because we
(06:48):
change over time and I stronglybelieve that.
So I am not the same person Iwas.
I wouldn't have been the sameperson I was.
Am I definitely affected morebecause of my illness?
Absolutely.
But don't forget that it isokay to change.
It's okay if you don'trecognize yourself anymore.
Try to find peace with it, thatyou're a new person, that
(07:10):
there's going to be overlaps.
Think of a Venn diagram ofbefore and after.
They're not going to becompletely separate.
There's going to be stuff inthe middle where you're still
the same person, and so justaccept that things change.
So just think of that, don'tbeat yourself up.
It's okay to change and we'regoing to get onto our fourth tip
.
(07:30):
Tip number four is invisibledoesn't mean it's not real.
I know I had a really hard timewith this.
Just because others can't seewhat you're going through, does
it make it not true?
Does it mean it doesn't exist?
I questioned it often,especially the more I got tests
done, because the more and moretests I got done sometimes, the
(07:50):
more and more okay I seemed.
All these tests.
Some of them would come upclear.
I remember I did a cognitivetest and it said I was in the
average, and I remember beinginfuriated because I felt like I
couldn't remember anything,anything at all.
I couldn't remember that flashof four numbers on your phone
that you have to enter to loginto something.
(08:11):
I had to do one at a time andsometimes go back three or four
times to the same number becauseI couldn't remember them.
So don't beat yourself for that.
This is kind of the theme of thetips.
You have to believe in yourself, even if you're questioning it.
Because I believe in you, Ibelieve that what you're going
through is real.
There's a whole community ofpeople in Concussion Connect
(08:33):
that believe you.
So if you need that, go aheadand log in and sign up today.
But just don't beat yourself up.
I think a lot of the time it'sreally tough because we start to
question all our symptoms.
We start to question if we'remaking them worse.
But they exist and don't thinkit's not real just because other
(08:54):
people can't see it around youand even if they don't
understand it either.
And we're going to get on totip number five.
Tip number five is don'tcompare to others, and I'm
telling you not to do this,because it's human nature to do
this, but it's really nothelping you at all when you
think about it.
I've had friends heal in a fewweeks after their concussion and
(09:17):
I really struggled with that,where they would get hurt and I
would feel awful but then they'dbe okay and I wouldn't be and I
didn't get it.
I didn't get that.
They were okay and I wasn't.
So how do you stop comparing toall these people?
I learned no two brain injuriesare alike.
I learned that there's so manyfactors and unknowns, and I
(09:39):
learned how we don't understandthat much about the brain in the
first place.
So it helped me realize thatit's way more complex than I
could even imagine.
A comparison's only hurt me.
So do your best to kind of letgo of those comparisons.
You don't need them.
They're not helping you and ifyou are a survivor that's healed
quick, remember that the otherpeople around you that are also
(10:02):
being injured might not heal asquick as you.
If you're a partner, this isreally frequent where two
partners have had concussionsand one heals faster and one
didn't.
So they don't understand eachother even more now because
they've both had the same injurybut then they're not okay when
one is.
So remember that this is areally important thing to think
(10:24):
of on both sides of the equation, whether you're the person that
healed quick or you're theperson that hasn't.
So don't compare to others.
And let's get to tip number six.
This is a really important tip.
That's tip number six, and it'sabout replacing the word
forever with the word it's wordza, because there's two for now.
(10:44):
A lot of the time we think ofthe word forever when we close
doors on things and this happensa lot for athletes as well,
when they're retiring or takinga step back from a sport or
putting in the past.
But nobody said that when weclose that door we had to throw
away the key.
We could always go back.
Maybe we can't, we don't knowthat, so maybe just use the word
(11:06):
for now.
I'm not doing this for nowinstead of I'm never going to do
this again or I'm changing mylife forever.
It doesn't have to be forever.
We don't know that.
Research changing brains change.
Things are constantly changing.
Sometimes, all of a sudden, wecome across a therapy that
changes our life.
Some symptoms just start to getbetter, and I have to say that
(11:29):
because that's kind of how itfelt, like it happened for me
some days.
So just remember to replacethose words and in your own
vocabulary and also in yourthoughts when you say, oh, I'm
never doing this again or Ican't do that, it's out of the
question.
No, we don't think that way.
We don't use the word forever.
We don't use the word never.
We use the words for now.
(11:50):
For now I'm not doing thatbecause it's not good for me.
For now I have to consider myhealth.
For now I have too manysymptoms.
Use the words for now ratherthan forever.
It really helps by changing ourmindset and changing those
words so it doesn't feel sodefinite and it doesn't hit us
as hard and you really neverknow.
(12:10):
Let's get on to tip number seven.
Tip number seven might seemreally Simple, but I'm saying it
because sometimes we just needto hear it and that is keep
trying.
The best thing about this timeis how much research and things
are changing, is how much we'relearning.
So keep trying.
(12:31):
Do a new therapy, do a newexercise, nutrition more.
Keep trying.
It takes the right combination.
You could do two therapies andan exercise that you do, any
type of exercise.
We always talk about movementhere, nutrition and whatever
else you do for your head andyour symptoms.
But maybe it's not the rightcombination.
(12:52):
Maybe you need a different formof exercise, maybe you need two
different therapies, maybe youneed different nutrition, maybe
you just haven't learned whatelse you could do.
So remember, the rightcombination of putting them all
together is really important.
Symptoms can be connected.
My reading trouble and Itrouble equaled my headaches a
lot of the time.
The perfect treatment might bethe next one you try.
(13:14):
So keep trying.
Do not give up.
It's okay to take breaks, likewe've talked about on the show
before, but don't give upbecause you never know what
combination might work for you.
Let's get to tip number eight.
Tip number eight is planningrest days.
Now, this might not work,depending on your lifestyle.
If you have a lot ofobligations kids work things
(13:34):
like that but sometimes planningrest days doesn't have to be
the whole day.
Sometimes it can just be aperiod of time half a day, an
hour, anything like that.
The trick about rest days isyou may get away with pushing
for a while.
Say, we're going around in acircle and it's just getting
smaller and smaller.
But we're going around thecircle, we're doing an event,
(13:55):
we're doing daily life and we'regood, and we're good, and we're
good.
And Then, because we've plannedno rest days and our brain has
not caught up, our body is notcaught up.
Eventually that circle crashesand it crashes really hard and,
if you're like me, these crashesusually end up in the hospital.
So think about it.
What can I do Around an eventso that I can be successful?
(14:17):
For me, I went to a concert inSeptember that meant napping
before the concert so that I wassuccessful and got through the
concert and had a good time.
If I didn't have that nap, Idon't know if I would have made
it, but that prevented me fromhaving a crash the next day.
So this is where the planningcan make things easier.
Prevents the crashes.
Rest days help us.
(14:38):
You know, if you know somethingwill burn you out, if you know
it's gonna flare up all yoursymptoms, try to give yourself
some rest, a rest period of time.
Maybe you do an appointment andyou need an hour after to just
Relax.
Maybe when you go to work andyou're taking time off for the
dentist, but the dentist flaresup your symptoms.
Try to book it at the end ofthe day so you can just go home,
or try to book where your lunchbreak is so you can rest after.
(15:02):
Think about these things.
This is where planning ahead isreally important and you just
can't forget it.
Honestly, you can't keeppushing yourself to the extreme
point all the time, because itwill catch up with you, and I'm
sure you've learned this before.
So think it through a littlebit more.
That extra planning can reallysave you, and I'm not saying it
(15:24):
always will.
There will be some momentswhere your cash has happened, no
matter what, but try, try toprevent them as much as you can.
And let's get on to tip numbernine.
Tip number nine is also reallyimportant.
Okay, they're all important,it's just a fact.
This is about making adjustments.
So that's how we think we'vefigured it out.
It takes time to learn whatworks and what doesn't, and I'm
(15:47):
sure you do know that quite abit by now.
Maybe not, but I'm sure you'relearning about it.
But sometimes we checkeverything off.
We know symptom management, weknow what to eat, we know our
triggers, we know oursupplements, we know how to
exercise, we know our mentalhealth.
We're planning ahead All thesethings that we're doing it right
, we got this.
But sometimes things change Allof a sudden.
(16:09):
You have a new symptom, newtriggers.
Your symptoms change.
Maybe they feel different,maybe stress, maybe your
perspective changes, somethingstops working.
And that'll happen, especiallywhen you're dealing with this
for a long time.
So don't let it discourage you.
Navigating illness constantly istough and it constantly changes
.
So it goes together.
(16:30):
And it usually tends to happenright when we think we've
figured it all out and we thinkwe're going to get a break.
So think about it ahead of time.
Know that if this all goeswrong, that's OK, it's going to
suck, it's going to be hard, butwe figured it out before.
So tell yourself that you canfigure it out again.
(16:51):
That really helps sometimes,just telling ourselves you know
what?
I've done this before.
I figured that long list outand maybe stress is happening
and it's changing things.
But if I've done it in the past, I can do it again.
And if you're still in thatfirst phase where you're
learning how to do all this,sometimes you can learn it and
then they'll stay kind of thesame.
But don't be afraid to makethose adjustments, because
(17:12):
sometimes we need them.
Sometimes we get so stucktelling ourselves that this
worked, this worked Well.
Sometimes it doesn't all of asudden, and that's OK, just
means we've got to try someother things again.
So don't be afraid to do that.
And let's get to our very lasttip, number 10.
And this is tip number 10.
And that is about loving it,and I mean loving life or just
(17:34):
loving the little things.
You can still love your lifewhile ill.
How do you do that?
Maybe try to find somethingthat you love to do.
Fit it in each week.
Try to find something that youlove to do at home that's easy
to do, that doesn't flare upyour symptoms.
Sometimes this is a challenge,but I believe you can do it.
Sometimes just writing downthings that you're grateful for
(17:54):
can help Find joy in the smallthings.
I used to really hate my life.
Honestly, I was miserable,really depressed and had a lot
of symptoms, but I learned thatI could love life with all of
that.
If I can love my life withbeing chronically ill, you can
too.
Just take some time, take someperspective changes, a lot of
(18:16):
mindset and also some time tofigure it out.
So don't rush, but just believein yourself that you can do it.
You can love all this Well,maybe not all this, but you can
love life while you're goingthrough all this.
That's probably a betterexplanation for it.
So just think about it and Ihope you loved our top 10 tips.
(18:37):
Well, 10 tips.
There's a lot more to this.
If you really love these liketelling how to tell someone
you're struggling how to forgiveyourself it's OK to change.
Invisible doesn't mean not real, not comparing to others, the
word forever versus for now, howyou should keep trying planning
those rest days out, makingadjustments and learning to love
(19:00):
it.
If you like tips like that,don't be afraid to check out our
help series.
We have an entire help serieswhere we go into depth on tips
like this, where it's like 5 to10 minutes on one tip, just
going over anything.
Our most recent ones were ontraveling, so make sure you
check those out.
There is a whole help seriesthat are a video series on
concussion connect.
If you really like that, don'tforget to subscribe on YouTube.
(19:23):
We're almost at 100, almost, soplease come and do that,
because we need to get to 1,000.
And it really helps us out, andso I hope you all have a great
week, and if you notice thisepisode was a little late, that
is because we had some technicaldifficulties.
Me, neither, I had technicaldifficulties, but it's out now
(19:43):
and I really hope that you takeit one day at a time, need more
than just this podcast.
Be sure to check out ourwebsite postconcussioninccom to
see how we can help you in yourpost concussion life, from a
support network to one-on-onecoaching.
I believe life can get betterbecause I've lived through it.
Make sure you take it one dayat a time and I hope you enjoy
(20:06):
it.
Thank you, and I'll see you inthe next one.
I hope you enjoy your week.
Hi everyone.
I'm your host, Bella Paige, andafter suffering from post
concussion syndrome for years,it was time to do something
about it.
So welcome to the PostConcussion Podcast, where we dig
deep into life when it doesn'tgo back to normal.
Be sure to share the podcastand join our support network,
Concussion Connect.
Let's make this invisibleinjury become visible.
(00:29):
The Post Concussion Podcast isstrictly an information podcast
about concussions and postconcussion syndrome.
It does not provide norsubstitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis ortreatment.
Always seek the advice of yourphysician or another qualified
health provider with anyquestions you may have regarding
a medical condition.
(00:50):
Never disregard professionalmedical advice or delay in
seeking it because of somethingyou have heard on this podcast.
The opinions expressed in thispodcast are simply intended to
spark discussion aboutconcussions and post concussion
syndrome.
Welcome to episode number 124of the post concussion podcast
(01:11):
with just me.
Today we're going to talk about10 tips that will help you in
your post concussion life, andif they don't help you, they'll
definitely help somebody else.
If you know any other survivorsin your life, make sure they
listen to this episode, becausethere's some very helpful advice
that we don't always thinkabout when recovering.
So let's get into it.
Okay, so tip number one istelling someone that you're
(01:32):
struggling, or basically, how totell someone that you're
struggling.
It's something we don't alwaysthink about, but it is something
that we sometimes need to learnbecause, you know, we have a
lot going on inside.
People can't see it, sosometimes what's really helpful
is having a way to do it.
The first thing I always liketo remember is think about who
you're picking to tell, becauseif you just go out and tell
(01:55):
anybody, it might not be yourbest choice.
You want to tell someone thatyou can trust, someone that you
value their opinion, or at leastsomeone that you know might
react the best way possible, andso the other thing we want to
really consider is ourexpectations of this person.
Are we expecting them to helpout, or do we want them to help
with finding their piss?
Think about that.
(02:17):
Or do we just want them to be ahelping hand in a mental side
of things?
Do we just want them to bethere for us when we need to
have one to vent to?
Do we just want them to give usa hug and be there for us, or
do we want them to actually acton it?
Just remember this when you'retelling someone, because have
expectations of what you need ofthat person, because if you
(02:38):
don't tell them, they're notgoing to always know.
So maybe you can ask for theirhelp, maybe you can tell them.
I really am telling you thatI'm struggling, but all I really
need you to be there is just bethere for me.
I don't need you to do anythingother than that.
So definitely consider that andthen after that, remember to
pick a good time.
We don't want to say this aswe're running out the door and
(02:59):
we also definitely don't want tosay this in a very crowded
environment.
This is something that youshould take time to tell someone
.
If this is something you'vebeen working up to doing, don't
forget to be appreciative ofthis person.
Say thank you for listening,thank you for giving them your
time, because you know this is abig thing to tell someone if
it's something you've beenstruggling with for a while.
But how do you even explain it?
(03:20):
A good way to say is myconcussion is still affecting me
more than you could evenimagine.
Or you know how life feels likea series of open doors and
choices.
Well, mine feel all controlledby my concussion right now, and
it's slamming every door at myface.
Explain it however you want,but maybe think about it
beforehand so you're not lost.
(03:41):
You know finding wordssometimes very top after a
concussion.
So this can be really helpful.
And remember it's not a race.
You don't need to just blurt itall out as fast as you can.
If that's what's helpful foryou, go ahead, but take your
time and don't forget to expectdifferent responses.
Some people might expect with alot of compassion, some people
(04:03):
might be confused, some peoplemight be hurt that you've been
hiding it from them for a longtime.
So don't forget that.
And if you really need someoneto talk to, don't forget we have
our support groups andconcussion connect, which is
free, and you can join at anytime and take part and even just
send me a message throughconcussion connect and I will
always answer and be there foryou.
Now let's get to our next tip.
Tip two is to forgive yourself.
(04:26):
A lot of the time we think ofthat what if?
What if I did therapy sooner?
What if I didn't quit on thistherapy?
What if I knew this?
What if I told somebody that Iwas struggling?
All these if, if, if, ifscenarios and they're not
helping us.
So we have to stop the what ifspiral.
And something that really ishelpful to think is you didn't
(04:46):
know.
I personally didn't know thatmy concussion was going to alter
my life.
I didn't know the symptomswouldn't go away right away and
I didn't know that staying in adark room all day wasn't going
to help me.
We make decisions based on whatwe know at the time, so don't
beat yourself up for somethingyou didn't know.
We can't get mad at our pastselves because they had less
information than we have now.
(05:06):
You know we all go on roadsthat we don't intend to walk on,
and you are human.
We all make mistakes.
Our lives make turns we don'texpect and maybe we don't even
want those turns to appear.
But you did your best, andmaybe your best looks different
each day.
But just remember to forgiveyourself for the past.
(05:27):
Maybe you don't need to do this, maybe you did everything right
, but if you do feel like you'rein that what if?
Spiral of what should I havedone?
I did these things wrong.
Just you know, forgive yourself.
You did the best that you couldwith the knowledge you had at
the time.
So it's really important toremember this and now we're
going to get to our third tip.
Tip number three is it's okay tochange.
(05:48):
This is usually for people thathave been struggling for a
while, but it is important toyou know, be okay with it.
Know that.
Who am I?
Who are you is a reallyimportant and really tough
question to answer after aconcussion, because you know,
the longer we deal with thesesymptoms, we have a really hard
time being like who am I now?
(06:08):
I'm not.
I can't do all the things I didbefore.
I maybe have a different careernow.
I have a different passion, Ihave a different life.
Maybe I'm more introverted thanI was before, but who am I now?
So you know, don't beatyourself up for this.
It's okay to change.
Don't judge yourself for notbeing who you are before,
because, if you think about it,if you go through anything
(06:28):
traumatic or anyone around youwent through something really
traumatic, you wouldn't expectthem to be the same afterwards.
So don't expect yourself to bethe same.
Whether you go through this forthree months, six months or a
few years or longer.
It's okay.
You're not going to be theperson you were in the past.
You wouldn't have been thatperson anyways, because we
(06:48):
change over time and I stronglybelieve that.
So I am not the same person Iwas.
I wouldn't have been the sameperson I was.
Am I definitely affected morebecause of my illness?
Absolutely.
But don't forget that it isokay to change.
It's okay if you don'trecognize yourself anymore.
Try to find peace with it, thatyou're a new person, that
(07:10):
there's going to be overlaps.
Think of a Venn diagram ofbefore and after.
They're not going to becompletely separate.
There's going to be stuff inthe middle where you're still
the same person, and so justaccept that things change.
So just think of that, don'tbeat yourself up.
It's okay to change and we'regoing to get onto our fourth tip
.
(07:30):
Tip number four is invisibledoesn't mean it's not real.
I know I had a really hard timewith this.
Just because others can't seewhat you're going through, does
it make it not true?
Does it mean it doesn't exist?
I questioned it often,especially the more I got tests
done, because the more and moretests I got done sometimes, the
(07:50):
more and more okay I seemed.
All these tests.
Some of them would come upclear.
I remember I did a cognitivetest and it said I was in the
average, and I remember beinginfuriated because I felt like I
couldn't remember anything,anything at all.
I couldn't remember that flashof four numbers on your phone
that you have to enter to loginto something.
(08:11):
I had to do one at a time andsometimes go back three or four
times to the same number becauseI couldn't remember them.
So don't beat yourself for that.
This is kind of the theme of thetips.
You have to believe in yourself, even if you're questioning it.
Because I believe in you, Ibelieve that what you're going
through is real.
There's a whole community ofpeople in Concussion Connect
(08:33):
that believe you.
So if you need that, go aheadand log in and sign up today.
But just don't beat yourself up.
I think a lot of the time it'sreally tough because we start to
question all our symptoms.
We start to question if we'remaking them worse.
But they exist and don't thinkit's not real just because other
(08:54):
people can't see it around youand even if they don't
understand it either.
And we're going to get on totip number five.
Tip number five is don'tcompare to others, and I'm
telling you not to do this,because it's human nature to do
this, but it's really nothelping you at all when you
think about it.
I've had friends heal in a fewweeks after their concussion and
(09:17):
I really struggled with that,where they would get hurt and I
would feel awful but then they'dbe okay and I wouldn't be and I
didn't get it.
I didn't get that.
They were okay and I wasn't.
So how do you stop comparing toall these people?
I learned no two brain injuriesare alike.
I learned that there's so manyfactors and unknowns, and I
(09:39):
learned how we don't understandthat much about the brain in the
first place.
So it helped me realize thatit's way more complex than I
could even imagine.
A comparison's only hurt me.
So do your best to kind of letgo of those comparisons.
You don't need them.
They're not helping you and ifyou are a survivor that's healed
quick, remember that the otherpeople around you that are also
(10:02):
being injured might not heal asquick as you.
If you're a partner, this isreally frequent where two
partners have had concussionsand one heals faster and one
didn't.
So they don't understand eachother even more now because
they've both had the same injurybut then they're not okay when
one is.
So remember that this is areally important thing to think
(10:24):
of on both sides of the equation, whether you're the person that
healed quick or you're theperson that hasn't.
So don't compare to others.
And let's get to tip number six.
This is a really important tip.
That's tip number six, and it'sabout replacing the word
forever with the word it's wordza, because there's two for now.
(10:44):
A lot of the time we think ofthe word forever when we close
doors on things and this happensa lot for athletes as well,
when they're retiring or takinga step back from a sport or
putting in the past.
But nobody said that when weclose that door we had to throw
away the key.
We could always go back.
Maybe we can't, we don't knowthat, so maybe just use the word
(11:06):
for now.
I'm not doing this for nowinstead of I'm never going to do
this again or I'm changing mylife forever.
It doesn't have to be forever.
We don't know that.
Research changing brains change.
Things are constantly changing.
Sometimes, all of a sudden, wecome across a therapy that
changes our life.
Some symptoms just start to getbetter, and I have to say that
(11:29):
because that's kind of how itfelt, like it happened for me
some days.
So just remember to replacethose words and in your own
vocabulary and also in yourthoughts when you say, oh, I'm
never doing this again or Ican't do that, it's out of the
question.
No, we don't think that way.
We don't use the word forever.
We don't use the word never.
We use the words for now.
(11:50):
For now I'm not doing thatbecause it's not good for me.
For now I have to consider myhealth.
For now I have too manysymptoms.
Use the words for now ratherthan forever.
It really helps by changing ourmindset and changing those
words so it doesn't feel sodefinite and it doesn't hit us
as hard and you really neverknow.
(12:10):
Let's get on to tip number seven.
Tip number seven might seemreally Simple, but I'm saying it
because sometimes we just needto hear it and that is keep
trying.
The best thing about this timeis how much research and things
are changing, is how much we'relearning.
So keep trying.
(12:31):
Do a new therapy, do a newexercise, nutrition more.
Keep trying.
It takes the right combination.
You could do two therapies andan exercise that you do, any
type of exercise.
We always talk about movementhere, nutrition and whatever
else you do for your head andyour symptoms.
But maybe it's not the rightcombination.
(12:52):
Maybe you need a different formof exercise, maybe you need two
different therapies, maybe youneed different nutrition, maybe
you just haven't learned whatelse you could do.
So remember, the rightcombination of putting them all
together is really important.
Symptoms can be connected.
My reading trouble and Itrouble equaled my headaches a
lot of the time.
The perfect treatment might bethe next one you try.
(13:14):
So keep trying.
Do not give up.
It's okay to take breaks, likewe've talked about on the show
before, but don't give upbecause you never know what
combination might work for you.
Let's get to tip number eight.
Tip number eight is planningrest days.
Now, this might not work,depending on your lifestyle.
If you have a lot ofobligations kids work things
(13:34):
like that but sometimes planningrest days doesn't have to be
the whole day.
Sometimes it can just be aperiod of time half a day, an
hour, anything like that.
The trick about rest days isyou may get away with pushing
for a while.
Say, we're going around in acircle and it's just getting
smaller and smaller.
But we're going around thecircle, we're doing an event,
(13:55):
we're doing daily life and we'regood, and we're good, and we're
good.
And Then, because we've plannedno rest days and our brain has
not caught up, our body is notcaught up.
Eventually that circle crashesand it crashes really hard and,
if you're like me, these crashesusually end up in the hospital.
So think about it.
What can I do Around an eventso that I can be successful?
(14:17):
For me, I went to a concert inSeptember that meant napping
before the concert so that I wassuccessful and got through the
concert and had a good time.
If I didn't have that nap, Idon't know if I would have made
it, but that prevented me fromhaving a crash the next day.
So this is where the planningcan make things easier.
Prevents the crashes.
Rest days help us.
(14:38):
You know, if you know somethingwill burn you out, if you know
it's gonna flare up all yoursymptoms, try to give yourself
some rest, a rest period of time.
Maybe you do an appointment andyou need an hour after to just
Relax.
Maybe when you go to work andyou're taking time off for the
dentist, but the dentist flaresup your symptoms.
Try to book it at the end ofthe day so you can just go home,
or try to book where your lunchbreak is so you can rest after.
(15:02):
Think about these things.
This is where planning ahead isreally important and you just
can't forget it.
Honestly, you can't keeppushing yourself to the extreme
point all the time, because itwill catch up with you, and I'm
sure you've learned this before.
So think it through a littlebit more.
That extra planning can reallysave you, and I'm not saying it
(15:24):
always will.
There will be some momentswhere your cash has happened, no
matter what, but try, try toprevent them as much as you can.
And let's get on to tip numbernine.
Tip number nine is also reallyimportant.
Okay, they're all important,it's just a fact.
This is about making adjustments.
So that's how we think we'vefigured it out.
It takes time to learn whatworks and what doesn't, and I'm
(15:47):
sure you do know that quite abit by now.
Maybe not, but I'm sure you'relearning about it.
But sometimes we checkeverything off.
We know symptom management, weknow what to eat, we know our
triggers, we know oursupplements, we know how to
exercise, we know our mentalhealth.
We're planning ahead All thesethings that we're doing it right
, we got this.
But sometimes things change Allof a sudden.
(16:09):
You have a new symptom, newtriggers.
Your symptoms change.
Maybe they feel different,maybe stress, maybe your
perspective changes, somethingstops working.
And that'll happen, especiallywhen you're dealing with this
for a long time.
So don't let it discourage you.
Navigating illness constantly istough and it constantly changes
.
So it goes together.
(16:30):
And it usually tends to happenright when we think we've
figured it all out and we thinkwe're going to get a break.
So think about it ahead of time.
Know that if this all goeswrong, that's OK, it's going to
suck, it's going to be hard, butwe figured it out before.
So tell yourself that you canfigure it out again.
(16:51):
That really helps sometimes,just telling ourselves you know
what?
I've done this before.
I figured that long list outand maybe stress is happening
and it's changing things.
But if I've done it in the past, I can do it again.
And if you're still in thatfirst phase where you're
learning how to do all this,sometimes you can learn it and
then they'll stay kind of thesame.
But don't be afraid to makethose adjustments, because
(17:12):
sometimes we need them.
Sometimes we get so stucktelling ourselves that this
worked, this worked Well.
Sometimes it doesn't all of asudden, and that's OK, just
means we've got to try someother things again.
So don't be afraid to do that.
And let's get to our very lasttip, number 10.
And this is tip number 10.
And that is about loving it,and I mean loving life or just
(17:34):
loving the little things.
You can still love your lifewhile ill.
How do you do that?
Maybe try to find somethingthat you love to do.
Fit it in each week.
Try to find something that youlove to do at home that's easy
to do, that doesn't flare upyour symptoms.
Sometimes this is a challenge,but I believe you can do it.
Sometimes just writing downthings that you're grateful for
(17:54):
can help Find joy in the smallthings.
I used to really hate my life.
Honestly, I was miserable,really depressed and had a lot
of symptoms, but I learned thatI could love life with all of
that.
If I can love my life withbeing chronically ill, you can
too.
Just take some time, take someperspective changes, a lot of
(18:16):
mindset and also some time tofigure it out.
So don't rush, but just believein yourself that you can do it.
You can love all this Well,maybe not all this, but you can
love life while you're goingthrough all this.
That's probably a betterexplanation for it.
So just think about it and Ihope you loved our top 10 tips.
(18:37):
Well, 10 tips.
There's a lot more to this.
If you really love these liketelling how to tell someone
you're struggling how to forgiveyourself it's OK to change.
Invisible doesn't mean not real, not comparing to others, the
word forever versus for now, howyou should keep trying planning
those rest days out, makingadjustments and learning to love
(19:00):
it.
If you like tips like that,don't be afraid to check out our
help series.
We have an entire help serieswhere we go into depth on tips
like this, where it's like 5 to10 minutes on one tip, just
going over anything.
Our most recent ones were ontraveling, so make sure you
check those out.
There is a whole help seriesthat are a video series on
concussion connect.
If you really like that, don'tforget to subscribe on YouTube.
(19:23):
We're almost at 100, almost, soplease come and do that,
because we need to get to 1,000.
And it really helps us out, andso I hope you all have a great
week, and if you notice thisepisode was a little late, that
is because we had some technicaldifficulties.
Me, neither, I had technicaldifficulties, but it's out now
(19:43):
and I really hope that you takeit one day at a time, need more
than just this podcast.
Be sure to check out ourwebsite postconcussioninccom to
see how we can help you in yourpost concussion life, from a
support network to one-on-onecoaching.
I believe life can get betterbecause I've lived through it.
Make sure you take it one dayat a time and I hope you enjoy
(20:06):
it.
Thank you, and I'll see you inthe next one.
I hope you enjoy your week.
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