Things you can do to support brain injury recovery
Identify your circle of care, with a trusted physician or advocate who can direct you to different professionals who can support your recovery, as well as patient family members and friends who can offer practical and emotional support
Do not be afraid to advocate for the care you need
Contact your local brain injury association to find specific support and get connected to others who have gone through similar experience
Budget your time and energy to keep your brain in a ‘safe zone,’ in TBI survivor Rob Staffen’s words.
Recognize that if you cannot do something, you aren’t being lazy: you are taking care of yourself and your recovery
Consider keeping a journal or taking notes to look back on in case you are struggling with memory issues
Practice accepting your injury, celebrating improvements, no matter how small, and loving the version of yourself you are today
Explore legal and administrative channels that might help, like filing a police report, contacting your insurance companying, applying for financial assistance, or meeting with a lawyer
Take steps to prevent being injured again—once you have one, you’re more prone to re-injury
Explore other ways to support your recovery, including eating nutritiously, limiting alcohol, incorporating physical activity into your life (if you are able), doing yoga to support balance and proprioception, and meditation to help quiet the brain
Don’t ignore your eyes: Work with a vestibular physiotherapist to re-create/re-establish neural pathways associated with balance, proprioception, eye-brain movements, or go to an optometrist for vision therapy
